Hop watch 2013

I am NOT buying any more hops this year, or even into next. Not gonna do it. Just like when George HW Bush said "not gonna raise taxes, not gonna do it." I'm only replying here so that you KNOW that I am not gonna buy any more hops. And even tho you already knew that I wasn't going to buy any more hops, I'm just reminding you again, just to be sure. I'm not buying any more hops. Just pointing that out.

 

I am going to try to stifle myself this year also. I bough a boatload last year, which are all vacuum packed and in the freezer. They should keep me going for at least another year.

 

I actually did the Farmhouse Brewing Supply pre-order, because I've found that Hops Direct has become a major pain in the ass to deal with since the 2012 release. Shitty website (I hate that you can put items in your cart and sometimes you don't get to buy them when you check out), shitty customer service (had them follow up with me after I posted about that issue on FB and they offered to hook me up if I emailed them - emailed them (3 times) and they never replied), now they stagger the hop strains released so you have to pay shipping multiple times, and it's pretty tough to get the "en vogue" strains from them. 4# through Farmhouse Brewing Supply probably cost me $15 - $20 more than Hops Direct would have, but it's a small price to pay to avoid the aggravation and I only had to pay for shipping once so that narrows that gap actually.

 

Label peelers has the mosiac I think. All hops preordered get %20 off.

 

I ordered some 2013 Citra and Amarillo leaf hops, and some Nugget pellets from Hops Direct. About $18/lb for the Citra & Amarillo, $12.25 for the Nugget. Plus 12.00 for shipping.

I have a clone recipe ready for their arrival... Kern River Citra Double IPA. First time dealing with Hops Direct, so far so good. Heard a lot of good things and their AA% can't be beat, nor their prices.

 

I'll be picking up my glut of leaf soon enough... I like to use freshshops. Most people don't jack with leaf, so it works well for me. I prefer to use it anyways.

 

I'm waiting for those cones to get pelletized. Then I'll be hoarding up the chinook.

 

Just saw where Hops Direct has 2013 Amarillo and Cascade starting Nov 1, limit one pound each.

Yakima Valley has 2013 Leaf and some 2013 Pellets (Cascade, Centennial, Citra, Williamette) but no sign of Amarillo.

 

Good point. I do pick up a little pellet here and there, and this past year I was loving some Chinook. Need some pellets of that!

Chinook, Amarillo, Simcoe, Citra, Cascade, Centennial, Columbus and I'll pick up a little Mosaic. Might get some Galaxy. I like it better than Citra these days.

 

In total, I got myself 8# of 2013 hops preordered......

2# Mosaic
2# Simcoe
2# Amarillo
1# Citra
1# Centennial

That, along with some 2013 Australian / New Zealand goodness and some 2012 crop carry over should keep me covered for the next year or two even

 

I tell ya, I'd buy the pellets off of hopsdirect, but the staggered releases suck ass. I'd be down for some Amarillo and Cascade, but quite frankly, I don't want to order those two, pay shipping and turn around in another week and get Chinook and Centennial, and then turn around and get the others.

 

Then go to labelpeelers and get them all preordered for 1 shipment!

 

Just bought my hops for the year, split between Farmhouse (that preorder is the way to go), and Yakima. Wish I could have found some Pacific Jade again, but them's the brakes, I suppose.

 

Just got a reply from Yakima Valley - - - "Expect Amarillo in late November"

 

Yep, if Yakima did a preorder for Amarillo, they'd have gotten all of my business. I can deal with last year's simcoe, but I gotta at least have the promise of Amarillo somewhere in there.

 

I don't mean to thread jack, but how do you guys go about planning your hop orders for the year ahead? I have only started brewing in the past six months and have always purchased hops as I needed them from my local store.

 

If you have a local store you can trust, purchasing locally is a good way to go . . . except it is usually very expensive. Ask your local store what an ounce of Simcoe or Cascade or Williamette costs and you usually see something in the range of $2+ per ounce. If you order in bulk you can roughly cut this in half.

When I make an Imperial IPA there may be 8-12 ounces of hops for a 5 gallon batch. At the "per ounce" rate this becomes a major hit. Many of us have a good idea what we are going to use and simply buy in bulk and save some scratch. The major caveat is to be able to vacuum seal and store in a freezer.

I love to experiment, but have my signature hops. As you brew more you will develop a feel for what/how-many hops you need. Plus, having a freezer full of hops is a great motivator to brew.

 

1. Figure out which hops you like and buy at least a pound of each, but also buy a pound or two of experimental hops.
2. Put them in the deep freezer, and use as needed.
3. Have wife complain about how the deep freeze smells of hops.
4. Use up 75% of hops, with a couple of last minute crazy freezer clearing DIPAs
5. Repeat 1-4 yearly, eventual having the wife buy her own freezer

 

I prefer option 3a. Ignore wife. or 3b. Tell wife to stop drinking/giving away the homebrews if she doesn't like it