Used them in a Czech Dark last year, definitely super Saaz!
Amazon Hops
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Used them in a Czech Dark last year, definitely super Saaz!
smata67
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I was about to post on how it was probably a bad idea to order hops from Amazon, saw the $10/lb for Crystal post and now have 8oz of Crystal on the way due to arrive in 2 days for $6! Gotta love this country, warts and all!
https://www.amazon.com/Crystal-Pell...rds=crystal+pellet+hops&qid=1634990500&sr=8-2
https://www.amazon.com/Crystal-Pell...rds=crystal+pellet+hops&qid=1634990500&sr=8-2
I order from Yakima Valley Hops all the time, every 1-2 months, depending on brew schedule. They come well sealed in mylar bags (can't smell any hop odor bleeding through like repackaged hops from my LHBS) and are at least half the cost. If course I have to buy quite a bit to offset the shipping cost but I like that I know the harvest year. I've never had an availability or credit card issue like mentioned above.
I also recently started shopping from Yakima Chief Hops, for certain varieties that YVH doesn't carry. They also ship in good bags (but no handy Ziploc top like YVH bigger bags), have hop date lot codes on the bags, and even have free shipping. Even if you order nothing else from them, you have to buy Cascade from them. $0.99 per 2 oz bag, and free shipping. That's their regular price, not some limited time offer.
I also recently started shopping from Yakima Chief Hops, for certain varieties that YVH doesn't carry. They also ship in good bags (but no handy Ziploc top like YVH bigger bags), have hop date lot codes on the bags, and even have free shipping. Even if you order nothing else from them, you have to buy Cascade from them. $0.99 per 2 oz bag, and free shipping. That's their regular price, not some limited time offer.
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JRHoots
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Let me know how they turn out
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JRHoots
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Ok cool. I'm definitely giving them a try. I love trying new ingredients.
The biggest issue is that they are NOT stored cool or cold, they are in a hot warehouse, not to mention how long they have been sitting there. Still not an option for my likes. Also, doesn't state what year the harvest was. These could be 2 or 3 years old at this point.
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JRHoots
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Yeah those are valid concerns. You can actually see where the product is coming from. If it's coming from an Amazon warehouse, I wouldn't trust it... but some of that product actually ships direct from homebrew supply shops.
Edit: I was putting an order in the other day and I threw in some hops that are shipping from Hobby Homebrew in Illinois. The price was right and shipping was free. I place orders through Amazon fairly regularly (non brewing related items) so I figure I'll throw one homebrew related item in on each order just to build my supply. As long as it's coming from a homebrew supply of course.
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Which was my original post. Unless you see that they are being sold by and shipped by a Hop Farmer or Homebrew Store that has a high inventory turnover, it will have been sitting in a warm warehouse degrading, unless you are looking for low AA/BA hops for a Lambic-inspired beer that is.
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JRHoots
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Yep you're absolutely right. I still prefer to buy local, but my LHBS closed for good. The building is already demolished for a used car dealership
smata67
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Per the vendor (Fast Craft!), the 1lb and 8oz packs of Crystal they are selling are 2017 crop year and they have had them frozen, use them all the time, and they are fine. Reviews seem to support this. I have actually had good luck with most bargain hop purchases, some from Amazon, some from eBay. If they come properly packed (artisan hops are not vacuum packed, they come loose packed in nitrogen flushed barrier bags), look green, smell and taste fine, they have been good enough for me. More recent year hops from YVH and YCH, about 80% of my current hop stock, can have stronger aroma coming out of the bag, but you have to expect some lower level of quality when paying $10/lb shipped. In one case, $7/lb and I've used half a pound those and those beers were some of the best I've brewed.
smata67
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It has a HopsDirect label on it, vacuum packed in their thick multilayer O2-barrier bag, so that's the origin, and pretty positive.
We don't know their harvest year or how they were stored until you got them.
Anything on the package/box/label where they originated?
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smata67
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Vendor said they are 2017. Shipped by Amazon from California via USPS. If one is really concerned about getting money back if they are not up to snuff, one can open the package and evaluate condition, but I'm not going to repackage to find out.
Yeast Farmer
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The only brewing stuff I have ever found a good deal on from Amazon is dry yeast. Sometimes you can get five or six packets for a great price per packet. Ebay is good for that too. Any malt or extract on Amazon is always overpriced. I get all my grain and hops from Morebeer. Grain by the pound from Morebeer, if you get 10 pounds or more more with free shipping, is cheaper per pound than buying it by the sack from anywhere. Unless you have a commercial brewer friend who sells you some of his at cost.
I'm fortunate to live less than 10 miles from a MoreBeer location. I usually buy my base malts by the 50lb sack and buy my specialty grains in 2-5lb lots and break them down in air-purged sealed bags for my receipes.
