Bulk Hops-I'm torn

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gtpro

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I have a hop predicament. I'm sick of paying almost $4 an ounce of hops at my LHBS, its really driving up my overhead on batches. I'm planning on doing a Two Hearted clone as my first AG, it requires like 5oz of centennial.

Online hop shopping sounds great to me, but with shipping included the cheaper price per ounce just about equals out. Buying by the pound seems great, but I dont want to be stuck with a pound of hops that I wont use.

Can someone give me a good list of the most versatile hop varieties in case I decide to order a couple pounds? I need centennial for the IPA, cascade is an obvious option, I just need something that I can use, and I dont know what I want to brew further than one brew ahead.
 
Can someone give me a good list of the most versatile hop varieties in case I decide to order a couple pounds? I need centennial for the IPA, cascade is an obvious option, I just need something that I can use, and I dont know what I want to brew further than one brew ahead.

If you like the Americans (IPA, APA) Get Cascade and Centennial.

If you like the Germans (Hefe, German Lagers) Get Halletauer and Northern Brewer.

If you like the eastern europeans, just get Saaz.

If you like the Belgians, get Halletauer and Cascade.

Let me know if none of these fit.
 
If you like the Americans (IPA, APA) Get Cascade and Centennial.

If you like the Germans (Hefe, German Lagers) Get Halletauer and Northern Brewer.

If you like the eastern europeans, just get Saaz.

If you like the Belgians, get Halletauer and Cascade.

Let me know if none of these fit.

If you like the British, get Goldings and Fuggles
 
+1 on Centennial. I use a lot of it and it is very versatile.

Also, Magnum is a very clean bittering hop and I use it to bitter most of my beers.

If you're buying in bulk, some sort of vacuum sealer system (i.e. Foodsaver) will let you store hops much longer, especially in the freezer. I've got Centennial and Magnum, and just bought a pound each of Centennial, Amarillo and Willamette. With those 4 hops, I can do many beer styles.

If you buy by the pound from a place like Puterbaugh Farms (hopsdirect.com), you'll even get more than a pound. They average about 18 oz. per pound. I figure, even with shipping included, my 3 pounds will be about $40. That comes to about $.77 an ounce.
 
I like IPA, APA, ESB, wheats. . .sorry for the lack of specificity, maybe I'll put in an order for that pound of centennial and a pound of cascade, save me a ton of dough over buying by the ounce at LHBS.
 
Cascade, Centennial, Chinook, and throw in some Willamette b/c they are cheap as balls on hopsdirect.com
 
Pre plan your brews.

Look at prices at hopsdirect.com and freshops.com. Order appropriately.

It's SO nice having base grain, specialty grain, and hops ready for the next 4+ batches ready. If plans change and you suddenly have an afternoon available you can brew on a whim.

Cost savings aside having all my ingredients ready (often pre weighed in homer buckets) has made brewing much more enjoyable and convenient.
 
Yup yup! Hopsdirect is the boss IMO.

I went a bit gung-ho and bought 2 pounds Willamette, 2 pounds Amarillo, and 1 pound each of Cascade, Fuggles, and Hallerteau.... but now I have enough hops for pretty much an entire year or more. I do use a foodsaver, and when I open a bag I portion at least 1/2 a pound of it to reduce air exposure.
 
Just got 3 lbs. delivered from hopsdirect today, and each weighed out over 18 oz. Just over $38 total, so it comes out to about 69 cents an ounce.

To the OP, I don't see how you can go wrong. If you're paying 3-4 dollars an ounce at the LHBS, you'd be saving $2.30-$3.30 an ounce.
 
This year I got a pound each of Willamette (basically American Fuggle for bitters), Saaz (for Pilseners & Belgians), Magnum (for general bittering), and Cascade and Chinook (for IPAs, and dry-hopping).

They're all disappearing pretty evenly so I'm happy. Had to buy an ounce of Simcoe for the BrewDog Hardcore IPA I just brewed so I feel your pain on the $4/oz.
 
Hopsdirect for sure. I did my first few clones with LHB hops at $3-4/oz and since I like IPA and PA's that really pushed up the price. I got a lb of Nugget for bittering and Cascade for flavor. This along with bulk base grains cut the cost of a batch nearly in half.
 
Buy a pound of each and toss them in the freezer.. They will last a long time and once you use a couple ounces, you will not lose any money.
$9 a pound at hopsdirect vs $3.50 an ounce at my local shop
 
Any tips on storing the hops if I don't have any sort of vacuum system?

How about just freezer bags? Sealed tight?
 
centennial and hallertau...you'll need to buy atleast 2lbs from hopsdirect to make it worth it and they are versitile...my .02
 
I assume (bad thing I know) that most are buying the pellets because of the prices . . . Is the whole leaf hops worth the couple extra bucks to the Weekend Brewer ??? I have not stepped up to AG yet does that matter. . . Will the whole hop make my PM's taste better ???
 
Just got a pound each of cascade, centennial, amarillo, fuggles, northern brewer, and magnum for about $70 shipped. I figure these hops will be able to make a lot of styles that enjoy. If I want to try a style that doesn't use these hops, I can buy an ounce or two from the LHBS. If I like the style, I can always buy a pound of it for my next order.

Eric
 
I gotta say that hopsdirect.com is the way to go. I ordered 2 pounds of cascade, came to $22 with shipping. Now that is a good deal compared to what I was used to.
 
Just a warning, a pound of leaf hop takes up a LOT of room in the freezer, especially if you don't have a vacuum sealer. Yeah, not going to make that mistake again, bulk pellet hops for me.
 
I split a 5 lb order with a brewing buddy of Amarillo, Cascade, Centennial, Willamette and Hallertau. At $60 shipped, I paid $30 for 40 oz total of five varieties. I'm set for my brewing plan through summer.
 
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