Hops to buy in bulk?

I have only brewed 4 kits (and have 3 on deck), but I'm looking ahead and know that in a month I'll want to start experimenting, reducing effort, and cutting costs (without cutting quality). I intend to start reusing liquid yeast by pouring wort into the primary right after racking and buying hops by the pound.

So far I've bought Cascade and Willamette because they've popped up often in the recipes I have.

Sooo.... what hops would you recommend the novice buy in bulk to experiment with??? I like all styles of beer and generally want to start with hops that are common in a lot of styles. Aside from experimenting, I'll obviously be using the hops in recipes, buying Wyeast and DME at the local homebrew shop (and another carboy!).

I'm interested in this too. a lot of recipes on here seem to have the C hops (Cascade et al). I guess some noble hops could be good too? Maybe EKG's, fuggles, Saaz? anything else?

I went one step further and am currently growing Cascade, Willamette, and Mt. Hood hops. Living in the pacific northwest they are pretty cheap and easy to grow around here.

Any Noble hops are a good start - they are usable in a wide variety of brews.

I myself favor Hallertauer (Hersbrucker or Mittelfruh if I have to specify) simply because I use them most frequently.

Keep an eye out for which hops are rare to find during certain times of the year, and perhaps grab those whent they're available. Some I've had trouble finding are Citra, Simcoe, Sorachi Ace, Galaxy and Amarillo. No small coincidence that I lean toward citrusy hops rather than earthy or piny ones.

The hops you buy in bulk should be the ones you use a lot of in a recipe. An IPA or IIPA uses many many ounces; a lager may only use one. So get some warrior or magnum for bittering, and C hops for flavor and aroma. Get the others in small quantities, as needed.

Thanks, Mike! I'll get some Hallertauer for sure.

Fletcher - I've planted a rhizome for Cascade and one for Newport! (what the shop had available). Hopefully a couple more next year

Rich - got it! That makes perfect sense. The website I'm looking at has Magnum, so those are in the cart now.

Well, you should start with a cheap high alpha hop (whatever form you prefer- I have bravo @ 14.2%AA pellets), and I typically keep cascade around, because it's in all of my hoppy beers. I also make a lot of california common so I have a pound of Northern brewer as well. I would get a cheap bittering hop, your favorite hop that goes into most of your beers, and then one or two that you use a lot. Make sure you can properly store them cold under vacuum before you order.

Really depends on what you like the brew most often. But like someone else posted warrior or magnum are a good neutral high alpha bittering hop. As for different styles I'd personally go:
Magnum/Warrior
Hallertau MF
EKG
Centennial

Those will cover many many styles of beer.

It really gets down to what kind of brews you like.

You can always buy from Farmhouse Supply. They sell hops in 4 oz packs. So you can get several different varieties to get a feel for which ones you like.

I mostly brew IPA/APA's or Belgian/Saisons.

So I usually have on hand...

Magnum
Centenial
Cascade
Amarillo
Saaz
Hallertau
EKG

If I want different hops I just get them at my LHBS

Centennial!

BeastBrewer said:

www.yakimavalleyhops.com
Is a great place for bulk buys on hops.

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Good to know! Thanks!