Separating Cascade and Centennial...

Discussion in 'Homebrewing' started by jbakajust1, Sep 6, 2013.

Thread Status:
Not open for further replies.
  1. jbakajust1

    jbakajust1 Pooh-Bah (2,552) Aug 25, 2009 Oregon
    Pooh-Bah

    I have a Cascade plant and a Centennial plant that have grown together and created a huge glob of hop matter. I got the bines from another grower who grew them way too close and chopped them down together and gave them to me, not my doing. No way to know where one ends and the other starts. How can I tell them apart? I was able to separate the Chinook from the Willamette and Galena easily, but the Cascade and Centennial is a little more difficult. Any particular tips? Smell is hard since they are so close.

    Thanks,
     
    #1 jbakajust1, Sep 6, 2013
  2. premierpro

    premierpro Savant (1,060) Mar 21, 2009 Michigan

    Your over thinking this. Keep them together and call them Cascenial! They play nice together!
     
    #2 premierpro, Sep 6, 2013
    pweis909, skivtjerry and inchrisin like this.
  3. inchrisin

    inchrisin Pooh-Bah (2,013) Sep 25, 2008 Indiana
    Pooh-Bah

    Do you have any guesses for the AA on either? If you know both I'd just mix them together and take the average.
     
    #3 inchrisin, Sep 6, 2013
  4. jbakajust1

    jbakajust1 Pooh-Bah (2,552) Aug 25, 2009 Oregon
    Pooh-Bah


    I typically just calculate them on the just below the average AA on the spec sheets. So if the USDA hop data forms says Cascade is 6.2% over 10 year avg I will assume it to be around 5.8%, and Centennial is 9-12% so I will go with 10% for them. I've been picking them together and will dry and package them that way.
     
    #4 jbakajust1, Sep 6, 2013
    inchrisin and MLucky like this.
  5. inchrisin

    inchrisin Pooh-Bah (2,013) Sep 25, 2008 Indiana
    Pooh-Bah


    :flushed: I've never grown hops before, but I guess I just thought of it. If you use them right you don't have to worry that much about the AA anyway. They should be used at the end of the boil and for dry hops.
     
    #5 inchrisin, Sep 7, 2013
  6. jmich24

    jmich24 Initiate (0) Jan 28, 2010 Michigan

    In my experience Cascade has a longer tighter cone and Centennial is a bit more round and fluffy. Centennial get riper much faster than cascade also in my experience.
     
    #6 jmich24, Sep 7, 2013
    jbakajust1 likes this.
  7. skivtjerry

    skivtjerry Pooh-Bah (1,865) Mar 10, 2006 Vermont
    Pooh-Bah

    Cascade tends to have longer cones. Cascade leaves are rounder and darker than Centennial, on average, but it can be tough to separate sometimes. My Cascades have much more vigorous growth than Centennial, especially in the spring, but you're in a different climate so YMMV. Maybe get cones of each from a store and compare the aroma to yours (again, will be tough with fresh hops).
     
    #7 skivtjerry, Sep 7, 2013
  8. pweis909

    pweis909 Grand Pooh-Bah (3,250) Aug 13, 2005 Wisconsin
    Pooh-Bah

    To zero in on bitterness, one could do some tasting experiements. For example, take a high alpha hop like magnum and boil some known mass in a known volume of water. Do the same with the homegrown hop. Compare by taste. To be more quantitative, figure out the dilution ratio required to make the magnum similar to the home grown, and use the ratio to estimate AA%. I've never done it, but I believe this approach has been employed by others.
     
    #8 pweis909, Sep 7, 2013
    inchrisin likes this.
  9. skivtjerry

    skivtjerry Pooh-Bah (1,865) Mar 10, 2006 Vermont
    Pooh-Bah

    Also, the resins in Cascade tend to clump together in little balls while it's more evenly distributed through most other cones.
     
    #9 skivtjerry, Sep 7, 2013
  10. jncastillo87

    jncastillo87 Initiate (0) Jan 27, 2013 Texas

    send them all to me ill tell you how it tastes in my beers !
     
    #10 jncastillo87, Sep 7, 2013
Thread Status:
Not open for further replies.