Cascade is one of themanycultivars ofhops. Cascade hops are one of the most widely used hops bycraft breweries in the United States.[1]Cascade was the most widely planted hop by growers in the US for many years, before being surpassed byCitra hops in 2018.[2]
Cascade is a cultivar of hops developed in theUSDA breeding program atOregon State University by Dr. Stanley Nelson Brooks and Jack Horner. Developed during the 1960s, it was released as an American aroma variety in 1971. It originated from an open seed collection in 1956, including English Fuggle, Russian Serebrianka, and an unspecified male hop variety.[3] In addition to appealing flavor qualities, researchers were looking for resistance todowny mildew, a threat to hop yards. Cascade was named after theCascade mountain range that runs through the states ofWashington, Oregon, California and the Canadian province ofBritish Columbia. The hop variety was first used commercially in 1975 by theAnchor Brewing Company, which established it as a signature hop forAmerican pale ale. The plant is now grown in various places around theUnited States;British Columbia andAlberta,Canada;Argentina; and inTasmania;Victoria andNew South Wales,Australia.
A visual characteristic of the plant is its dark green elongated cones which contain moderate to somewhat high amounts ofalpha acids compared to many other hop types. The resultant aroma is of medium strength and very distinct. It has a pleasant, flowery andspicy,citrus-like quality with a slightgrapefruit characteristic. The hop is good for both flavor and aroma uses. It can also be used for bittering effectively, and can be used to make anyales, and indeed is characteristic ofAmerican pale ales, such as the classicSierra Nevada. It is also used in somelagers, for example Sam Adams '76.[4]
A variety of Cascade has beenpropagated inTasmania, Australia. It has similar resultant characteristics to the US variety. The Tasmanian variety contains lessmyrcene oil and morehumulene oil as well as other smaller differences.[5]
A variety of Cascade is also bred in New Zealand. Similarities exist between the US and New Zealand varieties with the NZ version described as citrus moving more toward grapefruit characteristics.Agronomic andterroir impact has been described as positive for the New Zealand type.[6] As of August 2016 Cascade grown in New Zealand is now referred to as Taiheke.[7]
| Property | Tasmanian variety[5] | American variety[1] |
|---|---|---|
| Yield (kg/ha) | 1,700–2,200 | 1,792–2,240 |
| Alpha acids (%) | 4.5–7.0 | |
| Beta acids (%) | 4.8–7.0 | |
| Alpha/beta ratio | 0.9–1.0 | |
| Cohumulone (% of alpha acids): | 33–40 | |
| Total oils (Mls. per 100 grams dried hops) | 0.7–2.0 | 0.7–1.4 |
| Myrcene (as % of total oils) | 22–35 | 45–60 |
| Caryophyllene (as % of total oils) | 2.6–2.7 | 3.5–5.5 |
| Humulene (as % of total oils) | 21–24 | 8–13 |
| Farnesene (as % of total oils) | 7–9 | 3–7 |
| Storage (% alpha acids remaining after 6 months storage at 20 °C) | 48–52 | |
| Possible substitutions | Centennial,Amarillo | |