Keep 'em or cut 'em?

[Flatspin]

I have two hop plants that I put into the ground this spring. We had a very warm March up here in Chicago so they took off like crazy. Unfortunately April was cooler and these plants, now 5-8 feet tall, had to ride out several nights below freezing. The existing bines seem healthy enough but even with the weather warming up again they don't seem to be growing much (although it does look like the centennial are starting to put out side arms). Last weekend I noticed that there were several new shoots popping out of the ground. What should I do?:

1) Trim away the new shoots so the plants focus their energy on the existing bines.
2) Cut down the existing bines (gasp!) and focus on the new shoots.
3) Keep the existing bines but train a few of the new shoots as insurance.

Thanks for any feedback!

 

[cyclogenesis]

My Hops are both decorative and for brewing so I have been allowing ~4-5 bines per plant to get the side of mu deck nice and shady for summer... I am now starting to pluck anyones at the base but allowing spreading up higher.. Oh and I am in Clarendon Hills and my plants are going nuts!

 

[jessox80]

"Focusing the energy" is, I think, used to promote cone production. From what I understand, the primary focus of growing 1st year hops is root development, best facilitated by keeping the vast majority of, if not all bines (so based on a good deal of reading, popular opinion would be to go with option 3).
That being said, as an igonorant noob last year I pruned bines, got a decent harvest, and still had gigantic Medusaesque crowns this spring. These plants are absurdly hearty.
My 2- year-old newports also stalled out in April, but have bounced back in a major way following 10 days of better temps. I would advise being patient and observing whether growth recommences and if these new shoots appear somehow superior to the first round of shoots. Even if they do, I do not believe I would cut the existing bines.