Hedgerow hops

[the red devil]

Just picked some hedgerow hops whilst out on a walk. They have a 'spicy' smell to them, along with the hoppy aroma. I've put them to dry in the garage. Anyone had any experience, good/bad, in using hedgerow hops?

[buzzrtbi]

go for it. Only problem you will face is what alpha acid content they are. Other consideration is whether you will dry them out first or use them green. If you use them green you need to use a lot more (i think 3 times more than dried) purely because of the water content.

[the red devil]

Thanks Buzz.
Just air drying at the moment.i guess i could force dry them in the oven on a very low heat? Also, do you think it might be an idea to boil a couple of grams in water to get an idea of the taste

[andyp]

I've recently done something very similar. I named the hops and therefore the beer FORAGER as I've no idea what they are but it hints at their provenance. Still, I've got 15 litres of ale using about 120gms of fresh (actually they were in the freezer for a couple of weeks) hops conditioning nicely. It looks like the suggested quantity of fresh hops is about 3 to 4 times that of dried.

Initial sips from the FV tasted promising if a bit undistiguished. Very exciting tho'