Long before hops began arriving with names resembling experimental aircraft, tropical resorts, and minor Marvel characters, there was Simcoe: the great evergreen shapeshifter, the grapefruit-scented old soul that helped redefine American craft beer. Developed by legendary hop breeder Charles E. “Chuck” Zimmermann through the Yakima Chief Ranches breeding program and released commercially in 2000, Simcoe emerged from an intentionally protected lineage whose exact parentage remains one of brewing’s enduring little mysteries. Medium-early to mature, productive, disease-tolerant, and equally adept at bittering or aroma, it became a grower’s dream and a brewer’s revelation.
Every legendary hop carries a rumor. Simcoe’s happened to involve cats. Time, better farming, and brilliant brewers have largely tamed that notorious edge, revealing what was hiding beneath all along: grapefruit, evergreen, apricot, resin, pineapple, berry, and one of the most expressive hop personalities ever cultivated. Rich in aromatic oils and wonderfully adaptable, Simcoe can anchor a classic Northwest IPA, disappear into a hazy tropical blend, strengthen an Imperial IPA, invite itself to every Peaks & Pints house IPA brew day, or quietly weave complexity through darker beers. It is the rare hop equally comfortable leading the band or making everyone else sound better.
Our Simcoe Hop Flight follows that remarkable shape-shifter through five distinct expressions. Bizarre Brewing Dripping Earth pairs it with Centennial, McKenzie, Mosaic, Chinook LupoMAX, and fresh fir tips; Stoup Brewing Sky Cowboy IPA builds around Talus, Vista, Loral, and Citra Cryo; Single Hill Brewing Groundswell blends it with Krush, Mosaic, and Citra; Varietal Beer Westy Willis layers Simcoe and Simcoe Cryo alongside Mosaic, Mosaic Cryo, Citra Incognito, and Nelson Sauvin; and Kulshan Brewing Forbidden Imperial IPA finishes with Amarillo and Mosaic. Five brewers. Five recipes. One legendary hop revealing a different side of its personality in every glass.
Peaks & Pints Simcoe Hop Flight
Stoup Sky Cowboy IPA
6% ABV | Northwest IPA | Seattle, Washington
Some hops chase the spotlight. Simcoe simply knows where to stand. Its unmistakable evergreen resin and grapefruit zest form the sturdy backbone while Talus unfurls bright citrus and delicate floral notes, Vista layers in ripe melon and orchard fruit, Loral adds a graceful herbal lift, and Citra Cryo sends waves of papaya and lime dancing across the palate. Together they soar with remarkable harmony, proving that the finest Northwest IPAs aren’t built around a single voice, but around a chorus that knows exactly when to let its oldest singer lead.
Bizarre Dripping Earth
5.1% ABV | Fir Tip Pale Ale | Seattle, Washington
Fresh fir tips and young branches blur the line between woodland and brewhouse while Simcoe threads evergreen resin, grapefruit, and subtle apricot through Centennial’s bright citrus, McKenzie’s lemon and melon, Mosaic’s lush berry, and Chinook LupoMAX’s assertive pine. The result is less a walk in the woods than the woods deciding to wander into your taster glass, where every sip feels cool, fragrant, and quietly alive with the scent of rain-soaked evergreens.
Single Hill Groundswell
7.2% ABV | Hazy IPA | Yakima, Washington
Like a river gathering strength from every tributary it meets, Groundswell layers Simcoe’s familiar evergreen resin, grapefruit, and ripe pineapple beneath Krush’s exuberant mango and fruit punch, Mosaic’s lush berry and tropical depth, and Citra’s radiant bursts of lime and orange. The result rolls across the palate in generous waves of juicy abundance before Simcoe quietly reappears to steady the finish.
Varietal Beer Westie Willis
7% ABV | West Coast IPA | Sunnyside, Washington
This is what happens when Simcoe discovers it has an entire orchestra at its command. Simcoe and Simcoe Cryo lay down an irresistible current of evergreen resin, grapefruit, apricot, and sticky pine before Mosaic and Mosaic Cryo bloom with lush berry and tropical fruit, Citra Incognito ignites vivid orange and lime, and Nelson Sauvin slips in with white grape and gooseberry like a cool evening breeze through a Yakima hop field. Every layer arrives with remarkable precision, yet the finish circles back to Simcoe’s unmistakable Northwest soul—clean, confident, and gloriously timeless beneath all that modern brilliance.
Kulshan Forbidden Imperial IPA
9% ABV | Imperial IPA | Bellingham, Washington
Simcoe arrives first, all evergreen hush and grapefruit pith, before Amarillo scatters bright orange sunlight across the palate and Mosaic slips in with ripe tropical fruit like a warm breeze wandering through a Northwest forest after rain. The bitterness stands tall without ever becoming stern, carrying resin, citrus oil, and just enough floral lift to remind you that power is always more compelling when it knows exactly where to stop. This is the sort of imperial IPA that doesn’t merely flex its muscles—it invites you to linger inside the pine-scented cathedral they built.
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