What Hop Is This?

[ASYLUM_SPIRIT]

Hey Guys

This is a wild hop that grows near my parents place in New Norfolk Tasmania (20 min from Bushy Park). Its been there ever since I was a kid. But since I have got into Home Brewing I would love to use it but I'm not sure what variety it is hence I dont know how I should use it.

It smells spicey, and just like the hop feilds

Can anyone ID this hop? I know its hard just to ID a hop just by a photo but any ideas would help.

http://i307.photobucket.com/albums/nn295/j...cs/IMG_1606.jpg

http://i307.photobucket.com/albums/nn295/j...cs/IMG_1605.jpg

http://i307.photobucket.com/albums/nn295/j...cs/IMG_1604.jpg

http://i307.photobucket.com/albums/nn295/j...cs/IMG_1607.jpg

 

[MHB]

There is a fair chance it isnt a known breed, could be the result of wild crosspollination, but considering the amount of POR grown over the years and the look of the flowers you would have to suspect there is more than just a bit of POR in the family history.
Take some flowers to the local hop growers; some of these guys have decades of hands on experience.
Try to get some cones from known verities about the same age and compare the taste (yes chew them), smell and feel of the hops. Do a little boil (like 1 L each) alongside known hop cones with known alpha that is at about the same age, tasting the teas side by side should give you some indication.
Got to say youre a lucky bugger getting the chance to play with wild hops, Im not a big fan of backyard hop growing but its great to see wild genes out there, always important to hop breeding.
Mark

 

[Malted]

But since I have got into Home Brewing I would love to use it but I'm not sure what variety it is hence I dont know how I should use it.

Can't help you with the ID.What varieties were grown in the area when you were a kid? It could be a 5% AA variety or a 10% AA variety for example. Rub some of the yellow lupulin from between the petals on your finger and compare the smell to some bought hops?

Perhaps do a smash with it to see what it tastes like? (Single Malt and Single Hop). Go for a pale ale type of beer hopping schedule and if it is a high AA variety it may end up an IPA of sorts. What about a 10 minute SMASH? Just calculate the AA at 5% and dump in all the required hops at 10 minutes and then whack the wort through a chiller. Brew it and see kinda deal?

 

[np1962]

Maltyhops has done some good work with photographing hops and their foliage in the articles section.

Aussie Hop leaf pictures here.

Have a look in his other more detailed articles Here

Cheers
Nige

 

[ASYLUM_SPIRIT]

There is a fair chance it isn't a known breed, could be the result of wild crosspollination, but considering the amount of POR grown over the years and the look of the flowers you would have to suspect there is more than just a bit of POR in the family history.
Take some flowers to the local hop growers; some of these guys have decades of hands on experience.
Try to get some cones from known verities about the same age and compare the taste (yes chew them), smell and feel of the hops. Do a little boil (like 1 L each) alongside known hop cones with known alpha that is at about the same age, tasting the teas side by side should give you some indication.
Got to say you're a lucky bugger getting the chance to play with wild hops, I'm not a big fan of backyard hop growing but it's great to see wild genes out there, always important to hop breeding.
Mark

Thanks MHB, I will take on your advice. I think there would definatly be some POR in there for sure.

 

[ASYLUM_SPIRIT]

Maltyhops has done some good work with photographing hops and their foliage in the articles section.

Aussie Hop leaf pictures here.

Have a look in his other more detailed articles Here

Cheers
Nige

Thanks mate that link was really helpful.

I just picked off the leaves. That price of vine had 3 different types of leaves that look like

HALLERTAUER-TRAD



CASCADE



Goldings


Here is a pic, what do you think? Can hops have different leaf shapes or is this due to cross pollination?

http://i307.photobucket.com/albums/nn295/j...25/IMG_1608.jpg

 

[Malted]

I just picked off the leaves. That price of vine had 3 different types of leaves that look like

Goldings

Here is a pic, what do you think? Can hops have different leaf shapes or is this due to cross pollination?

http://i307.photobucket.com/albums/nn295/j...25/IMG_1608.jpg

Nothing conclusive and perhaps baseless speculation but my Goldings have very open petals on the cone like that, rather than a compact, tight cone

Edit: see how these Cascade cones have tighter petals on the cones

 

[ASYLUM_SPIRIT]

Nothing conclusive and perhaps baseless speculation but my Goldings have very open petals on the cone like that, rather than a compact, tight cone

Cheers, well to my uneducated eye, one of the leaves look like a golding leaf.

 

[np1962]

From the pics my first thoughts were Goldings.
If they have been there for many years this would be a distinct possibility.
Just speculating though.
Nige

 

[ASYLUM_SPIRIT]

From the pics my first thoughts were Goldings.
If they have been there for many years this would be a distinct possibility.
Just speculating though.
Nige

Thanks Nige, well thats 3 people that suspect Goldings

 

[MHB]

This is a Typical Leaf and Cone for Golding, from Bath Hass website, there are a bunch of other good identifier photos there to
View attachment 52860
Plants are never identified by leaf structure only flowers, thats pretty basic plant biology (well they are used as secondary identifiers) but the defining answer always comes from the flowers.
Mark

 

[Screwtop]

Well, lots of opinions here, so I'll throw my hat in the ring.

