Help identifying hops + how to preserve them?

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salnajjar

Help identifying hops + how to preserve them?

Post by salnajjar » Sun Sep 06, 2009 2:49 pm

My wife had to drive out to Kent this morning and when she came back she said she had something in the car for me. It's two bines of hops! Unfortunately at the box where she left the money there was nobody there so she doesn't know what type they are :(

I've attached 3 photos of a little sprig I just cut off and have tried to colour correct them so they match how the look to my untrained eye.

Can anyone identify these hops?
How do I preserve them? Cut off all the buds, put them in zip lock bags and put them in the freezer?
The wife has a food dehydrator, should I put the heads in that first to completely dry them out?
How long will they keep for?
Should I only use them for bittering?

Thanks for any help!

P.S.
If anybody wants some and is in the Croydon/South London area then PM me, I have tons now :D
cropped01.jpg
Cropped Macro of Hops (01)
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cropped02.jpg
Cropped Macro of Hops (02)
cropped02.jpg (155.84 KiB) Viewed 1244 times
cropped03.jpg
Cropped Macro of Hops (03)
cropped03.jpg (186.88 KiB) Viewed 1244 times

haz66

Re: Help identifying hops + how to preserve them?

Post by haz66 » Sun Sep 06, 2009 6:09 pm

They look remarkably like Fuggle to me.
But thats not to say that they are.
As they also look similar to Brewers Gold, but i`m guessing they are more likely to be Fuggle.

salnajjar

Re: Help identifying hops + how to preserve them?

Post by salnajjar » Sun Sep 06, 2009 6:40 pm

Thanks Haz, I had looked in a PDF that I had seen linked in another thread and thought they looked like fuggles.
They're currently drying everywhere around the house, so I'm looking at vacuum packing machines on eBay, would be a shame to let them go to waste, and, if I can do some 1 gallon test brews then I can get a feel for their bitterness and flavour. I may purchase some fuggles for comparison.

Thanks again.

Subsonic

Re: Help identifying hops + how to preserve them?

Post by Subsonic » Sun Sep 06, 2009 8:58 pm

Make beer with them. Thats what I plan on doing with my 2 kilo harvest of unknown hops :D I think they are maybe Fuggles too. Subsonic

salnajjar

Re: Help identifying hops + how to preserve them?

Post by salnajjar » Mon Sep 07, 2009 9:35 pm

Well, two things I've discovered.
One: Although it looks like a lot of hops when wet, they don't dry down to that much (about 750-1000 grams at current guestimation)
Two: Fresh hops have a very peculiar effect on a person

alabaster cheeks

Re: Help identifying hops + how to preserve them?

Post by alabaster cheeks » Tue Sep 08, 2009 3:08 pm

define peculiar :lol:

fivetide

Re: Help identifying hops + how to preserve them?

Post by fivetide » Tue Sep 08, 2009 3:39 pm

They are more likely to be Boadicea or Sarah if they were for sale privately.

Use plenty of 'em as aroma in a basic recipe you know well.

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