Selling Homegrown Hops

[HandyBrewer]

Has anyone been successful at selling hops via craigslist or any other sites? I have 4 varieties right now that are I just harvested first year and did pretty well. If what they say is true, 2nd and 3rd years are going to be much higher yield and I don't think I could possibly use all of the hops.

Obviously, I "donate" to my local beer brewing friends, but I was wondering if it is worth the effort to try and sell via the internet or maybe even reach out to local brew shops to see if they would barter.

Any information is helpful!

Handy

 

[Mongrel]

I probably wouldn't buy homegrown hops over the internet unless they were so cheap that it wouldn't be worth your time. What are the AA's? Were they picked at their peak? Kilned to the right moisture level? Packaged properly? I have a friend who has an acre of hops. He's been growing them for a few years. And, I've gotten enough free ones to know that I'd buy them, except I keep winning his hops at club meetings and don't need to buy any.

 

[iambeer]

I would buy your hops from a farmer's market, but not online. Local shop is a good idea too, a nice place to establish a trust. Online? I wouldn't bother... unless you want a cheap sell off, and that doesn't help you.

 

[brewingmeister]

As a consumer I want to see the tested aa's percentages and have them professionally dried and packed/labeled to know what I am getting. Otherwise I'm not really willing to pay much if anything at all.

Not trying to burst your bubble but hops are a little different than buying tomatoes or corn at a farmers market.

 

[Phunhog]

As a consumer I want to see the tested aa's percentages and have them professionally dried and packed/labeled to know what I am getting. Otherwise I'm not really willing to pay much if anything at all.

Not trying to burst your bubble but hops are a little different than buying tomatoes or corn at a farmers market.

Depending on the variety I would disagree. Now I wouldn't buy bittering hops since you don't know the AA but I would buy fresh hops for aroma/dry hopping. In fact I think you could do really well if you offered either wet hops or freshly dried hops. Now if you are trying to sell your own vacuum sealed hops in March......I probably wouldn't be too interested.

 

[jbeukelman]

Send an ounce of your hops to Hopunion, and $35, and they'll send you a report complete with AA%

Just fyi.

 

[Mongrel]

Depending on the variety I would disagree. Now I wouldn't buy bittering hops since you don't know the AA but I would buy fresh hops for aroma/dry hopping. In fact I think you could do really well if you offered either wet hops or freshly dried hops. Now if you are trying to sell your own vacuum sealed hops in March......I probably wouldn't be too interested.

You really don't want to order wet hops. If you're going to do a fresh hop brew, those hops should go from bine to kettle in hours, not days. Here in Central Oregon, we're almost too far from the hop yards of the Willamette Valley. The breweries are doughing in while the trucks make the ~3 hour drive over the Cascades on their way to Bend. For those who don't have local access to fresh hops, growing them is your best bet, and be ready to brew when the hops are at their peak.