# hops from Tassie



## Bottla (16/6/13)

I contacted Hopco (email [email protected]) to see what hop rhizomes they have. Cascade, and Shaz in stock this week. Fuggle and Hersbrucker next week and Challenger, Target, Supa alpha, Red earth, Chinnook, Cluster, Hallertau, Tattnanger, and Wilamete coming soon. There is no forward ordering, only for sale when in stock at $25 each and discount for bulk. If you are interested send Sandy Ross a email at above email address. Cheers Bottla


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## kenlock (16/6/13)

Thanks. Great Info.

:icon_cheers:


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## QldKev (16/6/13)

$25 a rhizomes, they are joking?


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## Yob (16/6/13)

every year the same thing... and here I am (practically) giving them away like a chump...


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## yum beer (16/6/13)

Yeah, but your a bloody nice chump, Yob.
mInd you the carbon tax could be to blame....


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## dago001 (16/6/13)

Interesting thing here - I have been thinking of buying some "land" to grow hops to sell to Tassie brewers, as it is hard to buy whole flowers here in Tassie. (Strange I know, but that is the way it is). At $25 for a rhizome, they will cost more than the land. Sometimes I hate living in Tassie.
Cheers
LagerBomb


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## Bottla (16/6/13)

Has anybody out there brought from hopco before?. Are they healthy rhizomes?. I have some baby hops grown from seed of unknown strain but american genetics. I am aiming to use males from that lot to pollinate some of the known clones. You could backcross the offspring to the mother clone to produce something similar or outcross to another strain and try and get a mix of traits, bitterness,flavor, etc. For example you could have a Cascade clone crossed with seed grown male and then use a male from that cross to pollinate a Citra clone. This would produce a hop with strong Citra influence with some Cascade and seed grown male traits blended in. Plant breeding and genetics are a bit of a hobby of mine and a slow process but would be nice to have some hops that are a blend of strains or totally new. Anyone out there have any strains in mind they would like to see crossed. It may be more than 24 months before seed from a cross like above to be ready and 36 odd months for plants to be ready. Genetic diversity is the key to a plants ability to survive and adapt to conditions, pests, disease. Cheers Bottla


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## Mardoo (17/6/13)

Bottla, are you still contemplating orgainizing a bulk buy like you mentioned in a now-disappeared thread? I'd be interested.


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## Yob (17/6/13)

LagerBomb said:


> Interesting thing here - I have been thinking of buying some "land" to grow hops to sell to Tassie brewers, as it is hard to buy whole flowers here in Tassie. (Strange I know, but that is the way it is). At $25 for a rhizome, they will cost more than the land. Sometimes I hate living in Tassie.CheersLagerBomb


Harder to source than any other state? Mostly you need to go online to get them mate, rather makes everybody equal..

How many cultivars are you after? Keep in mind that once any small rhizome has had a year of growth, many more rhizomes can be taken, as well as taking cuttings throughout the growing season, should make it rather inexpensive, agree though @ $25 + postage is a bit of a rip


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## Mardoo (17/6/13)

Oh but that Hersbrucker is just so tempting! Haven't seen much around the board. 

And you seem to be up rather early these days Yob. Any reason? ;0)


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## Yob (17/6/13)

Insomnia


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## Mardoo (17/6/13)

Sucks. I'm not sure whether I have insomnia or just wake up at 3am a lot. 

Back on topic. Hops!


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## Mardoo (17/6/13)

LagerBomb said:


> Interesting thing here - I have been thinking of buying some "land" to grow hops to sell to Tassie brewers, as it is hard to buy whole flowers here in Tassie. (Strange I know, but that is the way it is). At $25 for a rhizome, they will cost more than the land. Sometimes I hate living in Tassie.
> Cheers
> LagerBomb


Hey lagerbomb I just found this thread (see first post) looking for other sources of Hersbrucker. It's from last year but I'm guessing he'd still be selling - and he ships to Tassie!

http://aussiehomebrewer.com/topic/64657-hops-rhizomes-for-sale-x-21-varieties/?fromsearch=1

I'm a first-year grower but from everything I've seen on the board Yob's point is well taken.


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## Yob (17/6/13)

Keep in mind folks, that sending to (certainly) and getting rhizomes from (bit hazy on) Tassie is regulated by strict border control and is illegal unless they have been certified which puts it out of reach of most people to do above the board...


