Lets talk hops and where you source them

I have heard that hops for homebrewers are quite a different quality than what breweries have access to. Where do you get your hops? Hop Union is usually to expensive for me so I buy bulk.

I have tried a few places and I just dont think I can get the character I want. I get a decent hoppy beer each time but never the aroma or hop flavor you do from a great commercial beer.

I vacuum seal and freeze my hops, I have tried many different ways to dry hop even recently dedicating a keg with a filter in it just for dry hopping. Still I get muddled hop aroma and flavor. I can always pick out certain hop styles in commercial but I dont think anyone could guess what is mine.

I change a lot when I brew hoppy beers because I like to see if it will change this outcome but I always get the same beer practically (used the same malt bill 4 times in a row)

I guess I am just wondering if I should try a different source, or my technique is bad or I am just going crazy.

I've been buying almost exclusively from Farmhouse Brewing the last year plus since they've got a good selection of 4 oz bags and I've been brewing a lot of smaller batches lately. They vacuum pack in the mylar bags and I've been very happy with the quality. Just finished off a keg of a Fresh Squeezed clone with their 2014 Mosaic and Citra and boy did it punch you in the face with the characteristics I associate with those two in commerical beers. Also just brewed a Galaxy/Nelson IPA and same thing - from the 2014 southern hemisphere harvest so I think going on a year and a half old. But maybe it's something else in your process like water, oxygenation, etc. that are making the hops dull?

Muddle hop character is usually from poor source water or poor recipe formulation. Bad hops can be a big problem or oxidation in your process, but I'd be looking at other factors. Even the wrong yeast selection can hamper the hoppyness of your beer.

Just out of curiosity... Where are you buying bulk? How is hopunion too much? I have several bags of HopUnion 1# simcoes in my freezer. They were cheaper than many places online.

I too recommend Farmhouse, buy most of mine by the pound, I have been very happy with the quality.

I know many varieties won't be available, but have you considered growing your own hops if you have the room? Removes the question of receiving products of questionable quality and freshness. I have a first year Cascade that is running rampant on the south side of my house.

Next best thing: any chance there is a small, family-owned hop yard near you? In Ohio, Ohio State's agricultural research and development center has been championing hop production as a way to provide additional income to small farmers normally dependent on profits from corn and soybeans. I recently found out that I have a hop yard just a few miles down the road from me here in Medina County. I checked their FB page and it looks like they are happy to sell to homebrewers.

Hop union can be 2 or 3 dollars an oz at the shop or more if its a hard to get hop. I guess I have not looked at the 1# bags. I just tried yakima valley, I have used farmhouse in the past and made lots of good beer but not amazing. I am always looking to get that amazing hop character you get from commercial stuff. I build up my water from RO water, I have followed clone recipes and water profiles that people suggest. I minimized oxygen as much as possible in dryhopping..hence the investment in a dry hop only keg. I guess my malty beers and sours turn out pretty close to commercial stuff IMO, but I can never get close with aroma or flavor on hoppy stuff.

+1 for Farmhouse as well. I buy a few lbs at a time and vacuum seal/freeze for storage.

I usually buy my hops from my LHBS, either Hops Union pellets or vacuum sealed whole hops, depending on my recipe. Recently, a hops farm opened near Chelsea Michigan and according to their mailing list they will be harvesting sometime in August. I'm planning on making a trip over there and see what I can get. I'll be in Brew Heaven if I can score some Cascades or Northern Brewer.

Been buying in bulk from yakimavalleyhops.com for a while now. They've got pretty decent prices, and have been constantly improving their packaging methods etc.

+1 on Farmhouse

Also I source a lot of fresh hops from my crop in my back yard. I have 12 different varieties producing as much as 2-3 pounds per year each plant.

I get mine by the pound here:

http://www.hopsdirect.com/

Great prices and they're vacuum packed in mylar as well.