There has been much debate over the merits of whole vs. pelletized hops. We think that both have their merits, and it should be your choice as to which style you like. Therefore, for most varieties we carry both whole and pelletized hops, subject to availability (sometimes we can only get one or the other and for a few slow-moving varieties, we just carry pellets). What are the issues? In the early days of homebrewing, hop storage was less than optimal. Whole hops, if not stored and packaged properly, will appear to deteriorate faster than pellets. Since it is harder to store whole hops properly, the whole hops that were commonly available to the homebrewer were usually of inferior quality compared to pellets. With barrier packaging (and especially with our SuperBarrier(tm) bags and nitrogen flushing) and cold storage this problem has been eliminated. The biggest issue is how the two types differ in their physical characteristics throughout the brewing process. Whole hops tend to float, while hop pellet particles tend to sink. Whole hops can be easily strained from the boil, pellet particles cannot. For additions with less boil time, pellets will be more efficient (because the lupulin glands in the pellets - where the oils and alpha acids come from - have been burst). This is also a factor in dry hopping. Finally, a lot of brewers prefer the "aesthetics" of whole hops. Like we said, we try and carry both. The decision is up to you.
We don't carry hop plugs. Simply, our hops are better, but we invite you to compare. We make this simple guarantee: if you don't feel our whole hops are fresher, in better shape and a much better value for the money than the plugs, simply return our hops for a refund.
Most decent suppliers now put an alpha acid rating on each package, but that only matters for calculating the bitterness of your beer. The hop flavors and aromas all come from the essential oils. Commercial brewers measure the oil content of their aroma hops and use that figure to adjust the hopping rate for the late addition hops and for dry hopping. HopTech is the first (and as far as we know, the only) supplier of hops that puts an actual measured oil content percentage on each package. This allows you to get consistent hop flavor and aroma in your beer, just like the big guys. This is covered further in the Using Hops section.
The main reason is that the alpha acid percentage and oil content of the hops can vary widely from lot to lot. But rest assured that the actual hops you receive will be rated with the actual alpha acid and oil content for that lot. Some suppliers put only that season's average value on the package and their literature (even though it's represented as an exact measurement). If you need to know the exact numbers before you order, just ask right before you order.
Unfortunately, we can't carry every single hop variety. We agonized for a long time about what to offer and what to exclude. One choice was obvious. Most of the US grown "clones" of European hops just aren't very similar to the real thing. Halleratuer is a good example. There are good US grown hops that are very close to Hallertauer, but they are Mt. Hood, Liberty and Ultra, not "Hallertauer" grown here. So we carry Mt. Hood, Liberty and Ultra and real German Hallertau Tradition. Saaz is another example. We won't carry the US-grown Saaz, but we have real Czech Saaz. If the US version is pretty close (like with Tettnanger), we will carry it. If there's a hop variety you'd like us to carry, let us know.
We sell 8 ounces of hops in each bag. Why so much? It has to do with the economics of our SuperBarriertm bags and the labor involved to pack the hops. The bags cost a lot. They're worth it, but when you consider that the labor and time it takes to fill a 2 oz bag is essentially the same as an 8 oz bag, you realize that we'd have to charge an awful lot for a 2 oz bag. So you get a much better value by buying 8 ounces at a time. Compare the price per ounce and we're sure you'll agree. If you're concerned that the hops won't keep very well, then don't be. Read the next section:
We store all our hops at -10 degrees F to insure freshness. The hops are sealed in our SuperBarrier(tm) bags after being flushed with nitrogen to remove the air. These special bags not only keep air and moisture out, but have a special black lining to also keep out the light. Once you receive your hops, you should put them in your freezer. If there's no room in your freezer, your refrigerator is better than nothing. Once you break the seal on the bag, you'll need a way to keep the remainder of the hops as fresh as possible. You shouldn't use standard poly or zip-lock bags. They're worthless at preserving your hop's freshness. The best method is to invest in a "home quality" vacuum or heat sealer and simply re-seal our bag (tip: cut open our bag from the bottom, preserving the label. Cut off a corner to make an opening just big enought to remove the hops. This leaves plenty of material for re-sealing the bag). Make sure that the sealer generates enough heat to seal our bags. Some of the cheaper ones won't, but the inexpensive Dazey Seal-a-Meal (now known as the Rival Micro-Seal) works great. We've started carrying these sealers for your convenience. See our Heat Sealer Page for more inof. The Foodsaver brand will only work with their bags, but you can transfer the hops. Alternatively, you can transfer the hops to an airtight container such as a mason jar. If you have a CO2 tank, flush the jar with CO2 before adding the hops and again just before screwing on the lid. Practice with the CO2 first. It's easy to blast your hops all over the place. And always use a regulator, never the straight CO2 from the tank! (If you have nitrogen available, this is preferable to CO2.)
The bottom line is that cold storage is the most important thing you can do to keep your hops fresh. If you can't do anything else, get them in the freezer in an airtight container such as a mason jar and they'll keep for many months.