Bittering W/ Cascade

[rodwha]

I brewed an overly hoppy pale ale using nothing but Cascade. For a 5.25 gal batch I used 1/2 oz @ 70 mins, 1.75 oz @ 21/7 mins, and did a 49 min whirlpool and 7 day dry hop using 2 oz each.

This began as the best pale ale I’ve had, but after several weeks I noticed the bitterness had a sharpness to it. After 1/2 way through its not so noticeable, but at first it sure is.

This made me wonder about cohumulone levels. Is this not a good hop to use for bittering? If not why?

Any good books to consider about the various oils and uses of hops?

[santoch]

Cascade is a great all purpose hop for American ale styles.  It can be pungent at first but it does get better with age.  I like using it as a bittering hop.  I tend to be patient and am not in a rush to carbonate as soon as the beer hits FG, so I tend to start drinking them after these off flavors have mellowed/dissipated.  Please understand, I’m not claiming you did that, I’m just saying you got this flavor early, but it dissipated, which means you may have started drinking this batch before the mellowing took place.

Note that other particulate can drop out over time, too.  Yeast bite is a common flavor experienced early in a batch.  It has a harshness to it (hence the term “bite”).  Also, Dry hopping imparts tannins from the hops, which can add to the perceived bitterness.  As the beer ages, these tend to drop out as well.

You can try brewing the same batch again, and split it into 2 kegs.  Drink 1 right away, and save the other, to see if you get the same results (early == bitter, late == smooth).

[jonhughey_att.net (HoosierBrew)]

@santoch

Cascade is a great all purpose hop for American ale styles.  It can be pungent at first but it does get better with age.  I like using it for as a bittering hop, but I tend to be patient and am not in a rush to carbonate as soon as the beer hits FG, so I tend to start drinking them after these off flavors have mellowed/dissipated.  Please understand, I’m not claiming you did that, I’m just saying you got this flavor early, but it dissipated, which means you may have started drinking this batch before the mellowing took place.

Note that other particulate can drop out over time, too.  Yeast bite is a common flavor experienced early in a batch.  It has a harshness to it (hence the term “bite”).  Also, Dry hopping imparts tannins from the hops, which can add to the perceived bitterness.  As the beer ages, these tend to drop out as well.

You can try brewing the same batch again, and split it into 2 kegs.  Drink 1 right away, and save the other, to see if you get the same results (early == bitter, late == smooth).

This ^^.  Excellent advice.

[Erik_Mog]

@santoch

Cascade is a great all purpose hop for American ale styles.  It can be pungent at first but it does get better with age.  I like using it for as a bittering hop, but I tend to be patient and am not in a rush to carbonate as soon as the beer hits FG, so I tend to start drinking them after these off flavors have mellowed/dissipated.  Please understand, I’m not claiming you did that, I’m just saying you got this flavor early, but it dissipated, which means you may have started drinking this batch before the mellowing took place.

Note that other particulate can drop out over time, too.  Yeast bite is a common flavor experienced early in a batch.  It has a harshness to it (hence the term “bite”).  Also, Dry hopping imparts tannins from the hops, which can add to the perceived bitterness.  As the beer ages, these tend to drop out as well.

You can try brewing the same batch again, and split it into 2 kegs.  Drink 1 right away, and save the other, to see if you get the same results (early == bitter, late == smooth).

Glad I read this thread.  I just bottled an APA yesterday that used all Cascade.  It was two weeks in the primary before bottling.  I might just have to let it sit in the bottle for an extra week or so after it has carbed up.

[Philbrew]

@Erik_Mog

@santoch

Cascade is a great all purpose hop for American ale styles.  It can be pungent at first but it does get better with age.  I like using it for as a bittering hop, but I tend to be patient and am not in a rush to carbonate as soon as the beer hits FG, so I tend to start drinking them after these off flavors have mellowed/dissipated.  Please understand, I’m not claiming you did that, I’m just saying you got this flavor early, but it dissipated, which means you may have started drinking this batch before the mellowing took place.

Note that other particulate can drop out over time, too.  Yeast bite is a common flavor experienced early in a batch.  It has a harshness to it (hence the term “bite”).  Also, Dry hopping imparts tannins from the hops, which can add to the perceived bitterness.  As the beer ages, these tend to drop out as well.

You can try brewing the same batch again, and split it into 2 kegs.  Drink 1 right away, and save the other, to see if you get the same results (early == bitter, late == smooth).

Glad I read this thread.  I just bottled an APA yesterday that used all Cascade.  It was two weeks in the primary before bottling.  I might just have to let it sit in the bottle for an extra week or so after it has carbed up.

Wow, me too.  I happen to be brewing an all Cascade APA tomorrow.  Only difference is I plan to Keg most of it and dry hop in the keg.

[rodwha]

I’m at a loss here as mine seems to have worked contrary to what you’ve noticed.

I give most of my beers 3 weeks to ferment (only 1 at 67*) followed by 3 weeks conditioning. It was in the first couple of weeks that this was by far the best pale ale I’ve had. It’s been afterwards that it has this initial sharpness to the bitter and this was brewed on 4-4.

[denny]

I really don’t think you can attribute the change in the beer to the use of Cascades.  For one thing, I’ve never noticed it.  For another, Cascades have been around a long time and I can’t think of any other time I’ve seen this noted in relation to them.

And FWIW, the correlation between cohumulone and harsh bitterness has been pretty much shot down the last few years.