Alley Hops

[Arghjay]

There is a couple of huge hops vines in the back alley by my house. I'm hoping to collect some to brew an English brown ale. They smell good, but I'm not much of a hop expert and I don't know what they are. Is there a guideline for how much to use? Can I use them freshly picked or should I dry them first?I've only ever used pellet hops before. I was thinking of only two additions 60 min and 5-10 min.
Thanks for any help.

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[LabRatBrewer]

Since there is no way to know the AA for bittering, I would use them for aroma. You can use them as wet hops right off the vine.

 

[BrewWNC]

Alley hops? I would question if they are safe to use. You don't know if someone has be pissing on them on the way home from the bar every night.

I'd pick them, dry them, store them properly, and send one to be tested to see what variety unless you can identify it yourself. Check here

http://forum.northernbrewer.com/viewtopic.php?f=28&t=91291


Then I would decide if using the hops is "worth" it. Had you found these in the wild, I'd say brew away.

Yes you can use them off the vine. Look up wet hop techniques for amounts. This will not be specific to you because you don't know what variety or alpha. Unless you get them tested.

 

[ong]

Alley hops? I would question if they are safe to use. You don't know if someone has be pissing on them on the way home from the bar every night. /QUOTE]


So pick above waist level only! Problem solved.

 

[Arghjay]

Alley hops? I would question if they are safe to use. You don't know if someone has be pissing on them on the way home from the bar every night.

I knew that they smelled familiar.

Thankfully most of them are above waist level and there is no bar within stumbling distance. So I think they are fairly safe. Thanks for the info. I think I'll use them for aroma addition.


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[CraigKing]

With hops of unknown origin or variety, do you need to sanitize them or anything after drying them? Do you clean them off like fresh fruit or vegetables before you eat them?

 

[day_trippr]

Aside from "Pissed-On Hops" (best avoided ) you don't wash, sanitize, or otherwise abuse the hops. Use them in the boil kettle and anything that happened to be riding on or in the cones will be yeast food at worst...

Cheers!

 

[BrewWNC]

Yeah I pick and eat lettuce from outside the 7eleven all the time. I'm pretty sure no one walks over there so I'm good. Sarcasm.

ill buy aroma hops for you so you dont use the alley hops. There is no reason the use hops that you don't know the history. Thats like eating meat bought from the weird guy down the street selling it from a cooler. Yeah, he's got a cooler but does it matter (hops are waist high).

I may be that guy in this area but I do not like to see people "test" weird stuff by ingesting it. That's all I've got to say about that.

 

[GVH_Dan]

Ha, pick a few...wash them if you are concerned...and brew up a tea with them. If they taste like something worth using, why not? If they taste like alley piss, leave them be.