Humulus lupulus Jupiter - Common Hop

Humulus lupulus 'Jupiter ' is a floriferous and productive variety of hops, particularly aromatic with a spicy fragrance, selected for brewing beer. This variety, which flowers at a young age, allows amateur gardeners to try their hand at brewing. Its green to blonde cones, harvested in summer, can also be used to make sedative and soothing herbal teas. Very hardy and perennial by its fleshy root, this liana is also appreciated for its exuberance and luxuriant foliage reminiscent of that of a vine. In the ornamental garden or in the vegetable patch, 'Jupiter' hops are perfect for embellishing and quickly hiding any unsightly support.

Humulus lupulus belongs to the Cannabaceae family, just like hemp and... the hackberry. It is native to Europe, temperate Asia, and northern Africa where it populates cool and humid areas. It is a perennial herbaceous liana with a large fleshy root. The plant regenerates all its above-ground vegetation each year and spends the winter dormant underground. Hops are often a dioecious plant, meaning there are male and female plants. 'Jupiter' has both male and female flowers, so a single plant is sufficient to obtain fruits.

In spring, 'Jupiter' hops develop herbaceous shoots that emerge from the slightly suckering stump, quickly twining around any available support. Their growth is very fast, reaching approximately 4-5m (13-16ft) in one season. An adult plant will therefore occupy about 5m (16ft) in height with a spread of 2-3m (7-10ft). They have a quadrangular section and bear rough leaves, beautifully cut into 3 to 5 ovate, pointed, and toothed lobes. The colour of the leaves is a bright green. The female inflorescences appear in summer, from June to August depending on the climate. These are green catkins that will turn into cones after pollination. These ovoid cones have a scaly appearance, they are green-blonde in colour when ripe and covered with a fragrant and powdery resin called lupulin, which gives bitterness to beer. They are usually harvested in September.

In the ornamental garden, 'Jupiter' hops are an excellent complement to a climbing rose or climber and go well with a sturdy clematis with blue flowers (Blue Angel), white (Miss Bateman) or pink. An evergreen honeysuckle like Lonicera similis delavayi will form an interesting combination with this climber, compensating for its absence in winter while flowering in summer. This hops plant will give a second life to an old tree, conceal a tired garden shed, a garage, or an unsightly structure, and beautify a pergola, a long fence... The flowers, picked in September, make beautiful dried bouquets.

The female inflorescences, the cones, have been used to flavour beer since the 8th century. Previously, hops were only used to preserve beer. Currently (despite modern preservation technologies), this tradition remains for the light bitterness and flavour that hops bring. The young twining shoots can also be consumed in the same way as asparagus.