Is The Hop Shortage Starting?

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just as an FMI how far would a 90g bag of hops get you on average. say for a bittering POR style and for a aroma style?
 
howdy homebrewers

I think that is a world wide issue.

Ive written in an earlier thread:

"....yeah, but also here the prices are rising eminently.

Just I had a look for new prices and got shocked:
last year Ive paid 42 Euro for 100kg of Pilsener malt, this year the price raised to 65 Euro for 100kg.
Hops Ive paid 15 Euro for one Kilo, actually the Magnum costs 36 Euro, thats more than double.
uuuups....Northern Brewer lays about 40 Euro/kg ....Ive paid 13 Euro last year ....
Saazer 52 Euro at the moment....Im shocked...."


Some of the sorts are even not available anymore.

Cheers

Mate i just did a currency converson and your a lucky bugger.

65 Euro for 100kg of German pilsner malt is about $108 australian.

a 25kg bag of weyermann pilsner malt will cost you anywhere between 3 and 4 dollars a kg here, (or 3 times more) and thats the bag price.


as far as prices go............ i guess its just the way it goes at the moment hey.......... stock up and ride it out.

Now........... to find some fresh saaz for the stocks!

cheers
 
Mate i just did a currency converson and your a lucky bugger.

65 Euro for 100kg of German pilsner malt is about $108 australian.

a 25kg bag of weyermann pilsner malt will cost you anywhere between 3 and 4 dollars a kg here, (or 3 times more) and thats the bag price.
Tony, for that matter we pay 1.50 Euro for a litre of gasoline :angry:


........ stock up and ride it out.....Now........... to find some fresh saaz for the stocks!

no way, there is no more Saazer available at the moment. SAAZER IS SOLD OUT!!!! at least here in Germany


Cheers :icon_cheers:
 
So it is just american hops.............. what about english and euro hops?

Tony, you'd be saddened to know that most HB stores are plain out of your old mate POR. :eek:

Seems like most of the limited varieties of Oz hops are out of bounds too.

Warren -
 
Tony and Duff

Check out Brew Your Own mag March 08 for the article entilted The Bitter End : The Great hop Shortage. It should answer the questions which you have raised. web address www.byo.com


cheers

Redgums
 
just as an FMI how far would a 90g bag of hops get you on average. say for a bittering POR style and for a aroma style?
I brewed 50L of a "Kolsch" style beer a few weeks ago at about 25IBU's using Riwaka (D saaz) and Nelson Sauvin, 90g of Riwaka was all used up with a 60min bittering addition and 15 and 5 additions, I ended up throwing in some Spalt to make up the 60 min addition to get the BU's up, I then threw in 40g of NS off boil. So not very far actually!
 
Are there micro's or commercial breweries buying up all the hops from Craftbrewer which are justifying the increase?

I'm trying to buy some of his stocks off him but at the moment he is saying a firm NO.
Homebrewers who buy hops from Ross are lucky... no... VERY lucky. Craftbrewer is doing its best to look after the amateur craft brewing market.

.... as for the pro craft beer section, well its starting to hurt. And if you are a new venture such as ours suppliers can be unsure about your potential demands meaning that others may get preference over you, understandable business practise. I am most likely only going to do one batch of IPA this year, its just too hard and expensive to secure the varieties I want for it. My Bitter is going to start changing from the next batch onwards .... once again I can't get the varieties I need for the beer that has been developed. And as for the pils... OUCH .... all saaz hops to 37 IBU means one very expensive beer.

I have been recently Quoted up to $100 p/kg (wholesale) on some varieties.
 
Change the bitter, oh no :eek:

That is a lovely beer

Kabooby :)
 
Brewers,

Prices are rising & availabillity dissappearing fast. We had new season amarillo & cascade that was flown in a month or 2 back at good (contract) prices which was passed on to you guys. Unfortunately with the arrival of the new season hops by sea, the wholesalers have increased ALL their prices across the board (old stock included). Amarillo through some wholesalers, is already higher than what we are charging you at retail. To secure stocks (1st come 1st served) weve just purchased over $50,000 worth of stock. To retain the % margin we were making a year ago we would need to be charging close to $15 a packet, but we are keeping prices as keen as we can.
Hops in Australia are probably the cheapest in the world at the moment & by a fair margin.

cheers Ross
 
Hops in Australia are probably the cheapest in the world at the moment & by a fair margin.

