Centennial IPA, brewed by the Bell’s Brewery, features Centennial hops from the Pacific Northwest. Centennial hops are well-known for their aromatic qualities and impart a pleasant floral, citrus and grapefruit character to the beer.
They provide hop bitterness, flavor and aroma to the beer, and are praised for their perfect balance of flavor, aroma and bitterness. Centennial hops can also offer hints of lily, orange blossom, spice and pine.
Centennial IPA combines these flavorful hops with several other hop varieties to produce a delicious beer with notes of citrus, floral and a pleasant hint of spice.
What beers are brewed with Centennial hops?
Centennial hops, also known as “Super Cascade” hops, are a popular variety of hops commonly found in American craft beers. The hop has a high alpha acid content and is used for bittering and flavoring beer.
Centennial hops impart a range of aroma and flavor components to beer including citrus, floral, spicy and grassy flavors. Generally, beers brewed with Centennial hops are American Pale Ales, India Pale Ale, Golden and Blonde Ales, American Wheat Beer, American Amber and Red Ales, American Brown Ale, European Lagers, and American Barleywine.
Some well known examples include Sierra Nevada’s Pale Ale, Surly Furious IPA, Allagash White, Sierra Nevada’s Torpedo Extra IP, Bell’s Two Hearted Ale, Deschutes Classic IPA, Great Lakes Edmund Fitzgerald Porter, Deschutes Mirror Pond Pale Ale, Rogue Hazlenut Brown Nectar, Mad River Steelhead Extra Pale Ale, Uinta Hop Nosh IPA, and New Belgium’s Voodoo Ranger IPA.
Is Centennial a bittering hop?
No, Centennial is not categorized as a bittering hop. Centennial is widely used for both aroma and flavor additions, however. This hop typically adds citrus and floral notes to beers, and the flavor profile offers notes of grapefruit, orange, and pine.
Centennial can be used for a variety of styles including IPA’s and Pale Ales, and it is a great hop for dry-hopping. It has a moderate alpha acid content ranging from 9.5–11.5%, which provides a good balance of aroma and bitterness.
Centennial is an all-purpose hop that provides great aroma and flavor, and it is a popular hop among craft brewers.
What can I use instead of Cascade hops?
When looking for an alternative to Cascade hops, you have a number of choices available. Some popular options include Centennial, Citra, Amarillo, and Simcoe hops. Each of these varieties has different characteristics, so you may want to experiment to find the best option for your recipe.
Centennial hops provide a citrusy flavor and aroma that’s similar to Cascade, along with notes of spiciness and pine. Citra hops provide a fruitier character with notes of mango and citrus. Amarillo hops have a spicy, floral, and citrusy flavor that’s very intense.
Finally, Simcoe hops have a strong presence of pine and subtle notes of citrus and tropical fruit.
It’s best to use your chosen alternative in combination with other hop varieties. This allows you to complement and enhance the flavors, while adjusting the intensity and adding complexity. When you’re deciding your hop bill, consider the bittering, flavoring, and aroma qualities each hop brings to your brew.
With trial and error, you’ll be able to find the ideal combination that works best for your beer.
What beers use Cascade hops?
Cascade hops are one of the most popular varieties used in beer, particularly in American-style ales. A number of craft breweries in particular use Cascade hops, especially those located in the Pacific Northwest.
Examples of beers that make use of Cascade hops include Sierra Nevada Pale Ale, Deschutes Fresh Squeezed IPA, Founders Pale Ale, Bell’s Two-Hearted Ale, and Lagunitas Little Sumpin’ Sumpin’ Ale. These beers are all characterized by citrusy notes, a hint of grapefruit, and a distinct floral aroma.
Other beers that use Cascade hops include Firestone Walker’s DBA, Odell’s IPA, Uinta’s Tilted Smile, and Elysian Space Dust. Additionally, a number of breweries are using Cascade hops to create their own signature brews.
Examples of these brews include Oskar Blues Deviant Dale’s IPA, Wicked Weed Freak of Nature, Allagash White, and Tröegs Pale Ale.
Is Cascade hops good for dry hopping?
Yes, Cascade hops are well known for their use in dry hopping, as their very aromatic and fruity character stands out well when added as a late addition to a beer. They are popularly used in American Pale Ales, IPAs and especially American Amber Ales, as the complexity and hoppy notes of Cascade hops can add additional layers of flavor to a beer.