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## dago001 (17/6/13)

Its easy to source hop flowers from the internet - getting them into Tassie? - now theres a thing. Probably easier to smuggle drugs than import hop flowers. It's not worth the effort if I get caught - huge fines, prison, death penanlty, flogged with a cat o'nine tales. You get the picture. Try walking through the airport with an apple in your pocket?
I have a mate that managed a hop farm in NE Tassie, who still has connections within the industry. I recently met the state manager from his company. If I wanted to purchase 1 tonne of flowers, no worries, but any thing less, then they arent interested. They are only interested in pellets, and 99% of their crop is sold prior to harvest.
As far as rhizomes go - only an idea, but planting up to an acre of hops is going to be costly @ $25/rhizome. Plant 10 rhizomes and work from there, ok, not so costly. Anyway, its just pie in the sky talk atm.
Cheers
LagerBomb


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## Yob (17/6/13)

Really? I'll make a couple of calls today to confirm that flowers cant be mailed, it was my understanding it was more about soil contaminants on rhizomes than pests on the flowers. Christ, we import flowers from NZ with no issue so I should think that flowers interstate would pose no significant issue.


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## dago001 (17/6/13)

Just branching OT for a second. While I havent tried importing flowers into Tassie, I know that we don't import anything from New Zealand into here, due to insects/pests. There has been a few legal battles over it. All fruit etc that is imported is treated in some way, although I am not overly sure of what this is. We are trying to protect our clean, green and fruit fly free image over here. We just haven't found a way to stop the Queenslanders from moving here yet. 
Cheers
LagerBomb


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## Yob (17/6/13)

Will get an emphatic answer today mate, it's in my best interest to know and as they say, ignorance is no excuse.


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## Liam_snorkel (17/6/13)

looks like you need a permit to import flowers into Tas:

http://www.dpiw.tas.gov.au/inter.nsf/WebPages/EGIL-56FW46?open


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## DU99 (17/6/13)

its weird,i travelled by plane to launceston 5 weeks ago didn't see quarantine officer in sight.only thing i saw was a bin asking to place risk item's in it


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## dago001 (17/6/13)

OT. Yeah - not every flight has the quarantine officer and dog - but they are there a majority of the time. You never know when they are there, so that in itself is a deterrent.
Cheers
LagerBomb


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## jlm (17/6/13)

LagerBomb said:


> We are trying to protect our clean, green and fruit fly free image over here. We just haven't found a way to stop the Queenslanders from moving here yet.
> Cheers
> LagerBomb


And like most QLDers I'm positivley riddled with fruit fly. 

At the brewery we use a load of NZ stryian flowers in the hopback for one beer so some-one is getting around it.

And, while I think of it I'm pretty sure the supplier in question supplies at least one popular online HB shop (I can remember seeing boxes from them in the shop), so in my way of thinking.......I'll continue getting flowers from them when required.


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## Lord Raja Goomba I (17/6/13)

LagerBomb said:


> We just haven't found a way to stop the Queenslanders from moving here yet.
> Cheers
> LagerBomb


Stop being so damn nice to us all....


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## Yob (17/6/13)

Lord Raja Goomba I said:


> Stop being so damn nice to us all....


they're nice to you? You cant be wearing the right hat 

Turns out I can sent to Tas, waiting for a more in depth response from a phone call, but seems that a declaration must be made and possibly a couple of other hoops... seems like a fair bit of faffing about to send product that *came* from there *back* to there  

will update further when I get the call


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## dago001 (17/6/13)

Yob said:


> seems like a fair bit of faffing about to send product that *came* from there *back* to there
> 
> will update further when I get the call


There in lies the problem. I cant buy hop flowers in small quantities in Tassie. Hopco does 5kg lots I think. Same problem with malt. JW maltings is 30 mins up the road, yet we all have to buy our malt from the Big Island. They wont sell it in small quantities, or in fact sell it privately.
As far as being nice, that is a side effect of having my other head removed (just getting the joke in first). And dont start me on hats - my tinfoil hat is just about due for replacement.
Cheers
LagerBomb


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## jlm (17/6/13)

LagerBomb said:


> There in lies the problem. I cant buy hop flowers in small quantities in Tassie. Hopco does 5kg lots I think. Same problem with malt. JW maltings is 30 mins up the road, yet we all have to buy our malt from the Big Island. They wont sell it in small quantities, or in fact sell it privately.
> As far as being nice, that is a side effect of having my other head removed (just getting the joke in first). And dont start me on hats - my tinfoil hat is just about due for replacement.
> Cheers
> LagerBomb


Unless your Boags Joe White doesn't want anything to do with you. We get malt from them in 500kg lots, but it still goes though Bintani. Apart from that, everything comes over in 25kg sacks.


