Using cascades for a bittering hop?

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Billie

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Haven't brewed in years, so I'm getting back into it, starting with an APA. I also want to get a couple of pounds of hops. I don't want a half a dozen types around so I was thinking about Cascades for my APA but just read that they really don't make a good bittering hop. I will probably be making APA's and Kolesch's, so I would like just a couple of types of hops. Any thoughts?
 
I think the reason they aren't typically used for bittering is because they have low alpha acids. You can use them, you just need to use more.

I feel the same way about keeping less varieties of hops around. Centennial is my fav hop, they are similar in aroma and flavor to cascade and have high AA, so they work well for bittering also.
 
For the APAs - Perle, Columbus and high alpha Centennial Hops work well for bittering.
 
was going to mention columbus as well, I've only used them twice but was pleased with the results for sure.
 
I got a few ounces of Halertau Hercules (sp?) hops from a local Pro Brewer last year as a B-day gift. They were 17.9% and just sticky. I don't know where to get more of those except to ask him AGAIN for some. They were punch you in the face awesome.
 
Cascade is fine for bittering. If you're really pinching pennies maybe you want to get a higher AA hop for the bittering and save the cascade for late additions, but the cost difference is going to be pretty negligible and IMHO not really worth the hassle when looked at from a homebrew perspective.
 
Don't know if it's my water (Cleveland, OH) but for me, Cascades too early in the boil turn out harsh. I love them, but save em for the last 15, or less & especially, whole as a dry hop.

-d
 
Cascades have wonderful flavor and aroma. Why waste them as a bittering hop? The flavours & aromas will be boiled off. Get a nice general purpose bittering hop (e.g Magnum) and save your Cascades for the late additions :)
 
Cascades have wonderful flavor and aroma. Why waste them as a bittering hop?

For the same reason you would "waste" a high-alpha hop's bittering potential by using it as a late addition, or dry-hopping (think simcoe, chinook).

Each variety bitters and flavors differently. The "nature" of the bittering you'll get from cascades is unique to cascades. If you want that profile, you use cascades as your bittering hop. Not all bittering is equal, just as not all flavor is the same.

Bittering isn't just a means of reaching a certain IBU from AA's as fast as possible. You can change a beer's flavor dramatically with different bittering hops.
 
I made an all cascade APA and allthough I'm generaly pleased with the brew I think the Cascade as a bittering hop lent a strange harshness to it. I just happened to have a lot of Cascade on hand and didn't feel the need to buy any more hops. I won't do it again.
 
buffaloipa said:
I made an all cascade APA and allthough I'm generaly pleased with the brew I think the Cascade as a bittering hop lent a strange harshness to it. I just happened to have a lot of Cascade on hand and didn't feel the need to buy any more hops. I won't do it again.

Not saying that it couldn't have been the Cascade, but a lot of other factors affect harshness or perceived bitterness: malt bill, BU:GU ratios, whether or not you hit your intended gravity. water hardness, yeast strain, fermenting conditions.

I think Cascade is an excellent hop to use as bittering in an APA and you would be fine doing so. You can first wort it too for added aroma.
 
As others have mentioned, Cascade is fine for bittering, just need to use more. I like Centennial with Cascade because they are so similar, but this year's Centennial was so close to Cascade in AAU that I just bought a bunch of Cascade (6.9%). For bittering, I also like Summit, Warrior, or Galena - these go well with Cascade.
 
I have an 'all cascade' APA. I run first wort, then mid and end of boil, and then dry hop.
One of my favorite beers, the 'harshness' ages out very quickly. ie - when pulling hydrometer samples, it tastes almost 'vinyl-ly' but by the time you cold crash it, and carb it, its all gone.

I found when i started adding first wort hops to this beer, it gave a different flavor profile - i like it!
 
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