Top 5 must have hops

[G_robertus]

Tough one. I like complexity in many styles so I could probably get you multiple sets of five depending on the style or region I get inspiration from.

Mosaic
Sabro or Simcoe
EKG
Hersbrucker or Northern Brewer (DE)

Nugget/Millennium as my spammable bitter hop. Basically anything with 12+ AA that is cheap and not magnum.

Honourable mentions to Simcoe, Styrian Goldings/Fuggles, I7, S. Wolf, Galaxy, CTZ, Liberty/Mittelfrüh, Jester and Harlequin. They find their way in many beers as well with good results, or I've had good commercial examples.
I'm less thrilled about Citra and Talus.

 

[tracer bullet]

Definitely needed a poll! These are the ones I use the most by far:

Centennial for my Americans
EKG for my British
Saaz for my lagers
Mosaic for my hazies
Magnum for bittering - I could go without if needed but I do use it a lot

 

[Wigglebutts Brewery]

Fuggles
EKG
Citra
Hallertau
Magnum

 

[MaxStout]

Citra
Mosaic
Centennial
Zappa my favorite for bruts
Amarillo

I bought a pound of Zappa and have used some of it for late boil additions in a couple brews. I like the unique flavor--it's really growing on me.

 

[AlexKay]

Magnum
Boadicea
Saaz
Northern Brewer
Nectaron

Those are the ones I would ask for. The other ones (Contessa, Sybilla, Lubelski, Phoenix, First Gold, Pilgrim, Cashmere, Lotus, HBC1019) I would smuggle by any means necessary. Keister 'em if I had to.

 

[eliastheodosis]

Strisselspalt
CZ Saaz
Mittelfrueh
EKG
Chinook

 

[pdxal]

Magnum
Mt. Hood
Sterling
Cascade or Centennial
Nelson Sauvin

 

[bwible]

Three classic American C's
Cascade
Centennial
Chinook

And two classic English hops
Fuggle
EKG

I like this response. You won’t be making any German lagers but figure your deserted island probably doesn’t have a lagering fridge anyway

 

[worlddivides]

I like this response. You won’t be making any German lagers but figure your deserted island probably doesn’t have a lagering fridge anyway

I mean, if you're gonna go that route, it's also probably in the 90s all year round and doesn't have electricity or any way to prevent wild yeast or bacteria from getting into your salt water.

 

[mac_1103]

There's a fresh water lagoon. And you've got the professor along for the ride. He can build almost anything out of almost nothing, but for some reason he can't fix the damned boat.

 

[Willy]

There's a fresh water lagoon. And you've got the professor along for the ride. He can build almost anything out of almost nothing, but for some reason he can't fix the damned boat.

That said, the professor did make a glycol chiller out of bamboo and fermented dodo guano. Pretty amazing and you know how Mary Ann loosens up after a few lagers.

 

[CascadesBrewer]

I like playing around with new hops in IPAs, but I could make most of my beers with:

• Centennial
• Citra
• Columbus (or Warrior)
• East Kent Goldings
• Styrian Goldings

(I do need to simplify the amount of hops I keep on hand and try to stop myself from purchasing 1 lb bags of hops because they seem fun to try and are on sale. Probably not just 5, but maybe 10.)

 

[Velnerj]

I like playing around with new hops in IPAs, but I could make most of my beers with:

• Centennial
• Citra
• Columbus (or Warrior)
• East Kent Goldings
• Styrian Goldings

(I do need to simplify the amount of hops I keep on hand and try to stop myself from purchasing 1 lb bags of hops because they seem fun to try and are on sale. Probably not just 5, but maybe 10.)

@CascadesBrewer isn't going with cascade?

 

[tdf]

(I do need to simplify the amount of hops I keep on hand and try to stop myself from purchasing 1 lb bags of hops because they seem fun to try and are on sale. Probably not just 5, but maybe 10.)

But I just know I’m going to open that 1lb bag of 2021 Belma soon .

My list:

• Chinook
• Citra
• Northern Brewer
• Saaz
• Willamette

 

[bwible]

There are so many new ones and a whole bunch I never tried.

I brew mostly British styles like bitter that are hard to find for me. I like to brew imperial
Stout, blonde ale, sometimes a red ale. I don’t brew Belgians, hazies, or sours.

- Centennial (usually 10% +)
- Northern Brewer (usually 7% +)
- First Gold (Usually 6% +)
- Perle (usually 6% +)
- Tettnanger (usually 4% +)

First Gold is my favorite British hop. I think I could make alot of beers with these hops - from barelywine to ipa to pale ale to stout to bitter to cream ale, lagers too. But I wouldn’t want to have to do it.

 

[Miraculix]

1. EKG
2. Chinook
3. Mittelfrüh
4. Saaz
5. Simcoe

 

[BeerAndTele]

Centennial
Simcoe
Chinook
Mittelfruh
Magnum

 

[JAReeves]

Cascade
Citra
Mosaic
EKG
Motueka

 

[HM-2]

Centennial
Citra
First Gold
Motueka
Strata

 

[jdubdvdt]

@CascadesBrewer isn't going with cascade?

hahaha touche.
I mean centennial is super cascade, but we could just ask a mod to change their handle to centennialbrewer.

I am still developing my top 5 because there are so many that I would say I love.

Hallertau Mittelfruh is my #1, I can say that without a doubt.

 

[moreb33rplz]

Two hops, gun to my head, mittelfruh and cascade

 

[TexasTea]

I think I deleted my post by mistake. I chose my 5 must haves on whether they would survive here at 30.12 latt. I planted 2 kinds initially
Cascade
Nugget
and then added
Neo 1
Amalia
Centennial

 

[odie]

I got way too many...maybe 15 different on hand. need to par it down...

