Thread topic is as descibed: where do you get your hops? This has come up here and there in other threads, but I’m not sure there is a thread dedicated to it. So, where do you source your hops, and why?
YVH - great packaging, quality, variety is stellar.
Farmhouse - good variety, quality.
Hop Heaven on ebay - very high quality.
Thses are my favorite 3, but I buy from other vendors.
I switched to Yakima Valley Hops last year.
Why?
-
Good recommendations from this forum.
-
Lots of inventory/choices.
-
I like 2 oz portions. I am a small batch brewer, so, I don’t want pounds.
-
I had a garlicky beer and decided I wanted a better hop supplier.
And thus the point of this thread. Until a few seconds ago I thought Yakima Valley Hops could only be ordered by commercial stores (not sure why).
Countdown to me ordering stuff I don’t really need right now…
I think you’re confusing it with Yakima Chief/Hop Union (YCH)
I think you’re right. That said, I just took a quick look on my phone at the YVH site, I like that 8oz and 2 oz orders are an option.
YVH and Farmhouse are my go-to’s for new/experimental varieties and imports. I will usually place an order with Ted from Hop Heaven when the year’s new crop comes out to stock up on my standbys. I also use Freshops and Hops Direct, but they require bulk purchases and I only brew 3 gallon batches. Yes, I have been known to stuff close to a pound of hops in a 3-gallon batch, but I prefer to mix and match a few varieties. 8)
I spent 15 minutes the other day looking for a Hop Heaven website after seeing it mentioned a few times on other threads and came to the conclusion he only sells via Ebay. Is this right?
Yep. Only eBay.
He uses ebay as his storefront, but he also sends out a mailing right after the hop harvest to place an order from that year’s expected inventory. I usually use him for domestic stuff that I use in quantity, and I stock up with enough Citra, Sterling, etc. for the year.
I tend to get things from nikobrew.com. The selection goes up and down, but the prices are pretty good. Looking quickly, the price/pound was roughly the same as YVH not including shipping (YVH is 6 bucks, nikobrew is $5).
YVH all the way. Reliable quality, great service and a wide variety to play with.
Ted is an awesome guy. I got to judge Pale Ale with him at Seattle NHC with him last year. Then made him try my Helles and Helles Exportbier. That was fun.
Another Nikobrew vote here. Plus Niko is a cool dude with a kilt…what more could you want?
Crossmyloof brewery in Glasgow, or Malt Miller.
HopsDirect for bulk, LHBS for 1oz at a time, if needed.
Speaking of that, I need to do some ordering…
Hops Direct has received most of my business. Good pricing, good quality and generous measurements on pounds. I tend only to buy in pounds when I need to buy hops to age for sour beer or something to keep in the high alpha range for bittering other beers.
When I need smaller portions I tend to buy from Farmhouse in their four ounce packs. I don’t fear buying his older supply and often can pick up hops by the ounce around $0.60-0.80/oz. Never had a problem with the quality on the older hops but if I needed them for IPAs or pale ales I’d probably buy fresher stock.
He’s the guy for lagers, for sure! Hop Heaven gets most of my biz, but Niko is great also.
He gave the Helles a 38 and the Helles Exportbier a 40. I value that more than any medal. I have since quit brew the Helles just because I really don’t care for them enough to have 5 gallons. But the Exportbier is a keeper. I use the base beer as a palate for assorted hops. Right now I’m fermenting the Mittelfruh version and one with Crystal.
Excellent! FWIW, I’m with ya…I don’t care for helles either.