What single variety to grow?

[Johntodd]

I have extensive gardening experience, so that is not part of the problem.

The problem is which one variety to grow? I want a general purpose hops for all beers. I will be brewing ales in the summer and lagers in the winter. We are very tolerant of recipes deviating away from "authentic", so it doesn't matter if we use the wrong hops for a recipe. We don't like bitter beer, so hops usage will be light anyway.

So, there is a LOT of leeway here.

My choices come from http://www.hopsdirect.com/rhizomes/
CASCADE Rhizomes
CENTENNIAL Rhizome
CHINOOK Rhizomes
MAGNUM Rhizomes
MT HOOD Rhizomes
WILLAMETTE Rhizomes

If all goes well, I'll consider adding more varieties in the future. But just one for now.

Thanks!
-Johntodd

 

[BigMack]

I have extensive gardening experience, so that is not part of the problem.

The problem is which one variety to grow? I want a general purpose hops for all beers. I will be brewing ales in the summer and lagers in the winter. We are very tolerant of recipes deviating away from "authentic", so it doesn't matter if we use the wrong hops for a recipe. We don't like bitter beer, so hops usage will be light anyway.

So, there is a LOT of leeway here.

My choices come from http://www.hopsdirect.com/rhizomes/
CASCADE Rhizomes
CENTENNIAL Rhizome
CHINOOK Rhizomes
MAGNUM Rhizomes
MT HOOD Rhizomes
WILLAMETTE Rhizomes

If all goes well, I'll consider adding more varieties in the future. But just one for now.

Thanks!
-Johntodd

Depending on your favorite style I would do Cascade or Willamette. Personally I would go with Cascade. Many of the beers I brew are Pale Ales and wheat beers both of which go well with cascade.

 

[broadbill]

I'm waiting for my hops and I picked Cascade and Crystal. Would have gone with Willamette if they had them. Cascades grow really well and I didn't have a strong preference for the second type. I'll plant more if I enjoy growing them. I don't plan to use them for bittering (can't beat magnum pellets for that) so they'll be aroma/hop stand/dry hops anyway.

Go with whatever type you enjoy drinking.

 

[Johntodd]

@BigMack
Thanks!

Looks like I'm leaning towards Cascade. Williamette can't take the heat we have here.

 

[MadHomebrewer]

I would pick centennial if it was me. It can be used as a bittering, flavor and aroma hop. Kind of a middle of the road hop. It is similar to cascade. Some call it super cascade.

Try a bells two hearted, it is all centennial additions.

 

[BigMack]

I generally think the comparison of centennial and cascade is a bit off. Centennial I think has a far more powerful floral side than anything else. Whereas cascade is a little more delicate with citrus, floral, and sometimes even a hint of pine. Thats just my $0.02 though.

 

[ThatVideoKid]

I'm having to make the same decision. I'm between cascade, centennial, or maybe saaz. But now I'm seeing this Columbia hop that was supposed to be in bud. It sounds interesting and I don't see anywhere to buy it, but you can get a crown from Great Lakes.

 

[GVH_Dan]

Cascade.

I would say Centennial but some areas of the country have a hard time growing it. Cascade can grow in a closet.

 

[Calder]

Select the variety you prefer::

Cascade - Sierra Nevada Pale Ale
Centennial - Stone IPA
Chinook - Arrogant Bastard.

All will work for bittering, but home grown hops are hard to figure AAs.

My experience (very limited I admit) is that Cascade and Chinook are easy to grow. Centennial does fine, but is a little more temperamental, but should do fine in most places.

Willamette is an all-round 'English' type hop, used for English ales, Belgian ales, Porters and stouts. But ........ doesn't produce in many environments. If they grow Willamette around you commercially, you should be OK, but if not, you might want to stay away from it as you may become frustrated after a couple of years of nothing. I'm ready to pull mine out, but the forum here has convinced me to give it 1 more year to see if it bears fruit.

Magnum is a purely bittering hop. Clean bittering, but again, how do you know what the AAs are. I have no experience of growing it.

I have no experience of growing or using Mt. Hood.

I buy hops from Hops Direct, and like them, but those rhizomes seem expensive. Take a look at other places. I bought mine from Ritebrew, and have no problem with them..

 

[Johntodd]

OK, I went with Cascade from a different supplier.

Thanks everyone for your input!

-Johntodd

 

[toadhall]

I have extensive gardening experience, so that is not part of the problem.

