Hop Rhizome Wholesalers

[T.D.]

Sorry to add yet another hop rhizome thread (seems to be a bit of a buzz topic area at the moment!), but just a quick question here...

My family is in the wine industry and we have a few vineyards etc. The other day my old man suggested we plant a few rows of hops (yes, that's quite a bit I know!). In the place he suggested, I guess the average row would be about 25m, and I suspect you plant them a couple of meters apart. So we could be in the market for around 30 hop plants. In terms of my own brewing requirements its overkill for sure but at least you'd be assured of a decent harvest in the first year! It may end up being less than that number though depending on the cost of the rhizomes.

So, to my question...

Does anybody know who sells hop rhizomes wholesale? I know Grumpy's and Goliath sell them retail. Where do these guys buy them from? I would love to support the hbs industry, but an order of this quantity, at $35 a pop, would just about break the bank. If my memory serves, we only pay a dollar or two for gravevine cuttings.

I've been googling like crazy but haven't turned up anything decent.

Do any of you good folk have any recommendations on where you can buy rhizomes wholesale. By wholesale I don't recessarily mean from the farm-gate, just a wholesale nursery or something...

Thanks

 

[Trough Lolly]

TD,
I read, back in 2004, of a bloke in Tassie named Stewart Ferguson who apparently sells good quality cuttings of known heritage - 03 6352 7207. He was recommended by a person in Hopco, Sandy Bay, who sell lots of hops, so he must be doing something right.

Back then, he sold cuttings retail for $10 each - perhaps he can do a wholesale deal for you if you're gonna bulk buy? Hope this helps...

Cheers,
TL

 

[T.D.]

Thanks TL, sounds promising. I'll look into it.

Cheers :beer:

 

[Screwtop]

Have a look here Link to site

 

[Trough Lolly]

Cheers Screwtop - that's the link alright!

TL

 

[T.D.]

I'll give Stewart Ferguson a call in the next few days. Thanks again for the help guys!

I was up at the Hunter this weekend actually and I started to plan out where I will put the hop farm. I've attached a couple of pics. My plan is to space them 2 metres apart (If anybody has advice against this let me know). That gives me enough room to plant 24 hop vines. I'll have to make the final decision based on availability, but at this stage I want 5 vines of Chinook, Cascade and Tettnang, 4 vines of goldings, 3 vines of Hallertau and 2 vines of Willamette. I LOVE american hops so I should be pretty much covered there. The tettnang and hallertau will work well for my lagers (although I would rather saaz than hallertau). I do one or two dark ales a year which I always use willamette for so 2 plants will have me covered for that. And you can always find a use for goldings!

Can somebody give me an idea of how much these vines will yield in the first, second and third+ years? I've heard a few people say they got a crop of around 150 flowers in the second year. Is this about inline with expectations? Once fully mature, what can you expect to get from each vine?

This should be a fun little venture. Even if I end up with 5 times the quantity I can use it doesn't really matter - might even start a hop-growing craze in the hunter valley (you know there is a grape glut at the moment! )

 

[T.D.]

Forgot to attach the pics :angry:

 

[Batz]

If your buying quite a few T.D. you should get a good price.

What about getting a few more and doing a bulk buy for the AHB members?
I'll be interested and it may bring your price down by increasing your numbers.

Batz

 

[T.D.]

Could be an option Batz. I still have to contact him and check out the situation with prices and varieties etc. Won't be for around 6 months till they are available anyway so I guess there's no rush.

:beer:

 

[Jim_Levet]

Their was a very ordinary movie last night called Bad Company. Set in the Czech Rep., they had a car chase that ended up going through a hop plantation. It was off season, but when you see the size of the farm, and those poles are very tall, it makes me wonder how many hop plants they have and what they yeild. I have heard that the Hop farms in Tassie are slowly closing down, maybe the Hunter Valley could work! Now what sort of names could you come up with? You can't trot out Hunter Valley Hallertau!
James

 

[T.D.]

Most of the hop farms I have seen have had trellises almost the height of telegraph poles! I am a bit worried that my planned trellis won't be tall enough. I'm hoping that hops will grow sideways if there is no upward option...

How about...

Hunter Hallertau
Pokolbin Perle
Mount View Mittelfruh
Nulkaba Norther Brewer

The possibilities are endless!

 

[Jim_Levet]

Pokolbin & Nulkaba are good enough on their own. New plantation in a new area calls for new names!
Cessnock Single Mum would be suit anything over 12%a/a very bitter!
James

 

[T.D.]

Pokolbin & Nulkaba are good enough on their own. New plantation in a new area calls for new names!
Cessnock Single Mum would be suit anything over 12%a/a very bitter!
James

[post="105722"][/post]​

:lol: :lol: :lol: Priceless!

 

[Hashie]

I've just placed an order with Stewart to get some hop plants this winter.

He is selling for $16 per Rhizome + P&P, far cheaper than prices through a brewshop.

Well worth a call if you are planning on getting some plants.

If calling is to expensive, his email is [email protected]

Cheers

 

[T.D.]

Yeah, I've given Stewart a call too - he has sent me a list of the varieties he will have rhizomes for in 2006. They are:

Goldings
Perle
Nugget
Cluster
Tettnang
Wurtemberger
Columbus
Willamette
Precoce de Bourgogne
Tardif de Bourgogne
Chinook
Mt Hood
Pride of Ringwood
Hallertau
Hersbrucker

Does anybody know what the best substitute from this list is for saaz? I have Tettnang planned but does anybody know much about some of the others - Wurtemberger, Precoce de Bourgogne and Tardif de Bourgogne in particular. By the way, he said he is getting saaz but its still in quarantine and won't be available this season.

I think $16 is good, especially when compared to at least double that through the brewshops.


And Batz, he said he no longer will do bulk discounts so there might not be any real benefit in doing a bulk buy. Bugger.

Thanks for that !
$16.00 ...I am happy with that.
I am not in the best area for hops but just look at AndrewQld's results !

Worth a try

Batz

 

[Screwtop]

TD, for some advice you might like to talk to the guy who owns this micro on the Mornington Peninsular he has a small hop plantation and was really helpful and friendly when we were there last April. Great Wheat Beer Too: Link

 

[T.D.]

Great website - thanks screwtop. Looking at their trellis system, I might need to re-think what I have in mind a bit though! :blink:

 

[fifteenbeerslater]

 

[T.D.]

That pic isn't working for me...

 

[Hashie]

Does anybody know what the best substitute from this list is for saaz? I have Tettnang planned but does anybody know much about some of the others - Wurtemberger, Precoce de Bourgogne and Tardif de Bourgogne in particular. By the way, he said he is getting saaz but its still in quarantine and won't be available this season.

[post="106286"][/post]​

Name: SAAZ
Grown: Czechoslovakia
Profile: delicate, mild, floral aroma
Typical use: finishing for Bohemian style lagers
Example: Pilsener Urquell
AA Range: 2 - 5%
Substitute: Tettnang (many would claim there is NO substitute)

Fond that here

Hope it helps TD