I found hops

[crowconor]

So I found a few huge bushes of hops, my questions is how can I save them and are they usable,I thought I read something about keeping them in the freezer. Is there any way to tell what kind of hops they are? Also I took a picture of the handful I grabbed in about 10 seconds. Are these usable, and should I go get more?

 

[stpug]

You can definitely save them on your freezer bit you should dry them first which can be simple as letting them air dry in a warm dry place out of the sun and you'll want to turn them once or twice during the process. Then into a zip lock with no air and use them sooner than later.

It's hard to determine what kind of hops wild ones are but the ell and leaf shape and cone shape might help

 

[GVH_Dan]

Its hard to tell, but I"m guessing those aren't quite ripe yet. May want to wait a few more days.

As stpug said, let them dry for awhile and then shove them in a ziploc in the freezer.

Before you use them in a brew, make a hop tea out of a couple and taste it to make sure you actually want to brew with them. Sometimes wild hops can have no flavor or something crazy.

 

[LovesIPA]

What do you mean you found a few huge bushels of hops?

 

[stpug]

Bushes not bushels

When growing wild, sometimes hop plants tend to look more bush-like.

 

[LovesIPA]

Dang, reading is hard.

 

[crowconor]

I will head back there in a few days and grab more then. Do I want them to be more green looking to see if they are ripe? How long do you usually dry them? I have never used whole hops before so I am not sure what "dry" is. Thanks

 

[stpug]

Here's a nice video to give you an idea of what you should be looking for in hops that are ready for picking:


They might be green, light green, starting to change light brownish, pale green/yellow, but they should be fairly papery. Also, tear one open and smell to determine it's pungency and aroma. Crush up a couple REALLY well and cup them in the palms of your hands while inhaling deeply to really get an idea of what's there.