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What's in Hop Roots?

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  • What's in Hop Roots?

    I'm still curious what's in hop roots. I'm taking rhizomes from winners and removing hop plants that didn't make the team. I have male and female losers that can be dried and extracted. To my knowledge, nobody has ever looked at the chemistry of hop roots. I have many hop plants and low temperature methods of extraction and separation. I have no testing lab here.

    I'm looking for someone to help with this testing and research. If anyone is interested or if you know of someone that is interested, would you please let me know?

    Thanks in advance,
    Todd Bates
    New Mexico Native Plant Recyclers
    505-579-0032

  • #2
    What's in hop roots?

    Todd,
    Not a direct answer but a possible source. The database below provides a little information and a reference that may be useful.



    Bill
    ________________

    Bill Hamilton
    The Brewer/Co-Owner
    Blue Lab Brewing Co.
    Lexington VA

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    • #3
      Hop Studies

      I'd talk to Oregon State in Corvallis Oregon. No one has done more research on the subject than they have.
      You could also talk to the Oregon Hops Commission
      Cheers!
      Banjo Bandolas
      Probrewer.com
      v- 541-284-5500
      banjo@probrewer.com

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      • #4
        Thanks Bill- I checked the site and no info on roots.

        Banjo- I have sent samples from 2 year's ago extractions to the Oreg. State Hop research folks- no answers. Maybe the samples got lost or something as those folks are real busy and very underfunded. I still have a 4 oz. bottle of each root I did that time. That extraction was of a Columbus female(came out yellow/milky/cloudy) and a NM male (came out red and clear). Both quite different.

        This year I have the opportunity for a much more diverse group of castoff roots I can work with. I'd go through the effort of putting together a sampling again if I had someone to do the chemistry analysis. HPLC +++?

        I just thought that after all these years of humans growing hops someone would have looked into the chemistry of the roots. My gosh, a simple pencil rhizome in a 15 gallon bucket of prime soil will completely fill the bucket with roots in one year. That's not to mention how much root is out of the bucket.
        I'm not sure how many varieties of potatoes could produce that much root in one year.

        Any thoughts?

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        • #5
          Hop roots

          Well you know the old adage, "the squeaky wheel gets the grease!"
          I know there are several companies using the young culled plants for a pickled food product (and it is quite good) Hopunion and Puterbaugh farms have both explored that avenue of redirected use of what was once a waste product of the process. Maybe roots are the next on the list. Have you contacted Hopunion and asked about root properties and potential uses?
          Cheers!
          Banjo Bandolas
          Probrewer.com
          v- 541-284-5500
          banjo@probrewer.com

          Comment


          • #6
            Originally posted by banjo
            Well you know the old adage, "the squeaky wheel gets the grease!"
            I know there are several companies using the young culled plants for a pickled food product (and it is quite good) Hopunion and Puterbaugh farms have both explored that avenue of redirected use of what was once a waste product of the process. Maybe roots are the next on the list. Have you contacted Hopunion and asked about root properties and potential uses?
            Thanks again Banjo, and yes, I know Ralph and Ralph. Real busy folks. In spite of how busy, they're the folks that really helped in the beginning. I bug Ralph O. quite a bit. So far, I can only grease the wheels with hope.

            I research native plants. I like native rhizome plants. Plants have methods of defending themselves (like structures or chemicals). With hops living 75+ years and being a fairly fleshy root, I would assume that this plant is playing a wicked game of the biology of root exudates. Yes, I believe that hop roots will have some interesting qualities and just may have value. I'm hoping so. Perhaps in the future when a farmer switches to a new variety, the old roots are worth a bundle of $. But then again, I'm breeding new hop genetics- and this hop root research and breeding is to help the farmer and brewer.... and me. Hope for a better future for all.

            I'm curious how this plant does it. The invasive weed from heaven?

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            • #7
              Hop roots

              To quote my College roommate, Bob Anderson, a horticulture major, "A weed is simply a plant whose use has not yet been determined."
              Good luck in your search for answers.
              Cheers!
              Banjo Bandolas
              Probrewer.com
              v- 541-284-5500
              banjo@probrewer.com

              Comment


              • #8
                Originally posted by banjo
                To quote my College roommate, Bob Anderson, a horticulture major, "A weed is simply a plant whose use has not yet been determined."
                Good luck in your search for answers.
                It was Emerson that said," A weed is a plant who's virtue has yet to be discovered".

