found: wild hops...

Rub them between my hands and see what kind of aroma they have, if they smell good I'd try a test batch.

 

First I don't know a lot about growing hops but I don't think they could be growing wild. What are they growing on and do you live a populated area? I'd guess someone had planted the rhizome there but who knows!

If they didn't belong to somebody, I'd use them if they were ready to be harvested. Mmm wet hop beer!

 

David Pietersz De Vries thought they did when in 1642 he wrote, about the Dutch colonists in the New World:

Supposedly, one of the earliest notable ale brewers in the US, Mathew Vassar (whose fortune founded the college of the same name) also initially used the abundant wild hops he found in New York State when he expanded from being a "home" brewer to a commercial level.

I mean, why else did Europeans come to the "New World" if not to brew beer with "found" hops?

 

They can certainly be wild. There are some that grow wild along a river near where I live.

 

They do grow wild. All of the cultivated varieties had to be discovered somewhere.

 

There are wild hops in NA. What do you think was used for breeding with Euro hops.

In many places, hops growing near railroad tracks, old brewery locations, or hop growing areas are probably Cluster.

 

I've been looking for truly wild hops the last couple of weeks now that the blossams are prominent; did find one plant a good 45 minute hike up the brook that runs by our property, deep in the state forest in pretty rough terrain, no roads within 2-3 miles. I have a couple of 'wild' plants growing on our barn wall that I harvested a few years ago, but they were within 100 yards of a road, so probably Cluster X wild (about 5%AA and pretty catty). I'm hoping to find a male plant to really mess with things here...

 

Worst case, use them to dry hop

 

I too have read about wild US hops being Cluster (described as PUNGENT CATTY...floral and spicy...excellent general purpose hop with medium and well-balanced bittering potential and no undesirable aroma properties; among best storage).

---
Would love to find me some bines in my neck of the woods.
Available in the wild just about everywhere in NOAM...
http://plants.usda.gov/core/profile?symbol=HUMUL

 

thank you for reminding me that I live in the promised land. literally.

Cheers.

 

Several summers back I rode a rails-to-trails bike trail in western WI and was surprised to find hops on several stretches. I figured they might be remnants of the local hop industry, which is said to have boomed in the late 1860s. An abandoned railroad clearing seems like an ideal location for them to colonize. I wondered about the presence of male plants; if I returned, would I find seeds in the cones, would there be some genetic variation away from the cluster that is grown today, and of course, would they make good beer? It's too far away for me to return, looking for a harvest.

 

There is no guarantee that they are wild hops. Often times hops will persist long after a home or farm has been abandoned. Regardless I have brewed a pretty tasty barleywine with wild/feral hops. So, use them but make sure that they are in good shape when you pick them, i.e. no bugs.

 

They grow all over where I live. I often do SMASH recipes with them so I can get the actual flavor/aroma of the hop. Most wild hops around Spokane are very dank, and do not contribute a ton to bitterness. It's like the hop version of a gamey meat. I have made some really good pales though with random hops I find.

Try it out!

 

A little pinch between the cheek and gum.

Worts case Worst case: Use them to bitter so you don't have as drastic of a change in the beer.

 

Not to be weird but your DOCO area right?
Probably not unlikely.

 

The lanes round here abound with hops and many years ago I tried brewing with them with a remarkable lack of success.I didn't have any idea though about how green wild hops compared with dried commercial varieties so matched the recipes ounce for ounce.

 

Be careful it's not some kids weed plant....lol.