What hops to buy in bulk

[moreb33rplz]

So I'm going to buy a year's worth of hops in the next few weeks and I do a lot of IPA/APA and Pilsner. Trouble is, I want all the hops and can't narrow it down. I have some remnants of Mosaic/Galaxy/Simcoe/Willamette in the freezer from last year. I'm definitely going to buy:

-Nelson
-Citra
-Columbus
-Saaz/Hallertau

But now I have to pick 2-3 of the following:
- Galaxy
- Amarillo
- Moteuka
- Cascade
- Simcoe
- El Dorado

Help!

 

[kh54s10]

Make sure you are going to brew enough to use them. I bought 5 pounds a few years ago. Not commonly used ones though. I still have quite a bit of them left. I prefer buying the 4 ounce packs from Farmhouse Brewing Supply more often.

But if you do I would favor Amarillo, Cascade and would try Moteuka. Moteuka is one I have never used.

 

[moreb33rplz]

Make sure you are going to brew enough to use them. I bought 5 pounds a few years ago. Not commonly used ones though. I still have quite a bit of them left. I prefer buying the 4 ounce packs from Farmhouse Brewing Supply more often.

But if you do I would favor Amarillo, Cascade and would try Moteuka. Moteuka is one I have never used.

Truth. And i brew 2.5 gal batches too. It's just so tempting when the 1 lb bags are only a little more than the 1/2 lb bags...

 

[sicktght311]

I'm the opposite. I buy the 1lb bags and i find i'm burning through them. BUT i also brew a lot of NEIPAs and those eat hops for breakfast. I have plenty of bittering hops left. Aroma hops go bye bye very quick.

If i had to pick a lifetime supply though, i'd certainly go with Citra, Nelson, Amarillo, Mandarina Bavaria, Simcoe, and El Dorado. Maybe some Azacca or Belma too

 

[eric19312]

I burn through a lot of hops too. I try to always get a couple pounds of CTZ and Cascade or Centennial when I order...cheap and reliable IPA hops.

 

[harrydrez]

Simcoe, Amarillo, and galaxy

 

[MrPowers]

Simcoe, Amarillo, and galaxy

This. Those three, in combination, can be used to brew almost any variation of APA/IPA.

 

[SEndorf]

At the risk of stating the obvious, a years worth of hops @ 2.5 G batches = a vacuum food sealer in your arsenal.
I use a lot of Magnum, Amarillo, Cascade and Citra

 

[marc1]

What do you like about belma/how do you use it?

 

[Saunassa]

If the hops listed I would go Cascade, Amarillo and Galaxy.
If you can add one I would include cashmere.
Depending on how much you use each time, Yakima chief has Cascade, 2 oz packages for $.99 each w/free shipping.

 

[mashpaddled]

What do you like about belma/how do you use it?

Belma has a gentle melon/strawberry flavor. It has a history of getting dumped into saisons.

It works well as a neutral bittering hop.

It works well enough in a blend as kind of a glue to the blend. It won't add detectable character among most hops but it can help round out hop blends. You could make a nice mild fruit blend with it along with some of the fruitier European hops like hallertau blanc, styrian goldings, aramis, etc. if that is something you want to craft.

 

[FloppyKnockers]

I will always have my standard hops that have been listed above in my freezer. I will also check out the sale sections of the site I am ordering from. On any normal day you get the hops for the recipe you're making, but if you can pick up a pound for five bucks you can create a recipe around the hops you got.

This way you can experiment with different varieties and additions without breaking the bank. I now have a Cluster smash in constant rotation (dubbed Cluster F**k). One of me least expensive beers thanks to picking up a pound of it for what some spend on 2 oz.

 

[moreb33rplz]

At the risk of stating the obvious, a years worth of hops @ 2.5 G batches = a vacuum food sealer in your arsenal.
I use a lot of Magnum, Amarillo, Cascade and Citra

100% required, got a cheapo seal a meal a few years back and it's paid for itself 100x over.

 

[kh54s10]

I actually use my Food Saver for food as well as for hops......

 

[couchsending]

Galaxy
Amarillo
Simcoe

 

[moreb33rplz]

Well, in the end I just bought a crap ton of hops - citra, idaho 7, columbus, amarillo, nelson, motueka, galaxy, cascade, saaz. 7 lbs total. Since I brew 2.5 gallon batches I think I should be set for about 10 years.

 

[Immocles]

Hah thats an impressive list. I bet they'll go quicker than you expect though. I brew the same batch size and am pretty shocked how quickly I tore through almost a half pound of EKG since mid summer. I still have slightly over half of a pound of cascade that I'm struggling through, so I think a nice hoppy amber is next on my to brew list.

 

[postalbunny]

Magnum is a good one to buy in bulk... or CTZ, any bittering hop. For IPA/Pales I use the bittering hop at 60m to get to a target IBU then add the flavor/aroma hops extremely late in the boil or whirlpool.

Because no flavor/aroma is desired from the 60m addition in my recipe I pick a neutral bittering hop and buy it in bulk. I then spot buy whatever else i need for the current hotness like Strata/Cashmere/etc.

 

[eric19312]

Just saw Farmhouse under new ownership...they’ve been my go to for years hope new owners keep up the good work.

 

[speavler]

What do you guys think of Idaho 7?

 

[Bilsch]

Definitely magnum.

 

[BarleyStanding]

Simcoe and galaxy. Why not more Mosaic?