Fresh Cascades & Stout??!?!

[dirt55]

One of my coworkers caught wind that I brew and bestowed upon me a large brown paper bag half full of cascade hops from their garden that they then dried at home. Great right? Well they LOVE stouts or anything "super dark." When I heard they were cascade my mind goes instantly to IPA, multiple hop additions, dry hopping, but NOT a stout.

So...
1st. It seems unusal to use such a floral/citrus hop in a stout. Am I wrong?

2nd. Because their homegrown I'm aware that the AA will vary and you should use them mostly for aroma additions. Are the AA always less then "standard" or do they sometimes go above? I'm ok with less IBUs, but since i'm doing it for someone else I'd hate to jack up the IBUs even though the stout would cover a large majority of it up.

Any help/ideas would be greatly appreciated. I also hear that cascades don't store well so I feel like i have a ticking hop time bomb!!

 

[frolickingmonkey]

American Brown Ale? That's more "dark" than "super dark" but the Cascades would fit the style guidelines if you're into that sort of thing...

Otherwise, I say throw caution to the wind and brew a Cascade Stout! There's always the Cascadian Dark Ale (Black IPA) as well...

The flavor/aroma addition usage of homegrown hops is a safe way to go, but lots of people also use them for bittering as well. It won't be exact, but if you target the middle of the AA% range for that hop variety (in this case 4.5%-8% range for Cascade, so 6.25%AA) to calculate your bittering addition, you'll probably make... wait for it... Beer!

Good luck!

 

[dfohio]

I'd say C-hops are favorly common in an American stout. I know Sierra Nevada uses a blend of Cascades and Willamette for the finishing hops in their stout.

I'd say if you take the average cascade AA% then you'll be fine. The IBU's won't vary too much from only aroma and flavor additions.

 

[dirt55]

thank you guys, I really appreciate the responses.

I guess "throwing caution to the wind" is what homebrewing is all about anyway!!!

 

[frolickingmonkey]

dfohio is absolutely correct about American Stout. From the BJCP style guidelines:

Aroma: Moderate to strong aroma of roasted malts, often having a roasted coffee or dark chocolate quality. Burnt or charcoal aromas are low to none. Medium to very low hop aroma, often with a citrusy or resiny American hop character. Esters are optional, but can be present up to medium intensity. Light alcohol-derived aromatics are also optional. No diacetyl.

Flavor: Moderate to very high roasted malt flavors, often tasting of coffee, roasted coffee beans, dark or bittersweet chocolate. May have a slightly burnt coffee ground flavor, but this character should not be prominent if present. Low to medium malt sweetness, often with rich chocolate or caramel flavors. Medium to high bitterness. Hop flavor can be low to high, and generally reflects citrusy or resiny American varieties. Light esters may be present but are not required. Medium to dry finish, occasionally with a light burnt quality. Alcohol flavors can be present up to medium levels, but smooth. No diacetyl.

 

[Jimmeh]

Rogue Shakespeare stout and Chocolate stout use 100% Cascade

 

[oswegan]

I used Chinook and Cascade in an attempt to clone Ninkasi Oatis. I missed the mark but ended up with a fantastic stout.

In fact, I saved one of the kegs that is now over 8 months old. I tasted in recently and it was beautifully mild with notes of pure vanilla.

(One secret I discovered in the process - Naked Golden Oats)

 

[dirt55]

you guys are awesome! Thanks for all the feedback. I went strait home after work and pulled out JZ's book and found his recipe for an American Stout and will replace the centennial with my harvested cascades....mmmmm....i'm thirsty.

PS...I looked up the Golden Naked Oats....sounds absolutely tasty! Will definately have to incorporate into one of my batches in the future.

 

[dirt55]

I hate to bring up an old thread, but I just wanted to say how much I appreciated your guys' help. It was easily one of my best brews and people who won't drink a stout kept asking for more bottles. Thanks again!

 

[david_42]

I hate to bring up an old thread

Never apologize for telling us how the beer turned out! There's so many threads when people don't. I suspect that's when things went really bad.

 

[marc06]

Got a final recipe???

 

[dirt55]

Yeah it's in my beersmith. I'll post it tomorrow morning when I get off work if I remember.

 

[dirt55]

Recipe: American Harvest Stout
Brewer: Chris
Style: American Stout
TYPE: Partial Mash

Recipe Specifications
--------------------------
Batch Size: 5.00 gal
Boil Size: 6.41 gal
Estimated OG: 1.072 SG
Estimated Color: 53.3 SRM
Estimated IBU: 39.0 IBU
Brewhouse Efficiency: 75.00 %
Boil Time: 60 Minutes

Ingredients:
------------
Amount Item Type % or IBU
6.00 lb Light Dry Extract (8.0 SRM) Dry Extract 60.00 %
1.50 lb Pale Malt (2 Row) US (2.0 SRM) Grain 15.00 %
1.00 lb Black Barley (Stout) (500.0 SRM) Grain 10.00 %
0.75 lb Caramel/Crystal Malt - 40L (40.0 SRM) Grain 7.50 %
0.75 lb Chocolate Malt (450.0 SRM) Grain 7.50 %
1.25 oz Northern Brewer [8.50 %] (60 min) Hops 32.9 IBU
2.00 oz Cascade [5.50 %] (5 min) Hops 6.1 IBU
1 Pkgs SafAle US-05 (Fermentis #US-05) Yeast-Ale


Mash Schedule: Single Infusion, Medium Body, Batch Sparge
Total Grain Weight: 4.00 lb
----------------------------
Single Infusion, Medium Body, Batch Sparge
Step Time Name Description Step Temp
60 min Mash In Add 5.00 qt of water at 165.9 F 154.0 F



Just remember that my hops were from a garden and they were air dried. Your IBUs may vary.