Experience with Northwest Hop Farms?

[user 246304]

My experience with them has only been once, about 9 months ago. I had no knowledge of the past experiences of others, It did take a bit of time, but coming from Canada and cross-country I wasn't exactly expecting next-day delivery. The packaging and quality seemed fine and the two beers turned out well and both won awards in competition. But they were literally the only place I could find Northdown and Challenger hops. Given the bad experiences others have had, I'll likely be avoiding them in the future, even though I'm relatively pleased with the service being "O.K."

Maybe I'm being a judgmental a$$hat. Everyone can screw up and make amends and perhaps the guy has been on the straight and narrow since then. I should state I have no complaints on the hops received - I can see how what I said could convey that - I was referring to suspicions based on his past behavior, which probably isn't merited. And yes, Northdown, Bramling Cross and First Gold are tops in my pantry, so I'd hate to have to move on. We have Challenger on hand all the time at our store. All Yakima Chief, iirc. In fact, about to brew a Coniston's Clone with all Challenger from him (except I'm using 1469 - nothing like the Ward's on its way from Brewlabs, which is putatively the yeast used in either the Bluebird draft or bottled, can't recall which).

 

[Brewskey]

Maybe I'm being a judgmental a$$hat. Everyone can screw up and make amends and perhaps the guy has been on the straight and narrow since then. I should state I have no complaints on the hops received - I can see how what I said could convey that - I was referring to suspicions based on his past behavior, which probably isn't merited. And yes, Northdown, Bramling Cross and First Gold are tops in my pantry, so I'd hate to have to move on. We have Challenger on hand all the time at our store. All Yakima Chief, iirc. In fact, about to brew a Coniston's Clone with all Challenger from him (except I'm using 1469 - nothing like the Ward's on its way from Brewlabs, which is putatively the yeast used in either the Bluebird draft or bottled, can't recall which).

Where'd you order Brewlab slants from that will ship to the US?

 

[user 246304]

Where'd you order Brewlab slants from that will ship to the US?

I ordered the Yorkshire from The Malt Miller. I also contacted Alison, and asked about a couple of strains not on the Malt Miller's site, HH and the Ward's. Here was her reply.

Hi Paul we can still supply but the more regular strains are sold through the Malt Miller as their delivery network is much better. Let me know if you do require any slopes.

Kind regards,

Alison

 

[Brewskey]

I ordered the Yorkshire from The Malt Miller. I also contacted Alison, and asked about a couple of strains not on the Malt Miller's site, HH and the Ward's. Here was her reply.

I ordered the Yorkshire from The Malt Miller. I also contacted Alison, and asked about a couple of strains not on the Malt Miller's site, HH and the Ward's. Here was her reply.

Good to know. Thanks

 

[rhys333]

I stopped by the LHBS this afternoon and they were selling Northwest Hops at $21-25/lb (CAD). Decent price, considering that's in-store retail. I asked if they'd experienced any problems with service or product quality and they said that they had not. Maybe the guy has cleaned up his act... or offers more reliable service to businesses.

 

[day_trippr]

To more or less close my contribution to this thread: Northwest Hop Farms sent me a replacement for the unsealed pound of 2022 EKG T90 pellets. Even sent an extra pound, which they did not need to do. So I will give "Phil" thumbs up for the effort.

Sadly, however, BOTH BAGS arrived in a flaccid state, and it only took seconds to find voids through their heat seal lines that ensured they were never sealed and have been exposed to some degree to atmosphere ever since.

I cannot recommend purchasing hops from this company...

 

[elproducto]

Have any Canadians bought from https://www.duke25hops.com/ ?

Wondering how the quality is.

 

[user 246304]

To more or less close my contribution to this thread: Northwest Hop Farms sent me a replacement for the unsealed pound of 2022 EKG T90 pellets. Even sent an extra pound, which they did not need to do. So I will give "Phil" thumbs up for the effort.

Sadly, however, BOTH BAGS arrived in a flaccid state, and it only took seconds to find voids through their heat seal lines that ensured they were never sealed and have been exposed to some degree to atmosphere ever since.

I cannot recommend purchasing hops from this company...

That's a bummer, man. But thanks for the followup. Northdown, First Gold. Please make yourselves known.

 

[rhys333]

Have any Canadians bought from https://www.duke25hops.com/ ?

Wondering how the quality is.

I have not, and it's my first time learning of them. Their prices look reasonably, especially for the variaties they grow.

I've had luck lately with Grain to Glass out of Manitoba.

 

[rhys333]

Have any Canadians bought from https://www.duke25hops.com/ ?

Wondering how the quality is.

