Golden hop

[stronk]

I'm growing a hop in my garden which has apparently been there some years (although I've never looked at it with homebrewing in mind before). It is a golden hop plant, according to my mother (who planted it). So far, all it has grown is a few sprays of very small flower buds. Will these buds be all it produces (ie. is it ornamental), or will they flower and then develop into proper-sized hops?

Thanks,

G

[brewmonkey]

I wonder if it is not actually Brewers Gold or one of the other hops that it helped breed.

[BrewDog]

Maybe a Goldings?

Or (stretching it) maybe a Bullion?

[BrewDog]

Now that I looked back at Stronk's location (London), I'd bet its a Goldings.

[brewmonkey]

Originally posted by BrewDog
Maybe a Goldings?

Or (stretching it) maybe a Bullion?

Bullion is not a stretch at all as Brewers Gold is sibling of it.

[Jughead]

When I was shopping for hops plants, I went to a garden center and was told that hops come in two varieties, green and gold. I wonder if these are maybe ornamental hops as opposed to useful brewers hops? Of course you could always try them and see.

[Caffinehog]

I know some ornamental hops don't produce the alpha acids you need for brewing. Why not throw together a 1-gallon batch to find out? Odds are, if it's just a wild variety, it will be 2-3% alpha. It probably won't be over 5% in any case.
I'd go for a pale ale, hopped pretty well, as it will still be good if it is over-hopped. Also, remember that hops containing moisture will have a lot less bittering power ounce-per-ounce than dry hops.

[stronk]

I thought they might be ornamental as well. The flower buds really are very small at the moment. How do the hop flowers normally grow?
Thanks for the help; though I think myself that I'm going to have to go way out of my way and visit a homebrewing shop on the other side of London to find some hops I can use in my next brew.

[stronk]

It turns out that it's a male hop and it will not, therefore, produce hop cones.

[Jughead]

Should Stronk be worried about the males seeding any females that he plants? Are seedless hops any better/worse than seeded?

[MeridianFC]

I thought that male hop plants did not exist anymore.

[Caffinehog]

Oh, male hops do exist. Fuggles will often contain seeds.

[stronk]

Apparently fuggles will often be seeded, because they're otherwise too small for a decent harvest. The trouble with seeding is that it produces fats (which, obviously, have a terrible effect on head retention).

[Caffinehog]

I'll tell you what, though... if you ever collect up a bunch of hop seeds and munch them, they have a wonderful nutty flavor.

[stronk]

Thanks, I'll look into that (although, given the 'summer' we're having over here, the seeds will probably never ripen).