Summit rhizomes

Williams 728
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Probably? aren't they all? Someone has to have rhizomes for sale otherwise how do they sell the hops?, you know, chicken and egg thing.
 
Summit was patented in 2007, so it will be a long time before the rhizomes are available to the public. Currently, it is only sold to commercial growers.

Most hops are either older and the patent has expired or were developed by a university and are in the public domain. The OSU High-alpha acid program is a major source for new hops. But, Summit and Amarillo (a Cascade sport) were developed privately.
 
The variety is patented. The patent holder maintains all rights and market share for this variety and will not sell rhizomes to just anyone.
 
Arise sleepy thread!

Willamette Valley Hops has summit rhizomes this year. I just received 4.

It will be interesting to see their growth habit over the next year or two
 
I just received my 2 summit rhizomes today (just ordered Tuesday). Before I put them in the ground...

Does anyone know if soil composition or pH has an affect on their flavor/aroma? I want that great tangerine vibe. What I don't want is for them to turn to the dark side and end up as hop onions. I know that summit can exhibit either profile. However, I have yet to see any convincing arguments as to WHY or how to maximize citrus and prevent onion. Is it the cultivation? The hop schedule? Hop freshness? Beer aging?
 
just received my 2 summit 'zomes. they're a tad on the smaller side but look good and healthy. they're currently in the fridge as i won't be able to put them in the ground for another 2 weeks. i guess i could start them in a pot and transfer them into the ground once the site it ready but that would require... work.

big thank you to williamette valley hops for taking extra special care of my order - thanks guys!

wrench said:
Does anyone know if soil composition or pH has an affect on their flavor/aroma? I want that great tangerine vibe. What I don't want is for them to turn to the dark side and end up as hop onions. I know that summit can exhibit either profile. However, I have yet to see any convincing arguments as to WHY or how to maximize citrus and prevent onion. Is it the cultivation? The hop schedule? Hop freshness? Beer aging?
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no idea whatsoever. i wouldn't think that growing conditions could explain a swing that radical (from tangerine to onion). you'd think that growers would have figured that part out. i would suspect more drying & storage, not that i know much about either.
 
It's nice to see someone has them now. I talked with the hop farm down the road and his email stated this: "I've had HORRIBLE experiences with Willamette Valley Hops. Could/would not recommend them at all!"

I haven't found anyone else offering them as rhizomes so i guess beggars can't be choosers? I'll probably search around first.
 
COLObrewer said:
It's nice to see someone has them now. I talked with the hop farm down the road and his email stated this: "I've had HORRIBLE experiences with Willamette Valley Hops. Could/would not recommend them at all!"

I haven't found anyone else offering them as rhizomes so i guess beggars can't be choosers? I'll probably search around first.
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I placed an order last week, got 4 rhizomes in the mail on Saturday, and they are all now in pots ready to start making magic. They were each 4-6" long, and had buds already formed (two of the rhizomes had 1.5" long shoots). So, I definitely didn't have a bad experience, quite the opposite (although I may change my mind if I don't see some green in the next few weeks :cross:).
 
COLObrewer said:
It's nice to see someone has them now. I talked with the hop farm down the road and his email stated this: "I've had HORRIBLE experiences with Willamette Valley Hops. Could/would not recommend them at all!"

I haven't found anyone else offering them as rhizomes so i guess beggars can't be choosers? I'll probably search around first.
Click to expand...

I got my order in just a few days, mailed completely across country. They were sealed up, moist but not wet, and in good condition. Both were ~5" long and a bit thicker around than a Sharpie, with early signs of growth. I'm very happy so far.

Did the farmer say why he had a horrible experience? Without knowing the circumstance, I'd take it with a grain of salt. Remember, there are millions of people out there who think Bud Light Platinum is a great-tasting beer. Opinions are like armpits... Ask him for the facts.
 
strumke said:
I placed an order last week, got 4 rhizomes in the mail on Saturday, and they are all now in pots ready to start making magic. They were each 4-6" long, and had buds already formed (two of the rhizomes had 1.5" long shoots). So, I definitely didn't have a bad experience, quite the opposite (although I may change my mind if I don't see some green in the next few weeks :cross:).
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Well, assuming what you got was indeed Summit. :drunk: Just saying. Given the licensing and tight control on the strain up till now, I am still sort of shocked to see it being sold as a rhizome to the home grower/brewer community.
 
Randar said:
Well, assuming what you got was indeed Summit. :drunk: Just saying. Given the licensing and tight control on the strain up till now, I am still sort of shocked to see it being sold as a rhizome to the home grower/brewer community.
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Glad u brought that up, I wasn't gonna say anything, I'll let you all know what the hop farm dood says.:mug: How do we know we have the real deal when we buy rhizomes anyways?
 
We really don't know. For all I know all of my hops are Timbuktu Goldings. I have no idea.....except for the label on them which someone could have messed up somewhere along the line. :mug:

beerloaf
 
wrench said:
I just received my 2 summit rhizomes today (just ordered Tuesday). Before I put them in the ground...

Does anyone know if soil composition or pH has an affect on their flavor/aroma? I want that great tangerine vibe. What I don't want is for them to turn to the dark side and end up as hop onions. I know that summit can exhibit either profile. However, I have yet to see any convincing arguments as to WHY or how to maximize citrus and prevent onion. Is it the cultivation? The hop schedule? Hop freshness? Beer aging?
Click to expand...

