So, I dont like Cluster hops ...

[SouthBay]

Seriously, I think they kind of taste like feet.

Made a lager with US 2-row, Munich, and Vienna, using Saflager w34/70, and Cluster hops. I just hope this hot weather keeps up so I can down this brew.

 

[jonmohno]

hmmm.old hops.dont fret. I have many a good hop that i got screwed with it think, i cant say for certain feet,maybe vegetabaly. Did you smell feet when you opened them.Thanks for any feed back its a hop i havent used yet,it just sounds like a classic aged/old hop.It is usually buttery or cheesy like maybe even feet. Did you have good temps for bottleing/ferment? Not shure if i would come to conclusions with this-hop,but maybe some other peoples testimonies may help.
Did you lager/conditon properly?

 

[bierhaus15]

They can be a bit "catty" in large amounts, but never heard of em tasting like feet. I actually think they're nice in CAP and cream ales when used for bittering. Maybe there is something else going on...

 

[SouthBay]

Yeah, i'm thinking they must be old. I bought some in bulk a while back, and still had 6oz sitting around (in the freezer, but not vacuum sealed). So, i figured I'd make my version of a CAP (no corn, though). The beer is otherwise great, but every 3rd bottle or so has an off taste that is most definitely coming from the hops.

I've heard Cluster can smell like cat piss, but these smelled fresh-ish when i used them (it was a lager, so that was like 2-3 months back), and I didnt get that particular aroma at that point. Now, though, theres a faint hint of .... something. I think its kind of funky, but not cheesy. I'm going to chalk it up to the age of the hops AND the breed, and go with fresh Magnum next time

 

[GilaMinumBeer]

I think you are tasting the wrong feet.

 

[SouthBay]

I guess thats true. My point of reference is fairly limited, to only the feet i've tasted before. And maybe those feet taste like Cluster hops.

 

[GilaMinumBeer]

I guess thats true. My point of reference is fairly limited, to only the feet i've tasted before. And maybe those feet taste like Cluster hops.

Feet should washed before tasting.

Hops should be boiled first.

Confuse the two and you will know.

 

[SkinnyShamrock]

I agree with you. Never liked them either.

 

[Brewskii]

The exact character of oxidized hops is "cheesy" but it is sharp like sharp provolone. Incidentally, gym socks sometimes smell the same way as do the feet inside them.

I'm certain that your hops are oxidized. Get rid of them.

 

[SouthBay]

consider it done. Those dang hops will never rear their ugly toes in my brew kettle again!

 

[woeful_hopeful]

So, I brewed two beers in the last four months with cluster hops. Dry Irish stout and porter. Both were kits ordered from the same online distributor over a month apart. There is a strong flavor in both beers that I don't care for at all -- cheesy? Yes, perhaps. Not the description I would have come up with on my own, but I suppose it is actually cheesy, almost like bleu cheese.

In full disclosure, my first impression of the stout was that it was CRISP despite some residual sweetness (underattenuation). So I attributed the "crispness" to the hops. For a couple days, it seemed like a revelation that I like cluster hops. Then, I became more aware of the off flavor.

After a few more weeks and a few more beers, my satisfaction with the beer diminished and the cheesy [?] taste became a preoccupation. Was there contamination, I wondered? Then, upon trying the porter and discovering the same flavor, it occurred to me that cluster hops were a common element.

Is this the flavor of cluster hops generally? Or could both batches have been brewed with stale hops? I suppose the online distributor could have been working through the same stock more than a month apart. Of course, there could be something else wrong in my brewing process, but the only beers I've had this issue with (out of about 6 batches) were both brewed with cluster. Thoughts?

 

[GilaMinumBeer]

I am not fond of Chinook, but I've never tasted the aircraft to know if one represents the other.

 

[OswaldvW]

I recently brewed an Albany ale (old school cream ale) using only Cluster. I found it fit the style very nicely. I took the left over Cluster hops and actually dry-hopped one gallon of the Albany ale so I could really get into the flavor and aroma of the hops.

I don't think I would use them all the time, but I have used them for bittering in stouts with great success. They may make an interesting compliment to Nelson Sauvin hops in a dry-hopped American Pale Ale. I personally think there is a kind of durian/jackfruit quality to Cluster, so it doesn't surprise me at all that you think they taste/smell like feet.

Don't feel bad about disliking hops. Someone here on the forum doesn't like Fuggles, I personally don't like Summit. Just be glad we have dozens and dozens of hops to choose from.

 

[OswaldvW]

The exact character of oxidized hops is "cheesy" but it is sharp like sharp provolone. Incidentally, gym socks sometimes smell the same way as do the feet inside them.

I'm certain that your hops are oxidized. Get rid of them.

I have heard people say to save the old cheesy hops for a lambic, if you are interested in brewing that style of beer. I remember the first time I smelled cheesy hops. There was no doubt from the descriptions in books and online that the hops in my possession were over the hill.

 

[ba-brewer]

I made a blonde ale once that used only cluster hops and all was good until the last few bottles when I started to detect a ketchup like flavor. I dont recall the flavor in the beginning, but I am pretty sure it was not catty or cheesy.