Columbus Hops
As a continuation of our “Three Cs” hop profile series, this post is an examination of Columbus hops. As I dug into the history of this variety, I uncovered a saga of multiple identities and lawsuits.
Origin: It was bred in the USA by HopUnion. The year it was cultivated and made available to the public is hazy, but I am guessing early 1990s on the availability. Now, this variety also goes by the name of Tomahawk, which is a copyright of Yakima Chief, Inc. Based on the details of a lawsuit that was filed against Charles E. Zimmerman, it seems that Yakima Chief received this variety through Mr. Zimmerman and rebranded it. Columbus hops are now patented and owned by a joint venture between Mr. Zimmerman and HopUnion. They mended their relationship and YC still gets to sell Tomahawk hops.
(The Zeus hop variety is said to be similar if not identical to Columbus/Tomahawk, but I could not find any information about the ownership of that particular variety.)
Aroma: Earthy, spicy, pungent, with some citrus overtones. Not overwhelmingly citrus like Cascade.
Alpha Acid: 14% to 16%
Typical Usage: Again, another dual purpose hop. Many sources saying it was a good candidate for a single hopped beer.
Beer Styles: American pales and IPA. Bittering for American stouts and lagers.
on January 28th, 2009 at 11:38 pm
I still have a bunch of Columbus in the freezer. Great bittering hop, although I’ve never used it for flavor or aroma.
on January 29th, 2009 at 9:00 am
GREAT for dry hopping.
on March 18th, 2009 at 12:42 pm
[...] one variety called Millennium hops. Millennium is the product of a cross breeding of Nugget and Columbus hops in 1989. It was made publicly available in the year 2000. As it is the case for a great number [...]
on April 16th, 2009 at 11:02 pm
[...] got Columbus hops for bittering. I had Simcoe hops in my hands, but decided to go tried and true instead of [...]
on May 6th, 2009 at 3:06 pm
[...] to self). I didn’t know Crystal were a part of a 3 hop group like the 3 Cs (Columbus, Centennial, and Cascade). I would have written the profiles together in a series. Oh [...]
on May 21st, 2009 at 8:41 am
[...] experience, I just don’t believe it. Never tried Tomahawk, however. But just found this online: Columbus Hops | Brew Dudes [...]
on August 11th, 2011 at 3:03 pm
I brewed an IPA using columbus as a single hop with lots of late hop addition in fact 8 ounces for 5 gallons. OMG what a great IPA !
on January 3rd, 2012 at 3:30 pm
[...] a descriptor of Columbus from Brew Dudes: Columbus Hops | Brew Dudes I think they'd be a good idea for you, since they fit what you are looking [...]