Cascade Hops, taste?

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Jumper2112

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Im new to homebrewing and am about to start working on a steam style beer. Its from a kit, but I've begun to branch out and by the kit as a starting point then alter it. The kit comes with cascade hops for both bittering and finishing, except my friends and i seem to notice a strange taste to beers that are made with cascades. Does anybody else notice it, or have i gotten bad beers in the past? Im worried about starting the kit until I decide if I should switch out the cascade hops for a different variety.

Have a brew :mug:
 
What is the strange taste?

Cascades should be citrusy or mango like. Maybe cascades aren't your thing. Are the beers that you are noticing issues with all homebrews, or commercial as well. If it's both, then it could be the hops. If it's just homebrew, their might be another issue that needs to be addressed.

Welcome to Homebrewtalk.
 
Cascade hops have a sort of pungent citrus aroma, emphasis on pungent IMHO....When I was laying out about 4 oz of cascade for a pale ale once, my wife walked into the office and accused me of having some cannabis somewhere in the room....until I showed her the hops. That flavor/aroma kind of carries through a bit, especially if you do late additions and even more so with dry-hopping. I happen to enjoy it quite a bit. Personally, I think it will lean toward citrus with clean fermenting yeasts, and seem sort of mango like with the english yeasts I have used 'em with.
 
I don't like Cascades either. A steam beer should use Northern Brewer hops. You should attempt to find some. A steam with cascades sounds awful IMO.
 
Grab a Sierra Nevada Pale Ale, that is Cascade hops. I am a big fan of Cascade hops, but would agree, if you can get Northern Brewer, that would be more classic in a steam beer.
 
What about Centennial or Columbus? They have around the same flavor and aroma profile, but are a little more bitter.
 
I prefer cascade in most beers. I've used it for every kind of addition from bittering to dry hopping and have great success. It's all about personal preference really, but i doubt that the strange taste is the cascades
 
It's the Cascades, most likely. They have a distinct flavor/aroma, which is the signature flavor/aroma of a Left Coast IPA. Some people seem to be addicted to it. Not great for a California Common, where the malt should be primary. Cluster is one of the traditional hops for the style, but NB is used in most of today's commercial versions.
 
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