Non-traditional uses for hops and who else is buying.

[wildcrafter]

I think a discussion of alternative uses and buyers of hops may be timely.

Brewers are not the only buyers and users of hops, but are probably the biggest.

How big is the alternative hop use market and who's buying and why? (Focus on BUYING hops.)

I have a large list of alternative uses of hops,, but how many pounds annually does this represent? Who's buying what and why?

Here's an example of hops being used for the ethanol industry, but how many pounds does this use represent annually?

http://ethanolproducer.com/article.jsp?article_id=1810

Anybody have any other thoughts and/or info?

[einhorn]

There is a natural OTC sedative in Germany called Baldrian which is basically pure hops extract in a small pill. No side effects.

[wiredgourmet]

I've heard that years ago, pillows were stuffed with hops to treat insomnia.

[Sulfur]

baldrian

There is a natural OTC sedative in Germany called Baldrian which is basically pure hops extract in a small pill. No side effects.

I think you mean Baldrian as in Valerian, which is not hops but a commonly used botanical in herbal medicine.

[Vendetta]

I fired up the Babelfish translator on the German Wiki for Baldrian, and here's what I got:

"Valerian is inserted alone or into combination with other vegetable excerpts such as hop or Melisse than mild tranquilizer and sleeping drugs;"

[einhorn]

I stand corrected. Accoring to the Abtei product sheet for this OTC product, there is 200 mg of Valerian and 14 mg of hops extract in each tablet. I am pretty sure that they used to ("back in the day") be 100% hops extract and are now using Valerian (root) as a cheaper substitute. Google homework for another day.