"American hop" flavor

[bransona]

We've all seen the same descriptors on all sorts of American IPA's and other hoppy brews. "Piney. Citrus. Crisp." In the realm of Cascade/Centennial/Simcoe/etc, what do you all really taste?

While the occasional pine-y note comes through for me (see Devil's Backbone 8-point IPA), mostly they run a spectrum from orange peel to the rare-but-existent "cat pee" profile. I'm totally sick of Cascade-heavy flavors, but I like my Centennial SMaSH---it tastes like semi-sweet overripened orange peel. Simcoe sometimes gets the same orange peel flavor, but can head into kitty's litter box pretty quickly.

If you can provide commercial beers with good examples of particular flavors, please do!

 

[masskrug]

Chinook has a piney flavor. Think, Arrogant Bastard.
Simcoe is cat pee, but like the cat peed on a pine tree

 

[thehaze]

Chinook is piney and pretty grapefruitty and Ok smooth in IPAs, also for bittering. Simcoe is grapefruitty, a bit dank and resiny. Just like many other hops, it somewhat gives the " cat pee " flavour, but is not that bad.

Amarillo is really, really orangey/sweet tangerine, a bit citrussy and overall fruitty.

Centennial is flowery in a good way, but I seem to enjoy it more in beers like Red IPAs/ambers.

Cascade is citrussy, but more of a one way kind of hop. Can come of as boring, but more like one-sided.

 

[bransona]

Of course, how could I forget Chinook! My first ever brew was the NB Chinook IPA. Definitely grapefruit and a bit of pine in the bitterness.

See, I've heard/seen Centennial called floral a few times. While it does give me some floral nose, the flavor for me is all orange peel.

 

[thehaze]

I think Centennial works better for flavour when paired with another hop, but yes, I got floral from it, but it is not bad. I just feel it suits red/maltier beers better and works in IPA in conjunction with something else.

Chinook is definitely a very nice hop and pairs well in many styels and many hops.

Amarillo stands very good on its own in single hop beers or in heavier Amarillo infused ones. The orangey and sweet fruitty flavours, are a good base for many beer styles, from IPAs to Belgians and darker styles. Amarillo is also smooth/soft when and if used for bittering.

 

[C-Rider]

Wow, I'm really missing stuff w/my taste buds shot. At 75 I don't taste any of those piny, grapfruit flavors. I taste good, bad, hot cold, spicy hot. Same goes for cigars. I read reviews where they talk about all kinds of flavors and changes as the gar burns. Not me. Boo Hoo, old age sucks. LOL

 

[deadwolfbones]

With Centennial and Columbus I get serious weed flavor and a little citrus/pine. Cascade gives me more pine resin and citrus, less weed. Amarillo is certainly more orange (as opposed to grapefruit).

 

[helibrewer]

The "C" hops we usually use for bittering charges. Late hops are a variety of Citra, Amarillo, Cashmere, Simcoe, etc. I don't know why, but Simcoe has a lot of Bell Pepper for me.

 

[waldoar15]

Cluster is an old American hops. It's rough around the edges and I can't describe it any other way, but it's a decent bittering hop for something like a CAP.

 

[bransona]

The "C" hops we usually use for bittering charges. Late hops are a variety of Citra, Amarillo, Cashmere, Simcoe, etc. I don't know why, but Simcoe has a lot of Bell Pepper for me.

I always got a ton of bell pepper the first few year Equinox was on the market, but since then I just get papaya. Don't know if my tastes changed or the hop developed. I've certainly not had it from Simcoe!