Simcoe Hop
| Purpose: | Dual |
|---|---|
| Country: | United States of America (USA) |
| International Code: | SIM |
| Cultivar/Brand ID: | YCR 14 |
| Ownership: | ® Yakima Valley Ranches |
| Comparison | Compare with other hops |
Purchase Simcoe Hops
Simcoe hops are available to be purchased at multiple suppliers. We've conveniently linked to the most popular hop suppliers as well as Amazon.com. Every supplier may have different prices, harvest years and amounts available for purchase.
Origin and Geneology of the Simcoe Hop
Simcoe - previously named YCR 14 - was created by Charles E. Zimmermann, developed by Select Botanicals Group, and released through Yakima Chief Ranches in 2000.
A patent was applied for the year prior to Simcoe’s release, making it a trademarked variety. Because of this proprietary status its parentage is a secret, but word is that it was derived via open pollination.
US hops begin to be harvested in mid-to-late August for most aroma varieties.
Flavor & Aroma Profile of Simcoe Hops
Simcoe is a dual-purpose hop that can be used in all hop additions throughout the brewing process.
Alongside its fruity and slightly earthy aromas, specific descriptors of the Simcoe hop includes grapefruit, passion fruit, pine and berry characteristics. In addition to its great bittering qualities, the Simcoe hop variety - often referred to as "Cascade on steroids" - is known for its tropical fruit flavors. It is commonly used in India pale ales and pale ales.
Simcoe is frequently used for bittering due to its high alpha acid percentages, but can be used as a late addition as well to bring out more fruity aromas. It has since become one of the most popular hops for both the craft beer and homebrewing industries. At 12%-14% Alpha Acid, Simcoe adds a smooth bitterness, but also packs a punch of stone fruit, pine, and citrus zest aromas. It truly is a dual purpose hop that is capable of standing on its own in single-hopped beers in a wide range of styles.
Read More: The Most Common Hops Used in IPAs
Tags: #fruity #earthy #grapefruit #passion_fruit #pine #berry #apricot #bubblegum #citrus
Brewing Values for Simcoe Hops
These are the common ranges that we've seen with Simcoe hops over the years. Each year's crop can yield hops that have slightly different qualities, so these number ranges are based on history.
| Alpha Acid % (AA) Alpha acids are the main source of bitterness in beer. Longer boil times will result in isomerization of more alpha acids leading to increased bitterness. Learn more » | 11-15%13% avg |
|---|---|
| Beta Acid %Beta acids are a component of hop resins responsible for contributing volatile aromatic and flavor properties. Beta acids contribute no bitterness. | 3-5%4% avg |
| Alpha-Beta RatioThe ratio of alpha to beta acids dictates the degree to which bitterness fades during aging. 1:1 ratios are common in aroma varieties. | 2:1 - 5:14:1 avg |
| Hop Storage Index (HSI)The HSI indicates the percent of alpha and beta acids lost after 6 months of storage at room temperature (68°F or 20°C). The freshest hops will always be the best. | 27% (Good) 0.268 |
| Co-Humulone as % of AlphaLow cohumulone hops may impart a smoother bitterness when added to the boil as opposed to higher ones that add a sharper bitterness to the final beer. Learn more » | 15-21%18% avg |
| Total Oils (mL/100g)These highly volatile, not very soluble oils are easily boiled off, but add flavor and aroma to the finished beer when added very late in the boil or during fermentation. Learn more » | 0.8-3.2 mL2mL avg |
| Total Oil Breakdown: | |
| › MyrceneFlavors: resinous, citrus, fruity (β-myrcene) | 40-50%45% avg |
| › HumuleneFlavors: woody, noble, spicy (α-caryophyllene) | 15-20%17.5% avg |
| › CaryophylleneFlavors: pepper, woody, herbal (β-caryophyllene) | 8-14%11% avg. |
| › FarneseneFlavors: fresh, green, floral (β-farnesene) | 0-1%0.5% avg |
| › All OthersIncluding β-pinene, linalool, geranoil & selinene | 15-37% |
Hop Pairings with Simcoe Hops
Some hops just taste better together. We recently analyzed [1] hundreds of the most popular beers to find which hops are commonly paired together. We found that Citra, Amarillo, Centennial, Mosaic, Chinook & Cascade hops are commonly used alongside the Simcoe hop. This is not a complete list, but should give you a good idea of what hops are commonly used together.
Here is the relative frequency of the top 6 hops that are used with Simcoe:
Beer Styles using Simcoe Hops
Some popular beer styles that make use of the Simcoe hop include Pale Ale, IPA, Double IPA, Lager, Wild Ale & Red Ale.
Simcoe is also sometimes featured as a single hop in beers to highlight its unique flavors and aromas. It can be added either as a fresh hop, or via hop pellets. Some popular examples of commercial beers that use 100% Simcoe hops in their recipes are Temescal Simcoe IPA, Hill Farmstead Simcoe Single Hop Pale Ale & Other Half DDH Simcoe Chroma.
Simcoe Hop Substitutions
If the Simcoe hop is hard to find or if you are simply out of it on brew day, you can try to substitute it with a similar hop. The old way of choosing replacement hops was done by experience and "feel". There is nothing wrong with that way. However, we wanted to build a data-driven tool to find your Simcoe substitutions.
Experienced brewers have chosen the following hop varieties as substitutions of Simcoe:
Is Simcoe available in lupulin powder?
Yes! There is a version of the Simcoe hop in lupulin powder form. Simcoe lupulin powder is suggested to be used at about half the amount as you'd normally use with pellets. The Cryo/LupuLN2 (Yakima Chief Hops), Lupomax (Haas) and Hopsteiner products are pure concentrated lupulin powder, which add big flavor when used in the whirlpool or dry hop additions.
Simcoe Hop Statistics
We love statistics. We've analyzed hundreds of IPAs, dug into the Hop Growers of America's annual reports[2] and researched the history behind some of the most popular beer ingredients. Here are a few of the things we've found interesting about the Simcoe hop:
- In 2022, Simcoe moved up to #4 on the list of most grown US hops.
- In 2019, Simcoe was the 5th most grown hop in the United States.
- Between 2014-2019, Simcoe's harvest grew by 44%, the 6th highest increase in the United States.
Embed This Information
You can embed the information we have on the Simcoe hop on your own website. Just copy the code below and paste it anywhere on your site.
<div class="bmhop" data-hop="130"></div> <script src="https://beermaverick.com/embed.js?v1"></script>
If you see an error in our data, please let us know!
We are not affiliated with any hop manufacturer. All copyrights and data are provided by their respective owners.