Home grown hops

Ok i need some help. I am fairly new to this (6 months) i have brewed and bottled only 10 batches and have only used pellet hops from my local homebrew store (The BeerNut). There i am able to know the exact type of hop and its percentages. But a guy i work with grows his own hops just as a hobby but he doesn't brew and the guy he used to give them to moved. So he gave me a whole grocery bag full of them.

What should i use them in? Does anyone have any good ideas on how to go about using them considering i don't know what type or percentage the hops are?

That’s pretty sweet. Even though it is a big tease not knowing what they are. Sorry I cant help you though.

Yeah i thought it was pretty sweet too, getting a big huge bag full of home grown hops for free (well kind of, i gave him some homebrews as trade). But now i have the hops and i'm not sure what to make with them. I'm thinking about just making an IPA and just throwing a bunch of them in and seeing what i get. But any ideas from those more experienced out there would be awesome.

Since you don't know the AA percentage, just smell 'em. If they smell nice, like hops ought to smell, you can use them for flavor and aroma. Just substitute them one for one with whatever hops you would use for late additions.

No idea what variety they are, huh?

Bob

Why not ask the guy what he planted? He probably knows what he has.

RonRock said:

Why not ask the guy what he planted? He probably knows what he has.

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Good point as long as the guy is pretty cool and doesn't mind chit-chat... on hops ... it might bring on a sweet partnership.
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Make sure you dry them first (don't know if you did that already) and I would say just go ahead and use them for flavor and aroma hops, even if the person you got these from knows what variety they are you probably wont be able to guess a very accurate alpha acid value for them. The big guys have their hops tested in a lab to see what the alpha values are.

RonRock said:

Why not ask the guy what he planted? He probably knows what he has.

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He doesn't, i asked him when i got them from him if he knew. He's an older guy and he said he planted the vines so long ago he can't remember the type. Like i said he doesn't brew, he just grew them for an old friend who brewed but that guy moved away. It's not really the type i'm all that worried about its the acids percentages i want to know and am confused on. Since i don't know them i wasn't sure how to use them.

But i think i'm going to take the advice given here and not worry and just use them for flavoring and aroma. I'm going to brew tomorrow and just see what i get.

There are only two ways I know of to get an idea of the AA content of homegrown hops. One is to send a sample to a lab and have it tested and the other is to brew something like a pale ale with them and see how it turns out. Personally, I like the sound of the later option myself.

Are the hops dried?

Problem of the type was solved today. I just took a few of the hops and the leaves that were in the bag, down to my local homebrew store and compared them against a giant poster of hop leaves and types. They are indeed Cascade hops as the leaves matched perfectly.

I'm brewing an IPA right now and i'm going to use them for flavoring, aroma and try some for dry hopping and see what i get. Man i love homebrewing!!

I would divide them into four groups. Add 1/4 at 60 minutes add 1/4 at 45 minutes add 1/4 at 30 minutes and another 1/4 at 10 minutes. BAM!!!! That should make anice hoppy IPA