Willow Creek Hops

[Kozwald]

I just bought a Willow Creek plant from Great Lakes Hops. They are supposed to be like the NeoMexicana.
Has anyone tried these?

By the way, anyone in the Western Michigan area should make it a point to visit Great Lakes Hops. Excellent place if you're looking to grow hops. The owner is a great guy, full of knowledge. I stopped by on a Sunday and even though they were closed, he spent an hour talking about hops and let me buy a few plants.

 

[neild5]

I bought mine there last year. He is a great guy, it was a Friday and it was over 2 hours and the plants were huge!

 

[rupert130]

so how are the hops???

I just bought a Willow Creek plant from Great Lakes Hops. They are supposed to be like the NeoMexicana.
Has anyone tried these?

By the way, anyone in the Western Michigan area should make it a point to visit Great Lakes Hops. Excellent place if you're looking to grow hops. The owner is a great guy, full of knowledge. I stopped by on a Sunday and even though they were closed, he spent an hour talking about hops and let me buy a few plants.

 

[Voodoo]

They're bright and very lemony - pure citrus. The neomex varieties (I also have multihead) also produced more than my second year hops on their first year. They also are the first to get big of the varieties I have - currently about 10 feet tall. This may be that they like sub irrigation / my climate, but I was very impressed by them. Willow creek leaves look more like cannabis than any other hop plant I have in my garden. Thinner leaf fingers, more seriation, etc.

 

[rupert130]

I am also interested in what you observe to be the aroma/flavor profile of your other neomex hops. I am trying to select a plant to add to my hop garden. Multihead and Willow Creek are in the running.

Thanks!

They're bright and very lemony - pure citrus. The neomex varieties (I also have multihead) also produced more than my second year hops on their first year. They also are the first to get big of the varieties I have - currently about 10 feet tall. This may be that they like sub irrigation / my climate, but I was very impressed by them. Willow creek leaves look more like cannabis than any other hop plant I have in my garden. Thinner leaf fingers, more seriation, etc.

 

[Voodoo]

The multihead is similar to cascade in its fruityness, though more tropical fruit than citrus-grapefruit and has a melon-peachy? finish. My multiheads were my highest producing plant last year, something like 7 gallon freezer bags full of hops on a first year plant. (My second year plants were 4)

 

[rupert130]

The multihead is similar to cascade in its fruityness, though more tropical fruit than citrus-grapefruit and has a melon-peachy? finish. My multiheads were my highest producing plant last year, something like 7 gallon freezer bags full of hops on a first year plant. (My second year plants were 4)

Thanks for the info! Just ordered a Multihead from GLH.

 

[B³-]

I realize I’m reviving a five year old thread, but since there is very little info online about Willow Creek I figure I’d add some more data to the internet for anyone searching.

2nd year Willow Creek plant growing in zone 10A (coastal San Diego, CA). Small harvest but the cones on the plant are very fragrant - pineapple, coconut, some garlic.

Used in a SMASH blonde bittered to ~25 IBU with a 30 minute hop stand and dryhopped ~1.6g/L produced a beer with an unmistakable piña colada aroma. Smells like fresh ripe pineapple juice. The taste follows the aroma closely, tropical as heck, but there is an unsual aftertaste that I can’t quite put my finger on - almost like funky fermented yeasty fruit? Not sure if this is what some people describe as ‘catty’ but I’ve never come across this in another beer or hop. It’s not unpleasant but very unique.

Bitterness is slightly citrusy, not quite sharp, smooth - hits the center of the roof of the mouth.

In any case, Willow Creek produced a very enjoyable, refreshing and unique beer and they would be right at home in heavily dry-hopped tropical hazy styles.

I’m excited to see how the hops flavors change next year once the plant is more established.

Happy growing and brewing!

 

[Sylvain]

I grow the Willow Creek in France, west coast. it is very lime, and people I made to smell a sample told me it was on the melon