1st year cascades smell like brussel sprouts

Hi all, new to the forums although I've been lurking for some time.

This year I started growing hops in my yard, Cascade, Centennial, and Chinook. I was pleased to get a decent yield thanks in large part to the instructions and tips I picked up on this forum and others, so a big thanks for that.

Now my issue. I harvested the Cascades on Sunday, and dried them with a box fan oast and packaged them last night (were at about 22% moisture). The problem is that they smell very strongly of vegetables. Brussel sprouts is the closest comparison I can think of. It's not pleasant. When I rub them in my hands I do get a nice Cascade aroma.

Has anyone experienced this, and are they okay to use?

Thanks all

I find cascades to be less forgiving the timing of picking than most other varieties I have grown (9 total). After reading what Hop_Dan (or someone) had to say about picking cascades, I believe I was always picking them too early. He said, wait to pick them until they smell exactly like the IPA you want to drink (or something like that - I'll find the post/quote). After reading this, I suspect I was always picking a little on the early side. There should be a little browning to the leaves in most growing environments and you should be sure to dry them very well. If you find that they are grassy then it would be indicative of picking too early; if you find them cheesy then it would be picking too late. Cheesy is no good; grassy I have found can be used anytime during the boil and you will avoid that grassy character but no dry hopping with them. The ultimate way of determining how they'll work for you is to try them in a batch and see for yourself - then you can adjust next year .

Here's the post I mentioned above:
https://www.homebrewtalk.com/showpost.php?p=6207728&postcount=53

Here's the quote:

GVH_Dan said:

Checking the feel of the hop cone can tell you if it is nearly ready but that's something that you learn with experience. The first year its pretty hard to pick that up. I tell people to use their nose and eyes. Cascade is the easiest. Don't pick them until the plant smells like your favorite IPA. The oils are one of the last things to fully develop, so don't pick until they smell good.

Also, look at the lupulin sack. It should be a little darker than school bus yellow. If it is lighter, its not ready.

Usually, when they look big and green, just like in beer commercials, they aren't ready yet. When they are ready, some of the bracts have started to turn brown and they aren't perfectly visually appealing. A lot of people complain about their homegrown hops not giving enough flavor because they haven't had a chance to develop all the oils and alpha acids.

Click to expand...

Here's the thread on drying hops:
https://www.homebrewtalk.com/showthread.php?t=415728

Edit:
Oh, and welcome to the board .

Thanks for the info. I don't think I picked too early although it is possible. I'm thinking it's more likely I picked too late. I picked the plants at different stages to try to get a feel for what actually works best for next year. The cascades were last, and as I harvested probably 5% of them were definitely past prime and unusable - brown all over and feel apart at any touch. Most of the good ones had some brown on them and the lupulin glands were dark yellow. I didn't notice any onion/garlic smell, though.

I'm thinking I'll use them as late additions and stick with the centennial/chinook for the dry hopping. Or maybe a split batch is in order.

Farnesene oil in hops is usually the grassy smell and it can be a vegetative smell, though I've never thought Brussel sprouts. It is the first oil to evaporate away, so if you had used heat, it would probably be gone. As it is, that smell will dissipate with time.

The onion/garlic smell is usually bad. It means oxidation. The exception are a few varieties that just smell that way, at least in the beginning. In those, the smells don't really appear in the final beer.