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Bulk Hops from Nikobrew

Starting to think ahead to the 2013 brewing season and the beers I want to brew and some experiments I want to work on.
I decided I could save a little money if I purchased some hops in bulk format.

I have been thinking about Bulk Hops from Nikobrew for a while so I finally got the chance by deciding to get some bulk hops.  Below is the short list of what I purchased and what I plan to brew with them.

East Kent Goldings:
I brew a lot of English style beers and I am brewing and rebrewing my Oatmeal Stout all the time.  I also want to get into Porter a little bit.  My Brown Ale recipe is coming along nicely and EKG is the dominant hop there too.  So I purchased a full pound of EKG.

Falconers Flight:
It’s so hard to get some of the great new hops out there right now.  Hops like Amarillo, Citra and Simcoe are tough to come by for the homebrewer.  Even Centennial is getting a little tough.  I have a nice base Pale Ale recipe that I like and I want to explore some different hops to keep things interesting and train my palette a bit more.  I purchased 4 oz of Falconer’s Flight on a whim. I plan to make a Pale ale with all 4oz.  Maybe get an ounce of Warrior or Magnum for bittering and them really hammer the flavor and aroma additions with the Falconers Flight hops.

Cascade:
It’s just classic.  Despite being interested in new hop varieties, I think Cascade is still a super versatile hop.  I want to start exploring my water chemistry.  To do that I was going to do a simple Sierra Nevada style Pale Ale with Cascade hops and play with things like calcium, sulfate and carbonates in my water.  I’ll be brewing some back to back beers to compare salt additions so 8oz of Cascade made it in as my final hop purchase.

Now maybe it is time for a bulk grain purchase???
Whats your plans for 2013 so far?
BREW ON!

(For the record, you can also get hops in 2 ounce lots as well.  Nikobrew and his team sell many varieties at great prices with only $5 shipping in most cases.  I ordered these hops on the Monday after Thanksgiving, and they were at my house last night (Tuesday). Pretty good seeing how I purchased them during a big sale and promotion he had going on at the same time.  Love good service so I figured I should mention it.)

 

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4 Comments

  1. Gotta love Cyber Monday sales – now featuring deals on homebrewing ingredients!

  2. Chris

    I have always been buying my hops in bulk. I can buy them from our local malting company, but only in 5 lb. bricks. I vacuum seal them to keep them fresh. I am still working on my Amarillo and Centennial I bought in Nov. 2010. I am thinking on trying the new hops that are out there now. Not in 5 lb. bulk though.

  3. Herb Meowing

    Nikobrew $5 shipping is a good deal BUT…their pound prices can be over-the-top for some varieties.

    Simcoe @ 37.50 / # + 5 shipping = 42.5 bucks


    Wholesale Hops (http://stores.wholesalehops.com/StoreFront.bok)
    Limited selection
    USPS shipping

    Simcoe pellet hops lbs 2012 (4lb max )
    20 / # + 7 shipping = $27


    Wholesalehops FTW!

  4. james march

    Buying bulk grain is a great savings. I keep 3 base malts on hand; maris, pilsner and two row pale. Difference of up to 30 cents a pound in some cases. Even better if you have a good local HBS to eliminate shipping.

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