Speaking of Hops....

[SAS98M]

Who's got the "best bang for the buck"out there now ? I mean best quality vs. quantity or quantity vs.quality . I too am looking to "squirrel away a reasonable quantity so as to not have to drive 50 mins in the snow to the LHBS-Looking towards Magnum,Cascade and Hallertauer-pellets prefered. Thanks Shane

I guess I wasn't paying attention-What price increase ?

 

[RadicalEd]

Really, depends om the beer you brew. Magnum is a clean bittering hop, you can use it in most anything but is best for clean tasting beers like lagers. If you use it in another beer, you'll need some flavoring hops as well. Cascades are good for anything American, especially APA's. Hallertau is best for anything German. If you like more than one variety, I encourage you to bone up the money and get a few varieties.

Check out the stickied ingredient guides for links to some really good hops guides .

 

[the_bird]

Yeah, it depends entirely on what you make. Any of the choices mentioned would be great for lots of beers, but you aren't going to use Cascase in a German lager, you know? I'd also consider EKG if you do a lot of English ales.

 

[Tim Rhoads]

My favs are Pearle, Sterling and Magnum. Pearle and Sterling are both higher alpha-acid hybrids of older tried and true Noble aromatic varieties. Pearle is a Hallertauer hybrid and Sterling is a Saaz / Mt. Hood hybrid. Both are relatively stable for storage as well. I too love Magnum as a bittering hop. If I could throw in a 4th, it is hard to beat Cascade. It is easy to grow too.

 

[kenb]

Centennial..imho it is the perfect hop..for bittering, flavoring, AND aroma. And it is one of the few hops that i have used in an IPA where it stands alone quite well and does not need any other hops...ie the IPA still can taste like it has a complex flavor profile with just this variety.

 

[SAS98M]

Thanks folks for the replies...But....I was looking for who had the best prices/quality vs. quantity ie: best bang for the buck-I want to stock up for the winter. Shane

 

[kenb]

Thanks folks for the replies...But....I was looking for who had the best prices/quality vs. quantity ie: best bang for the buck-I want to stock up for the winter. Shane

it used to be hopsdirect.com..but due to the hop shortage, their prices have nearly doubled.
I have been stocking up this week for a year's worth for my freezer, with what is left at stores from the 2006 harvest, as many 2007 harvested varieties will NOT even be making it to homebrew shops.
Get what you can still find from morebeer.com and northernbrewer.com, as the pickings are getting slimmer every day....

 

[Tim Rhoads]

I have found Midwest brewing to have fresh quality hops and at a reasonable price. They are the best I have found