Discover the aroma, flavor, and origins of Simcoe® and learn about its important role in the early days of craft brewing.

Sometimes referred to as “Cascade on steroids,” Simcoe® does a lot of heavy lifting. Words like “dank” have been used to describe it, and with a powerful flavor that’s both piney and resinous with vibrant notes of tropical fruit… we get it. It can stand on its own in a single-hop beer or create delicious harmonies when paired with other hops. 

Simcoe® is so much more than just delicious, though. It paved the way for other hops like Mosaic®, and it played an essential role in the early days of the craft beer boom. We don’t think we’re being overly sentimental when we say Simcoe® is a testament to the resilience of the hop industry. 

To understand the full impact this varietal has had on craft brewing, read on and learn more about the origins, flavors, and aromas of Simcoe®.

Simcoe® Flavor & Aroma

According to Yakima Valley Hops,¹ Simcoe® contains somewhere between 12%-14% alpha acids. While there are brewers who utilize its bittering potential, most prefer to take advantage of its unique flavors and aromas. To put it simply, Simcoe® is pungent. 

It’s arguably one of the most intense American hop varieties in terms of aroma. While brewers have a love/hate relationship with the word “dank,” the pine-forward aroma of Simcoe® definitely falls into that category. However, it’s the beautiful balance of fruit-forward flavors that keeps brewers coming back for more. Think black currants, berries, and tropical notes of passionfruit, grapefruit, and citrus zest.

Belching Beaver Brewery utilized these characteristics in their 2024 Skunkworks Lounge submission. Inspired by their Tropical Terps, which took home gold at the 2023 GABF, they created a Hazy IPA called Terps N Time using SIM, CIT, MOS, and our OG Kush BrewGas. If you’re into dank beers that are super juicy and tropical, then a Simcoe®-forward brew like this is right up your alley. 

Considering how well Simcoe® plays with others, the above pairings make a lot of sense. It pairs particularly well with the vibrant citrus notes found in Citra® and the fruity and floral aromas of Mosaic®. The latter isn’t all that surprising, however, considering it’s a descendant of Simcoe®. 

These flavor and aroma characteristics make it a delicious addition to many styles of IPA, from West Coast and Hazies to Milkshake IPAs. The range of flavors in this hops would also lend itself to other styles like Pilsners, Saisons, and even Amber Ales. If you’re haven’t had the pleasure of experiencing a single-hopped brew that highlights this variety, we highly recommend it so you can get the full effect.

With such phenomenal flavors and aromas, it’s hard to believe that this varietal almost disappeared at one point. If craft brewing hadn’t taken off, Simcoe® may have been lost to the hop graveyard. Or is it the other way around? Without Simcoe®, the craft beer boom might not have happened… or it may have taken longer to hit the ground running. Whatever the case, the two events are connected, and you need to talk about both to get the whole story. 

Before Simcoe®, It Was YCR 14

Toward the end of the 1980s, Steve Perrault formed Yakima Chief Hops with fellow hop farmers Tom Carpenter and Mike Smith. Up until this point, brewers and growers had surprisingly little interaction. Many larger companies used hop oil extracts, which meant farmers had to ship harvests elsewhere for processing before they could be sold to breweries. 

This, in combination with the labor-intensive work of hop farming, was hard on farmers. So, the first order of business was for Yakima Chief Hops to build a processing plant right in the Yakima Valley. It took them roughly a decade to accomplish, but it gave them more control over distribution, returns, and it allowed them to invest time, money, and resources into hop breeding.

The research farm, Yakima Chief Ranches,² brought Charles “Chuck” Zimmerman in as the breeding program director. Previously, most hops grown in the Yakima Valley and elsewhere in the U.S. were Cluster hops. Zimmerman wanted to cultivate a variety that yielded greater alpha acid levels than Cluster without using additional resources. After several years of careful breeding, he created YCR 14, which was later released as Simcoe®. 

The problem? When this dual-purpose hop officially launched in 2000… no one wanted it. There were roughly 40 acres worth of Simcoe®, but demand was so disappointing they nearly scrapped the variety. In one interview, CEO and head hop breeder for Yakima Chief Ranches Jason Perrault explained, “When we first released Simcoe®, we could hardly give a pound away.”³ 

Several craft brewers had worked with the variety before it launched, but it wasn’t until craft brewers began focusing on more aromatic varieties that Simcoe® really caught on. Its bold, complex flavors were everything craft brewers wanted, and they couldn’t get enough of it for their IPAs. 

By 2006, aromatic hops were all the rage, global hop supply issues led to increased hop prices, and hop farming entered an era of success. Perrault said, “We’ve seen an unprecedented period of time here — a perfect storm of craft beer, and a beer drinking consumer that loves flavor, novelty, and creativity.”

Shortly afterward, Yakima Chief Ranches released Citra,® then Mosaic® a few years later. By then, aroma hops were king, and the beer industry has never been the same.

So, did craft brewing save Simcoe®? Was Simcoe® the spark of inspiration that craft brewing needed to get off the ground? We don’t know, we don’t care. Just pass us a single-hopped Simcoe® brew so we can cheers to the success of both!

Simcoe® Beyond Beer

We won’t deny that Simcoe® makes a truly mouthwatering beer. However, its versatility opens the door for many beverage options, and we’re not just talking about NA beers (although that’s a pretty solid bet).

The most obvious move would be hop water. While hop waters are designed to include the flavors and aromas of hops, these non-alcoholic seltzers serve a different purpose and often a different consumer. Plus, we’re seeing more and more hop waters infused with innovative flavors that aren’t typical of beers. We don’t know about you, but hop water with Simcoe® and additional tropical flavors sounds mighty tasty.

You could go in the complete opposite direction, though, and play into those dank flavors. We’re talking about cannabis-infused beverages! The intense pine notes of Simcoe® with a THC-drink flavored with OG Kush or Pineapple Express would be positively mind-blowing. 

With the versatility of this variety, the possibilities are endless. You could brew a ready to drink cocktail or a functional kombucha. Plus, with the ability to “tweak” the flavor profile of Simcoe®, brewers can create their own customized hop extract with the specific flavors they’re craving. 

Want to brew a Simcoe®-forward Milkshake IPA with heavier fruit flavors? Ready to play mad scientist and add an entirely new element to this beloved hop profile? With customized hop extracts, you have complete control.

Abstrax Hops | Brew with the True Flavor and Aroma of Simcoe®

Phew! Suddenly, we feel very parched, and the only thing that will quench our thirst is the dank, tropical flavor of Simcoe.® Ready to start brewing? 

Today, it’s easier than ever to brew with the true flavor and aroma of Simcoe®. Our hop-derived Quantum Series completely reflects the hops that go into the process in a way no other extractions do. Just remember that hop-derived means limited supply, so act fast.

Contact us today, and let’s get you brewing with the dank and fruity flavors and aromas of Simcoe®.

1. Simcoe Hops. Yakima Valley Hops. (2024). https://yakimavalleyhops.com/products/simcoe-hop-pellets?srsltid=AfmBOors-F_AZUV-p1sTlwEKHRAyqOC7q2KyXnJqxrSpyL3sxznruHw7 
2. Yakima Chief Ranches. (2024). Hop Breeding. Innovative Hop Breeding. https://yakimachiefranches.com/create/breeding/
3. Anderson, I. (2023, October 5). Washington family hops farms show resilience in a boom or bust industry. MarshMcLennan Agency. https://www.marshmma.com/us/mma/limitless/family-hops-farms-grow-up.html