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## TasChris (17/6/13)

LagerBomb said:


> Just branching OT for a second. While I havent tried importing flowers into Tassie, I know that we don't import anything from New Zealand into here, due to insects/pests. There has been a few legal battles over it.
> Cheers
> LagerBomb


Except bloody Kiwi dairy farmers...NW Tas is full of 'em


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## TasChris (17/6/13)

LagerBomb said:


> There in lies the problem. I cant buy hop flowers in small quantities in Tassie. Hopco does 5kg lots I think. Same problem with malt. JW maltings is 30 mins up the road, yet we all have to buy our malt from the Big Island. They wont sell it in small quantities, or in fact sell it privately.
> As far as being nice, that is a side effect of having my other head removed (just getting the joke in first). And dont start me on hats - my tinfoil hat is just about due for replacement.
> Cheers
> LagerBomb


I tried to get an inside run on hops and malt from a mate who deals with growers and JW but got absolutely no where. Strange as Tassie normally runs on "wink wink say no more"
Cheers
Chris


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## Lord Raja Goomba I (18/6/13)

I have got hold of JW Pils malt from Devonport Maltser - courtesy of a friend who've I've now got who works there.

But otherwise, it's pretty hard to find anything hop wise or malt wise here.


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## dago001 (19/6/13)

TasChris said:


> "Strange as Tassie normally runs on "wink wink say no more"
> Cheers
> Chris


Only for certain types of seafood.
Any further updates on this Yob


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## Yob (19/6/13)

naa, bastards, still waiting for my phone call, will give them another poke today. Hadnt forgotten mate.


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## TasChris (19/6/13)

LagerBomb said:


> Only for certain types of seafood.
> Any further updates on this Yob


Mmmmm certain types of seafood!
 whitebait,lobsters,crayfish,abalone.


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## dago001 (19/6/13)

TasChris said:


> Mmmmm certain types of seafood!
> whitebait,lobsters,crayfish,abalone.


Nah, that would be illegal TasChris.
Woudn't it??


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## Bribie G (19/6/13)

I get seeds and bulbs from companies like Eden Seeds and now Greenpatch Organic Seeds who are just down the street from me here, and in their catalogue there are lots of items that are "not for Tasmania". So it's obviously not just the hops.


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## Yob (20/6/13)

LagerBomb said:


> Only for certain types of seafood.
> Any further updates on this Yob


Just spoke to the nice lady again and while I need to digest further information here is a quote from the email..

"The material must be clean and free from soil, insects. An inspection on arrival would be required, so on the package via mail you would need to mark ATTN Quarantine Tasmania – with the clients address. 
Should we find anything of concern within the vacuum packed hops – it may be opened by the Quarantine officer. If it is all in a clear plastic package and easily visible then should be okay"

Cheers


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## DU99 (20/6/13)

what all that mean..if they can see what's inside it's ok


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## Yob (20/6/13)

Yeah thats essentially what she said mate, as long as they can determine that it's 'clean' they wont open it.

I do have to file other paperwork so it's a bit of a PITA, going to have a dry run with a mate of mine down there, will send him some and test delivery times and how long it takes door to door so I can assess it for folks.


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## dago001 (21/6/13)

Yob said:


> Yeah thats essentially what she said mate, as long as they can determine that it's 'clean' they wont open it.
> 
> I do have to file other paperwork so it's a bit of a PITA, going to have a dry run with a mate of mine down there, will send him some and test delivery times and how long it takes door to door so I can assess it for folks.


This is Tassie, we are all mates down here, although it is slowly being overrun by Queenslanders. I will wait and see how much stuffing about it is for you, but thanks for the effort that you have put in to working out a solution. I am sure your mate will be happy to recieve his parcel as well.
Cheers
LagerBomb


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