The Bar Towel

Anyone have an opinion about the suitability of Chinook hops in big IPA's? I am seriously considering using a big whack of them in my IPA next spring, maybe with a little Willamette thrown in as well.
Let me know.

Williamette and Chinook are the hops used to make Pike IPA in Seattle so from me you have a definite thumbs up! Pike balances their bold hops with a very lovely blend of Pale, Crystal, Munich and Cara Pils malts to provide the backbone.

Bridegeport on the other hand use "two full pounds of Cascade, Chinook, Goldings, Crystal and Ahtanum hops in every barrel" to make their remarkable IPA.

Regardless, if you are going to skip on the Cascade hops then Williamette and Chinook would be my choice as well.

Wow, I can't wait for you to get a batch done!

Regards,
Jon Walker

As I stated in my previous post on the subject, Chinook-Cascade-Centennial makes the perfect IPA combo for me. So a pile of Chinooks suits me just fine.

I'm less enthusiastic about the Willamettes, though. The Willamette/Golding thing is very overdone in Ontario IMHO. My preference would be to see all citric, piney hops.

Chinooks are a great bittering hop - high alpha, relatively low beta. In my opinion, they add a slightly spicy note that is lacking in other C-hops (owing to their partial English Goldings heritage?).

Some brewers question their use as an aroma variety - claiming that they produce more "earthy" aromas than other C-hops. Certainly, at 10-12% alpha, they are quite an economical hop for bittering and give an unmistakeably crisp, N.American hop-finish.

For big classic N.W. IPA aroma, I've always been a huge fan of Centennials, although it is good to add hints of a few other varieties for some complexity.

Coincidentally, I'm about to homebrew a 1-hectoliter batch of a West Coast style IPA, single-hopped ENTIRELY with Chinooks I grew in my backyard. I don't think I've ever had an IPA hopped entirely with Chinooks - for bittering, flavor, and aroma additions - so we're just doing this as an experiment! If it comes out well, I'll save a few bottles for the bartowel crew...

If anyone is interested in growing hops in their backyard, Chinooks grow like MAD in almost any environment. They dwarf all of my other vines like a magic beanstalk growing into the clouds.

Thanks for the input. Anyone who grows hops, the noblest bine on the planet, is someone to be listened to. Chinook it is.