This spring I plan on planting a few hop bines. I am looking for a few types that will grow in my climate (hardiness zone 6-7), and are also versatile enough to use in lots of different beers. I am not really familiar enough with the various varieties yet so what are some of your favorite?
I’ve had the best luck with my Cascade hops. They have yielded the most and are not as prone to disease as other varieties. I also like the performance of my Magnum hops.
Here’s a good resource.
It also depends on the kind of beer you like to brew.
Hardiness zones are meaningless for hops, they are much more affected by local micro climate. Carlsbad NM is in hardiness zone 7 but so are central Tennessee and North Carolina and our climates are not remotely similar.
I agree that overall Cascades is the easiest to grow, it’s about the only hop I’ve been able to make work in the desert.
I saw this the other day, so it may give you some guidance. Since you are in SLC, avoid the ones that like cool coastal locations. Warm, dry and sunny are the ones for you.
Thanks for that link. I’ve bought hops from them but seeing the preferred growing conditions really helps. I just ordered Cluster, Northern Brewer and Magnum
Your welcome. That should have been around when I ordered years back (that was from other sources). The ones that say cool and coastal don’t do well here. There are places by the Great Lakes where some of the mild climate ones might do well. Google Old Mission Peninsula, and you might see why there is a small commercial hop farm there. As you said above, it is the micro climate.
Hope your new hops do well in your climate and micro climate.
With Cluster you should be able to do CAPs and a Ballantine IPA.
Thanks for the link. I think I will go with cascade, columbus, and northern brewer.
grow with what you like to brew with, or something you would like to try. i have magnum, sterling and sentiem this is year two starting. my magnum hops year one made it to the roof of garage, to the ground, and back up (illinois)
Unfortunately the hops I most like to brew with will not grow here-Fuggles, Hallertau, Goldings, Perle. So I grow what I can and brew what I can with my Cascades
How the heck did they get Columbus rhizomes?
I saw Zeus and Columbus on sale last year. Probably since all now know that CTZ are the same, the tradmark holders really did not have a competitive advantage. That is my guess.
I’ve seen Zeus around for a while, but not Columbus before this.
4 years ago, I planted (1)Cascade,(1)EKG,(1)Liberty,(1)Magnum, and (1)Santiam. The hot summer heat hear in central AR absolutely cooked them. The 1st year, I lost the Liberty and EKG’s, so I bought a Chinook Rhizome because it was supposedly better suited for hot climates. Turns out they’re not. They will live but they won’t grow. Too hot!!! Last year I just gave up, put them all into buckets.and just put them in an area where the sunlight was filtered by a tree. 
-J.K.L.
I’ve heard it said that the closer you are to the 45th parallel, they better they’ll do.
CTZ just came out of copyright protection. That should make it more available commercially as well.
I like having Crystal on hand as an American Noble. It grows very reliably for me. It’s not a heavy hitter but it grows just right.
One thing I would advise is to choose varieties with different harvest times. It makes it easier to make room in the oast and avoid mixing. It also helps with the harvest if you cross your bines around year four.