A lot of mine are interchangeable so I need to cut down.

need a hops poll...

 

[wepeeler]

I got way too many...maybe 15 different on hand. need to par it down...

A lot of mine are interchangeable so I need to cut down.

need a hops poll...

I was like you when I was buying in bulk trying to save on shipping. I did a purge late last year where I made some beers using ingredients I had been hanging on to for a awhile. Felt great.

 

[Willy]

Time to replenish my tap #5 - an American Brown Ale called Outlaw Josie Wells. I wrote the recipe after my first grandson, Wells was born. Awesome stuff. This is batch #4 of this for 2024 and it's a favorite of my tasting pack of friends. 7.1% ABV, SRU 25, IBU 40.

6 lb Marris Otter
4 lb pale ale
2 lb UK brown crisp ale
1.5 lb Munich (10L)
8 oz caro 40
6 oz chocolate
3 oz coffee

Centennial, UK Golding, galaxy 1 oz each with galaxy split in 2 parts, 1/2 oz for boil, 1/2 oz for dry hops.

 

[tracer bullet]

I'm interested in the recipe, so you might want to check it, @Willy - Maris Otter is listed twice.

 

[CascadesBrewer]

I got way too many...maybe 15 different on hand. need to par it down...

Yeah, it is too easy to order an extra 4 lbs of hops "that look fun to use" but a lot harder to brew up the batches to use them up. I was doing a good job of making a dent in my hops and I "rewarded" myself by ordering 4 lbs from YVH during the Black Friday sales in 2023. Then a local brewery was closing so I picked up 2 lbs of hops for $24...then a club got a bunch of hops from a local brewery so I added another 4.5 lbs...then I picked up about 2 lbs more on a trip to New Zealand this year.

I was like you when I was buying in bulk trying to save on shipping. I did a purge late last year where I made some beers using ingredients I had been hanging on to for a awhile. Felt great.

I am planning to brew a string of hoppy beers (WC Pils, Hazy IPA, IPA and Double IPA) to make a dent in my supply. I will probably end up composting some of my supply of older hops. I did just brew a Hazy IPA yesterday...so 12 oz of hops down!

 

[Willy]

I'm interested in the recipe, so you might want to check it, @Willy - Maris Otter is listed twice.

Thanks ... Fixed it. Munich 1.5 lbs

 

[scrap iron]

American hops - Centennial, Amarillo, Willamette
English hops - EKG, Challenger
German hops - Hallertau Mittelfruh, Tettnanger
More than 5 but I can't do 5.

 

[fluketamer]

hallertau and saaz (i bew alot of lagers ) . its good to have magnum around its versatile- lagers ales and stouts. citra and mosaic are good potent tropical ale hops to have around.

 

[crazyjake19]

Czech Saaz
Hallertau Mittelfruh
Northern Brewer
EKG
Mosaic

 

[FugacityBrews]

Warrior (bittering)
Saaz
Citra
Mosaic
Willamette

 

[Dland]

N Brewer, good FW hops for lagers and lighter ales

Wilamante

Teteanger Saaz, halthrau, & the other nobles, somewhat interchangeably, if on a deserted island, as OP suggested, I will not be picky. I'm already on a forsaken one, island that is.

Cascade, home grown, there is always more of this than I can use, but good flavor for many beers. If I was stuck on the island I'm on, and no other hops were available, I'd still have enough cascade from my own yard, and if I had to be stuck w one hop, it could be worse.

I'll save the 5th choice for later, as I do like to try hops I've never used before. How about a random mystery hop that washed ashore in a storm, packed in a sealed bale, much like more proscribed plant products sometimes do....

 

[Bramling Cross]

Man, this is tough! Fun thread, though.

1) Bramling Cross--kinda have to, right?
2) EKG
3) Clusters
4) Haller
5) Cascades

I won't be happy with everything I brew with that list, but I can brew everything with that list.

 

[Zenmeister]

Four "C's" and an "S"
1: Citra
2: Centennial
3: Cascade
4: Cashmere
5: Saaz

 

[Jmspears]

I know I would need:
1. Bittering - magnum or maybe warrior
2. Something for lagers and other light styles - saaz
3. Something dank and resinous - chinook
4/5. A couple fruit bombs - citra and mosaic

 

[kingmatt]

1. Citra
2. Mosaic
3. Nelson
4. Mittelfruh
5. Motueka

 

[Dgallo]

I brew a lot of hoppy styles and tradition lagers so these are pretty much my always have in the freezer hops;

Citra
Columbus
Nelson
Magnum
Saaz

 

[Broothru]

That said, the professor did make a glycol chiller out of bamboo and fermented dodo guano. Pretty amazing and you know how Mary Ann loosens up after a few lagers.

Which brings up the eternal question: Ginger or Mary Ann? (Mrs. Powell didn’t make the finals).

 

[Broothru]

Time to replenish my tap #5 - an American Brown Ale called Outlaw Josie Wells. I wrote the recipe after my first grandson, Wells was born. Awesome stuff. This is batch #4 of this for 2024 and it's a favorite of my tasting pack of friends. 7.1% ABV, SRU 25, IBU 40.

6 lb Marris Otter
4 lb pale ale
2 lb UK brown crisp ale
1.5 lb Munich (10L)
8 oz caro 40
6 oz chocolate
3 oz coffee

Centennial, UK Golding, galaxy 1 oz each with galaxy split in 2 parts, 1/2 oz for boil, 1/2 oz for dry hops.

WOW! I don’t know what to call it, but Wow! Have to brew this one really soon, just to see what it tastes/smells/drinks like.

What yeast?