Comet Hops

Comet stands as a legendary, pathbreaking American cultivar originally bred by the United States Department of Agriculture breeding program at Oregon State University in 1961 and released to the public in 1974 under the designation USDA 62013. Developed by visionaries Dr. C.E. Zimmermann and Dr. S.N. Brooks, this robust variety was created by crossing a fertile English Sunshine female parent with a vigorous, wild American male line sourced from Utah. While it was initially built to provide commercial yards with high-performance bittering power and exceptional resistance to localized root rots, Comet's aggressively pungent, citrus-forward, and wild profile eventually caused it to fall completely out of industrial favor by the 1980s as growers shifted toward modern super-alpha varieties. However, modern craft brewers have triumphantly resurrected this heritage powerhouse, affectionately nicknaming it "Citra^®’s Little Sister" due to its shared, heavy-hitting citrus attributes but with a highly desirable, slightly lower alpha acid profile that allows for massive late-kettle saturation.

The profile of Comet is an intensely vivid sensory experience that effortlessly shatters old-world noble restraint in favor of robust, unapologetic American complexity. It yields an explosive, hoppy-fresh bouquet characterized by pungent grapefruit rind, dank cannabis resin, and a deep, crisp background of resinous pine needles. Beneath this bright, aggressive botanical layer, its heavy essential oil matrix reveals a beautifully rounded, sweet tropical-citrus character reminiscent of ripe honeydew melon, wild elderflower blossoms, and freshly crushed tangerine zest. Remarkably bold, expressive, and impactful on the senses, Comet delivers a sharp, invigorating perfume and a solid structural bitterness that dramatically elevates heavily hopped ales, contemporary West Coast IPAs, and experimental craft brews without ever losing its signature wild, rustic edge.