flyer hops . first tastes

[beer gut]

Hi Zgoda all I have to say is keep trying with Boadicea and I would love to hear how the dry hopping turns out? The bittering qualities of Boadicea are excellent and undervalued, I think Boadicea needs more recognition and this is task comes down to merchants and home brew stores to complete.

[seymour]

Has it occured to anyone how much Flyer sounds like your old Omega, except that Flyer has a bit higher alpha acid percentage? Coincidence?

Have any of you brewed with both Omega and Flyer, and if so, can you offer any comparisons?

CULTIVAR: Omega

SELECTION: Seedling selection made at Wye College, England

PEDIGREE: Wye Challenger x English male

ORIGIN: Wye College, England

MATURITY: medium

LEAF COLOR: dark green

DISEASES: Downy mildew: moderately resistant, Powdery mildew: no information, Verticillium wilt: resistant, Viruses: free of all 5 hop viruses when received

VIGOR: fair to good

YIELD: fair to good

SIDE ARM LENGTH: 12 to 24 inches, sometimes longer

ALPHA ACIDS: 9 - 10 %

BETA ACIDS: 3 - 4 %

COHUMULONE: 29%

STORAGE STABILITY: very good, retained 78% of its original alpha acids after 6 months room temperature storage

OIL: 1.72 ml/100g. Humulene 17%; caryophyllene 5 %; farnesene trace; myrcene 53%. H/C ratio = 3.38

MAJOR TRAITS: pleasant European aroma characteristics, resistant to verticillium wilt

OTHER INFORMATION: The yield performance of this hop even in England has been disappointing and it is not grown much despite its good verticillium record. This is one of the last hops developed and released by Dr. R.A. Neve, former head of the Hop Section at Wye College, England.

[seymour]

Has anyone tasted Magpie Brewery Flyer! Golden Ale out of Nottingham?

[seymour]

From March 2012:

I heard from Peter Darby today that Flyer is one of his hops. It got as far as farm trials on three farms but was intended as a high alpha variety and as it only got to 10% alpha it won't be going any further.

Did he, or anyone else for that matter, give any clues to its parentage? I'm not sure I fully believe this claim, "Flyer is a brand new experimental variety, it didn’t come out of a breeding program. One of our growers found it and thought he would take a ‘Flyer’ on it."

These things never happen in a vacuum. It would at least be interesting to know which brewing cultivars it was found growing amongst, and which males were grown within open-pollination range. Has anyone heard anything at all?...

Fast forward to today. Aha, vindication! "Found it and took a flyer..." my arse. Finally they start filling in the blanks.

From: http://www.britishhops.org.uk/flyer/

FLYER

Breeding
Flyer is still on trial and has not yet been released for commercial growing. It results from a cross made in 2002 between a high alpha-acid female breeding line and a low trelliss-type male hop. Following promising results from advanced trial plots during 2007 and 2008, it was established on licensed farm trials with Wye Hops during 2009. The produce from the advanced plots was used for successful pilot brewing trials in 2010.

[barneey]

Seymour how did you plants get on?

[seymour]

Seymour how did you plants get on?

Shhhh, I don't know what you're talking about.

[critch]

black jack brewery in manchester do an excellent flyer ipa, i was very impressed by it loads of flavour, like a turbo charged challenger,with earthy fuggles notes (knew it was going to be good,blackjack are 3 ex marble [at its heyday] lads!)

[barneey]

Seymour how did you plants get on?

Shhhh, I don't know what you're talking about.

I have it on good authority that as you were using seeds, you effectively have a new "unknown" plant so no problems there. I still have about 4 "mileup" plants myself.

[seymour]

black jack brewery in manchester do an excellent flyer ipa, i was very impressed by it loads of flavour, like a turbo charged challenger,with earthy fuggles notes (knew it was going to be good,blackjack are 3 ex marble [at its heyday] lads!)

You lucky dog! I'm sure that was delicious. And I agree 100% with your description of Flyer.

Do you know if they're still using the Gales yeast strain which they used at Marble?

Seymour how did you plants get on?

Shhhh, I don't know what you're talking about.

I have it on good authority that as you were using seeds, you effectively have a new "unknown" plant so no problems there. I still have about 4 "mileup" plants myself.

I'm sure you're right. If MI6 agents come bang down my door, I'll never reveal timbo41's part in the plot. Oh wait, oops.

[critch]

Do you know if they're still using the Gales yeast strain which they used at Marble?

.

yes they are mate

[Eadweard]

I saw Peter Darby tonight and asked him about Flyer's parentage. He said it's all 'numbers and letters' as it's way back that any of its ancestors were commercially grown varieties with a name. Of the three farms it was trialed on only one is still growing it, and they didn't get a crop this year. They haven't grubbed it up so there should be some next year but it's really hanging on by its finger nails...

[scuppeteer]

it's really hanging on by its finger nails...

That'll be it's laterals!

HE phoned ME, last week for information! Not worthy... not worthy...

[seymour]

HE phoned ME, last week for information! Not worthy... not worthy...

That's super cool, Scupps. You're in the big leagues now.

[Clibit]

Not terribly encouraging news that a good new hop like Flyer is not being picked up and run with by the growers. Is it down to demand from breweries, or some agronomic issue?

[timmydog]

If we knew which farms were growing them, do you think that they would be open to the idea of letting someone take some cuttings in exchange for some beers or cash?

I would be prepared to contribute, even if I had to wait for a year while the rhizomes grew to a size that would survive in the post...