Wow, I'm really liking the wide variety they have on offer. They even have their own proprietary hops: https://www.duke25hops.com/collections/proprietaryhops

 

[Broothru]

Very interesting indeed. I’m assuming the pricing is In Canadian dollars. I’d be liking a report on quality of their hops, and especially on trans-border shipping and delays clearing customs.

SWMBO’d and I are planning an extended trip this summer across the Northern tier of U.S. states. Maybe a side trip to visit a few Provinces is in order. Where are they located? Nothing on the website gives a physical address.

 

[elproducto]

Very interesting indeed. I’m assuming the pricing is In Canadian dollars. I’d be liking a report on quality of their hops, and especially on trans-border shipping and delays clearing customs.

SWMBO’d and I are planning an extended trip this summer across the Northern tier of U.S. states. Maybe a side trip to visit a few Provinces is in order. Where are they located? Nothing on the website gives a physical address.

It's not a store, they are a wholesaler.

 

[Broothru]

It's not a store, they are a wholesaler.

Yeah, that's pretty much the conclusion I came to. I did find a business address in Quebec Province which isn't really along our route, so it's just as well they don't have a store front. Several years ago we were passing through the Yakima Valley region in Washington State and I wanted to visit some hop farms and local suppliers. As luck would have it, most of them were at BrewCon and we didn't get to see much, but one warehouse/shipping outlet in town was open with a skeleton crew, and they did have a small shop on premises.

We didn't buy anything, but I did leave a note for the head honcho, who later got back to me and sent a free sample of one of their latest hop blends. It was called Cluster Fugget, and was apparently something that came out of the packaging room when "somebody" screwed up and dumped in a sizable amount of Cluster, Fuggles and Nugget into the hopper at the same time by mistake instead of just a single hop varietal for packaging. I remember seeing it on their website for a while, but they must have either sold out or disposed of them, never to repeat the error.

Coincidentally, at the same time I was getting ready to bottle an entry of mine (a Pre-Prohibition lager) in a local competition. It was a solid beer, but just lacked a certain 'Oomph' to push it to the top of what I was attempting to do. The main hops I had used were those traditional American varietals from the northern plains: Cluster and Nugget. I figured, "What the Hell," rolled the dice and chucked a couple of ounces in the keg, letting it dry hop for several days, followed by a hard cold crash for about a week.

It cleared nicely and added just the finishing touch it needed. It won Blue Ribbon for Category, which is easier to do in an under-represented style, but then went on to win top honors as my first Best of Show entry. As I already mentioned, I haven't seen that hop or hop blend listed on their website in quite some time, but my hops inventory spreadsheet still says I have a package of it somewhere in my freezer. Might have to brew that bad boy one more time.

 

[user 246304]

Well Northwest strikes again. Because as I understand from @Northern_Brewer the hop variety Flyer is likely gone as a crop, and Northwest had '22 on hand, I bought two pounds. I loathe purolator and paid the $5 premium for UPS (i.e., I'd like to get the hops at some point. Purolator has been a nightmare for me in the past).

 

[user 246304]

They eventually got back to me and told me they'd switched the order to UPS. They arrived today.

Opened and resealed. Awesome.

 

[day_trippr]

I was contacted by Phil of Northwest Hop Farms today with regard to their improving their hop packaging line. I had purchased two pounds of some hard-to-find at the time EKG pellets last year and when they arrived noted that the metallized mylar bags had been improperly thermal sealed causing large voids through the seal line which in turn led to a huge loss of character. I mean they were largely inert, aroma wise.

Sadly, Phil had tried to make up for that with replacements, but those showed up in even worse shape! He clearly had a problem with their vacuum bagger/sealer. But this email claims he has replaced the equipment with new and wanted me to check out the result.

I'm taking him up on his offer and will give an honest appraisal when the hops arrive (two pounds of 2023 EKG).

Meanwhile I noticed he has a huge listing of hops available - way more than I remember from last year. Did not check his prices, however - and there's still the whole Purolator thing to consider (seriously, the worst). But he's having a 5% off sale, so maybe that'll make up for the aggravation...

Cheers!

 

[user 246304]

In fairness to Phil, I need to clarify the above hop bag thing wasn't his fault - it looks like it was Homeland Security. I asked him if the box was labeled as hops. etc., and he said "only like everywhere, including customs," fair point. He was pissed but sent out a new order right away. Haven't tried them yet. I am wondering if Phil is not the original guy, the guy with apparent baggage as mentioned above?

Anyway, I hope it all comes out well. It would be fantastic to have a regular supply of so many of these hops.

 

[day_trippr]

These arrived today from Northwest Hop Farms, sent by Phil Salisbury who is an owner of the company, as a demonstration of their new and greatly improved bag handling. They are quite properly vacuum sealed with no fewer than four heat-embossed seal lines, two each on either side of the bag cut line, and each is flawless on both bags. These bags are every bit on par with the way YVH has been doing it for years now.

