March 27th, 2008

Simcoe Hops

Posted by John in Hops

Lately, it’s all about collecting data on the new hops. Shortage or no shortage, here’s another variety that was worth the half hour I took to research it. Let’s learn about Simcoe Hops, AKA Cascade on steroids*.

Origin: America (Pacific Northwest) - It was released by the Yakima Chief Ranches in the year 2000.

Aroma: Not that I know what a passionfruit smells like, but apparently Simcoe hops have a passionfruit aroma and flavor. Some sources claimed their aroma is fruity reminiscent of apricots while others stated they have a pronounced pine or woodsy aroma. Seems like there is a complexity here. Maybe the aroma swings from fruity to piney from year to year or maybe where the hops are added to the boil changes the aroma.

Alpha Acid: 12-14%

Typical Usage: Because of the high alpha acid, Simcoe works well for bittering. It can be used as an aroma hop too.

Beer Styles: IPA, Double IPA, American-style ale.

*They are mentioned in Canseco’s new book.

While you are here, check out other popular Brew Dudes hop profiles:
Willamette Hops
Galena Hops
Northern Brewer Hops


5 Responses to ' Simcoe Hops '

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  1. hoptical_allusions said,

    on April 10th, 2008 at 10:08 pm

    I didn’t realize Simcoes and Cascades were related, but I made a wickedly good Tripel-esque beer with them. I’m a big fan! I used 4 oz in semi-continuous hopping towards the last ~45 minutes of the boil, and it turned out less fruity and more herbal. Nonetheless, if I ever grow hops, those will be among the first planted.

  2. John said,

    on April 11th, 2008 at 9:11 am

    Not sure if they are technically related to Cascade hops…I tried looking for sources of what Simcoe is a hybrid of, but I could not find any.

    From my research, their flavor profile is similar to Cascade.

    Anyone else brew with this hop variety?

  3. Summit Hops | Brew Dudes said,

    on April 13th, 2009 at 10:02 pm

    […] Aroma/Flavor: Orange, tangerine, citrus notes - similar to Simcoe hops […]

  4. Skyler said,

    on August 25th, 2009 at 10:27 pm

    Such a big fan of Double Mountain’s India Red Ale which is made with Simcoe and Brewer’s Gold. I am definitely putting large amounts of Simcoe in my next APA and IPA.

  5. MoMerrier said,

    on October 23rd, 2009 at 1:40 pm

    AH… PASSIONFRUIT! That’s the heavy sweetness I got from my Sincoe Centennial batch I bottled this week. My first feeling was the pungent nose came across just like Blue Moon, which surprised me. Boiled and dry hopped with Simcoe just to get a good feel for the hop. While the aroma was srongly Blue Moonish, the flavor I got from my taste test was more bittter. Now at least I have a name for the nose other than fruity and sweet, it was indeed passion fruit. You can sample passion fuit in some of those kern’s beverage products.

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