Somewhat on a whim, I bought my first hop plant. Derek Springer shared that neomexicanus crowns were now available for purchase and realizing that it is late in the season to plant—do it right now or wait—I figured what the hell.
Neomexicanus is a relatively new variety found in, per the name, New Mexico. While hops are usually better further north than Texas, this variety was suited to drought and heat. If I’m going to yield something decent at 30°N, this would probably be it.
If you haven’t had a neomexicanus-hopped beer, you’re not alone. The only nationally-available beer using this variety was the 2014 Sierra Nevada’s Wild Harvest IPA, which was a short-term one-time beer. I loved this beer—the bottle is on the bookshelf in my office—and if I can produce something remotely similar, I’ll be happy.
Worst case, it’ll be a $20 failed experiment.
365 Brew 