Hops advice

[TGFV]

Planning on starting to use more hops in my beers, and looking for advise on which ones to pick up bulk by pound (only a bit more expensive than buying 1-2oz)

So far I have ordered Amarillo and Lemondrop, but I was curious about a few people's experience and opinions on a few I was looking at, primarily

Mosiac
Eureka
Galaxy
Simcoe
Equinox
Galena

 

[thehaze]

Equinox ( Ekuanot is its new name now ), Simcoe, Galaxy and Mosaic are very nice.

Galena is a bittering hop, as I would not use it for dry hopping, but works well as bittering.

Eureka! I only used once in combination with 4 other hops, and I cannot say anything about it. But it should be very potent, piney, resiny.

 

[kh54s10]

How much do you brew? I bought 4 pounds of hops a couple of years ago ,but I did have almost a year fixing up my house for sale, so I didn't brew much. I have more than half of it left.

So, unless you brew a lot. I would look at the flavor and aroma contributions, decide what fits best with what you like and the 2 you already have and buy just one or possibly 2 others.

What you would like might be a lot different than what I would like in a beer.

 

[IslandLizard]

I often use Eureka with Galaxy (1:1) in NEIPAs and it's a wonderful combination. Tropical fruit, apricots and yes, a slight piney/resiny undertone making it extra interesting. Eureka goes well with Mandarina Bavaria or Amarillo, even more so when adding some dank hop like Columbus, Simcoe, or Mosaic (1:2:1 or 2:2:1, or so).

Except for Galena, those on your list are all IPA hops.
Look at the large NEIPA thread for other ideas. But don't go wild buying more than you can use up in say a year, or you may find yourself with "old hops" soon. Hops from the new harvest are coming in September/October, only 3-4 months away.

Citra is another famous one, but not everyone likes it.

Store them in the freezer!

After use, squeeze as much air out as possible. You could flush the bag with N2, or use CO2 if you have it. Just don't leave a lot of air in them.
If you don't have self-sealing bags (YVH), fold the open flap over a few times, squeeze tight, and tape shut. Then back into the freezer.

 

[IslandLizard]

How much do you brew? I bought 4 pounds of hops a couple of years ago ,but I did have almost a year fixing up my house for sale, so I didn't brew much. I have more than half of it left.

So, unless you brew a lot. I would look at the flavor and aroma contributions, decide what fits best with what you like and the 2 you already have and buy just one or possibly 2 others.

What you would like might be a lot different than what I would like in a beer.

This.^

I would forego Galena, and instead use Warrior or Magnum for bittering. They are cleaner (more neutral) bittering hops, especially Magnum.

 

[TGFV]

I try and brew once a month if not twice, but with a recent move I have slowed down (nothing for 4 months), and am wanting to get into IPAs more (not a huge fan of super bitter IPAs but with the huge increase in lower IBU super hoppy IPAs around I am starting to become a bigger fan of hops).

And was looking at possibly getting one of the list only, at least until I use up what I have.

 

[IslandLizard]

I try and brew once a month if not twice, but with a recent move I have slowed down (nothing for 4 months), and am wanting to get into IPAs more (not a huge fan of super bitter IPAs but with the huge increase in lower IBU super hoppy IPAs around I am starting to become a bigger fan of hops).

And was looking at possibly getting one of the list only, at least until I use up what I have.

Agreed, not overly bitter (NE)IPAs are an easier access to get into hops.
Look on that NEIPA thread for ideas on hop combinations. You can even brew without a bittering hop, solely relying on whirlpool hops to provide bittering.

Although one can brew single hop beers, and they certainly have their charm, I often prefer 2 or 3 hops to be present for a better, more complex and interesting experience. The combinations are virtually endless, but some hops work better together than others. Until you get a feel for what works and what doesn't, study up on examples and feedback to posted recipes and hop combinations by other (home)brewers. This forum (HBT) has exceptional recipes and feedback.

4 good IPA Hops will get you started for some awesome combinations:

✓ Amarillo
✓ Lemondrop

Unless you see some other hop combinations in one of the recipes in those (NE)IPA threads you have an urge for and need to have,

I'd consider these essential (get now):
Galaxy or Mosaic (they're "kinda similar")
Simcoe

These are optional (maybe get some later):
Ekuanot
Columbus
Eureka

 

[kh54s10]

Tastes vary. I tried Simcoe and didn't really care for it. I love Amarillo and like Eureka when it was still called EXP 5250 (I think that was the #). Hops can also vary from year to year just like wine grapes will make a great wine one year and a less good one the next.

I have tried some commercial NEIPA's and have yet to find one that I like.

Thus my recommendation to be careful on buying too much, and trying to decide which you would like.

 

[SEndorf]

Hop charts can be a helpful guide, but don't take them as gospel. The one below can give you ideas based on a pull down menu of beer styles.
https://byo.com/resource/hops/

Also should mention that if you're building a hop inventory by 1 lb. bulk, I'd suggest investing in a vacuum sealer and storing in freezer.