With so many different hops available these days, it's impossible for each homebrewer to brew all of them single-handedly. Jim's Beer Kit is a great place to read what worked for other homebrewers, but it's especially handy when commercial brewers do this "dirty-work" for us. I taste every single-hop beer I can find, and post ratings to Ratebeer, which serves as a handy online resource whenever I need to remember my impressions of a certain hop. It occured to me these thoughts might benefit other nerdy homebrewers on this forum too.
Disclaimer: these are my own subjective opinionated conclusions, based on just one sample, at one specific moment in time. I am frequently surprised by how much another brewer's results differ, even using the same single hop variety. Your mileage may vary, and I certainly don't think my taste buds are superior to anyone else's.
From my Ratebeer rating of Urban Chestnut Chinook IPA
Aroma: 7 out of 10, Appearance: 4 out of 5, Taste: 8 out of 10 , Palate: 4 out of 5, Overall: 17 out of 20
Total Score: 4 out of 5
Jan 28, 2012: Tasted at the St. Louis Centennial Beer Festival from tap into sampler glass. Poured a deep amber-orange color with fluffy off-white foam. Aromas of malt, caramel, bread, toast, citrusy and herbal American hops, fruity ale yeast esters. Rich malt-sweetness balanced by tangy hops flavor, freshly baked biscuits with honey. Medium body, high carbonation, long-lasting bittersweet aftertaste. Well-crafted and tasty, an above-average American IPA despite its simplicity. Highly recommended. UPDATE Feb 4, 2012: Tasted again at the 1st annual Urban Chestnut -Wolpertinger beer festival. Chinook hops are responsible for so many interesting, subtle and spicy layers of aromas and flavors: grapefruity, blackcurrant, pine cones, tangy dried dark fruits, some dank resin. Not imperial-strength or overly aggressive, but this is one of the finest IPAs I’ve tasted. Again, one of the Best In Show.