Take this info with a grain of salt, but I recall reading in another thread on here that over fertilizing is the cause of the onion/garlic flavor.

On another note, I am waiting for my rhizome order from WVH to arrive, which includes 2 Summit rhizomes. I am very excited to include them in my hop garden, as they are one of my favorite hops. I grow with minimal fertalizer so hopefully no onion flavors... never got that from them before anyways, from my own brews or commercial.
 
Randar said:
Well, assuming what you got was indeed Summit. :drunk: Just saying. Given the licensing and tight control on the strain up till now, I am still sort of shocked to see it being sold as a rhizome to the home grower/brewer community.
Click to expand...

Well, Summit is one of the few dwarf hop varieties. So if these are 25' tall in August, we'll have our answer. If they top out around 10' and smell like tangerine, we'll have a better answer. :rockin: With my luck, they'll grow to around 15' and have a vaguely citrus aroma that could be Summit OR any of the "C's"...
 
actually, it gets more muddled: based on what WVH told me on the phone, it's not that summit are ONLY dwarf hops. it's that they can be dwarf hops, depending on how they are trellised, etc. if you give them a single long rope they will grow to be 20+ feet tall like any other variety. however, if they run out of vertical space they don't panic and start flowering - instead they will continue to grow horizontally and fill in lower down.
 
Randar said:
Well, assuming what you got was indeed Summit. :drunk: Just saying. Given the licensing and tight control on the strain up till now, I am still sort of shocked to see it being sold as a rhizome to the home grower/brewer community.
Click to expand...
dunno if you've been following the price of summit recently, but it's fallen a lot. chances are several farmers decided that it was time to get rid of summit and move on to the Next Big Thing. whoever owns the patent might have realized that his time was up - people aren't going to pay a premium for it anymore.
 
Randar said:
Well, assuming what you got was indeed Summit. :drunk: Just saying. Given the licensing and tight control on the strain up till now, I am still sort of shocked to see it being sold as a rhizome to the home grower/brewer community.
Click to expand...

I would think if this were the case then the company claiming to have summit rhizomes would get sued for copy right infringement or breaking some sort of patent law (even if just for using the name)
 
jester5120 said:
I would think if this were the case then the company claiming to have summit rhizomes would get sued for copy right infringement or breaking some sort of patent law (even if just for using the name)
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Not exactly how it works, but yes, I get your point. I was just making a concerned observation and noting only one supplier was claiming to have them. Now that a second supplier popped up, I may order some. :mug:
 
Randar said:
Not exactly how it works, but yes, I get your point. I was just making a concerned observation and noting only one supplier was claiming to have them. Now that a second supplier popped up, I may order some. :mug:
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to be completely honest I was mostly trying to convince myself because I bought 4 summit rhizomes yesterday. :D
 
I just got an email from willamette valley hops saying that they are in violation of the law and cannot ship the summit rhizomes. That sucks but it's kinda funny
 
jester5120 said:
I just got an email from willamette valley hops saying that they are in violation of the law and cannot ship the summit rhizomes. That sucks but it's kinda funny
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Bwahahaha. How did they think otherwise without clearing it in advance? Talk about a n00b mistake on their part.
 
Are the hops police going to come knocking on the doors of anyone who bought the rhizomes already? :eek:

"No, no... those aren't hops. That's oregano!" :D
 
it sucks cuz some of the guys on here got theirs before the mistake was caught. If i would have ordered just a little earlier I'd have some illegal hops. It's a well known fact that illegal hops taste better in beer
 
jester5120 said:
it sucks cuz some of the guys on here got theirs before the mistake was caught. If i would have ordered just a little earlier I'd have some illegal hops. It's a well known fact that illegal hops taste better in beer
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I definitely wish I had bought some early on and gotten some. If any of you guys got them and have one to spare, please PM me! :D
 
jester5120 said:
I just got an email from willamette valley hops saying that they are in violation of the law and cannot ship the summit rhizomes. That sucks but it's kinda funny
Click to expand...
wow, i suspect this is a big deal among the professional hops growing community... like on the level of a scandal. i hope WVH don't get in any trouble because of this. these slip-ups can result in burnt bridges.

supposedly http://www.barleynvine.com/ was also selling summit rhizomes... but they aren't listing their stock online. they claim to have extras, might be worth calling them and seeing if they have any summits (and if they do, order them on the spot - consider adding express shipping). i wonder if they've been warned about not selling any more summits.

that being said, i'm happy i got my two rhizomes before the leak was discovered :ban: i had mine in the fridge for two weeks and they went in the soil on saturday. a little mold started to grow on them while in the fridge, i cleaned it up as best i could before planting them. rookie mistake of mine for leaving them in the sealed plastic bag. i hope they come up alright. i'm a little worried about them, but at this point only time will tell.

if they do grow, y'all can hit me up for a trade in 3 years.
 
Yup, I got the same email, sucks. Really wish I could find a way to get one of these, I was really excited when I saw they were selling them.
 
Wow, I had no idea. Mine poked through a week ago! Rhizome was massive to say the least.

Now of course we'll see if it really is in fact a summit. Probably just a cascade, like I need yet another cascade :D

babySummit.jpg
 

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