NZ Grown Cascade Vs US Cascade

[JR]

Is there much difference between NZ grown Cascade hops and US grown Cascade hops?

[Stu McKinlay]

Price and availability. NZ ones are hard to get and expensive. US ones are impossible to get and outrageous!

As for taste... probably. I'll let you know if I can pick up much difference in a few weeks.

[jt]

Dunno Stu, I bought NZ Cascade pellets in June no problem. $32 for the kg from NZ Hops

Whole hops maybe different ?

[Stu McKinlay]

What harvest were they?
I tried to get some a month or so ago and they said they were out.

[jt]

It was the end of May that I got them.
I'll check the labels when I get home

[Stu McKinlay]

Actually, that was probably about the time I went looking.
I ended up getting some off Brendon. I let him drink some of the beer as a reward ;-)

[jt]

Ha ! Was that the American Porter ?

[Stu McKinlay]

Yep.

[jt]

Dam shame, loverly beer - I'd brew it but I don't think I have the patience to condition it that long

[Stu McKinlay]

Was only a few weeks old when you got it. I only had about 4L left by the time the party came around that I'd brewed it for. You could say it was well and truly tested by then.

Luckily I had a few other beers up my sleeve (including an American Mild that turned out to be a bit of a star showing - 50% yankee porter wort, 50% water fermented with US05).

[jt]

OK, for some reason I thought it was longer conditioned than that.

I might slip a small batch in when the kegs are in a healthy state. I've got the grain bill from your previous post, but what was the hopping schedule (if not a commercially sensitive secret) ?

[Stu McKinlay]

I'm not a secretive brewer. I find it odd that some brewers are. Chefs publish their recipes and it doesn't put them out of business.

Recipe is in the archives now (i.e. at home in my book) but I remember using 150g in 30L, to 50ibu, with a lot at the end (15, 10, 5 and 0min). Dry hopped warm for four days with 50g too. I always dry hop warm. I once did it cold and it was awful in comparison.

[Stu McKinlay]

25g 11.9%aa Sauvin at 60min
30g 5.6%aa Cascade at each of 20, 15,10, 5 and 0.

A little tartaric in the mash to acidify without hardening. Soft water allows all those hops without creating too much perceived bitterness. There was a fair bit of dark malt in too, so the mash would have been as acid as a late 80's dance party.

Remember, the more we share our best recipes the better the beer we all produce. This beer has never won anything. Throw in a little something JT to your effort.