How much Chinook is too much?

**SixFoFalcon** · 08-08-2008, 01:11 AM

I'm working with a friend who has grown a bunch of Chinooks (est. over 600 cones this year) but he doesn't brew at all. He's a huge fan of hoppy Americans like Arrogant Bastard. I want to take some of his Chinooks and make something that would showcase their bitterness well, like an Imperial IPA, but I don't want to overdo the Chinooks because I know they can impart a sort of one-dimensional harshness that can drown out other subtleties.

Here's my first draft of the recipe:

Grain bill:
15.0 lb Pale American 2-row malt
2.0 lb Caramel malt (40L)
.5 lb wheat malt

Hops:
2.0 oz (leaf) Chinook - 60 mins
1.0 oz (pellet) Centennial - 30 mins
1.0 oz (pellet) Amarillo - 30 mins
1.0 oz (pellet) Centennial - 0 mins
1.0 oz (pellet) Amarillo - 0 mins
2.0 oz (pellet) Centennial - dry hop
2.0 oz (pellet) Amarillo - dry hop

Yeast: Wyeast 1056 American Ale

Would Chinooks be useful as a dry hop? I really like the aroma and flavor of Centennials and Amarillo (can you tell?) but if the Chinooks are going to provide a nice flavor and/or aroma I would be more than happy to substitute--after all I plan on sharing much of this brew with my friend and I'm sure he'll appreciate every bit of deliciousness that his harvest can provide.

Thoughts?

**niquejim** · 08-08-2008, 01:15 AM

I would brew something small and fast to test how bitter the homegrown hops are. Do a recipe you know and compare the bitterness and then proceed with the big one.

**BierMuncher** · 08-08-2008, 01:16 AM

I love the piney-ness of chinook. I'd definitely consider them for dry hopping.

ohiobrewtus · 08-08-2008, 01:27 AM

Chinook is a great hop but it certainly can be overpowering. As to how much is too much, I'm afraid I can't help you just yet but I do have 6 oz that I'll be brewing with in the near future.

bergman1118 · 08-08-2008, 01:30 AM

i just made an imperial ipa w/ chinook, centennial, cascade, and crystal hops.. i used 2 oz chinook for boiling (60 min) and it turned out great! it didn't seem to drown out the flavors to me. I was using chinook pellets though, so with the leaves it may be different.. My recipe was somewhat similar to yours except i was using extract

CBBaron · 08-08-2008, 02:03 AM

Chinook can be a little harsh, especially when the beer is young. However Chinook is also great for a single hop beer. Arrogant Bastard is an all Chinook beer as is the Brown Hoppy in my signature. Search for some of the AB clones and you will see alot of Chinook used. My brown hoppy was really a good IPA type beer with a great hop bitterness. However some people may not appreciate the more intense flavor than is more piney than floral.

I say you can't use too much Chinook in an IIPA but that is up to your tastes.

Craig

**Gabe** · 08-08-2008, 04:28 AM

I would change that hop bill up a little! Those Amarillo and Centennial will drown out those Chinook in a second. I would treat the Chinook, being that they're homegrown, like the other additions. I wouldn't be afraid of them being 2 bitter. You do have a good amount of Crystal 40 in there which will give the beer a sweetness. I think the Chinook will combat that beautifully and go nicely with that grain bill. Good luck with the HG hops. I plan on doing the same thing with some Nugget and Cascade.
Cheers, Gabe

WBC · 08-08-2008, 07:28 AM

Yea, you might want to sneak up on those Chinooks so you don't get a bad surprise.

**SixFoFalcon** · 08-09-2008, 04:35 PM

I've been going back and forth with my options... I think I might drop the Amarillos, and replace them with some Chinooks. I think the Chinooks and Centennials will complement each other nicely. I'll also leave the dry hop additions out until I try a sample after primary. The nose should tell me a lot at that point.

So for hops I'm thinking:
2.0 oz (leaf) Chinook - 60 mins
1.0 oz (leaf) Chinook - 30 mins
1.0 oz (pellet) Centennial - 30 mins
1.0 oz (leaf) Chinook - 0 mins
1.0 oz (pellet) Centennial - 0 mins

Dry hop - TBD

IBUs are right at the high end of the style guidelines, based on 13.0% alpha for the Chinooks. I figure this way if they end up being lower I'll have some breathing room.

Parker36 · 08-09-2008, 04:37 PM

Let me know if he wants to unload more chinook, I could always use it.