Chinook . . . falling out of favor

[AnOldUR]

This quote comes from the Zymurgy article "Lupulin Love".

Chinook, once a common IPA hop, is falling out of favor due to its catty flavor and harsh bitterness.

I picked up a pound a couple of months ago and currently have three batches at various stages using Chinook hops. They range from just bittering to all Chinook recipes, but I haven't tried any of them yet. The statement is a little worrisome. With the popularity of beers like Arrogant Bastard, I have to question it's accuracy. If Chinook is "falling out of favor," is it due to what it contributes to the beer or just the popularity of other hops? Do you think there is any validity to this quote or is it just the opinion of one writer?

 

[LakeErieBrew]

Send the Chinooks to me. I love 'em.

 

[AnOldUR]

Send the Chinooks to me. I love 'em.

Suppose you want me to send the beer too?

 

[Brewmasters Warehouse]

No send the beer to me. I really thing that Chinook is a very good hop. The drop is favor is probably more a trend towards to super hop flavor/aroma bombs being produced on the west coast. Chinook just does not fit the smoothness factor that other higher AA hops have. I love a good bitter bite to beers so I still use it a lot.

Ed

 

[MikeG]

I just bought my first 3oz of Chinook to brew with and looking forward to it!

 

[Yooper]

Besides AB, are there any other commercial beers that have a noticeable chinook flavor? I guess that most breweries would use the high AAUs for bittering, but I've noticed that they've been using magnum and other "neutral" high AAU hops.

I think chinook hops are awesome, and I don't taste the "catty" flavor that others describe. I've even used them for dryhopping certain beers!

 

[Boerderij_Kabouter]

I use Chinook in my Smoked porter and that is the best beer I make. Haven't used it enough to be very familiar with it though.

 

[BreckBastion]

I like Chinook hops, but I think it definitely has it place as all hops do. I find it can be a very harsh bitter if you're not careful. I also dry hop with it alot.

 

[Aubie Stout]

I love Chinook. I use it in my IPA and Amber to good affect.

 

[Synovia]

With the popularity of beers like Arrogant Bastard, I have to question it's accuracy. I[/SIZE]

Popularity of beers like Arrogant Bastard? It may be good, it may be great, but I've never even seen it in a liquor store, so I have a hard time believing its all that popular.


I'm new to this homebrewing thing, and pretty much everything I've read has said chinook is harsh. I don't know how true that is, but that seems to be the common opinion.

 

[LakeErieBrew]

Popularity of beers like Arrogant Bastard? It may be good, it may be great, but I've never even seen it in a liquor store, so I have a hard time believing its all that popular.

For craft beer, it's pretty popular. It's a solid beer with great branding. I can think of at least two stores that sell AB within a five minute drive from work.

I'm new to this homebrewing thing, and pretty much everything I've read has said chinook is harsh. I don't know how true that is, but that seems to be the common opinion.

Give them a try. For American ales, I like hop additions with equal parts of Chinook and Cascade throughout the boil. This works for dry hopping too.

 

[Yankeehillbrewer]

I think Chinook is a love it or hate it type hop, I personally love it and use it in a number of my beers. I also think that statement is pretty inaccurate, and probably biased towards the hate it side. Chinook seems to be widely used in the Craftbrewing industry. Sierra Nevada uses it in quite a few of their brews, Russian River, Stone, Just to name a few. I think it just gets a bad rap.

You can find Arrogant Bastard in just about every convenience store,mini-mart, grocery out here on the West Coast. Very popular out here, along with a number of their other brews.

 

[ytsejam]

Popularity of beers like Arrogant Bastard? It may be good, it may be great, but I've never even seen it in a liquor store, so I have a hard time believing its all that popular.


I'm new to this homebrewing thing, and pretty much everything I've read has said chinook is harsh. I don't know how true that is, but that seems to be the common opinion.

That's because Stone doesn't distribute in IL.

 

[user 22118]

I like Chinook to bitter, but had a hard time stomaching it as a dry hop. Overpowering to me. Of course, I used an oz of it along with an oz of Centennial and 1.5oz of Cascade. Still, dry hopping with it is really potent. Maybe in lesser quantities though it could work for me, the beer was good after some of the dry hop had gone away.

 

[mithion]

Chinook are harsh, but they go well in big beers where varieties like cascade would get lost. Arrogant bastard is an awesome beer, but if you notice, it clocks around 7.2%. And I don't know what they put in it, but it's malty as hell. The malt base is very thick and sweet and that's why it carries chinook well.

 

[niquejim]

Chinook is a harsh, in your face type of hop, and I love it

Try making some Sister Star of the Sun which starts with 3oz of chinook @ 60

It's a wonderful beer

 

[ChillyP]

Hmmmmm. I never really thought of it as being harsh. I use it alot and like the flavor.

 

[wildwest450]

The statement is a little worrisome.

Why? Who cares what other people think about a certain hop. Brew what tastes good to you.

 

[Synovia]

That's because Stone doesn't distribute in IL.

I'm originally from MA, and had never seen it there either.

 

[mithion]

Stone is based in San Diego. They've grown like mad in the last few years, but they're not quite national yet. I'm from Nevada, and we only started seeing stone beers around here since 2007. But I'm sure at the pace they're going, you guys on the east will will find some soon.

 

[Aubie Stout]

Chinook, Centennial, and Simcoe make an EXCELLENT ipa.......

 

[SumnerH]

Stone is based in San Diego. They've grown like mad in the last few years, but they're not quite national yet. I'm from Nevada, and we only started seeing stone beers around here since 2007. But I'm sure at the pace they're going, you guys on the east will will find some soon.

Stone's been around here for at least a couple of years. There's at least one bar within 5 blocks of my work that has Arrogant Bastard on tap: Bilbo Baggins Global Restaurant 208 Queen Street, Old Towne, Alexandria, VA 22314 703-683-0300

It's also pretty widely available in MA these days.

 

[Evan]

I love Chinook in my IPA's and PA. so much in fact i have a very nice first year Chinook plant in the back yard! it maybe falling out of favor with some micro's, but it could be more are wanting to try newer hops.