As a result of this I encourage folks to give Northwest Hop Farms a second look if they've had less than stellar experiences in the past. Apparently Phil and associates only recently purchased the company and have been getting old issues resolved. They pretty much nailed the bag handling, and their product set seems quite large now. I'll definitely be comparing them to YVH going forward, and who knows, maybe they'll take some sales...

Cheers!

 

[user 246304]

These arrived today from Northwest Hop Farms, sent by Phil Salisbury who is an owner of the company, as a demonstration of their new and greatly improved bag handling. They are quite properly vacuum sealed with no fewer than four heat-embossed seal lines, two each on either side of the bag cut line, and each is flawless on both bags. These bags are every bit on par with the way YVH has been doing it for years now.

View attachment 848854

As a result of this I encourage folks to give Northwest Hop Farms a second look if they've had less than stellar experiences in the past. Apparently Phil and associates only recently purchased the company and have been getting old issues resolved. They pretty much nailed the bag handling, and their product set seems quite large now. I'll definitely be comparing them to YVH going forward, and who knows, maybe they'll take some sales...

Cheers!

Thank you for that. As I mention above the torn bag wasn't their fault and I'll definitely be giving them a try again. I'm glad it appears to be under new ownership.

 

[day_trippr]

Phil responded to the email I sent him regarding the hops he sent me and I learned he is a transplanted Kiwi. His company spent over $10K on the new bagger so he was hella keen to get my take on that He seems quite earnest and eager to square away the old baggage he acquired with the company, and a solid competitor will benefit us all...

Cheers!

 

[elproducto]

That's interesting. I'm a frequent customer, and was shocked when I put in an order yesterday and it's already shipped!

Glad to hear of new ownership.

 

[day_trippr]

fyi, received this email today:

Comparing one pound of just one hop (Citra) between Northwest and YVH shows Northwest would be ~$2 less expensive including shipping...

Cheers!

 

[user 246304]

fyi, received this email today:

View attachment 851512

Comparing one pound of just one hop (Citra) between Northwest and YVH shows Northwest would be ~$2 less expensive including shipping...

Cheers!

Was just going to post that. Very cool.

 

[day_trippr]

I'll be doing an "inventory back-fill" soon and assuming both have what I'll need I will compare the all-up pricing before deciding between Northwest and my usual YVH buy...

Cheers!

 

[rhys333]

I placed a call to Northwest Hop Farms last week and had the pleasure of speaking with the new owner. It sounds like he's put a lot of work into developing the business, and I'm looking forward to placing an order with them soon.

 

[day_trippr]

Found this in my in box.

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​ 2025 Happy New Year!!!​

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​ Happy New Year to everyone and we hope all made it through the festive session safe and well and those who indulged a little too much that the hangovers where short lived. We are preparing for the influx of the remaining 2024 varieties to hit the shop floor very shortly. Most of the US will be completed by Mid January and the European hops arriving around March. Keep an eye on the webpage. The Clearance Sale has been extended for the month of January to help ease the Christmas burden so use the code clear20 to get your 20% discount. We have opened an US bank account for those who wish to make payments via ACH transfers. Although mainly beneficial for commercial customers anyone is welcome to use it. Drop me an email at [email protected] with the order and I will enter it. This option is also available for e-transfers here in Canada. The company stickers are being renewed to include our new name and logo which will remain free for those who want them. They should be here in a few weeks. There are plans in the works for additional merch so hopefully we can update you in the next news letter. Lastly don't forget to check out the monthly specials, we try to add products regularly so don't forget to check it and see whats on offer! Wishing everyone a fantastic 2025! The Salisbury's​

 

[day_trippr]

Phil at Northwest Hop Farms has news that helps level the playing field wrt all-up costs...

Cheers!

 

[AlexKay]

If there’s anyone else out there who has been trying and failing to find their favorite Polish hops lately, you could drop Phil an email saying it would be great if they expanded their offerings …

 

[Broothru]

If there’s anyone else out there who has been trying and failing to find their favorite Polish hops lately, you could drop Phil an email saying it would be great if they expanded their offerings …

I just placed an order for Lublin (Lubelski) with Williams. They were the only Polish hops I could find anywhere. I’ll give Northwest a look. Only ordered from them once. Quality was good, but the delay with cross-border customs was a PITA. Time to revisit, I guess.

 

[AlexKay]

I just placed an order for Lublin (Lubelski) with Williams. They were the only Polish hops I could find anywhere. I’ll give Northwest a look. Only ordered from them once. Quality was good, but the delay with cross-border customs was a PITA. Time to revisit, I guess.

Northwest does have Lubelski, which I love, but it’s Sybilla that I truly can’t find anywhere, short of ordering 5 kg direct from Poland.