Chinook - homegrown

[mckenry]

How come Chinook is so popular at home? It seems like every brewer growing their own has Chinook, amongst other varietals (me included) How come we all grow it at home, yet cant get an Aust grown Chinook from suppliers?
Do we really have Chinook? How did it get here and if it really is Chinook, why doesnt Ellerslie or similar commercial growers offer it?

 

[Yob]

I often wonder this myself, especially the how it got here part

 

[HBHB]

I reckon it's Chinook, but last year mine threw off some pineapple notes in a fresh harvest ale. T'was good too.

A fair chunk of the one's kicking around would be from Dr Smurto's plant/s or at least descendants from them.

 

[mckenry]

Sure, dr smurto may have shared his. How did the original get here? Surely commercial interest before personal?

 

[kalbarluke]

Last year my friend grew some 'chinook' hops (that's what it was given to me as). It smelt and tasted like chinook pellets. I have a feeling that the reason chinook is not grown in Australia commercially is for three reasons:
1) yield
2) late to start showing and flowering.
3) lack of commercial demand

Compared to strains like cascade, por and galaxy, I'm wondering how many commercial brewers in Australia use lots of chinook? Remember, the home brew market is vey small compared to commercial market.

 

[hoppy2B]

Is Chinook grown in New Zealand? Perhaps it came into Australia from New Zealand.

The normal way for plants to come into the country commercially would probably be as tissue culture through quarantine or some such.