Hello.
My name is Eric and I'm a lupulin addict.
I finally came to terms with the fact that I have a problem last night. I opened my most recent AHS order last night and found 6 ounces of Calypso that I totally forgot I ordered. I currently have at least 14 hop varieties in my freezer that I have 3 oz or more of, a few more straggler open packs, and 3 more varieties being delivered from NB as we speak.
I haven't even been brewing for a year yet, so I never really experienced any of the big hops shortages, but I've heard a lot of the old war stories. Whenever I see a new hop variety that sounds interesting I end up ordering half a pound in case I really like it and it's not there next time I want it. I've spent the past month or two chasing down whatever AUS/NZ hops I could get my hands on just because I may want to use them in my IIPA in a couple of months and I'm afraid they might be sold out everywhere by then. I just got an email from Rebel Brewer the other day saying that they had Topaz in stock and I felt like a drug dealer was waving crack in my face. I know the next time I place an order with Rebel there will be several ounces of Topaz tacked on.
A couple of weeks ago I bought 8oz of a new experimental hop variety (Caliente) just because it was a new experimental hop variety. I opened it up to repackage it and took a whiff. It didn't really smell like much of anything, and I got that feeling like I dropped 20 bucks on a lottery ticket and lost - kinda bummed, but instantly thought "maybe next time".
Thankfully hops are (relatively) cheap, and wanting to experiment with hops is what got me into homebrewing in the first place. Still, I'm accruing hops way faster than I could possibly brew with them. Anyone else have this problem, or should I check myself into Humulus rehab?