I live in Central Minnesota and moved into this house last fall and only recently realized there are a couple of hops vines growing on my fence. Can you help me identify what kind of hops these are?
It's really hard to tell by looking at them. If you've been doing some brewing, smell them and see if they smell like any hops you've used. Even if you can't identify them, if they smell appealing to you, brew some beer with em and see how it comes out.
A reoccurring problem. There isn't any simple way to identify a hop variety. There are eight cone types and four or five leaf types (and one plant can have several types). Sidearm length varies greatly depending on growing conditions and cone placement and clustering need to be considered.
The only certain way is genetic analysis.
Take a few dry cones and roll them between your hands. That covers them with the oils and makes it easier to do a 'sniff' test.