Comet

A wild-American bittering hop with zesty grapefruit.

Origin

Yakima Valley

Country

USA

Released

1974

Alpha Acid

8.0–10.5%

What it tastes like

Comet is an old USDA bittering hop enjoying a revival for its bold 'wild American' aroma — zesty grapefruit, citrus and grassy notes. Once valued mainly for alpha, it's now used by brewers who want a distinctive, rustic citrus punch.

grapefruitcitrusgrassytropical

Best in these styles

IPApale aleamerican wheat

Tasting Tip

Comet brings a rustic grapefruit zest — use it late in pale ales and IPAs for a distinctive, slightly wild citrus character.

Beers showcasing Comet

Specific beer examples coming soon.

Substitutes & relatives

If you can't source Comet, these hops bring overlapping character.

Lineage & family

How Comet connects to the rest of the hop family — its parents, and the varieties it spawned. Trace the full pedigree in the Hop Lineage explorer →

All 4 descendants
Bitter Gold · Chelan · Millennium · Sunbeam

Founding lineage

● Utah 524-2 50% ● B20 50%

For brewers — technical profile

Alpha Acid

8.0–10.5%

Beta Acid

4.0–5.5%

Total Oil

1.0–2.5 mL/100g

Oil composition

myrcene

45–60%

humulene

0.5–2%

caryophyllene

8–14%

farnesene

0.1–1%

History

Comet was developed by the USDA in 1961 and released in 1974, from a cross of an open-pollinated English Sunshine seedling with a wild male American hop found in Logan Canyon, Utah — the source of its 'wild American' grapefruit aroma. It is considered the first American high-alpha cultivar.

Sources

So you can see nothing here is made up — the published specifications on this page are traceable to grower / breeder data:

Yakima Chief Hops — Comet

Freshness Note

Comet's citrusy oils are best fresh; keep cold and sealed to hold onto the grapefruit zing.

Explore more hops

→ Browse all hop varieties

→ More from Yakima Valley