Hey Blue-Frog,
Wow! so here's my thoughts cuz I've received a half dozen or so requests.
1) I don't want to overly excite folks. Although I'm a fairly experienced homebrewer, I drink very little beer. I like to think I have good sensory abilities, but the very juicy peach and passionfruit I get might not exist in another micro climate or to another nose. I think it's a very exciting wild cultivar but don't want folks to be dissapointed.
2) I'd love to ship to Japan but slightly concerned about cost, and moreso custom laws. I'm not a freak about legality but don't want some ridiculous fine for shipping a rhizome. I'd have to do some research first, but the idea of spreading it to another continent seems awesome and I'd love to.
Re 1)
Don't Worry; I have no greater expectation than the possibility of an
entirely new experience!
It would be interesting to cross it with the Japanese plants I have though....
About aroma quirks,
one of my German hops gave me really intense "car tire" the first season I grew it here....
Luckily, the second year things changed and "Bridgestone Brewery's
Tire Beer" was never brewed.
Some bad things do just go away.
Re 2)
To my knowledge, (I did actually check!) there is no specific quarentine nor prohibition on hops entering Japan.
There is however a
general pest inspection for rhizomes... I have seen the inspection at Narita and it goes very smoothly with clean plants.
There is
no requirement that the plants be inspected stateside; commercial entities seem to feel obligated to do this but it is not requied by the US goverment; it is designed to make things flow more smoothly at the destination. (It states so in black and white.)
If things go well and you do decide to send something, I could send a pre-addressed envelope/box with my name as both the sender & reciever... and pay postage via pay-pal.
Anyhow, despite whatever, I guess there is still lots of time before spring.
It probably won't happen, but there is a tiny chance I might attend the History of Beer conference in Colonial Williamsburg next year, if so that is another option.
Best wishes,
bf