Centennial Hops: The Dual-Purpose ‘Super Cascade’ Variety

History of Centennial Hops

Centennial is the third hop that makes up the trio known as the “Three Cs” hops; the other two being Cascade and Columbus, though many consider Chinook a “C” hop and have expanded the grouping to include it. These hops are grouped together because they most represent the original flavor and aroma profile of the American craft beer revolution.

Centennial is a newer hop. It was breed (first known as CFJ90) two years after Cascade had already been released to the public in 1972, and it would not be released on to the open market until 1990.

It was bred at the USDA hop breeding facility in Processer Washington and has a genetic composition of 3/4 Brewers Gold, 3/32 Fuggle, 1/16 East Kent Golding, 1/32 Bavarian, and 1/16 an unknown variety.

It is often referred to as a “Super Cascade” because its aroma is somewhat like cascade — though considered less grapefruity — but has a higher bittering potential.

Few of the large macro breweries of the time found much use for Cascade much less the higher alpha Centennial. With no market for it, Centennial came close to being thrown out as a salable variety, but then the craft beer scene flickered into life and adventurous brewers took notice of the high alpha hop.

Its popularity has grown ever since. The last few years, especially, has shown a shift away from bittering for bittering’s sake and towards those dual purpose hops that have excellent aroma/flavor profiles.

The June 2015 hop acreage report shows Centennial as one of the top 5 gainers of acreage. Washington has always been the home of Centennial hops with 3,770 acres dedicated to the variety in 2015, compared to 679 acres in Oregon and 265 acres in Idaho.

At least part of the reason for this uneven distribution is found in this Hoptalk article. Much of the hop cold storage capacity is centered in Washington. High alpha-acid hops like Centennial need to be harvested and processed into cold storage as quickly as possible because of increased risk of combustion in these hotter bales.

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How to Grow & Brew Centennial Hops

Unlike other varieties, Centennial rhizomes are available for you to purchase and grow on your own. However, if you plan on growing your own hops, we would recommend that you check out our hop growing article.

Before you choose or buy hop rhizomes to grow, we would always recommend talking to other local growers or your local brewing supply shop to get some further info on which hop varieties grow well in your area.

General Characteristics:

• Climate — Most climates are suitable
• Growth Rate — Moderate and neat
• Yield — Good
• Cones — Medium sized, dense
• Maturity — Mid-season
• Susceptible To — Hop Mosaic Virus (HpMV)
• Resistant To — Somewhat resistant to powdery mildew and verticillium wilt
• Ease of Harvest — Good
• Storage — Moderate (loss of 40% to 45% of alpha acids after 6 months a 20°C)

Sensory Description:

Centennial is similar to Cascade with aromas of pine, mild citrus, and some floral notes. It has a clean, bright bitterness.

Use:

Centennial is considered a dual purpose hop with good aromatic qualities and high alpha acid. It can be used as a stand-alone hop or as part of a blend and is often used for dry hopping.

Can Substitute With/For These Hops:

Below is a list of hop varieties that are general substitutions for Centennial hops. While they are not perfect clones in any respect, you can still use them in its place. Each hop variety is unique in some way, so do not expect the exact same beer you’d get by using Centennial hops.

Obviously this goes the other direction too, using Centennial as a sub for one of the below listed hops.

• Cascade
• Amarillo
• Chinook
• Simcoe

Common Beer Styles Using U.S. Centennial Hops:

• Pale Ale
• Amber Ale
• American IPA
• American Blonde
• American Stout
• American Wheat
• Double IPA
• Barley Wine
• Red Ale

Commercial Examples:

The following beers are great examples of beers that use this hop variety within their recipe, either exclusively or combined with other varieties. I would recommend giving them all a try to help give you a better idea of how Centennial hops help give each beer its unique flavor and aroma.

Uses Only Centennial Hops:

• Two Hearted Ale from Bell’s Brewing Company
• Centennial IPA from Founders Brewing Company
• Centennial Single Hop IPA from Mikkeller

Combines Centennial With Other Varieties:

• Big Eye IPA from Ballast Point Brewing Company — Uses Columbus and Centennial
• Hellhound On My Ale from Dogfish Head Brewing Company — Dry hopped with Centennial
• Red Chair North West Pale Ale from Deschutes Brewing Company — Uses Cascade and Centennial
• Vagabond Pale Ale from BrewDog — Uses Amarillo and Centennial

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