Chinook

Developed by the USDA breeding program in Washington State and released in 1985 as
a high alpha bittering variety, Chinook is a cross between Petham Golding and a USDA
male. In recent years, it has found favour as a dual purpose hop in the craft brewing
community as a result of its spice and pine aroma characteristics. Chinook is well known the world over as being one of the best American craft brewing hop varieties. I

Chinook was bred in 1974 and following some testing, it was finally released to the brewing world in 1985. Chinook found support from craft brewers as well as mainstream breweries. Large breweries like Coors were only really interested in Chinook as a bittering hop, however craft brewers loved it for a whole lot more! Its flavours and aroma made a captivating impression on those in the craft brewing world.

Chinook has been one of the top five hops used in America since 2007. In fact, it was probably this popular earlier than that, but the ABA (American Brewer’s Association) only started releasing their Hop Usage Reports in 2007.

Chinook is an excellent dual-hop. It is known and loved around the world for its bittering properties, but there is so much more to Chinook than just bittering. It can be used as an excellent aroma hop too. Basically, Chinook has a characteristic that is perfect for any beer that you want to try and brew. Chinook has been used to brew many different styles of beer over the years, including American lagers, IPAs, American pale ales, American Amber, American stout and loads more.

So whatever type of beer you want to brew, Chinook has a place in it. Whether that is as a bittering hop to take advantage of its smoky bitterness, or as late-stage addition to use its subtle hint of grapefruit and slightly spicy tones. You can use Chinook to create just about any beer, as long as you use it correctly. If you use too much of this hop, the bitterness can become very harsh, so there is a finesse required for any Chinook brew.

Use Chinook hops in your next brewing recipe, carefully and proudly, knowing that you are crafting a beer that will, most likely, be beloved by everyone that tastes it.

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