Hop Farm

Theoretically, if you were going to start a small commercial hop farm what 4 or 5 varieties would you plant? I would vote for Cascade, Centennial, Warrior, and Willamette. Thoughts and input?

Perhaps a variety that does not impart a citrus note, such as Perle or Kent Goldings.

Tricky question... I'd say "Citra," but like a lot of the of the recently-developed varietals, it's proprietary, so you won't be able to get rhizomes.

That being said, if you've got a decent craft brewing scene in your area, you should be able to make up in local charm what you lose in not having access to proprietary varietals, so, go for some of the old standards, with an towards robustness and high yield.

Or, heck, if you're serious, contact some local breweries directly and see what (non-proprietary) varieties they'd like to see -- "we watched these hops grow up from little baby rhizomes" makes a nice story on the back of a bottle of beer, and if the "big boys" are anything like home brewers, they'll love getting involved in any part of the process they can.

A real farm? If so you want some varieties that are picked early in the season, some that are picked mid season and some that are picked late season otherwise your labor and equipment won't be evenly utilized across the harvest. If you mean personal, what do you like to brew/drink?

AnthonyCB said:

A real farm? If so you want some varieties that are picked early in the season, some that are picked mid season and some that are picked late season otherwise your labor and equipment won't be evenly utilized across the harvest. If you mean personal, what do you like to brew/drink?

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Yea, I mean a real hop farm, not for personal use.

I've been looking at starting some hops at home for personal use. The Hop Growing forum on HBT has a wealth of information; have you tried talking with some of the farmers there? Everyone there has been *very* helpful with my quest for hops.

Dukeman9988 said:

Theoretically, if you were going to start a small commercial hop farm what 4 or 5 varieties would you plant? I would vote for Cascade, Centennial, Warrior, and Willamette. Thoughts and input?

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If you are serious about hop farming, contact Gorst Valley Hops. I believe they have a location in NY. GVHDan is a member of this forum, he can probably help you.

You'll first have to determine what grows well in your area and then check to see if there's a demand for those varieties with the local breweries. If there is, they will probably be more than supportive with you as you'll both benefit from the situation. NE Hop Alliance is a good place to start when looking for info. along with GVH. There's a lot more to it than just sticking some rhizomes in the ground so make sure you do lots of research. Actually, there's a workshop in Frederick, MD next week. Check the NE Hop Alliance page for info and maybe I'll see you there! Hop ON!!

You should consider adding Magnum hops to your list. If you were to grow commercially, I would think high alpha hops would be in good demand. But I'd still think some Goldings would be useful too. I was growing for my own use and I grew Willamette, Magnum, Crystal, Sterling and Nugget. I would love to also grow Cascade and Centennial.