I am interested in starting to buy my hops by the pound. Probably going to buy 4-5lbs of hops. What are the best type of hops to have in bulk?
I mostly brew American-IPA,Belgian style beers and english style bitters.
Any suggestions??
Thanks
Completely subjective and based upon personal preference. However if you like American IPA’s I’d recommend C-hops (Columbus, Cascade, Chinook, Centennial). I like to keep a nice stock of Simcoe, Amarillo and Citra.
Where is the best place to buy hops in bulk???
is pretty good.
Don’t know if it’s the best, but our host’s prices for 8oz bags is pretty damn good (last I ordered is worked out to be just a tad over $1/ounce.) When compared to my LHBS’s prices, that’s very cheap.
Once a year, I try to plan out the years brews, then order the appropriate hops from NB in 8oz bags. their $7.99 flat rate shipping adds only slightly to the overall price-per-ounce. pop them in the freezer and your golden.
cheers.
is pretty good.[/quote]
+1. Plenty of choices. Good prices. Get a group buy together and save on shippping… I think.
If you’re looking for just one, then I’d go with a high-alpha variety with good aroma characteristics. Something like Amarillo, Simcoe or Chinook. This way you can use it either for bittering or for aroma as fits the recipe.
If you want to spring for a few, I’d take a west-coast style, a noble hop and an english hop. Something like Cascade or Amarillo for your IPA’s, Saaz for your Belgians and Fuggles for your English ales.
I went through a similar decision process when I was picking which rhizomes I wanted to grow. I ended up ordering Cascade, Mt Hood and Willamette to cover most major styles. This way I just need to find an appropriate bittering hop and most of my recipes will be covered.
hopsdirect is great. I just bought 5 more pounds and with shipping, it came to 82 cents per ounce. On top of that, their pounds are usually 1-2 oz on the heavy side.
I have about 20# in stock. Citra, Simcoe, Amarillo, Centennial, Columbus, Chinook, Magnum, Falconer’s Flight, Vanguard, Sterling and Saaz are some of my favorites. Since you like English, you may also want Fuggles.
http://freshops.com is a good source, too. Whole hops only, though. You can order less than a pound as long as you order more 12 ounces total. They still have Citra, which is getting scarce.
The best time to buy from Freshops and Hops Direct is in the fall, right after the harvest.
Bought 8 lbs from Hopsdirect a month or two ago - 75 cents an ounce for what I bought.
Cascade is always a good one to buy in bulk. The new ones if you can get them - like citra, amarillo, etc.
Sazz and Perle are good hops that can be used a lot in german ales, lagers, alts, etc.
EKG and UK Fuggle for english beers are always good.
Becoming a big fan of Glacier - gives a spicy english ale flavor.
Magnum is one I like for bittering in different beers.
Brewing Rover - thanks for the info on Citra from freshops.com - Just bought 24 ounces! Love it in deadringer recipe in place of centennial toward the end and dry hop.
I went with a pound each of Magnum, Perle, Cascade and Columbus this year.
I have a bunch of hops right now: Cascade (whole and pellet), Galena, Calypso, Magnum, Crystal, Czech Saaz, Mt. Hood, East Kent.
But… my must haves are Cascade, Czech Saaz and Magnum. I use magnum to bitter most of my beers. Saaz for any lagers and Cascade in most ales.
I just used Citra for the first time and I must say, that very well be another standard hop for me. They smelled fantastic. I just need to get a big order in early this year.
I purchased a lb of the following late last year. Amarillo, Cascade, Centennial, Chinook, Fuggle, Magnum, Mt Hood, & Saaz. Also have a 1/4lb of williamette.
I may end up order some more. Was thinking columbus, some more williamette, and maybe calypso
I love bitters and pale ales. I’d go for Goldings (East Kent if you can get them) for bitters, and Centennial for pale ales. I’d get Magnum (German or American) as a really smooth bittering hop for both styles. Styrian Goldings is a good Belgian hop.
I like hopsdirect’s prices, but I also like the fact that freshhops is about 40 miles from my house. The above suggestions are great, not personally a fan of citra or fuggles, though. Look at some recipes you want to brew and buy accordingly.
+1 for the tip on freshops.com
Just ordered some Citra, Amarillo and Simcoe from them myself. Good excuse to convince my wife that I need to brew more often so I can use them up 
Buying hops in bulk is not a bargin if you don’t use them fast enough to ensure they are fresh. Whatever you get, try to keep them frozen and in airtight storage before use, and try to use them up in a year.
For varieties, I like EK Goldens and Fuggles for british ales. For Belgians I like Styrian Goldens (or Fuggles or Williamette, they are all basically the same thing), Saaz and Hallertau. For lager I’ll use Hallertau, Saaz, Tettanger and Spalt. And all kinds of different “C” hops for pale ales and IPAs.
