Chinook hops for piney bitterness in a West Coast IPA

What Chinook gives you

Chinook was bred by the United States Department of Agriculture and released in 1985. Alpha acids run around 12 to 14%, so it bitters efficiently. Its character is pine, grapefruit, spice and a faint smoky edge. Used at the start of the boil it gives a firm, resinous bitterness. Used late it adds pine and grapefruit peel to the aroma.

It is a strong flavour. At heavy dry hop rates it can turn dank or even slightly sulphurous. Many brewers blend it with softer hops for that reason. It also dates the beer. Chinook is the pine that people remember from the first wave of American craft IPAs, so a beer built on it reads as a classic rather than a novelty.

The shape of a West Coast IPA

A West Coast IPA is dry, bright and firmly bitter. Typical numbers are an original gravity of 1.060 to 1.075, a final gravity near 1.010 to 1.014 and bitterness between 50 and 80 IBU. The body is light and the finish crisp so that the hop shows. There is so little malt to cushion it that the style exposes every fault in the hop, the water and the fermentation. Brewers treat it as a test of technique.

The grist is mostly pale malt with perhaps 5 to 10% dextrose or sugar. Sugar ferments out entirely, so it dries the beer without cutting the strength. A very light crystal malt can add colour, or leave it out for a cleaner palate.

Water and mash

Sulphate sharpens hop bitterness. West Coast IPA brewers aim for a sulphate to chloride ratio of two to one or higher, often with sulphate around 250 to 350 mg/L from gypsum. Keep chloride low to avoid roundness.

Mash at 64 to 66 °C for a fermentable wort. Keep the mash pH between 5.2 and 5.4. A pH in that range keeps the bitterness clean rather than harsh.

A hop schedule for Chinook

Aim for 60 IBU in 1,000 L. Chinook at 13% alpha and 25% utilisation gives about 39 IBU from 1.2 kg at 60 minutes (1,200 g x 0.13 x 0.25 x 1,000 / 1,000 L). The late additions below supply roughly 20 more, though whirlpool utilisation varies by system, so measure and adjust. Add 1 kg at 10 minutes, then 2 kg in a whirlpool at 80 °C for 20 minutes.

Dry hop at 18 to 20 °C with 3 to 5 g per litre across two additions of two to four days each. Chinook alone can be harsh at that rate. Blend it with a fruity hop such as Waimea or Sabro for rounder fruit.

Balancing Chinook

Chinook can overpower. A common trick is to use it for bittering and early flavour, then lean on a softer hop for dry hopping. Waimea shares the pine but adds tangelo. Sabro brings coconut and softens the edges.

Another approach is to dry hop Chinook at a lower rate, say 2 g per litre. Add a more fruit-led hop for the rest. Run a small pilot of 20 L before you commit 1,000 L. Taste at day three, day five and day seven of the dry hop to see where the pine peaks and where the harsh notes begin.

Getting the beer clear

Clarity is part of the style. Add kettle finings (Irish moss or carrageenan) in the last ten minutes of the boil. After fermentation, cold crash to 0 to 2 °C for several days. Use filtration or a finings agent if your market expects a bright beer. Some hop haze may remain after heavy dry hopping. Time at cold temperature helps it settle.

On the floor, the fault we see most often is a beer pulled off the yeast while still warm. Hop oils and polyphenols hold the haze. Chill first, then rack.

Selling an IPA in Indian heat

Hop aroma is the first thing to go in warm storage. Plan a short shelf life, cold chain delivery and a date on every package. Dissolved oxygen at packaging matters more than any hop choice. A figure under 100 parts per billion is a sensible aim.

Old hops add vegetal flavours of their own. Our guide on resin and bitterness from old hops explains what happens when stock sits too long.

Common questions

What does Chinook taste like?

Pine, grapefruit, spice and resin, sometimes with a faint smoky note.

Is Chinook bittering or aroma?

Both. Alpha acids around 12 to 14% suit bittering. The pine and grapefruit character suits late and dry hop additions.

Why is West Coast IPA so dry?

A low mash temperature, sugar in the grist and a thorough fermentation leave little residual sweetness, so the hop bitterness dominates.