Butler's Brew News

Hops: pellet, leaf, a sale & Yakima fresh-picked   

In This Issue
General Hops Info
Newbie Hop Sale
Fresh Hops
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Sept 2011
Greetings!

September is here! We've got some new stuff going on in the hop world.  Read below to find out about hop availability, a little hop sale to introduce the new varieties, and an opportunity to use fresh hops straight from Yakima.

 

Hops: new varieties, new packaging & pricing info

Thankfully, things have really settled down in the wide world of hops. This is a definite improvement over just a few years ago, when we suffered the great hop shortage of 2008. That year was rough, ask anyone who brewed through that time. You will find that they will agree wholeheartedly that 2008 left a real bitter taste in the mouth. (That's funny, because when there's a lack of hops, people brew beers with less hops & those beers will be less bitter as a result... Okay, nevermind, if I have to explain it, it's not as funny.)

 

Anyways, this year is so very different from 2008, it is almost as if 2011 is the day to the 2008 night. The hop shortage is over. The highly sought-after unique hops like Citra, Amarillo, & Simcoe have returned. There's also lots of new varieties, never available to us before, that are now so numerous in our supplier's warehouse, that I've had a hard time choosing which ones to stock! And, something that is bound to make everyone happy, the bulk prices have really come down too. (You can check out our current hop availability and price list on our website here. Our newly updated hop variety description list is here.)  As you will see, we now stock over 50 different pellet & 20 different whole leaf hops varieties.

 

One of the things that has really made a difference for us is that our wholesaler now has a great working relationship with HopUnion in Yakima, Washington. In case you are not familiar with them, as stated on their website, HopUnion is a "...thriving supplier of premium hops & hop products to craft brewers world wide...".  Their packaging is top-notch as far as appearance & quality. Everything we've gotten in from them is just awesome! The hops are super fresh & the nitrogen-purged soft-pack packaging for both the whole hops and the pellet hops look sharp too. In a recent newsletter, our supplier wrote:  

 

 

"The new state-of-the-art package achieves a residual oxygen level as low as 0% and the hops are not compacted into brick form. This creates a product that is fresher at the start and will remain fresher much longer than any other hop package out there". We believe you will find this to be true with all the HopUnion hops you purchase from us. And HopUnion is also an excellent resource for choosing hops for your next recipe, here's a link to their hop variety handbook.

 

Newbie Hop Sale
 
Buy 3 get 1 free!!

Brewing soon? Come get a new hop to try in your next beer! In an effort to introduce them, we want to offer you a special deal. Starting Friday, Sept. 2nd and ending Thursday Sept. 8th, mix or match a total of 4 ounces of hops - new varieties, common varieties, leaf or pellets, and even organics- and as long as you have atleast one ounce of the new hops listed below, you will get an ounce of your least expensive hop free!

 

The new-to-us pellet varieties from HopUnion are as follows:

 

Aurora, Bobek, Celeia, Hekules, Merkur, Motueka, Mt. Rainier, Phoenix, Pilgrim, Progress, Santiam, Saphir, Sorachi Ace and Summit.

 

The newly available varieties in whole leaf are:
Columbus, Cluster, Sorachi Ace, Summit.

 

 

Our description sheet & HopUnion's Variety Handbook might be useful if you want to see what characterisitics these will give to your next beer. If you want to know how much this stuff costs, go here.
 

 This sale will be for one week only, so come in soon!


Fresh Hops
 
Hops in Yakima
Yakima's got hops!

Coming today, Friday Sept. 2nd!!!

  

For the first time ever we will have Centennial fresh-picked hops, straight from the Pacific northwest. And they will be here Friday just in time for the Labor Day weekend! These hops were harvested Thursday & overnighted to us in order to ensure the freshest & highest quality possible for your brew day.

 

Due to the timing of the hop harvest in conjunction with the Labor Day holiday (specifically, UPS not operating on Monday) & the last minute notice from HopUnion, we can barely stick to our original pricing plan for the hops on this order. They will be $1.50 an ounce, and for any amount over a pound, it will be $22 per pound. This is pretty cheap, especially if you consider the $100 UPS Next Day Air shipping cost we had thrust upon us.

 

If you haven't grown your own, or are yet to have a harvest from your own hops, it will be helpful to know that because of the added water weight in the fresh-picked hops, expect to use about 5 oz of these for every ounce of equivalent dry whole leaf hops.

 

Matt & Eli helped me formulate a hoppy American Pale for my Labor Day brew this weekend so I'm using about 12 oz. at the end of my boil for aroma & flavor. I've offered the Hop Jockeys a total of 5 pounds of the hops for their club members. That makes just 68 ounces to go. There aren't many left & they'll go quickly. Any takers?

 

Let us know via phone or email if you want us to hold some for your visit this weekend.

 
Until next time, which is bound to be sooner than later since that pesky fall brewing & winemaking sale is coming up- We all wish you a safe & hoppy Labor Day holiday! 

 

 

 Amy

 

email: [email protected]

 

or, if you're old school: 812-339-7233