Hops are one of the key ingredients to beer and I’ve come across several home brewers who grown them. I’ve done a little gardening in the past and thought that I could grow hops, no problem.

I ordered rhizomes from NikoBrew.com, particularly Cascade, Centennial, Chinook, CTZ (Zeus), Golding, and Northern Brewer. I figured this would allow me to have a good variety of fresh hops to brew from, thinking that I would yield at least a few ounces from each plant.

There are many vendors that sell hop rhizomes, with the majority offering pre-orders beginning January/February, and the product to be shipped mid-April. They are relatively inexpensive and some vendors sell second year rhizomes, potted hop plants, and root balls instead – these options may give you more yield in the first year.

Cascade (4.5 – 7.0% Alpha) – medium intensity with floral, citrus and grapefruit tones

Centennial (9.5 – 11.5%) – medium intensity with floral and citrus tones

Chinook (12 – 14%) – medium intensity with spicey, piney and subtle grapefruit tones

CTZ (Columbus/Tomahawk/Zeus) (14 – 16%) – Citrus, herbal, woody and spicey tones

US Golding (4.0 – 6.0%) – mild intensity, extremely pleasant, and gently hoppy

US Northern Brewer (8.0 – 10%) – medium intensity with evergreen, wood and mint overtones

The essentials I learned at this point is that hops like a lot of water, but need a lot of drainage. They need something tall to grow onto, like a trellis, since they can grow up to 12 inches per day. I am reading more about growing them and hope to create a page with all the key details I’ve come across, along with some links to valuable information.

I hope my my thumb is green enough. I will try to post pictures during the entire first years process.