The problem is which one variety to grow? I want a general purpose hops for all beers. I will be brewing ales in the summer and lagers in the winter. We are very tolerant of recipes deviating away from "authentic", so it doesn't matter if we use the wrong hops for a recipe. We don't like bitter beer, so hops usage will be light anyway.

So, there is a LOT of leeway here.

My choices come from http://www.hopsdirect.com/rhizomes/
CASCADE Rhizomes
CENTENNIAL Rhizome
CHINOOK Rhizomes
MAGNUM Rhizomes
MT HOOD Rhizomes
WILLAMETTE Rhizomes

If all goes well, I'll consider adding more varieties in the future. But just one for now.

Thanks!
-Johntodd

My personal experience is that some do better than others - depends on your local conditions and disease potential - along with what you are willing to do treating them. I'm unwilling to use any pesticides or fungicides. I am in western Massachusetts, in some hills just east of Amherst, about 1000' elevation. It is open here and we get radiational cooling on clear nights, heavy dew. I couldn't grow grapes - late freezes, early freezes, every imaginable fungus. Cascade, Chinook and Nugget are the robust ones here - Cascade the most resistant; I can count on getting a heavy crop on these every year. Mt Hood was a disaster; same with Santiam, Tetnang and Saaz - they got hit every year. The Chinook and Nugget get a little browning on the leaves but they make good cones. Cascade just shines through it all. I love all of these hops for robust ales and IPAs, many I do with Chinook for bittering and late hops and Cascade in the primary for 7-10 day after the big foam is past. Like you I'm not fussy about recipes. Nugget has a sweet, nectarlike flavor (with good bittering) and Chinook has the wonderful piney, citrusy flavor and good bittering.

Cheers!

 

[toadhall]

Too many people fret over knowing the AAs of hops. With homegrown Chinook or Nugget, you can assume something north of 10% AA for a guess if they ripened fully and you see nice lupulin at the base of the bracts - you'll get a sense if you pack the dried cones into bags tightly - your hands will be yellow brown resiny sticky. I make a few conservative batches in the fall when I have them fresh - "Calibration Ale". May be a bit low or high bitterness, but always very drinkable, and you just use more or less to taste in the next batch.

Cheers!

 

[Johntodd]

OK, I planted a Cascade rhizome today and watered it in.

Thanks for all the help!
-Johntodd

 

[nannudavis]

I made a small garden at my terrace all i found is full of organic fruits grown in my yard...

Of funny me no wondeer how i beacem a great garderner:rockin: and finally a good chef for my liberns.


Thats how I made mushroom cake finally and of course i became a good lover of food

 

[wyowolf]

are you drying them in the attic? I hadnt thought of that...
I live in Ga and its fairly humid here except in Sept onwards. I wonder how that would work out...

I would agree about Cascade... and Chinook but are quite hardy it seems...

ordered Horizon and Magnum, will see how they do. This is the second Year for Cascade and Chinook.

My personal experience is that some do better than others - depends on your local conditions and disease potential - along with what you are willing to do treating them. I'm unwilling to use any pesticides or fungicides. I am in western Massachusetts, in some hills just east of Amherst, about 1000' elevation. It is open here and we get radiational cooling on clear nights, heavy dew. I couldn't grow grapes - late freezes, early freezes, every imaginable fungus. Cascade, Chinook and Nugget are the robust ones here - Cascade the most resistant; I can count on getting a heavy crop on these every year. Mt Hood was a disaster; same with Santiam, Tetnang and Saaz - they got hit every year. The Chinook and Nugget get a little browning on the leaves but they make good cones. Cascade just shines through it all. I love all of these hops for robust ales and IPAs, many I do with Chinook for bittering and late hops and Cascade in the primary for 7-10 day after the big foam is past. Like you I'm not fussy about recipes. Nugget has a sweet, nectarlike flavor (with good bittering) and Chinook has the wonderful piney, citrusy flavor and good bittering.

Cheers!

 

[toadhall]

are you drying them in the attic? I hadnt thought of that...
I live in Ga and its fairly humid here except in Sept onwards. I wonder how that would work out...

I would agree about Cascade... and Chinook but are quite hardy it seems...

ordered Horizon and Magnum, will see how they do. This is the second Year for Cascade and Chinook.

That is my garage attic. It gets to about 100-105F up there on sunny days and has good cross ventilation with screened louvres at each end - makes for pretty good drying even with no fans. They are really dry in 2 days if sunny outside, but even if a damp spell outside they just take a bit longer and I've never had a problem..

 

[rwing7486]

Any hop that starts with the letter "C"