Best hop variety to grow for tinkering with kits/extracts (beginner)

[Nitidulid]

Just starting out in the brew business.
Tinkering with kits/extracts is where I want to be at this stage.

As part of this process, I'd like to get a hop plant or two in the ground ASAP.

So I'd be grateful for some advice on -
- the most useful variety for my purpose
- and able to grow in the Brisbane Valley where summer temp can reach 40°C and winter temp can reach 0°C (who'd live in a ******* of a place like that!).

Thanks

 

[hoppy2B]

I grow Dwarf Cluster, which have lots of aroma. No reason why they couldn't be used for bittering as well. I'll be trying the taller strain this year to see what its like. Pretty good yield.
Cascade is one that most people seem keen on and is used by more craft brewers in America than any other variety. It has a pretty good yield also but the aroma isn't as pronounced as the Cluster.
For beers with a yeasty profile you only need a bittering hop. I'd steer away from the noble varieties as they don't yield very well.

 

[mmmyummybeer]

We get 40C in Echuca with up to 45C last year, The hops handle the conditions pretty good but do require more water in the hot days. Winter cold doesn't bother them at all as they are dormant then, have easily survived under snow by many American growers. The problem with using home grown hops for bittering is that the AA are generally unknown and can change season to season. You can get some idea by the variety, but with bittering a little can make a big difference but if your keen to just try and wing it bitterness wise then I guess you could.

 

[kalbarluke]

I'm in Fassifern Valley near Boonah so I live in a similar climate. My friends and I have grown a variety of hops over the last few years in this area with differing degrees of success. The types of hops I know have been grown around here are:
1) Goldings - gets a good yield and grows quickly.
2) Cascade - grows almost as well as Goldings. There's nothing quite like fresh cascade flowers in your beer.
3) Chinook - notoriously slow to start growing but once it starts it takes off. Probably won't get the yield like the others.
4) Hallertaur- difficult to grow in these conditions. Some people on Sunny Coast (and possibly toowoomba) have had some success.
5) Hersbrucker- seems to do okay. I don't really like the taste.

If I were you I'd be looking at the top two or three on this list. We also found that yields are lower and harvest is earlier than compared to somewhere like Melbourne or Tassie, due mainly to shorter day length up here.

 

[Nitidulid]

Thanks for the info guys.
I assume from this that people who grow their own hops would use them mainly for the aromatic component (dry hopping)?
And that commercial hops have an analysis/assay that tells you how much of the bitter stuff they have.

 

[kalbarluke]

Yes. I usually used my home grown hops either late in the boil or in a hop bag and put in the keg.

 

[nicktron]

I bought 2 very big and healthy hop rhizomes on eBay for $37 plus $9 postage.
I got the chinook and the POR, they have been in the ground for close to 2 weeks and should start to shoot out soon. Fingers crossed.
They need a lot of sunlight to grow well, just remember that.
Good luck