Beverage
Chinook
A tier
Chinook is a high-alpha American hop with pine, grapefruit, and smoky-spicy notes—bold dual-purpose character for West Coast IPAs and strong ales. Bitterness can be rough if overused early without balance; aroma is resinous and assertive. Distinct from soft noble profiles. Blend bittering and late additions for pine-citrus punch; popular in 1990s–2000s craft recipes. Still excellent for resinous IPA frameworks. Respect its alpha in calculations.
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Unit
Characteristics
Preparations
BitteringIPALate AromaStrong Ale
Traits
BoldDual PurposeGrapefruitHigh AlphaPinePine-GrapefruitResinous
History
US
Chinook was released and adopted for high-alpha pine-citrus American ales.
US
West Coast IPAs frequently featured Chinook in hop bills.
Chinook remained a pine-resin classic amid juicy-hop trends.