chumprock
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Which would you choose and why?
If you could only grow one variety?
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RICLARK
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Simcoe, I love them and I make mostley IPA's and APA's.
cuinrearview
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Yah, if we're talking ANY variety it would be Simcoe or Amarillo. Probably Amarillo. Unfortunately we can't get rhizomes for these proprietary strains. I use a lot of Hallertau for my wheats, and Centennial for my IPAs. If I had to choose it would probably be Centennial because it's pretty hard to replace if you like it, and you can make wheats with a few different hops.
And RICLARK, do they have any Simcoe at the Salamander right now? I should be using them for my next brew.
And RICLARK, do they have any Simcoe at the Salamander right now? I should be using them for my next brew.
Probably Cascade. I use those or East Kent Goldings for a majority of my brews.
RICLARK
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I have been in there the last 4 weeks and they didn't have any. However Karl did get a shipment in last friday of Summit,Warrior and Amarillo.
Hard choice! Choose 1 forever? Damn that is a hard call! Either Horizon or Simcoe or Amarillo. Let’s see cant grow Amarillo so that’s out. Simcoe is a GREAT hop and so is Horizon.......... Ok Cascade ya Centennial yep hands down Northern Brewer LOL
So there you go Its EKG! That was easy!
So there you go Its EKG! That was easy!
OP
OP
chumprock
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You sound a lot like me. I've been mulling this one over all winter and every other day I change my mind.
Laughing_Gnome_Invisible
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EKG
I only brew bitter at the moment, and EKG is the most versatile. I like fuggles a lot too, but the yield is lower.
I only brew bitter at the moment, and EKG is the most versatile. I like fuggles a lot too, but the yield is lower.
Cascades is good.
I love Chinook but drinking only Chinook ales would probably wear me out.
I'd guess I'd have to say Goldings or Willamette. Either one can work well in a wide variety of ales.
Craig
I love Chinook but drinking only Chinook ales would probably wear me out.
I'd guess I'd have to say Goldings or Willamette. Either one can work well in a wide variety of ales.
Craig
The Pol
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Bottom line, grow an aroma or flavoring hop... the IBUs on home grown hops is so unreliable, I wouldnt trust them to bitter anything. I grow Mt Hood, Cascade and Wilamette.
If you grow bitting hops and want to use them as such, you will have to do a lot of trial and error to determing how much you will need, since your IBUs will be completely undetermined.
If you grow bitting hops and want to use them as such, you will have to do a lot of trial and error to determing how much you will need, since your IBUs will be completely undetermined.
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I have Mt Hood and Cascade coming in as 2nd year plants this year. Ditto on the not growing Bittering hops comment.
adamjab19
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I have room for just one plant and I picked Centennial. If all goes well I plan on using them as aroma/dry hops.
The Pol
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You probably wont have enough to use them after this season... but in the summer/fall of 2010 you should be able to give them a whirl!
I have 6 different varieties growing. If I had to pick just one, that would be the one that grows the most vigourous with the best yield. For me that is Liberty. My Tettnanger and Fuggles don't even come close. Even if I liked them better, if I could only grow one, I'd go with the one that grows the best.
Nugget, good dual-use hop. Makes a great IPA, but also good in dark ales.
However, Fuggle and Cascade are the performance champs in my hop yard.
I've been getting as much off of each of those as for all of the other six combined.
However, Fuggle and Cascade are the performance champs in my hop yard.
I've been getting as much off of each of those as for all of the other six combined.adamjab19
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Yeah, if I can put only four,tiny homergown hop flowers in my beer this fall I'll be happy!
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chumprock
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I'm actually been torn between nugget and cascade.
I use a bit of cascade, and have heard how well nugget grows and its viability for dual use..
Thanks for all the suggestions!
I use a bit of cascade, and have heard how well nugget grows and its viability for dual use..
Thanks for all the suggestions!
slimer
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Sterling or Centennial.
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Yeah, if I can put only four,tiny homergown hop flowers in my beer this fall I'll be happy!
