Mystery Hops!?

[Parker]

Last week I pick a whole bunch of hops (3 paper shopping bags) from a friend's hop bine. Beautiful plant with TONS of flowers, problem is, I have NO idea what they are! He had them as an ornamental vine and had originally recieved the rhizome from a homebrewer. I'm guessing they're Willamette. They've dried out perfectly and are ready to go into a wort.

So any recommendations on trying to figure out what variety this is?

Oh yeah...as an aside....he no longer talks to the homebrewer....so he won't call him to ask!


BTW I've got a bunch of Marris Otter, Torrified Wheat and Crystal 40. So it'll end up as some sort of English IPA.

PS FMSIC (Forgive My Spelling I'm Cocked!)

[awalker]

I got some mystery hops last year and have just done a straight hop beer.

hops
brown sugar
root ginger
a 40 min boil

If I remember rightly

So I know that what ever it tastes like is all the hops.
It taste lovely, very hoppy, loads of fruity aroma.

Where as I did some other unknown hops at the same time
that turned out really bitter.

So still dont know what they are but have a good idea of which one to use at the beginning of the boil and which one to use at the end



Not very technical, but I am still learning

Adam

[valorian]

Hop union has pictures of some of the more common hops.

http://www.hopunion.com/pics.shtml

[Speyedr]

Brew it up! Add a dose at 60min, 15min and 5min and even dry hop it. Use a clean yeast like Cal Ale. I'm SURE you'll be able to tell at that point. Sounds like fun. If only I didn't know what hops I am growing...

[Parker]

Hey Speyedr,

I took your advice and brewed up a big batch of IPA

Here's the recipe:

14.5 lbs. English 2-row Pale
.5 lbs. British Crystal 55°L
.5 lbs. Barley Flaked

3 oz. East Kent Goldings (Pellets, 5.00 %AA) boiled 60 min.
4 oz. Willamette (Whole, 5.00 %AA) boiled 15 min.
4 oz. Willamette (Whole, 5.00 %AA) boiled 1 min.
1 oz. Willamette (Whole, 5.00 %AA) used as dry hop.

Yeast : White Labs WLP001 California Ale

Steve's hop plant (Willamette????)
Spring water used
Protein Rest 122 at 30 min
Sac Rest 156 at 45 min
mash out at 168 for 10 min

The EKG was a pelletized. I read, somewhere, to not waste home grown hops on the bittering stage. This stuff is cranking away in the fermenter and has a GREAT BIG hops smell.....as well it should with a half-pound of hops in the flavor and aroma stages.

As far as problems, the only one I had was getting the wort extracted from the hole hops. They act like little sponges and I didn't expect it! So I had to get out the strainer and press the hops to get out the liquid. Don't know how well the strainer was sterilized....I guess I'll find out!



Valorian,

Thanks for the link! It helped me rule out a few common varieties.

Thanks !

Parker