What is your favourite American hop variety?

[YeastWhisperer]

I don't agree with Simcoe but each to there own

Simcoe and Citra have high levels of a compound known as mercapto-methyl-pentanone (4MMP), which many people perceive as unneutered mature male cat urine (a.k.a. tomcat). Simcoe's level of 4MMP is off of the charts to my nose. It smells like a crazy cat lady's house. The compound 4MMP is somewhat unique to American hop cultivars.

[seymour]

Simcoe and Citra have high levels of a compound known as mercapto-methyl-pentanone (4MMP), which many people perceive as unneutered mature male cat urine (a.k.a. tomcat). Simcoe's level of 4MMP is off of the charts to my nose. It smells like a crazy cat lady's house. The compound 4MMP is somewhat unique to American hop cultivars.

Yikes, mate! People lob the ol' cat piss accusation all the time, but now you're bringin' in the jizz too?! Gross.

Seriously, though, I know what you mean. Those are hops which people seem to instantly love or hate, probably based upon their receptiveness to that compound you mentioned, and their associations with that compound. I love em'. To me they are definitely strong, coarse, funky, dank ganja-ish, maybe even musky, but in an enjoyable way provided a strong enough malt backbone underneath too. I know they are the opposite of a clean, smooth, refined noble hop impression, and I've definitely learned to dial them back in beers which aim for mass appeal. For the record, I've smelled the crazy cat lady house smell, and it's not the same to me; it's not that people who enjoy Simcoe hops necessarily enjoy cat piss too.

Yeast Whisperer, when it comes to our differing taste sensitivities, it sounds like Cluster is a sweet spot we can agree upon; possessing a fair measure of the funkiness and the nobility, no?

[beer gut]

well guys you learn something new everyday, I really did not know about the 4MMP issue. I find Citra a bit sweet on the bitterness front so I normally use citra for aroma and something else for bitterness. I want to use cluster one day it's a old variety but seems to be very popular, I was told it's similar to Galena and that is a nice hop especially in darker heavier styles of ale.

[YeastWhisperer]

I want to use cluster one day it's a old variety but seems to be very popular, I was told it's similar to Galena and that is a nice hop especially in darker heavier styles of ale.

Cluster is actually the oldest continuously grown hop in America. It dates back to the colonial period. Cluster is believed to be the result of Dutch and/or English hops cultivars hybridizing with native hops. Terroir plays a huge role in Cluster. It can be "catty" if grown on the wrong soil. Puterbaugh Farms (Hops Direct) grows excellent Cluster. I planted Early Cluster in my hop yard last fall.

[beer gut]

What styles of ales have you brewed using cluster? I have Indian brown ale planned this year using Simone for bitterness and Anthumn and cluster for aroma.

[YeastWhisperer]

I have used Cluster as a kettle (bittering) hop for many different styles. I recently made an all-Cluster IPA with Puterbaugh Farms Cluster that was fantastic (there's a craft brewery in the U.S. that brews an all-Cluster IPA called Cluster [censored] IPA). I made kettle, last five minutes of the boil, and twenty minute hopstand additions. The hopstand was performed at 77C. I did not know that Cluster could be that aromatic. It's definitely the original "C" hop.

[jack_c]

Citra for aroma, Simcoe to bitter. Love the cat piss flavours! (drinking that mix as I type)

[barry44]

Centennial, i love it.

Still to try a single hop though.

[beer gut]

Well cluster will be going on my next hop order, which I will use in my American brown ale. I have just read cluster is good in a ESB.

[seymour]

Well cluster will be going on my next hop order, which I will use in my American brown ale. I have just read cluster is good in a ESB.

Cluster's good in pretty much everything, and your English brewing forefathers have been using them for generations too. Anytime you read those old brew logs Ron Pattinson shares in his Shut Up About Barclay Perkins blog and book series, when they list "American" think: Cluster, because that's all there was back then.

