Would like recommendation for bulk hop order

[heckofagator]

I'm not talking about a whole bunch of hops, maybe a couple 3-4 lbs, but I would like to get away from paying the LBS prices per oz for the next handful of brews.

I like IPAs and lighter beers mostly - wheats, wits, cream ales, etc. Although I'm not opposed to darker beer occasionally.

Any suggestions for a nice variety of hops that would cover most of my brews? I figure something like Warrier, Nugget or Magnum would be a pretty safe bet for bittering? And then maybe a handful of some of the dual purpose citrus hops like Citra, Chinook, Simcoe, etc. What else or other types would I want to have on hand?

 

[Calder]

Get whatever hops you like to drink.

Cascade = Sierra Nevada Pale Ale
Centennial = Stone IPA
Chinook = Arrogant Bastard
Citra = Sierra Nevada Torpedo

I love Amarillo, Mosaic and Simcoe.

What do you like in Wits, Cream Ales, and Belgians. Something like Goldings, Brewers Gold, Sonnet, etc. You only need one.

I wouldn't bother with a specific bittering hop if you are limiting the amount you get. A number of the above can work as bittering hops.

 

[Northern_Brewer]

I like IPAs and lighter beers mostly - wheats, wits, cream ales, etc. Although I'm not opposed to darker beer occasionally.

Wheats and wits suggests that a Euro noble hop should be in the mix - German would be a bit more classic, Saaz could probably be a supporting actor in some of the more typically US styles. Or you could just take the view that wheats and wits are dominated by yeast and adjuncts and so it doesn't matter hugely and you just slip in something like Cascade at low level.

Your bittering choices look fine, but depending on how the pricing and bulk buys work out, in this context I'd look at bittering with one of the cheaper dual-purpose hops like Chinook or Bravo, that can also be used as a secondary "supporting" aroma hop (even if they're probably a bit too one-dimensional to be used as the only aroma hop, they can still add some complexity).

And then a "main" aroma hop for your IPAs - Citra or whatever, depending on what style of IPA you prefer.

 

[z-bob]

wheats, wits, cream ales, etc.

Mt Hood, Willamette.

Check out FarmhouseBrewingSupply. They have good prices on 4 oz bags of hop pellets, so you can try different kinds.

 

[Rush]

I buy from Yakimavalleyhops.com and have bought a LB of Columbus, Cascade, Centennial, Nugget, Warrior, Citra, Amarillo, Mosaic, Tettnanger, Willamette. Once opened, I keep them all in 1 quart glass mason jars that are vacuum sealed and stored in the freezer. Most of these were purchased in the $10-12/LB region, except for the popular ones like Citra, Amarillo and Mosaic.

I love having the option to make nearly whatever I'd like without running to the homebrew store.

I also typically have a few packs of US05 and S04 on hand, along with a couple sacks of base grains with some of my most commonly used specialty grains stored in airtight containers.

 

[heckofagator]

thanks for the thoughts, all.

Yep, I did see the article on here and do have a handful of mason jars with the vacuum sealer thing.

I think there was another place that sold 8oz packs, too, so just need to look at the big dealers and compare some prices.