We all know that some varieties are in short supply now. Will 2011’s crop produce enough for the commercial market and leave enough on the spot market for the homebrewers?
It looks like the growers have responded with new acreage for 2011 in the varieties of hops that are used by the craft brewers and the homebrew community. Citra, Simcoe, Centennial, etc. - all the usual suspects. According to Matt Brynildson during his talk at the NHC, hops in the Yakima valley can produce 80% of the mature yield in the first year due to the climate and soil conditions. This looks to be good for the prospects of making more hop forward beers.
Overall acres are down, and hops like Galena, CTZ, and Willamette have taken that hit.
Amarillo is never in these reports, as they are grown on one farm. Matt said that there are about 700 acres of Amarillo (did not say if that was for 2010 or 2011). He did say more of that is going overseas, as those are now becoming popular in Belgian beers.
You can read here to see the numbers. Hope for a good harvest.
They really should start selling rhizomes for all these hops on shortage so homebrewers can grow their own and the breweries still get their supply. When!!!
Some will may become available when the patents run out. That is years from now. These varieties were bred by private firms and those firms want to recoupe the investment . There is not the funding for University programs these days, which in the past made the new strains public.
Amarillo may never be available, as that is under the control of one farm and they own it.
I was at my LBS today and the brewmaster there essentially told me that Amarillo was “extinct” in his eyes and that any time it pops up in a recipe he subs another automatically for it. Damn shame.
By now you would have seen the internet stuff about how “I know a guy that knows a guy in WA that has Amarillo rhyzomes for sale.
Right from the farm!”
I though Virgil Gamache farms has the trademark and patent on them, and are the only grower, and the hop is also registered as VGXP01. Yakima Chief does appear to be the hop broker that they deal with when you look online.
Simcoe is a Yakima Chief/Select Botanicals hop, and it is grown at 3 farms.
Being Yakima Chief handles the marketing, I assumed they held the trademark. I know, assumptions can be dangerous. I believe you are correct in Virgil Gamache being the only grower.
It is Bruce Campbell’s picture. He seems to enjoy good beers (along with a good Mojito). Besides, you wouldn’t want my mug shot on here, it’d scare people.