Cascade Hops
The hop that defined American craft beer in the 1980s. Bright grapefruit, citrus peel and floral notes — most useful late in the boil, in whirlpool and dry hop.
| SKU | HW-H-CAS |
|---|---|
| Price | £4.50 / 100 g pellets |
| In stock | Yes |
| Origin | Yakima Valley, USA |
| type | dual-purpose hop |
| alpha acid percent | 6 |
| beta acid percent | 5.5 |
| cohumulone percent | 35 |
| total oil ml per100g | 1 |
| flavour descriptors | grapefruit, citrus, floral, light pine |
Cascade was bred at Oregon State University in 1956 and released in 1972; the modern American Pale Ale style (Sierra Nevada Pale Ale, in particular) made it famous a decade later. At 6% alpha it’s not a particularly efficient bittering hop, but the flavour and aroma payload at late additions is what people pay for.
How to use it
- First-wort or 60-min bittering: workable but inefficient — use 1.5-2× the grams of a higher-alpha hop to hit the same IBU
- 15-min flavour: brings citrus pith and floral notes forward
- Whirlpool / hop stand: the modern sweet spot for Cascade — preserves the volatile floral and citrus oils
- Dry hop: 1-3 g/L. Pairs especially well with Centennial.
Substitutions
If you can’t get fresh Cascade, Centennial is the closest substitute (slightly more pine and resin). Citra is more tropical; Amarillo is more apricot-and-orange.