Where did all the whole cone hops go??

[stealthfixr]

I've got a Blichmann Hop Rocket that loves only whole cone hops, which also works really nicely to filter the wort before going in the fermentor. But, I cannot find many varieties of whole cone hops beyond the popular (Citra, Mosaic, etc) ones. Seems like Out Of Stock is a common status despite whatever online or LBS place I visit, and it's been this way for many months. Where did all the whole cone hops go??

 

[Golddiggie]

Only way I found that I could get leaf hops was to go direct to the source (in the UK). I'd need to order more than I would use at this point (while they were good). I hope to have that change in the future, and I'll be ordering a good amount of their product.

It might be worth reaching out to the farms that grown the hop you're looking to get in leaf form and see about ordering it that way. Chances are, they won't have any available from the latest harvest. But you might be able to get some from the next one. I'd get enough to last at least through the following season/year.

Isn't there a way to use pellets with the hop rocket (put them into a mesh bag)?

 

[Brooothru]

Probably due to the shrinking number of brewhouses that cling to the old ways. Increasingly it seems that more brewers are using pelletized hops so less demand, with more of the crop processed into hop oils, cryo, and other products in addition to hop pellets.

The mid-sized micro that brewed my Pre-Prohibition lager last summer uses exclusively pellets. Better utilization, ease of use, more predictable outcome, and less vegetative material to dispose of since the farmers who recycle their grains don't want the hops.

 

[marc1]

Hop Heaven has them. You can buy through their ebay store (can be a little convoluted) or email the owner Ted Hausotter for a price list:
[email protected]

I've bought a bunch of hops from them and the quality is great.

 

[matt_m]

Probably still stuck in people's pumps.

 

[Golddiggie]

Probably still stuck in people's pumps.

I thought that was just gas...

 

[Franktalk]

I had heard, from a reliable source, a few years back that whole cone hops were being phased out by distributers. The problem with them, I was informed, is that they take up exponentially more storage space then pellets and the other forms hops now come in. So, though there are still places where you can get them, fewer places carry them because of the extra bulk. My source is the manager of a national homebrew supply chain.

 

[Gozie Boy]

Probably still stuck in people's pumps.

Or in their plate chillers.

 

[superiorsat]

+1 on space issues. Brewed about 3 wet hop beers and and used 45 ounces wet in the first and 90 ounces wet in each of other 2 beers. Then I still had 4 grocery sacks overflowing with dried and vacuum seal smaller increments 2 to 6+ ounce packages. It took all of one of my freezers to hold them. Burned through maybe a grocery sack worth and said to heck with it an through the rest out. That was only the harvest off 6 plants I've got another 6 that should have a good harvest next year to add to the total. Starting to think these plants might just have to be for decoration after the annual wet hop beers are done as harvesting takes a lot of time and where the heck to store them all.

 

[marc1]

+1 on space issues. Brewed about 3 wet hop beers and and used 45 ounces wet in the first and 90 ounces wet in each of other 2 beers. Then I still had 4 grocery sacks overflowing with dried and vacuum seal smaller increments 2 to 6+ ounce packages. It took all of one of my freezers to hold them. Burned through maybe a grocery sack worth and said to heck with it an through the rest out. That was only the harvest off 6 plants I've got another 6 that should have a good harvest next year to add to the total. Starting to think these plants might just have to be for decoration after the annual wet hop beers are done as harvesting takes a lot of time and where the heck to store them all.

I read somewhere about drying the cones, then stuffing them into a PVC pipe with a dowel to compact them (unscrew end to remove out the bottom when done). You could make 1 or 2 oz plugs that make for easier measuring, and they are more compact.

 

[superiorsat]

Dry hops are very springy as I would crush them down into a red solo cup for measuring purposes then transfer to vacuum seal bags. The top part of the cup always stays springy at the bottom would get so compact you could barley get them out. Once vacuumed they are like a rock and there really is no crush left which I was surprised by. They do make for some odd shaped packages with a lot of extra plastic bag making them even more bulky. The tubes would be nice and stackable but probably not air tight. Will see how motivated I am next year to harvest them all.

 

[marc1]

Dry hops are very springy as I would crush them down into a red solo cup for measuring purposes then transfer to vacuum seal bags. The top part of the cup always stays springy at the bottom would get so compact you could barley get them out. Once vacuumed they are like a rock and there really is no crush left which I was surprised by. They do make for some odd shaped packages with a lot of extra plastic bag making them even more bulky. The tubes would be nice and stackable but probably not air tight. Will see how motivated I am next year to harvest them all.

I wasn't very clear. The idea was to measure out 1 or 2 oz whole dried hops, compact them into little cylinders, then vacuum seal those.

 

[moreb33rplz]

I stopped using them because of freezer space and I agree with the people who said the distributors had the same thought

 

[day_trippr]

When I was growing my own (Chinook, Cascade, Centennial, and some Fuggles) 12 pounds of dried vacuum-bagged cones would fill the top freezer compartment of one of my 17 cubic foot fridges, leaving just the door for pellets.

Since I finally gave up the hop growing thing I can fit 12 pounds of pellets in the door and leave the compartment for human food

Cheers!

 

[Oleson M.D.]

Hops Direct is a fantastic source. We buy from them regularly. Many German varieties available.
Whole cone hops are the traditional brewing method.
Before, we always used hop plugs. They had all the benefits of pellets and whole leaf. But are no longer available, anywhere.

https://hopsdirect.com/collections/leaf-hops/Domestic?page=2