Native Hops to North Dakota

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Hockeyhunter99

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I know that hops can be grown in ND but i am looking for a specific variety that is native to ND. i have an aunt and uncle that has them on their property and want to know if there are any specific to the region. been researching but can't find specifics.

thought i would let you all expell your knowledge.

thanks
 
There are wild hops and there are the commercially grown hops. If these were grown for beer you either have a commercial hop still grown or a heritage hop- some thing that was grown but has been replaced by a better hop.
Regardless, there is no way to guess without sending them in for analysis. Classic question and the answer is either brew with them and love them for what they are, or send them in to find out what they are.
 
more or less my question is... what kind of hops can grow natively? i am looking to grow hops that are native to ND
 
Pretty much any hop used in brewing these days could be grown in ND, though not all will produce to their peak.

While there are varieties of hops that are native to the US, they aren't used in the original form for brewing. They have been crossbred with other varieties to create the breeds we use today.

What is growing out at your Aunt and Uncle's are probably an old cluster variety or something similar planted years ago that has since gone feral. It may be good or not. If you are looking for a "native" variety, I'm not sure you will find any information on that.
 
it's funny, I live in Philly, and there are literally wild hops growing ALL over the effing place! I see them all the time, ( well, not in the winter),. The thing I notice is that they are always mixed in with their male counterpart, so cones are seeded and not so "hoppy". Not to highjack this thread, but I've been contemplating digging up the rhizomes from some of the females and planting them somewhere away from the boys. However, I'm uncertain if hops is hermaphroditic and or is a male or female plant like it's more psychoactive cousin.
 
Boys are boys and girls are girls. Sometimes I've seen the girls wanting to be boys - a little, but it's no big deal. As long as you're far enough away from the boys you should be able to grow some cones. Haha, that kinda sounds stupid!
 
they are diocious (seperate sexes for each plant)

do you think fuggles would be a good choice for growth?
 
Fuggle would work fine. Pretty much any of the "American" varieties should do well. The ones that won't produce are the Nobel varieties like Saaz that have a hard time outside of their home region.

Basically, plant what you brew with. If you are going to plant out at your Aunt and Uncle's, be sure to rip out the male feral plants. If they pollinate your fuggles, the chemical profile will change, along with the flavor. If any of those seeds drop and sprout, then you will have some hybrid that will taste completely different. It ma be good but who knows.

You may also want to harvest some of those feral to see what they taste like. Make a tea to get an idea.
 
Fuggle would work fine. Pretty much any of the "American" varieties should do well. The ones that won't produce are the Nobel varieties like Saaz that have a hard time outside of their home region.

Basically, plant what you brew with. If you are going to plant out at your Aunt and Uncle's, be sure to rip out the male feral plants. If they pollinate your fuggles, the chemical profile will change, along with the flavor. If any of those seeds drop and sprout, then you will have some hybrid that will taste completely different. It ma be good but who knows.

You may also want to harvest some of those feral to see what they taste like. Make a tea to get an idea.

Listen to this man.
 
The reason i ask about fuggles is that they are not from this region. they are from the UK. is there american fuggles?
 
I've seen Cascade, Chinook, Fuggles, and a few others all grown in our region. Not sure if they are native, my guess is no, but it seems there are a ton of varieties that can survive.

I'm sure someone planted them at some point and they are continuing to grow?

PS, I went to school at NDSU in Fargo. Watched the Bison take home the national title! Go Bison!
 
If I'm not mistaken the Willamette hop is the American variety of the UK Fuggles hop to answer your question hockeyhunter99
 
Hockeyhunter99 said:
<----- BTW, look there! :)

I am on my phone, laptop is currently unavailable.

Let me know how those hops turn out, I just read a Homebrewer's Garden last week. I am thinking about planting some this spring.
 
i have a plan for a hop trellis that my wife and i both like and i use cascades and fuggles in a few of my beers. thought i would throw my hat in the mix as i don't know of many home growers around here.

where would be a good place to order rhizomes? any recommendations. the LHBS says he can get very few types and most are already spoken for. i was checking Nikobrew.com for pre-orders. if there is another place anyone would recommend, it would be greatly appreciated.


BTW. i am a sioux hockey fan but i did like to see the bison take it all. what a ride!!
 
Hockeyhunter99 said:
i have a plan for a hop trellis that my wife and i both like and i use cascades and fuggles in a few of my beers. thought i would throw my hat in the mix as i don't know of many home growers around here.

where would be a good place to order rhizomes? any recommendations. the LHBS says he can get very few types and most are already spoken for. i was checking Nikobrew.com for pre-orders. if there is another place anyone would recommend, it would be greatly appreciated.

BTW. i am a sioux hockey fan but i did like to see the bison take it all. what a ride!!

I was looking at Midwest, Northern Brewer and Austin Home Brew.
 
Either Midwest or Northern Brewer are taking orders right now, and they have about all the varietiesw there are. I am up in Winnipeg, and have 10 different varieties on the go now (3rd year this spring), and all the varieties are doing great with one exception (I think it is Willamett, I will have to check my records on this). If you are looking for a native variety, although it may not be the best hop out there, try Canadian Redvine. I think it has parentage from a wild hop found in Winkler/ Morden Manitoba area, and this wild hop is also in the parentage of lots of other modern hops.

BTW, who is the LHBS in the Fargo area? I have looked for this every time I am in the area to see what is there, and I can't find anything but a grocery store that has some brewing stuff at the end of an aisle.
 