Like YeastWhisperer, it's been a beloved go-to hop for me too. Did you taste any of those single-hop IPA series that Danish brewer Mikkeller brewed a few years ago? Cluster was my favourite of all, which was really surprising. Here's my ratebeer rating:

Mikkeller Hop Series Cluster
4.2 out of 5 (Aroma 8 out of 10, Appearance 4 out of 5, Taste 8 out of 10, Palate 4 out of 5, Overall 18 out of 20)
Tasted from bottle into snifter glass. Poured a thick, medium amber color with truly astounding head retention and lace. Seriously, I gave up waiting and just drank through the foam, and it still persisted long after the beer was gone. As far as the grainbill and resulting malt-sweetness are concerned, the aromas and flavors are typical of well-crafted American IPAs, which is to say: bready, toasty, caramelly, delicious. Obviously, the main point here is the hops profile. It had a pleasing, spicy, flowery aroma, very nice. Flavors of tart green apple skin, tangy, citrus-rind bitterness, but much less-so than trendier American super-alpha hop varieties, and definitely not grapefruity like Cascades. More layered than smooth, per se. Somewhat wilder and rougher than noble hops, but despite many detractors' claims (who I insist have never observed any undesirable effects of Cluster for themselves, but simply perpetuate the diatribe) there was certainly no skunk, cat-piss, ammonia, etc. I’d describe these hops as "manlier" than those sissy European aromatic flowers. Cluster was the main, some would say only, hops grown in the USA for generations. Since American macro beer was often badly brewed, badly packaged, spoiled by age, oxidation, ultraviolet, and so on, the hops component has been unfairly accused as a nasty perpetrator. This beer disproves that falsehood. Medium body, surprisingly full, even "chewy" mouthfeel, sparkling carbonation. Lasting fruity, bitter aftertaste which eventually faded to dryness. I love the single-hop concept, the cool way they isolate the hops variable, enabling us to refine our palettes. I like the simplicity of the name and label. In every way, Mikkeller’s presentation reveals his homebrewer DNA. Even if Mikkeller Cluster wasn’t part of a gimmicky experiment, but was marketed as a standalone strong IPA brand, it would be one of my favorites in the style. Malty and hoppy, complex, tasty. Great with a meal, holds its own against bold, rich food. Highly recommended.

[beer gut]

That's a very interesting read.

[seymour]

That's a very interesting read.

Thanks. I don't mean to hijack this thread and make it all about Cluster hops, but here's one more tidbit: I recently brewed this Legacy Hoppy Wheat, which is currently being dry-hopped. YeastWhisperer and I believe that Puterbaugh Farm/Hops Direct's "new" Legacy hops are simply a rebranding of their underrated Cluster hops.

[YeastWhisperer]

I actually believe that Legacy may be a clonal selection of a Cluster plant with good agronomics and flavor. I had a conversation with one of the owners shortly after Peterbaugh Farms established Hops Direct back in the early 00s. I was amazed to discover how long the family had been growing hops. They literally grew Cluster for generations before they started to grow the modern American cultivars. Their Cluster is the best that I have ever used.

I concur with the assessment above. Cluster is definitely a "manly" hop. It has a rough-hewn edge that plays well in big beers where an assertive hop is needed. The citrus quality is more lemon than grapefruit. Cluster is also spicier than the other American "C" hops. Regardless of what its detractors say, Cluster has been the backbone of the North American brewing industry since we were colonies of other countries. No hop cultivar lasts that long without having positive brewing attributes.

[beer gut]

Well I am from UK and have been told many times that Europe grows only girly sissy hops unlike the manly hops from America in some cases I would agree but I wouldn't use girly sissy to describe English and European hops I would use refined, maybe at a push regal. Good thread this one

[scuppeteer]

Well I am from UK and have been told many times that Europe grows only girly sissy hops unlike the manly hops from America in some cases I would agree but I wouldn't use girly sissy to describe English and European hops I would use refined, maybe at a push regal. Good thread this one

Certainly refined BG. The best example of the English Terroir is Cascade, the over rated and overused American hop! The English grown one is much more subtle and gives the same flavours to a beer without smelling of Cat Piss when you open a bale. Its just nicer!

As for my favourite's probably El Dorado and Equinox. Yes they are punchy but aren't so in your face as the 'C's. Centennial is great but you might as well drink a bottle of air freshener and as for Citra, well I just don't get it.