Cascade is one of the many varieties of hops

Hops

Hops are the female flower clusters , of a hop species, Humulus lupulus. They are used primarily as a flavoring and stability agent in beer, to which they impart a bitter, tangy flavor, though hops are also used for various purposes in other beverages and herbal medicine...

. Cascade hops are the most widely used hops by craft breweries in the USA.

History

Cascade is a variety of hop developed in the U.S.D.A.

United States Department of Agriculture

The United States Department of Agriculture is the United States federal executive department responsible for developing and executing U.S. federal government policy on farming, agriculture, and food...

 breeding program in Oregon

Oregon

Oregon is a state in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States. It is located on the Pacific coast, with Washington to the north, California to the south, Nevada on the southeast and Idaho to the east. The Columbia and Snake rivers delineate much of Oregon's northern and eastern...

 at Oregon State University

Oregon State University

Oregon State University is a coeducational, public research university located in Corvallis, Oregon, United States. The university offers undergraduate, graduate and doctoral degrees and a multitude of research opportunities. There are more than 200 academic degree programs offered through the...

 and released as a U.S. aroma variety in 1972. It originated from a cross between an American wind pollinated female Fuggles hop plant of English

England

England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...

 descent and a male Fuggles hop with Russia

Russia

Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...

n Serebrianker hop parentage.
In addition to appealing flavor qualities, researchers were looking for resistance to downy mildew

Downy mildew

Downy mildew refers to any of several types of oomycete microbes that are obligate parasites of plants. Downy mildews exclusively belong to Peronosporaceae. In commercial agriculture, they are a particular problem for growers of crucifers, grapes and vegetables that grow on vines...

, a threat to hop yards. Cascade was named after the Cascade mountain range

Cascade Range

The Cascade Range is a major mountain range of western North America, extending from southern British Columbia through Washington and Oregon to Northern California. It includes both non-volcanic mountains, such as the North Cascades, and the notable volcanoes known as the High Cascades...

 that runs through Washington State and Oregon.

Characteristics

A visual characteristic of the plant is its dark green elongated cones which contain moderate to somewhat high amounts of alpha acid

Alpha acid

Alpha acids are a class of compounds primarily of importance to the production of beer. They are found in the resin glands of the flowers of the hop plant and are the source of hop bitterness. Alpha acids may be isomerized to form iso-alpha acids by the application of heat in solution...

s compared to many other hop types. The plant is grown in various places around the United States of America and in Tasmania

Tasmania

Tasmania is an Australian island and state. It is south of the continent, separated by Bass Strait. The state includes the island of Tasmania—the 26th largest island in the world—and the surrounding islands. The state has a population of 507,626 , of whom almost half reside in the greater Hobart...

 Australia

Australia

Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...

Use in brewing

The resultant aroma is of medium strength and very distinct. It has a pleasant, flowery and spicy, citrus

Citrus

Citrus is a common term and genus of flowering plants in the rue family, Rutaceae. Citrus is believed to have originated in the part of Southeast Asia bordered by Northeastern India, Myanmar and the Yunnan province of China...

-like quality with a slight grapefruit

Grapefruit

The grapefruit , is a subtropical citrus tree known for its sour fruit, an 18th-century hybrid first bred in Barbados. When found, it was named the "forbidden fruit"; it has also been misidentified with the pomelo or shaddock , one of the parents of this hybrid, the other being sweet orange The...

 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 any ale

Ale

Ale is a type of beer brewed from malted barley using a warm fermentation with a strain of brewers' yeast. The yeast will ferment the beer quickly, giving it a sweet, full bodied and fruity taste...

s, and indeed is characteristic of American Pale Ales; used in some Lager

Lager

Lager is a type of beer made from malted barley that is brewed and stored at low temperatures. There are many types of lager; pale lager is the most widely-consumed and commercially available style of beer in the world; Pilsner, Bock, Dortmunder Export and Märzen are all styles of lager...

s.

Australian/Tasmanian Variety

A variety of Cascade has been propagated

Plant propagation

Plant propagation is the process of creating new plants from a variety of sources: seeds, cuttings, bulbs and other plant parts. Plant propagation can also refer to the artificial or natural dispersal of plants.-Sexual propagation :...

 in Tasmania

Tasmania

Tasmania is an Australian island and state. It is south of the continent, separated by Bass Strait. The state includes the island of Tasmania—the 26th largest island in the world—and the surrounding islands. The state has a population of 507,626 , of whom almost half reside in the greater Hobart...

, Australia

Australia

Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...

. It has similar resultant characteristics to the US variety. The Tasmanian variety contains less Myrcene oil and more Humulene

Humulene

Humulene, also known as α-humulene or α-caryophyllene, is a naturally occurring monocyclic sesquiterpene, which is a terpenoid consisting of 3 isoprene units. It is found in the essential oils of Humulus lupulus from which it derives its name. It is an isomer of β-caryophyllene, and the two are...

oil as well as other more minor differences.

Acid and oil breakdown

Property	Tasmanian Variety	American Variety
Yield (Kg/Ha)	1700 – 2200	1792 – 2240
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