From what I've seen, this is absolutely true. My freezer is full of hops acquired from Ross. Hopefully enough to weather this storm. :beer:
 
I'm trying to buy some of his stocks off him but at the moment he is saying a firm NO.
Homebrewers who buy hops from Ross are lucky... no... VERY lucky. Craftbrewer is doing its best to look after the amateur craft brewing market.

.... as for the pro craft beer section, well its starting to hurt. And if you are a new venture such as ours suppliers can be unsure about your potential demands meaning that others may get preference over you, understandable business practise. I am most likely only going to do one batch of IPA this year, its just too hard and expensive to secure the varieties I want for it. My Bitter is going to start changing from the next batch onwards .... once again I can't get the varieties I need for the beer that has been developed. And as for the pils... OUCH .... all saaz hops to 37 IBU means one very expensive beer.

I have been recently Quoted up to $100 p/kg (wholesale) on some varieties.
I know the feeling, high alpha hops are getting harder to find. In the last 12 months my supply of POR, Chinook and Northern Brewer has dried up, luckily I can still get the same flavour/aroma hops I've been using so the beers haven't changed too much. Prices are heading up though.

Cheers, Andrew.
 
From what I've seen, this is absolutely true. My freezer is full of hops acquired from Ross. Hopefully enough to weather this storm. :beer:

Keep in mind the storm may last a while. It takes 3 years for new hop ground to come up to full production.

MFS.
 
Hmmm, 3 years...?
i can only imagine how many pages the next "big" ahb thread is going to be.....

- Single hop addition beers - how long do you boil to get your IBU's...?

followed closely by....

- Which asian grocer do you get your 'bitter orange peel' from...?
 
Tony, you'd be saddened to know that most HB stores are plain out of your old mate POR. :eek:

Seems like most of the limited varieties of Oz hops are out of bounds too.

Warren -

I have some stocks........ one pack of POR flowers left....... will save them for a special occasion, and some pellets. But i do know where i can get some and i will be getting some vac packed to store away.

Who needes american hops anyway....... just use fresh pine needles and pine cones and add a bit of toilet freshener at flame out! Done.

Oooooooo :ph34r: dodges bullets :p Should have stuck with commenting on Kevin Rudd :lol:

cheers
 
just use fresh pine needles and pine cones and add a bit of toilet freshener at flame out! Done.

:lol: That the descriptor I'd give to simco hops.

Seriously though. I think we should all be growing our own late addition hops and subbing whatever is available(high alpha) from NZ to bitter.
 
Keep in mind the storm may last a while. It takes 3 years for new hop ground to come up to full production.

MFS.

I have 3.2kg in stock, and 840g of that is high alpha varieties (12%+). This past year I used 1.95kg to brew 14 x 10 gallon batches. I tend to brew maltier beers, but this last year I was on a major hop kick. The last two batches I've brewed have been a weizen and a dunkelweizen. I used a grand total of 34g for those two batches. B) I'm pretty sure I have enough to last for 2 years at least, if not 3.

This is the first time I've actually summed up my hop consumption. I'm very surprised it was that high. Does anyone else know their consumption for the past 12 months?
 
Id be scared ti calculate it. Might add it all up tonight for 2007 and see how much.

I have been using hundreds of grams of low alpha hops to make great beers but i think i will start adding in a %age of high alpha bittering aditions to reduce usage.

No more IIPA's or "sheep shagger" hop wasters for a while.

Scottich ales, malty lagers, Aussie ales (if i can get POR) ect.

A general cutback in finishing hops i think.......... ive been getting a bit flipant with my finishing hop use, just chucking heaps in........ and enjoying it mind you!

BUT!

If there is a shortage, perhaps we should all pull our belts in and call a bit of a hop restrictions rule.

Make your recipe........ reduce your finishing hops by 30% and go for it.

With any luck we will still be able to get the great NZ hops as theit high Alpha ald low cohumulone levels make them perfect to bitter anything with!

cheers
 
About 1.7 kg in the last 12 months, just made me realise I've only got 1.8kg in the freezer, I better stock up :eek:

No more imperial IPAs or imperial stouts :unsure:
 

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