First bulk hop purchase. Recipe advice? What works best for storing?

[desabat]

2 lb centennial
1 lb cascade
1 lb amarillo
1 lb columbus
1 lb east kent goldings
1 lb uk fuggles

Looking to make some american an english ipa's though am certainly open to experimenting with these hops for other styles.

I plan on trying out all possible combinations as well as single hopped to get more experience with them. Is there any combination I can make with these that stand out?

 

[Howhownow]

There is a great article on here a few months back about storing hops using mason jars and a handheld vacuum pump. The setup costs about $12 on amazon and I have been using it with great success.
Here are the pieces:
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B003UEMFUG/?tag=skimlinks_replacement-20
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0000CFFS6/?tag=skimlinks_replacement-20

And while you're at it, get yourself a scale with some decent capacity. This one has been great for me:
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00L2OB4HG/?tag=skimlinks_replacement-20

 

[masonsjax]

That is a TON of hops. What size batches are you doing and how often?

If you tend to make a variety of styles, I would go for one neutral high-alpha hop to use as bittering. Things like Bravo, Magnum, CTZ are good for this. Since the bittering additions don't contribute tons of flavor or aroma, variety is less important so I would shop by price and AA% here. Due to the high alpha levels, you won't go through a lot of bittering hops like you do with aroma additions, so one pound should last you a good while.

If you make a lot of hoppy american styles, you can't go wrong with any of the classic C hops (or Amarillo). You have a lot of them on the list already. Each are similar enough that I wouldn't buy all of them, but maybe one pound each of one or two different varieties. Of course if you'll go through 5 lbs of flavor/aroma hops relatively quickly, why not get an assortment. I've been really loving Citra blended with Cascade and/or Centennial lately.

Fuggles and Goldings are similar enough that I'd get one or the other, probably would go with what's cheaper. If you make a lot of European styles, you might want to get a true Noble variety instead of two nearly noble types. I'm a fan of Tettnanger personally.

As for storage, you want to remove oxygen and keep them out of the light and frozen. There are various devices that can be used to vacuum seal bags or mason jars. I have a seal-a-meal type device and a pump-n-seal hand-held pump. Both work just fine.

 

[tflew]

I have have great success storing hops in 1 quart mason jars. Each jar fits about a pound of hops, and what I have done is stick a tube connected to my C02 tank down to the bottom of the jar, flush with C02 then seal the jar and stick in the freezer.

 

[deepbluegroove]

That is a lot of hops. How big are your batches, how often are you brewing? Even if you brewed every weekend it would take you a very long time to go thru those types of Hops. Those seem like they are for more traditional type beers, like Browns, English and Belgian basic styles. When you make those styles you don't need many hops per 5 gallon batch. Hops even if stored in the freezer with vacuum seal will degrade over time. There are companies that sell 4 ounce packs too. That way if you like IPA you can get Nelson Sauvin, Simcoe, Citra, Centennial in smaller additions. Even with the hop heavy IPAs I like I ended up getting only 2 lbs of aroma hops and only 1 lb of basics like Saaz, EKG and Magnum for bittering (All in 4 OZ packages). This is still way too many hops.

Best thing would be to plan what you are going to brew for the next 6 to 12 months. Figure out your hop bill and then buy that many hops.
If you want to do hop heavy IPA you can plan to look at recipes to see how many per 5 gal batch.

 

[azazel1024]

I personally use a vacuum sealer with the rolls you cut to size. I'd go mason jars and I might at some point, but I already had the other stuff. It isn't that bad to divvy up 8oz bags of hops. When I get them fresh, I just throw them in the freezer and the first time I need to use the hops for a batch, I'll cut them open and divvy up the hops. Generally 2oz a pop (pellets only).

