Is this what I think it is?

JammyBStard · Post by **JammyBStard** » Thu Jul 05, 2012 8:57 am

there's quite a bit of it growing in the hedgerow next to my house!

crafty john · Post by **crafty john** » Thu Jul 05, 2012 9:42 am

looks like some sort of hop to me, can't tell what cultivar though.

JammyBStard · Post by **JammyBStard** » Thu Jul 05, 2012 1:53 pm

Would it/Could it be wild? or would it have to be an escaped veriety?

crafty john · Post by **crafty john** » Thu Jul 05, 2012 3:58 pm

JammyBStard wrote:Would it/Could it be wild? or would it have to be an escaped veriety?

There is only one way to find out, wait til it flowers and do a brew, personally I would use them only for bittering in maybe a 1 or 2 gallon brew, you could do it on the stove in a stock pot. You never know they may be a quintessential English hop, if so take some root cuttings in early spring and plant them in your garden. It maybe an idea to give them a liquid feed of scatter some chicken pellets or growmore around the base of the plants and fork it in just below the surface of the soil to give them a boost for flowering.

Keep us posted mate, I would be interested to see what they turn out like.

scuppeteer · Post by **scuppeteer** » Thu Jul 05, 2012 9:25 pm

Wild or otherwise, even if escaped, depending on how long it has been there, it will bear no resemblance to its parent now. I have seen many of these growing locally to me but they are always blind. IE great big leaves and no flowers.

They are just so old they don't flower any more, bit like Daffodils when they have had enough.
On the other hand due to its spread it could be male. You'll know as soon as it starts to burr.
I hope very much to be proved wrong so please let us know Jammy.

JammyBStard · Post by **JammyBStard** » Thu Jul 05, 2012 11:22 pm

I'll be keeping my eyes on it!

BeerEagle · Post by **BeerEagle** » Thu Jul 05, 2012 11:41 pm

Plenty of those near me. Tried some in a brew, but still not sure if I like it (8 months on)

barneey · Post by **barneey** » Fri Jul 06, 2012 9:27 am

Yep definitely some form of nettles

Sorry couldn`t resist.

BeerEagle · Post by **BeerEagle** » Fri Jul 06, 2012 4:37 pm

Whatever variety or sex it may be, collect lots of the little growing tips, eat them as a salad or lightly tossed in hot butter. Delicious.

JammyBStard · Post by **JammyBStard** » Fri Jul 06, 2012 5:45 pm

BeerEagle wrote:Whatever variety or sex it may be, collect lots of the little growing tips, eat them as a salad or lightly tossed in hot butter. Delicious.

I'll have to give that go.

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