Variance in Hops From Different Companies

mcgster · Post by **mcgster** » Tue Dec 15, 2015 12:27 pm

I know the fact that hops will vary between producers is probably not news to anyone, but it wasn't until this past weekend when i brewed up my IPA that i realized how much of a difference there could be.

I do a whirlpool addition with citra and cascade for my IPA typically I use hop union. I had won a bag of citra in one of the competitions from Yakima Valley hops and decided i should use it in the whirlpool and save my hop union hops for the dry hop. As soon as i cut into the foil pack i could smell the difference, the aroma was much stronger, with much more pronounced citrus than the hop union hops i had purchased. I did a side by side comparison and could pick out the yakima hops every time. To be clear, the difference was so pronounced that it prompted me to place an order of six or seven hop varieties from Yakima valley.

I have 2 lbs of Citra from Hop Union now that feel sub par to me!

Has anyone else noticed this first hand?

Keith · Post by **Keith** » Tue Dec 15, 2015 12:57 pm

mcgster wrote:I know the fact that hops will vary between producers is probably not news to anyone, but it wasn't until this past weekend when i brewed up my IPA that i realized how much of a difference there could be.

I do a whirlpool addition with citra and cascade for my IPA typically I use hop union. I had won a bag of citra in one of the competitions from Yakima Valley hops and decided i should use it in the whirlpool and save my hop union hops for the dry hop. As soon as i cut into the foil pack i could smell the difference, the aroma was much stronger, with much more pronounced citrus than the hop union hops i had purchased. I did a side by side comparison and could pick out the yakima hops every time. To be clear, the difference was so pronounced that it prompted me to place an order of six or seven hop varieties from Yakima valley.

I have 2 lbs of Citra from Hop Union now that feel sub par to me!

Has anyone else noticed this first hand?

What year were the hops harvested?

mcgster · Post by **mcgster** » Tue Dec 15, 2015 1:09 pm

Both crops were 2014,

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Post by **GillettBreweryCnslt** » Tue Dec 15, 2015 6:36 pm

It's not necessarily that they are from different companies either. There are sometimes huge variations between different lots within the same company. I get most of my hops from Hop Union and last year I had 3 different lots of Amarillo. Two of them were ho-hum, but the third was awesome.

The differences are really created at the farm, each of these companies buy hops from a few different farms (or own their own farm), dries and processes them. The hops will vary based on a number of factors sometimes even within the same crop year from the same farm.

mcgster · Post by **mcgster** » Tue Dec 15, 2015 6:59 pm

EverwoodAveBrewShop wrote:It's not necessarily that they are from different companies either. There are sometimes huge variations between different lots within the same company. I get most of my hops from Hop Union and last year I had 3 different lots of Amarillo. Two of them were ho-hum, but the third was awesome.

The differences are really created at the farm, each of these companies buy hops from a few different farms (or own their own farm), dries and processes them. The hops will vary based on a number of factors sometimes even within the same crop year from the same farm.

Good point, i know Hop Union is a big buyer from many areas.

I have had quite the ride with Citra over the years.

The first pound i bought was from you and the IPA i brewed with it won several awards and i loved the hop. Then when you were sold out i bought 2 pounds from OBK and they are the "ho hum ones" my IPA would score from 35 to 38 but it never won a medal. My first IPA would regular score between 38 and 44 and that was over two batches.

jeffsmith · Post by **jeffsmith** » Tue Dec 15, 2015 7:24 pm

I'm a big fan of Yakima Valley Hops. Have ordered from them the past couple of years. I definitely notice a difference in the quality of their hops which is why I stick with them. Not sure if it's how they're handled, stored, etc. but there is a difference.