If I get 16oz, I'll generally do 2x4oz and 4x2oz for how I break it up. If I am careful, the packages can be resealed if all I need is an ounce out of one of the 2oz packs, or 2oz out of a 4oz. Looking at getting a chest freezer this fall. If I do, I'll greatly expand what I have. Currently 6oz of Willamette, 8oz of Cascade, 2oz of Chinook, maybe 10oz of Hallertau and 2oz of Saaz. Ideally I'd like to get 8-16oz of Centenial, Hersbrucker, Saaz, EKG, Chinook, and probably a couple more. I don't need 50 varieties, but I'd love to have at least a few ounces of a dozen varieties.

That and I plan to try to start growing my own next spring (Willamette and Cascade to start. If it goes well, I think I have the setup and room to maybe do 2 bines each of 4 varities, so I'd probably add EKG and Hersbrucker or Hallertau).

 

[ong]

I don't agree that Fuggles and Goldings are very similar... They taste pretty different to me, and if you like to make English styles, they're both worth trying.

I store hops either in a vacuum sealed bag (foodsaver) or in a vacuum sealed mason jar. The CO2 purge is an interesting idea, though.

 

[Yooper]

I use my Foodsaver with the bags I cut from a roll. It works great!

I usually buy a number of pounds of hops per year, and they will last a long time if sealed and placed in the freezer.

I don't care much for fuggles hops (too earthy for me, like dirt) but others love them. A combination of fuggles and EKGs makes a wonderful English IPA.

For American IPAs, I often do a combination of this:

columbus 60 minutes for bittering
centennial/cascade for flavor and aroma and a hopstand
dryhop with columbus/centennial/cascade

 

[azazel1024]

I use my Foodsaver with the bags I cut from a roll. It works great!

I usually buy a number of pounds of hops per year, and they will last a long time if sealed and placed in the freezer.

I don't care much for fuggles hops (too earthy for me, like dirt) but others love them. A combination of fuggles and EKGs makes a wonderful English IPA.

For American IPAs, I often do a combination of this:

columbus 60 minutes for bittering
centennial/cascade for flavor and aroma and a hopstand
dryhop with columbus/centennial/cascade

I love me some willamette and Fuggles. My father-in-law HATES them (why does this beer taste sour? is what he almost always comments on any Fuggle/Willamette beer I make). My wife and I and various friends never seem to notice that.

I am still acquiring a taste for EKG. The couple of times I've used it, the beers were "overly sweet" tasting to me. But I think it might have either been not enough IBUs and/or too much crystal malt the 3 or 4 times I've ever used EKG. I plan to get a few ounces and make some pure EKG or EKG/Willamette mixed beers and see the result now that I've become a better brewer (I don't think I've used EKG in >12 months and I've only been brewing for 2 years).

 

[desabat]

I agree that these are a LOT of hops but It was sort of a deal i had with a buddy i helped move by sending him some packages he would send the equal amount in beer ingredients. Im fairly certain I'll use them within a year by making some big flavor/aroma additions so good storage is very important. I think the vaccum pump and mason jars is a great idea!
Im brewing for my wedding so i estimate that ill go through half of them by july! After that i can make them last a little longer.

Im interested in making a lot of different types of ipas as ive never brewed with some of these before like a really dank weed-like aroma using columbus, two hearted clone with centennial. I want to make something really special with the amarillo.

EDIT- @Yooper, thanks for the hop schedule suggestion will definitely try that. Have you bittered for 60-45 min with Amarillo or Centennial before? How were they?

 

[Brewenstein]

My pale ales typically have 6-8 ounces of hops, most of them at 15 minutes through flame out. So I see those hops as the perfect amount to get through most of a year!! Brew on and keep us posted with your results!

 

[Natdavis777]

I like the combos you purchased. I would save the Columbus for bittering additions in your American styles due to its high AA%. Save the Cascade/Centennial/Amarillo for flavor/aroma. Centennial/Amarillo work well alone of course, so they are good options for single hop recipes.

Personally, I would use the EKG and Fuggles for Browns/Porters/Stouts (I use these a lot) with good results. Im sure they would be good as well with English IPAs, though I cannot comment by experience as I have never made one in my 100+ brews (Dont Judge:cross