Beer Forum

In the spring I posted about some hops that are growing on my wife's co-worker's place. I finally got out there to check them out this afternoon.









They smelled a bit like a Sierra Nevada Pale Ale and I bought another 6pk to confirm. I steeped some cones in hot water for a few minutes, poured a beer and smelled them. Then I smelled my arm to "reset" my nasal passage and smelled the steeped hops. I'm 80% sure they are Cascade, but could be Centennial as well as I've read in the MoreBeer catalog they are similar.

This lady's boyfriend asked his family about them and the uncle that used to live there was a homebrewer and planted the hops. This guy made everything himself and grew everything he used. Unfortunately he is deceased, so I can't ask him directly.

My question is how do I harvest the rizomes from these. They (the owner's) are going to burn the barn down they grow on so I'll need to transplant these to save them. Also it appears the leaves suffer from aphid damage. Any measures to prevent these little fuckers from ruining the hops?

Thanks!

Just dig up as much root as possible and replant it in a new location. You can and probably should divide the root and plant it to get several plants. Aphids require constant vigilance. You'll probably have to spray twice a week all next year. Soaps work great though. So do ladybugs.

Send a sample here.

http://www.brewlaboratory.com/

It will give you enough info to "identify" it short of a $300 dna test by comparing it to the hop charts such as you can bet from BYO magazine.
http://www.byo.com/store?page=shop.prod ... gory_id=19

I have 4 "UN-documented" hops I harvest and brew with. I brewed with them for a couple years and knew 1 was a bittering hop, now Im really really sure its magnum, the others are saaz, and goldings, the 4th one is still a mystery aroma hop

Ironman wrote:Just dig up as much root as possible and replant it in a new location. You can and probably should divide the root and plant it to get several plants. Aphids require constant vigilance. You'll probably have to spray twice a week all next year. Soaps work great though. So do ladybugs.

Yeah, just go get some ladybugs. Alternatively, sprinkling some diatomaceous earth will keep most bugs away.