Starting to grow Hops

[Ozwald]

yeah, he's pretty much a hop guy - check out the bear bones subscription if you go through pellets like I do - can't beat the prices & even though he's a huge douchebag, he's got some pretty good prices.

just kidding Niko, you know I love you.

[growinghops]

Which variety of hops? Depends on the styles of beers/ales you like. 2 main types of hops, aroma and bittering (some do both). Cascade is an all around favorite. Here is a list of where to buy hop rhizomes and hop plant vendors.

[RoughIrish]

When I started out growing my own hops, I looked at two factors. First, I wouldn't be able to identify what alpha acid levels there were in my hops. I figured that I could buy a pound of Magnum from Niko for $18 (known AA%), and that would last me damn near forever (1/4 - 1/2 oz bittering per batch). So, I would only want to grow flavor/aroma hops.

Second, I considered what would be versatile. "Noble" hops are what all the new hops strive to emulate. So, since I like Saaz, Tettnang and Fuggle (yeah, not officially "Noble", hence the quotes), I planted Sterling, Santiam, and Willamette. I also planted a bunch of Cascade for that lovely cat-piss IPA that I occasionally brew.

Essentially, I spend $18 for a year for known AA% hops, and use my aroma/flavor hops for everything else.