Help choosing hops

[BeerClaw]

Hi, I have a deadline of march 15th to order my hops rhizomes but I am not really sure what to pick. First off I have room for two plants. Any help in selecting two varieties would be great:

I want to grow one bittering and one aroma variety. I am looking for an all purpose of each with good growth & disease resistance. Here is the varieties available:

Brewer's Gold
Cascade
Centennial
Chinook
Fuggle
Galena
Golding
Hallertauer
Magnum
Mt Hood
Newport
Nugget
Saaz
Sterling
Willamette
Zeus

Thanks

 

[frazier]

What hops do you most commonly brew with? What beers do you brew? What beers do you like to drink?

And, what's your favorite color?

 

[MrH]

You haven't said where in Canada you are. I'm on the peninsula in Washington State, and I've also grown hops in San Diego. It sounds like you've never grown hops before. Although I'm not a huge fan of it and don't grow it here, Cascades are known to be the easiest variety to grow in nearly all climates.

I also am not a huge fan of growing bittering hops, since it's difficult to determine bittering (%AA) properties, so you have to do a lot of experimenting with them. I'm at 400' elevation and have second year Hallertauer, Fuggles, and Goldings in the ground. First year, my Hallertauer and Fuggles grew better than my Goldings, and as I said in another thread, my Hallertauer and Fuggles have already started to grow. In San Diego, my Fuggles did worse than my Goldings, and I couldn't get Hallertauer to produce cones at all.

This hop variety guide from Hop Union might help at least give you info about how easy a particular variety is to grow and what it is susceptible to.

Bottom line with hops is to choose a variety you would like to use and try growing it...

MrH

 

[BeerClaw]

Good questions folks. I have brewed two beers so far so I really have no knowledge of hops. I am just looking for two general ones and then I can just order specific hops if needed. I am located in Southern Ontario, Zone 6a. I was thinking Cascades for one variety, not really sure on the other. I am planning on brew all sorts of things, nothing I specifically brew yet.

 

[david_42]

Nugget is a good, vigorous and disease-resistant high-alpha hop. Very good yields and storage stability. Makes a nice single-hop IPA as well, if you're into that.

 

[fattymattybrewing]

Nugget is a good, vigorous and disease-resistant high-alpha hop. Very good yields and storage stability. Makes a nice single-hop IPA as well, if you're into that.

The only problem with growing Nugget is they are susceptible to mites.:cross:

 

[nathani]

I wonder where you are ordering hops from? I live in Canada too, but in BC. I think I'll be ordering from Crannog Ales, as I live about a 30 minute drive away. The Climate they grow in is 5a. They grow:
Cascade
Fuggle
Golding
Nugget
Mt. Hood
Willamette

They also import rhizomes from hopsunion and sell them for 5.75$.

Their on site brewery is an organic Irish style brewery, so that may have as much to do with the hop selection as the climate.

I'm going to start growing some hops this year too, my climate is a 6a as well.