                Thomas Jefferson said, "The greatest service which can be rendered any country is to add a useful plant to its [agri]culture".

                I say, "Jobs for plants, plants for jobs".

                Thanks for the luck Banjo. It might just help with the loaded deck I've got.

                Back to -Anybody with testing equipment interested in looking into the chemistry of hop roots ? Now is the time as I keep coming in here to check this as I'm taking rhizomes now and only for a few more days and then the culling begins. And I have native plants to compare with the Europeans- might just be pertinant.

                Thanks!

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                • #9
                  It seems you haven't been shy in asking for folks at Oregon State or the Hop brokers for their opinions... how about the chemistry or ag departments of local universities? Aren't the folks down in Las Cruces called the Aggies? Seems like a worthy graduate research paper for someone down there...
                  Scott Metzger
                  Freetail Brewing Co.
                  San Antonio, TX

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                  • #10
                    Originally posted by Butcher Scott
                    It seems you haven't been shy in asking for folks at Oregon State or the Hop brokers for their opinions... how about the chemistry or ag departments of local universities? Aren't the folks down in Las Cruces called the Aggies? Seems like a worthy graduate research paper for someone down there...

                    You're right Scott. I'm not shy, I'm just curious.

                    Ralph O. is who provided me with the first sample of Columbus root for extracting- he's curious too. Samples went out to 3 University researchers- nothing happened.....yet. I don't know why the local Cruces folks didn't take this further- I guess everybody has their own projects? Perhaps the lab table time is spoken for? It makes me wish I had my own testing equipment- and 10 more hours per day.

                    Scott, I think you are very right that this hop root chemistry project would be worth a graduate research paper. Natural product chemistry combined with economic botany. Maybe a farmer or brewer would be interested for the sake of " waste not, want not".

                    Any takers?

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                    • #11
                      My suggestion would be to contact a college like Iowa State the does a lot of agricultural research and see if maybe they would be interested in doing the tests or possibly seeing if they have any grad students that would like to work on something like this. ISU has a tendency to work on odd research and there has been some talks of the feasibility of raising hops in Iowa commercially (not from ISU directly though). I know there has been a push for research into non-traditional crops in the midwest and maybe you could get your test piggy-backed in somehow with one of these grants.
                      BJ Knoke
                      Hub City Brewing Company
                      "The Largest Microbrewery In Stanley, Iowa"

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                      • #12
                        Recipe for Pickled Hops Bines?

                        Originally posted by banjo
                        I know there are several companies using the young culled plants for a pickled food product (and it is quite good)
                        Has anyone had experience with pickling hops shoots? As if they came home from vacation to find hopbabysitter was unwilling to trim on the first bits of greenery and now there is a bounty that can not be propogated?
                        Cold pack in brine?
                        Hot pack in brine?
                        Fermented like kimchee?
                        Never had the pleasure of eating the pickled shoots so I can't guess on how to do it.

                        Barley never causes this trouble!

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                        • #13
                          Puterbaugh Farms sells them pickled by the jar. Perhaps they could steer you.
                          Spelling corrected...Thank you, Banjo!
                          Last edited by Moonlight; 04-14-2008, 12:25 AM.

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                          • #14
                            Pickled Hops

                            Are you sure you don't mean Puterbaugh farms? www.hopsdirect.com/hops
                            The Pickled Hops are usually only available in spring and early summer and when they're gone they're gone.
                            Cheers!
                            Banjo Bandolas
                            Probrewer.com
                            v- 541-284-5500
                            banjo@probrewer.com

                            Comment


                            • #15
                              I'm now at the last stage in the hopyard and it's a last chance to do this hop root chemistry experiment for this year.

                              Any takers for the chemistry analysis side of the work?

                              I'll be beyond busy soon- the time is now.

                              I can sure say that the natives look different at the root level relative to the Euros. Part of my work is to see who cares.

                              Anybody care?

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