FYI Hop Heaven is having their annual closeout and presale. Prices are good and hops are even better.
Let me know if you need the order form.
Just got Teds email, looks like he’s ready to start shipping the 2023 hops
This comment is concerning: “As a general note, we experienced general erosion of choice again over the past year. While my list may look impressive, many are down to 1 farm and it makes no sense for them to grow the hops. Volumes are thin, all it takes is one midsized brewer and the entire crop is out of your grasp.”
Yeah, especially once you look at his hop list and see what varieties have no availability this year. I can’t help but wonder is this is a result of the alcoholic beverage market shifting towards things like seltzers and cocktails recently. At least in my area, the craft beer scene is largely smaller local breweries, and they certainly wouldn’t have the kind of pull to sway the hop market.
The way I interpret that is the hop farms are probably pulling less popular varietals and replacing them with more profitable ones.
Just the way they’ve always done. And more than ever, economic factors like harvest window and growth viability, are playing into that. Take a listen to the Hop & Brew School wrap up we did on the podcast.
yes it is. I see that he doesnt have Cluster available. I know its fallen out of vogue, but its such a classic hop, I would think it was safe.
I’m out in NY and yes we do grow hops in NY as well (Up State NY). We have seen a big shift from craft brew drinkers going to seltzers and cocktails, no doubt about it. The hops business is very tough and if your not growing a trademarked hop it’s hard to make it. Also labor is one of the big reasons they have been going out of business in NY.
Absolute shame we’re losing our native hop growers as fads, etc change.