There’s a basic trend in the brewing community to gravitate towards a small group of American hops, most of which begin with the letter “C”. What many have never seen are the little green gems that don’t often enter into the spotlight. What many homebrewers see as the best options are the ones they’ve tasted, i.e the varieties established breweries use. By the same token, most big breweries play it safe, working with the established and successful flavor profiles of Centennial, Cascade, Columbus, Chinook, Amarillo, and Willamette. Those six names make up about 90% of what we see used in commercial and homebrew circles, but there are literally hundreds of “undiscovered” hop varieties with beautifully unique and delicious flavor and aroma characteristics. Fortunately for the homebrewer, we’re not bound to buying 100lbs of hops at a time, and are free to experiment as we please, forever crafting and perfecting our art. Now I’d like to share a few of my favorite varieties. Continue reading “Oddball Hops”
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