[paul_mullinax]

So just got off the phone with a new start-up company who is in the plans of opening a hop distribution company. They would specialize primarily in the sell of wet hops, both to home brewers and commercial breweries. This is the first time I've ever heard of a company trying or attempting this. After speaking with them they have an open position that sounds very intriguing and right up my alley. I just wanted to reach out to you guys though and see what your opinions of using wet hops are and also to those who have never used wet hops. What are your feeling towards them? If they were available to order would you give it a try? Also what might you be willing to pay for say, a pound of Cascade? Yakima Valley currently has 2017 Cascade whole hops for $14.99/lb

[Frankenbrew]

The hops at YVH are likely dried. A pound of wet hops is a lot less as the moisture in them adds to the weight. I think a pound of wet hops is like two or three ounces dry.

[majorvices]

You would only get them once a year, seems like an odd business plan unless they have found a way to preserve then somehow.

Regardless, chalk me up as not a fan of wet hops and not a fan of the green vegal chlorophenol character.

[ethinson]

I would clarify if they meant whole cone hops.  I can see how that would be a possible confusion compared to pellet hops, but whole cone are dried as well. 

As majorvices said, wet hops are extremely perishable.  Even if you vacuum sealed them I'd be afraid they will still start to break down and you'd have hop soup by the time you opened it. 

[reverseapachemaster]

Seems like a tough business model given that wet hops have to be sold right away and mature through a few months of the year. What do you do with the rest of the year?

I generally like wet hopped beers but I haven't consumed enough to really say I know how the beers are across the market. It's a good opportunity to breathe new life into some of the older American varieties that don't get much love anymore but have a different flavor to offer when wet hopped. It could open doors to more regionalized, smaller farms growing hops with high yield varieties that don't require paying premiums for the proprietary varieties, especially if neomexicanus varieties become available in warmer climates. Why couldn't Austin or Kansas City have a round of their own harvest ales?

[denny]

I learned at Hop & Brew School that wet hoips will start to compost themselves within an hour of harvest.  How do they plan to deal with that?

[ynotbrusum]

We brewed at my neighbor's house and timed his bine picking with the additions for the brewing - it could not have been fresher, I would think.  It seemed to work ok, but for me, wet hops are not desirable - just too much vegetation for the amount of flavor or aromatics that you get.  (The bittering charge was FWH and used pellets; the wet hops were all in the late boil, flameout or whirlpool).  YMMV, but I have no desire to wet hop anymore.  Try for yourself, for sure.  I did and that was enough for me.