Hops direct already sold out of Amarillo, Centennial...

[jimlin]

Hops direct already sold out of Amarillo, Centennial, Chinook, and Citra???

So, is this an indication that all of these hops will be hard to find this coming year?

Is a place like Hops Direct likely to sell out first, because LHBS tend to buy from them?

[cdburg]

Niko would probably be the best to speak to this, but I believe Amarillo, Simcoe, Citra, Chinook and Centennial are all going to be a bit tough to come by in larger quantities, at least earlier in the crop year. I'd imagine some brewers will look to unload some of their surplus later in the year, but until then, they will likely be scarce.

[LeSinge]

Farmhouse Brewing Supply, Janesville, WI has Centennial pellets, whole leaf Amarillo pounds on sale for $21.99, and Chinook on sale for $.79/oz
and great service & fast shipping

[herbaljoe]

Farmhouse Brewing Supply, Janesville, WI has Centennial pellets, whole leaf Amarillo pounds on sale for $21.99, and Chinook on sale for $.79/oz
and great service & fast shipping

Trouble is, those are 2010 hops. Not necessarily a bad thing, but those of us searching for 2011 varieties mentioned in the original post are gonna have a tough time. I think Hops Direct (aka Puterbaugh Farms) actually sold out almost a month ago now. In time I think places like Norther Brewer and Morebeer will have the 2011 pellets, but it usually takes a little longer (beginning of the year) and they don't always specify the harvest year. Nikobrew may get them earlier as well.

Breweries like Green Flash and Lagunitas that have both ramped up production significantly are buying up a TON of these hops - certainly a lot more than the homebrew community. Until the growers can catch up we're gonna see major shortages. One thing I've had good luck with is if you know any of your local craft brewers personally they will usually sell you a pound or two of their supply if you ask nicely and keep it on the down low. Another option if you don't mind whole leaf is freshops.com - they tend to be a little more pricy but their product is top notch and they don't seem to run out of any varieties throughout the entire year.

[jimlin]

herbaljoe, that's right. I was referring to the new 2011 harvest

Nikobrew has amarillo and centennial listed on their site, but they are form the 2009 harvest. And at that they're getting $25 for a lb of Cent.

They've got 2011 Citra by the pound, and that's $30.

I will likely order a pound of 2011 cascade and use the ziploc vacuum bags to store. About $10 per pound it a lot better than $2 an ounce from the LHBS every time I brew. Given what I tended to use most in the past year, I'd say Cascade was #1, followed by Centennial.

I'm not a big user of Simcoe, so that variety's difficulty to find last year didn't really effect me. But Cent and Amarillo are hops I really enjoy using for flavor and aroma, along with Cascade. If I can find 2011 Cent and/or Amarillo by the pound I may just bite the bullet an d pay the high price to have some that I know is fresh. But it sounds like they will be hard to find

[scotchpine]

Jimlin, you may want to try growing your own Cascade at least. It grows well in most US climate. I also use more Cascade than any other for middle/late hops. It grows well for me in S.C. and I'll try some new varieties in 2011 as well. Maybe Columbus, Centennial and Chinook. Citra, Simcoe and Amarillo are another story though. Nothing like pulling off the bine and right into the kettle!

[captain carrot]

Freshops.com has most of the varieties you are looking for. Amarillo is limited to 8 oz though.
Good Luck!

[jimlin]

Freshops.com has most of the varieties you are looking for. Amarillo is limited to 8 oz though.
Good Luck!

Haven't brewed with whole hops yet... just pellets. How well will whole hops store? I would just be using those ziploc vacuum bags in the fridge or freezer.