The name is retired (for now) and there won't be a name for a few years. There are a lot of people that are trying different ways to get it reinstated but no one knows what the future holds. as of right now and until further notice. it is just University of North Dakota.

The LHBS is called Country Cannery. it is actually in Moorhead, MN (sister city). it is a homebrew/sausage/wine/cheese-making/cabinet design store. a little bit of everything. the other place is called Tochi's and that is just off of downtown. PM me if you want directions.

And check to see if Williamette is growing or not. it is on my shortlist of varieties to plant this spring.
 
I ordered a Cascade, a Williamette, and a Hallertauer from Midwest Supplies last winter. I was pretty happy with the shipping and quality. They all came to my house pretty early, but you can keep them alive pretty easily in your fridge by keeping them damp.

Planted very early in the spring in northern MN. Cascade and Williamette took off really well, got to be ~ 14 feet tall and produced maybe a 1/2 oz dry each. I used them for dry hopping my Pale Ale that's currently kegged. Yum! My Hallertau only got 5 or 6 feet high, but I buried that one too deep. So operator error there. I hope all 3 come back strong this year. I should get much more production in year 2.

Speaking of the North Dakota Nameless, how 'bout them BullDogs? #1 baby! Up next is disappointing 16,000 fans in Omaha this Friday. For once I can't wait to play North Dakota in February. Should be tons of fun. Oh and I've been to the Ralph, no way they can ever get rid of all of the Sioux logo's there.
 
The Ralph is by far the most extravagant arena built. from the stone floors with the 30 foot logos everywhere, to the washrooms (yes they are that nice). The dressing rooms are huge, the ice is grat to play on, not too hot not too cold, and the home teams gym rivals anything out there. i was told the only team owned private gym that is bigger is one of the NFL teams. Underwater treadmills, ice treadmills, more stuff than you can think of.
I will get back to you tonight on the one variety that does not grow too well.
 
I agree the Ralphs is very extravagent, especially for college hockey. Too bad my team got whooped up on when I visited years ago or I might be inclined to go back.

I'm just glad the Dogs now have a venue that isn't 45 years old. They kept the same kind of feel though with the upper deck still close to the ice. I recommend a visit sometime for college hockey fans. Canal Park is a blast before and after games for Duluth fans and visiting fans alike.

Oh yeah, supposed to be talking hops here. Really cool how they will self train themselves to a rope. This happened while I was gone in the spring (only visit lakeplace once every 2 weeks). From meager beginnings...

full-5554-9427-spring2011044.jpg
 
Don't know what they will do with the Ralph yet but i know it will be expensive. Nice looking hops. must be from previous year. although we haven't had much snow yet and chance of upper 30s this weekend. might just build my garden base this weekend in the shop. i will hold off on ground breaking for a little while yet. but i am getting excited.
 
The Hop variety that is native to most of the Northern Tier States is Brewers Gold. It has been crossed and backcrossed to create most of the American Ale Types.
Cascade, Centennial, Northern Brewer all have it's genetics. Native plants collected by the USDA from the Nothern States all have Brewers Gold genes in common. Most of the other "wild " hops found growing across the midwest are survivors from the first generation of brewers. All Hail the Ancients!:D
 
Sorry for the delay, just looked at my hop garden map this morning, and the variety that is going to be coming out this year because of lack in production is Nuggett. two years in the ground and still haven't got one hop cone off it, and it has not grown more than 8 feet tall.
 
well here is the update,

Ordered Cascade, Nugget, and Willamette. just received them yesterday, rolled them in papertowel, misted them with water and put them in the fridge. wondering when would be a good time to plant them? this year has been extremely warm and i wanted to plant them. what would be the earliest i should plant them?
 
Howdy, Also a Fargo boy here and have been thinking about planting some hops. My brother has a vine that went gangbusters in Bemidji and it inspired me.

I wanted to know how your hops did this summer. I live on one of Fargo's many parks. Which is beautiful in the summer, but with little shade, a steep slope that faces North and often (but not this year) damp soil due to the park being an "overflow" for flooding I am not sure how hops would do. I wanted to see what your experience was like before I spent the time and money. I am a pretty lazy gardener and if it is too much hassle I'll just skip it.

On a side note, with the bumper crop of crab apples this year around town, I was able to pick till my heart's content and have a nice 3 gallon jug of crab apple wine going in the basement. I am thinking that it might be worth trying come planting time in the spring!
 
Greetings Manitoba, North Dakota!

I grow Gouldings with no problem in Winnipeg - if they grow here, you should be able to grow 'em in North Dakota.

I also grow a variety that's been on my family's farmyard in Saskatchewan 100 miles northwest of Minot for the past 50 years. No one knows where exactly they came from, or what the variety is, but I think they taste/smell/brew kinda like Cascade.

There's a TON of wild hops growing in the Pembina Valley, just north of the border, in one of our provincial parks...I dried a bunch of cones last summer, haven't brewed with them at all, though.

Also, the Ralph is a shrine...classiest men's room in a hockey facility, anywhere. World Juniors down there a couple years ago were awesome!
 
My German ancestors settled (and brewed beer) in Dunn County. My dad was back there and said that he saw hops growing there. I am not sure if they are native or ones that were planted that have gone feral.

He'll be going back there over the 4th of July - I'll see if he can bring some back here to Montana, and maybe we can see what we have.
 
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