Chinook Hops - History and Profile

Chinook History

Born in the seventies and released to the world in the eighties, this wonderfully powerful hop adds fantastic piney and resinous flavors to beer varieties from pale ales to porters. 

It was birthed from crossing Petham Golding and a USDA-selected male in the mid-seventies, and it found its place right at the genesis of the craft beer revolution in America. It is mostly used for its bittering qualities due to its high alpha acid content (12-14%). 

Chinook Profile

Chinook’s flavor profile brings in classic IPA flavors like pine, resin, grapefruit, smoky-earth qualities, and black pepper, and this is why many original craft beers used the assertive Chinook in their brews. 

Some of the main styles brewed with Chinook hops are classic APAs, IPAs, and Barley wines, but this hop can be found in numerous bittering scenarios and it has had a large hand in creating some of the most iconic beers of all time like Arrogant Bastard Ale by Stone Brewing. This is an American Strong Ale that drinkers either love or hate, but no one can deny its power and stance in the American Craft brew industry.

Beyond its bittering qualities, Chinook adds great diversity to beer via its aromatic qualities. One thing I found interesting about profiling Chinook hops is how some breweries used this arguably under-appreciated hop in unique ways to create strong and complex beers. Dry-hopping with Chinook appears to be a cult practice, but some breweries are pushing aside the ‘juicier’ hops and letting Chinook put its pine and resin flavors on display. Other companies are bringing back classic West Coast IPA flavors by rejuvenating recipes with high doses of Chinook. 

Chinook, in my opinion, was one of the hops that laid the foundation for the craft brew industry. It sometimes gets overlooked, but this month we will be reviewing Chinook hops, Chinook beer, and brewing our own Chinook Single Hop IPA. 

Cheers!

Mr. Brew