is a high-alpha-acid hop developed primarily for commercial production in Washington and Idaho. Comet originated in 1961 as a cross between a female seedling from the cultivar Sunshine and the wild American male accession Utah 524-2 (USDA 58006M). Comet was bred and released in 1974 by the U.S. Department of Agriculture hop breeding program in Corvallis, Oregon. The alpha acid content in Comet ranges between 9% and 12.5%, with an average of approximately 11%, whereas the beta acid content averages approximately 5%. Oil content in dried cones may approach 2.0 ml/100 g. Vigor and yield potential are good, with yields typically ranging between roughly 1,900 and 2,250 kg/ha (about 1,700 and 2,000 lb/acre). By the 1980s, Comet production declined in favor of new higher-alpha cultivars, and the hop has disappeared from commercial production, perhaps in part because some brewers found its “wild hop” aroma properties unappealing. A unique agronomic characteristic of Comet is its bright yellow–green foliage early in the growing season, which darkens gradually as the season progresses—probably an inheritance from its maternal grandparent Sunshine, which also produces conspicuous lemon-yellow leaves.