Thosre 4 cones won't give you anything but that is fair to expect that yield maybe. I planted mine last year. Cascades did not grow. (I'm praying they were building a root system at least to pop up this year) and my Mt Hood gave me 8 cones that got eaten by catepillars.
RICLARK
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I just left the Red Salamander and they now have about 12OZ of Simcoe.
cuinrearview
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Looks like a trip there ASAP is in order. Hmmm...have really been wanting to try Summit too. Yah, I'm there soon.
And as far as using homegrown for bittering: I say go for it, don't be afraid. It seems like simply uncharted waters at this point. If you grow something higher in AA why the hell wouldn't you try it? You'll have more next year. I don't see too many IPAs dry-hopped with Nugget around here:fro:. If you're making a house ale and need consistency, then don't do it. But if you're looking to make beer with house hops, why not use them in all manners. Sure, the AA will vary from year to year, but why not????? When I get a good harvest from some high AAs I'll certainly throw them in with 60 minutes to go.
But that's me. I like making beers "in the neighborhood" of styles but unique to my house. Using ingredients when I have them is all of the fun of it. I just brewed a wit (in winter!!) because the in-laws brought us back some oranges from their FL house and I wanted to use the peels in a beer. Read Mosher's "Radical Brewing" and your dedication to easily obtained ingrediants will definately be skewed.
Excellent points and my thoughts exactly. When I brew I like to be close to style but just a little bit different. I am actually reading Radical Brewing again right now for about the 10th time. It is pretty well my bible and I pretty well brew with that thought process all the time. I have brewed all sorts of beers and styles and have never brewed the same recipe twice.
The Pol
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There is a big difference between making an IPA with a 10%AA Magnum or something and a 5%AA Magnum that you grew. It isnt a matter of the AA varying a little from year to year, it is a matter of hop farms having optimal growing conditions and practices compared to what you are doing in your garden.
I am not saying not to use them, not at all... but you could easily get a 10%AA hop from a farm that produces a 5%AA hop in your garden, leaving you far short of an IPA. This is precisely why most brewers wont spend $20 and 5 hours of brew time only to screw up thier beer because they are unknowingly hopping it with 5%AA hops that from a commercial farm would be close to 10-12%AA.
I am not saying not to use them, not at all... but you could easily get a 10%AA hop from a farm that produces a 5%AA hop in your garden, leaving you far short of an IPA. This is precisely why most brewers wont spend $20 and 5 hours of brew time only to screw up thier beer because they are unknowingly hopping it with 5%AA hops that from a commercial farm would be close to 10-12%AA.
I use homegrown hops to bitter beer all of the time I don't think there is that much to be afraid of. Hell, I used 17 oz of homegrown hops for bittering, flavor, and aroma in a batch of 1.060 beer and no one even knew what strain they were. These hops were just at a house when a friend bought it, the beer was I would have to say in my all time top ten.
Why grow them if you are afraid to brew with them?
I usually just use the commercial examples as a guideline (you can find a typical range for commercial hops ex. 4.8-5.9 AA) and add a few points for the freshness factor.
-Ander
Why grow them if you are afraid to brew with them?
I usually just use the commercial examples as a guideline (you can find a typical range for commercial hops ex. 4.8-5.9 AA) and add a few points for the freshness factor.
-Ander
cuinrearview
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From your other posts I've gathered that you brew pretty sparingly, so I totally understand your point of view. Sometimes I wish I shared that kind of discipline. BUT! In the end you'll still have beer and I bet it will taste much better than any other unbalanced beer you've made if it uses what you grow. Really, if you give even a fair amount of care when growing your hops being way out of range in AA% is not going to happen. Like I said, cloning a recipe with your homegrown for bittering is probably not a good idea. Experimenting, on the other hand, is what this hobby is all about
. BTW, I'll be putting in five more varieties this year, so with nine total I should have a pretty good idea on what does well here in SW MI. So far Cascade is the monster.
