Is there any hop that should be avoided? and...

[pnj]

I have a friend that has a random hop vine that is doing well. She doesn't know what kind it is but it was planted at least a year ago.

I'm in Seattle, not sure if that helps to ID the vine or not...

Is there anyway to know what kind of hop this plant is and is there any hop that might be deadly or worse?

thanks.

 

[Rick500]

All hops varieties are safe to make beer with. Some may not taste great, but are still safe.

...assuming they haven't been contaminated with anything, of course.

 

[pnj]

That's what I thought. I'll tell her not to let her dog pee on the plant..

 

[Stratotankard]

To the best of my knowledge there are no poisonous hops (other than the oft debated qualities ref. pets and hops). Pictures would be a help in identifying it. Some hops have more distinctive leaves and stems than others.


Terje

 

[david_42]

Identify a random hop plant is just about impossible without lab tests. If it was grown from seed, it could be anything. If it is an ornamental or a tea hop, it won't be of much use in brewing. One can only try. I'd make a low-gravity Pale as a test batch.

At the very least, if they smell good, they'll work as an aroma hop.

 

[ajwillys]

I would make a Pale ale as suggested and use it for the flavor and aroma addition.

 

[annasdadhockey]

is there any hop that might be deadly or worse?

thanks.

What's worse than deadly?

 

[MattHollingsworth]

What's worse than deadly?

Zombie hops that turn you into a ghoul.

 

[pnj]

I haven't seen the hops in question, but another friend of mine has. She said she pulled a couple of the hops off last year and rubbed them between her hands to break the hops up. She said they smelled like beer.... This person has been around me when I have brewed many beers in the past, so i trust her knowledge, as far as knowing what hops smell like.

 

[jma99]

I'll tell you whats worse....

Those D*m Argentine Cascade hops!

Hate 'em Hate 'em Hate 'em

If I had these guys growing up the side of my house, I'd burn down the house just to kill those hops!!!

 

[philrose]

What's worse than deadly?

swill beer

 

[Clayton]

Zombie hops that turn you into a ghoul.

would you crave barly instead of brains?
becase if so i may have come incontact
with hops of that nature

 

[pnj]

Here are the pics. these buds look HUGE! are they allways that large? Any thoughts as to what type of hop these might be?

 

[carbon111]

Wow! Nice cones.

Thats a beautiful plant!

 

[Rhoobarb]

Wow, those look great! Wish mine looked like that. Just offhand, they look like Nugget or Cascade to me, but that is only a guess.

 

[the_Roqk]

Those DO look nice! I wish I could grow hops as good as those. How old are the plants?

Just by looking at the leafs they do look similiar to a Cascade, Nugget or Fuggle. As someone else stated you would be able to tell if they were tested at a lab.

 

[pnj]

I think the plants are a few years old. They are a friend of a friends, so I'm not real sure. The lady only planted them because she thought they would look nice...

When should I harvest them?

Is OK to just cut a few ounces off as I need/want them?

 

[Arkador]

I think you should harvest them all at one time, and freeze them. If they stay too long on the vine, they will pass ther prime. they look darned close to harvest time.

 

[bhatchable]

I've just bottled a double ipa that was dry hopped with a mystery hop growing locally in julian, ca behind the town hall. Believe it may be left over from a mining era brewery operation. it smelled great so I dry hopped with four ounces of them! If they look good (which they do) and smell good, I say be adventurous:rockin:

 

[iceman80403]

Here are the pics. these buds look HUGE! are they allways that large? Any thoughts as to what type of hop these might be?

Sweet! My girlfriend just saw these pics and said "That'd be a nice plant to have." Mua ha ha ha ha ha!

 

[cheschire]

from what Ive heard based on a brewery tour at the Vancouver Island Brewery, Goldings were famously produced here and were put out of business from the availability / mass production of Goldings in Seattle. So maybe they're Goldings

EDIT: but then again, my Goldings vine, the stem is a reddish color; yours is bright green. So... dont know if that makes a difference

 

[aeonderdonk]

whatever kind they are they look awesome.

 

[bhatchable]

+1
I'd swim in a pool of your random hops

 

[malkore]

I know of one hop that's sure to get a thread locked...

That's almost as bad as death!