My Guess: Wurtemberger as it was grown around there since the 80's

From Hop Products Tas:

Wurtemberger was imported from Germany in the late 80’s. It was sent to us as a variety that may be of interest and that might grow well in Australia. I do not have any information in my system on this variety any more. For further information you might try Joh Barth & Sohn in Germany. You might also find the spelling WURTTEMBERGER will give you more information.

John Ross

And from Alexbrand in Germany

Short info, what my german brewing colleagues found out:

USDA ACCESSION No.: 21682
SELECTION: No information
GENUS: Humulus
SPECIES: lupulus
CULTIVAR: Wuerttemberger
PEDIGREE: no information
PRIMARY SITE USDA/OSU Hop Research Farm, Corvallis, OR.
ORIGIN Hop Unioin USA, Yakima WA (Dr. Greg Lewis) who had obtained it from Germany
DATE RECEIVED: Spring 1993
METHOD RECEIVED: rhizomes
AVAILBILITY: no restrictions
REFERENCES: Annual Repoprt of Hop Research, USDA/ARS 1993 and later years
MATURITY: medium early
LEAF COLOR: light green
SEX: female
DISEASES: Downy mildew: moderately resdistant
Powdery mildew: No information
Verticillium wilt. Tolerant
Viruses: No information
VIGOR: fair to good
YIELD: poor
SIDE ARM LENGTH: 12 to 30 inches
ALPHA ACIDS: 5 %
BETA ACIDS: 4 %
COHUMULONE: 28 %
STORAGE STABILITY: good, retained about 72% of its original alpha acids after
6 months room temperature storage
OIL: 1.25 ml/ 100 g. Humulene18%; caryophyllene 6%; farnesene 4%
Myrcene 59%. H/C ratio = 3.00
MAJOR TRAITS: pleasant continental aroma characteristics
OTHER INFORMATION: This is an old German hop which no longer is grown commercially. It may be related to Tettnanger of Saazer.

Screwy

 

[Batz]

I have no idea. B)

But can you get me a rhizome from that plant?

batz

 

[bradsbrew]

Vienna gold? I have no idea really just putting it out there. Actually just went and had a look and it looks more like the cascade leaf than the vienna gold.

Cheers

 

[MaltyHops]

Maltyhops has done some good work with photographing hops and their foliage in
the articles section.

Thanks for saying so Nige but I have to say it's pretty tough to use
the Hops Gallery images to try to identify a hop. Even with more
images and examples added, at best it might help to suggest what
a hop might be.

For OP, POR and Fuggles from the Barth Hass link MHB posted may
be possible matches.

 

[ASYLUM_SPIRIT]

I have no idea. B)

But can you get me a rhizome from that plant?

batz

Hey

Not sure mate, its pretty overgrown and its intwined with other things. Is there more than 1 Rhizome? Are they hard to find? Do you live in Tasmania?

 

[Malted]

Hey I'll throw it in there just for the hell of it, seems to be the thing to do, how about Progress?

******** aside, you have had some good info posted by others:
(1) What was historically grown in the area?
(2) Take some samples of the cones (and maybe leaves too) and ask some commercial growers what they think it could be. Maybe try Sandy Ross, down your way at at Hopco in Geilston Bay? He is a commercial dude but seems sympathetic to home brewers.
(3) Leaves are a secondary identifier, flowers are the primary identifier.

(4) Keep asking us bozo's and you'll get more speculation rather than answers.
(5) Echoing Batz: in winter, once it has all browned off could you dig up a speculative rhizome for me too?

Rhizomes are easy to collect. Wait till mid winter when it is all browned off and grab a dried brown vine and yank on it. It should run horizontal under the ground. Just dig it up maybe 10cm or so under the surface and cut the brown stem into pieces about 10-15cm long, so long as they have a few little buds on them like eyes on a potato they will be all good. Wrap them in some damp newspaper and stick in a plastic bag, put in the fridge till you're ready to post them and just bung them in a 500g satchel through AusPost. You could get a block of coir (shredded coconut husk) from Bunnings etc for feck all, break it up into water, leave sit for an hour or more, grab a handfull and wring the water out, then shove it and the rhizome in a plastic bag into the fridge and then a 500g satchel. You want them kepty damp but not too wet as they can go mouldy. You want the woody looking horizontal roots that have buds on them, not the vertical tuber like roots. This is sort of what you would want:

10 bucks plus postage is the going sorta rate. A big old plant like that would have miles of the surface horizontal roots that can be cut with secatuers into rhizome sections like the above. Maybe some folks would not want to buy it because you don't know what it is. Some folks like me and Batz will give it a go just for ***** and giggles.

Edit: I think you can't send hop rhizomes to WA due to Quarrantine restrictions but the rest of Aus is ok.

 

[marksfish]

:icon_cheers: :icon_cheers:

I have no idea. B)

But can you get me a rhizome from that plant?

batz

nfi on the identity but +1 on a rhizome if you can dig it up during winter and yes i will pay for time and postage :icon_cheers:

 

[ASYLUM_SPIRIT]

No worries guys, I will see how I go and let you all know.

 

[brewtas]

I'm keen for a rhizome too if you have enough. I'm just over in Goodwood.