The hop itself has a pretty distinct citrus and grapefruit character, with some bitterness and some floral characteristics. It’s important to note, however, that due to the hop’s volatile aromatic compounds, the flavor and aroma from dry hopping will fade a bit faster than other hop varieties, so it’s best used as a last minute addition.
What does Cascade hops taste like?
Cascade hops have a distinctive, vibrant flavor profile that is strongly citrusy, with prominent notes of grapefruit, orange, and pine. Its aroma is also quite zesty, with a slight earthy, spicy quality.
Cascade is often said to be the “flagship” of American hops due to its popularity in the craft beer scene. Its bright citrus-forward notes make it an ideal hop for pale ales and IPAs, where it can pair perfectly with the fruity qualities of the yeast.
In addition to its Citrusy aroma and flavor, Cascade hops can also provide some mild herbal or spice character and, if used late in the boil, a peachy flavor. It is also possible to achieve a subtle touch of bitterness if Cascade is used solely or predominately in the late addition of the brewing process.
All in all, Cascade hops provide a bright, vibrant, and distinctive aroma and flavor profile that can be used to great effect to create a wide variety of craft beers.
Can you dry hop with Centennial?
Yes, Centennial is a great hop to dry hop with. It has an intense aroma that is described as citrusy and floral, making it a popular choice for many beer styles such as IPAs, Pale Ales and even Porters.
Centennial hops have a reputation for being well balanced, meaning they won’t overpower a beer, but will still provide the expected hop flavor and aroma. When used late in the boil cycle the essential oils present provide the desired aroma with minimal bitterness.
When dry-hopping with Centennial, the flavor and aroma tend to become more expressive. It adds complexity to any type of beer. Although the most popular use for Centennial is hops, it can also be used as an aroma hop, bittering hop, or even as a whirlpool hop if needed.
How do you grow Centennial hops?
Centennial hops are a popular and versatile variety of hops that is primarily used to add bitterness and aroma to beer. To grow Centennial hops successfully, the hop plants will need to have adequate room to climb, plenty of sunlight and adequate water and nutrients.
When planting Centennial hops, make sure to position them in an area that will receive at least 6-8 hours of direct sunlight each day. If possible, choose an area that is slightly more elevated, since hops prefer well-drained soil.
Prepare the soil before planting and amend with plenty of compost and manure. Plant the rhizomes about 8 inches deep, spacing them roughly 8-12 feet apart in rows.
Once planted, use a trellis or netting system to give the hop vines something to climb upward on. Keep in mind that they can grow up to 30 feet in a single growing season, so make sure to use something durable and sturdy.
Train the hops to grow in a single direction and provide extra support where needed.
As the plants begin to grow, fertilize with a balanced 14-14-14 fertilizer. The hops need a balanced supply of nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium in order to perform well. Water deeply and consistently throughout the growing season, making sure that the soil never dries out completely.
During the hot summer months, you may need to water up to 4 inches per week.
To ensure optimal yields for your Centennial hops, take the time to properly prune and train the vines. This helps improve the quality of the hop cones and can help the plants reach their maximum yield potential.
After 3-4 years, the Centennial hops should be ready to harvest. To maximize the essential oils and resins, pick the cones when they reach full maturity and make sure to dry them quickly.
Is Saaz a noble hop?
Yes, Saaz is a noble hop. It is one of the four original varieties from Germany and Czech republic that are designated as noble hops. These four hops, Saaz, Hallertau, Tettnang, and Spalt, are known for their low bitterness and flavorful aroma.
Saaz hops specifically lend a mild, grassy and herbal flavor to beer with subtle spicy undertones. These hops are widely used for making Pilsners, Belgian-style ales, and German Lagers. They are also used in wheat beers, pale ales, and some other styles.
Their low bitterness and distinct hop character makes them a popular choice among brewers.
Do hops repel bugs?
Yes, hops can be used as natural bug repellents. Hops contain a compound called lupulin, which produces an odor that is unpleasant to some insects, such as mosquitoes and other biting flies. Hops are also a natural source of pyrethrins, which are compounds that can be used to repel and kill a variety of insects.
The oils from the lupulin and pyrethrins can be extracted from hops and used as a natural insect repellent. To make your own natural repellent, mix a few drops of hop oil with a carrier oil such as olive oil or almond oil and apply directly to skin.
The resulting repellent will repel those pesky bugs, but be sure to reapply after a few hours, as the oils tend to evaporate quickly. In addition to making your own repellent, there are also many other commercial hop-based repellents available.