Zythos Hops

Below is a post I made in a past thread that contains my thoughts on Zythos hops:

“I recently brewed an IPA that was a combination of Zythos and Simcoe (it is bottle conditioning right now). I wanted to brew an Amarillo/Simcoe IPA (basically a clone of Alpine Duet) but Amarillo was not available to me from my regular sources. I sampled this beer at bottling (my hydrometer sample) and it was very tasty.

A number of months ago a local brewery (Sly Fox) made a Pale Ale solely hopped with Zythos hops; that beer was awesome. Based upon drinking that beer I personally had no compunction using Zythos as a substitute for Amarillo in my recent IPA.

Below is a description from Hopunion for this blend:

“Zythos is a customized IPA/Pale Ale style pellet blend designed to embody the powerful tradition and unique aroma characteristics required in premium craft brews. While the unique flavors and aromas of our proprietary varieties cannot be duplicated or replaced, we at Hopunion, along with our growers, recognize the need to supply more of the distinct varieties and exceptional aroma characteristics craft brewers have become accustomed to. Zythos is not a replacement for proprietary varieties, but rather a premium pellet blend designed to complement existing IPA/Pale Ale lineups. Zythos can be used as a single hop addition or as a compliment to current inventories, imparting distinct tropical (pineapple) and citrus tones with slight pine characteristics.”

From my perspective (and my palate) I think the above flavor description is correct. I personally would not describe Zythos as a direct replacement for Amarillo (just like Hopunion states: “Zythos is not a replacement for proprietary varieties”). I would describe the differences between Zythos and Amarillo as:

· To me Amarillo is dominated by citrus flavor
· Zythos is a more ‘complex’ hop. It has citrus flavors but other flavors as well (e.g., some tropical fruit flavors and I personally do not perceive any pine).

If the intention is to brew a solely (or mostly) Amarillo hopped beer then I think you will indeed notice that Zythos is different. If you utilize Zythos as a replacement for Amarillo in a blended (multiple variety of hops) beer the level of difference will be less.

To repeat myself, I am a fan of solely hopped Zythos beer (the Sly Fox Zythos Pale Ale). I intend to brew a solely Zythos hopped beer (an IPA) someday.”

Cheers!