[benjammin]

This coming spring I am planning on starting my hop garden. I would like to start with 4 or 5 varieties. I was thinking about planting Cascade, Perle, Mt. Hood, Simcoe, and Nugget. Any thoughts or suggestions?

[hopfenundmalz]

I think you might have trouble finding any Simcoe. 

[EHall]

I've found that you can't really use what you've grown for bittering... you have no idea what the AA% is and it costs alot plus alot of hops just to find out... you're pretty much limited to using them for aroma/flavoring... I would suggest you go in that direction. Grown something that you know would be good for that.

[benjammin]

I'm just looking at Charlie's Hop Variety Guide and picking out what sounds like something I would like to grow. Thanks for the input on the bittering vs. aroma/flavoring. It makes sense now that I think about it. Also didn't know enough about Simcoe to know that it was patented along with Amarillo, Status, Warrior, and Tomahawk which means the rhizomes can't be purchased. Maybe I'll just go with Cascade, Sterling, and Crystal.

[hopfenundmalz]

I should have said more but you found out on your own.  Pretty much any hop that has a registered trademark is not available.  These include:
Citra, Palisades, Simcoe, Warrior, Amarillo, Summit, Bravo, Apollo, Super Galena, Ahtanum, Saphire, and probably more.

Columbus/Tomahawk/Zeus can be found on the market now.  These are called CTZ sometimes, because DNZ testing has proved them to be the same.   So they were found to not be proprietary, and I think that is how they found their way to the general market, as there was no competitive advantage to keeping them under wraps.

Edit:
My guess, based on you being in NY, is that the hops will do well in this order Cascade>Nugget>Mt. Hood>Perle.
American hops tend to do much better than European where I live.  Centenial, Chinook, and Magnum might do well for you.

[hopfenundmalz]

I've found that you can't really use what you've grown for bittering... you have no idea what the AA% is and it costs alot plus alot of hops just to find out... you're pretty much limited to using them for aroma/flavoring... I would suggest you go in that direction. Grown something that you know would be good for that.

I have made many beers with all homegrown hops, and won a couple of awards with those.  You can use the average AA for that variety of bittering hop in a batch.  If it turns out to bitter/sweet, then subtract/add to the bittering hops next time you brew.  It can be done with success.

Hey, we are homebrewers, we can figure out what to do!

[beerstache]

I live in Northern Michigan and found out that the european varieties do not grow well here.  I tore out my Fuggles, Hallertau, Sterling, Goldings and replaced them with Chinook, Nugget and Cascades as these domestic varieties have done best for me.
I just pre-ordered extra Nugget and Chinook from Midwest today!
I have used these for bittering also, just need to adjust them with each batch until you get the bittering right.
Good Luck!

[hopfenundmalz]

I live in Northern Michigan and found out that the european varieties do not grow well here.  I tore out my Fuggles, Hallertau, Sterling, Goldings and replaced them with Chinook, Nugget and Cascades as these domestic varieties have done best for me.
I just pre-ordered extra Nugget and Chinook from Midwest today!
I have used these for bittering also, just need to adjust them with each batch until you get the bittering right.
Good Luck!

Dude, I like your style.

My Euro hops give me handsfull.  The American much much more.

The only one I have had die on me was Saaz. 

[benjammin]

Thanks for all the input. I will definately keep to the American varieties. There is a hop farm that just started out a year or 2 ago in the Finger Lakes which is only an hour and a half away from me. I'm going to try and get ahold of them and see if they sell rhizomes.

[hopfenundmalz]

If they don't sell, at least they might tell you what works in your area.

[benjammin]

Once again good point. Either way I'll be learning something.

[dean]

Seeing you're in NY... how about growing New York City Diesel?      I hear its a super alpha?    

[tubercle]

Cascades grows well in the hard, cruel, red clay of S.C. which means it will grow anywhere.