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Author Topic: Hop contracts and obtaining hops  (Read 8220 times)

Offline waylit

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Hop contracts and obtaining hops
« on: May 06, 2014, 09:21:13 am »
I spoke with a rep from Hop Union last week. Breweries are contracting hops thru 2020. The popular IPA hops like Citra, Mosaic, Nelson Sauvin, Amarillo, and Simcoe are mostly contracted thru 2016. How will startup breweries be able to obtain these popular varieties?

Offline denny

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Re: Hop contracts and obtaining hops
« Reply #1 on: May 06, 2014, 09:22:48 am »
Either they won't or through a secondary market, paying more.
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Offline hopfenundmalz

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Re: Hop contracts and obtaining hops
« Reply #2 on: May 06, 2014, 09:25:26 am »
One of the best takes on the rapid rise of new breweries opening was something like this.

"There are hundreds of new breweries opening or in planning with recipes designed around hops they will not be able to get."

One of the realities of the supply chain of hops.
Jeff Rankert
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Offline yso191

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Re: Hop contracts and obtaining hops
« Reply #3 on: May 06, 2014, 09:44:45 am »
And hop supply is not static. More contracts equals more acreage.   Obviously not in an immediate sense, but where there is money to be earned...
Steve
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Offline Jeff M

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Re: Hop contracts and obtaining hops
« Reply #4 on: May 06, 2014, 10:28:00 am »
One of the best takes on the rapid rise of new breweries opening was something like this.

"There are hundreds of new breweries opening or in planning with recipes designed around hops they will not be able to get."

One of the realities of the supply chain of hops.

Sounds to me like poor Business research and planning!
Granite Coast Brewing Company.
Building a clone of The Electric Brewery to use as a pilot system for new recipes!

Offline HoosierBrew

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Re: Hop contracts and obtaining hops
« Reply #5 on: May 06, 2014, 10:31:05 am »
Also, never hurts to experiment with hops, to find out what ones not named Citra, Amarillo or Simcoe can be used to make good beer, just in case you can't get those.    ;)
Jon H.

Offline majorvices

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Re: Hop contracts and obtaining hops
« Reply #6 on: May 06, 2014, 12:33:53 pm »
We got really lucky. We ended up walking into a hop contract with Hop Union through a brewery we contract brewed for who got a contract they couldn't support. Breweries coming on the scene now will have a challenging time finding some hops at reasonable prices.

Offline boulderbrewer

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Re: Hop contracts and obtaining hops
« Reply #7 on: May 06, 2014, 02:19:26 pm »
A good reason for a homebrewer with professional aspirations to play with all the hops not just the popular ones. You have to be creative to find hops without a contract.

Offline Thirsty_Monk

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Re: Hop contracts and obtaining hops
« Reply #8 on: May 06, 2014, 02:22:45 pm »

A good reason for a homebrewer with professional aspirations to play with all the hops not just the popular ones. You have to be creative to find hops without a contract.
Agree.

Make beer with available hops.
Do not fallow "me too" approach.


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Offline denny

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Re: Hop contracts and obtaining hops
« Reply #9 on: May 06, 2014, 02:25:56 pm »

Agree.

Make beer with available hops.
Do not fallow "me too" approach.

Yep.  A brewery I'm designing recipes for grows their own hops...but only 3 varieties!  I've got to design recipes to their specs of styles using Chinook, Magnum, and Fuggles!  Talk about a challenge!
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Offline Thirsty_Monk

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Re: Hop contracts and obtaining hops
« Reply #10 on: May 06, 2014, 02:30:32 pm »
Magnum for bittering. Chinook for American beers, fuggles for British beers.


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Offline denny

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Re: Hop contracts and obtaining hops
« Reply #11 on: May 06, 2014, 03:18:34 pm »
Magnum for bittering. Chinook for American beers, fuggles for British beers.

You'd think so, but all they want to make is an Oatmeal Brown ale, an AIPA and a IIPA.  I am not part of the business plan, only a hired gun.
Life begins at 60.....1.060, that is!

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"The whole problem with the world is that fools and fanatics are always so certain of themselves, and wiser people so full of doubts." - Bertrand Russell

Offline Thirsty_Monk

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Re: Hop contracts and obtaining hops
« Reply #12 on: May 06, 2014, 03:24:29 pm »
I would do oatmeal brown ale more British so use Fuggles. Other two beers would fall for chinook. Do not use Magnum as finishing hops.


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Offline tschmidlin

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Re: Hop contracts and obtaining hops
« Reply #13 on: May 06, 2014, 06:12:15 pm »
But Denny, you hate fuggles!

There are beers we won't be able to make due to lack of hops.  I'm not too stressed about it, we will just make other beers.
Tom Schmidlin

Offline Pawtucket Patriot

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Re: Hop contracts and obtaining hops
« Reply #14 on: May 06, 2014, 06:53:39 pm »
Supply is going to be tight on those varieties for the foreseeable future. One of the first things I did when I decided to open a brewery was sign a hop contract for all the varieties I knew I wanted. We are about to open our doors next month (knock on wood), but I contracted for hops with two brokers in December of 2012. Still, I wasn't able to get everything I wanted. I ended up buying some hard-to-find varieties on the secondary market. Yes, I paid a bit of a premium for these hops, but it depends on how important a particular variety is to your beer. For me, I had a very specific idea of what hops I wanted to use. Hopefully, it will be worth it!
Matt Schwandt | Minneapolis, MN
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