Used in a variety of NEIPAs, Sloop Brewing has been using Cashmere hops in a single-hop brand called “Cashmere Bomb,“ along in a complementary role in some of the New York brewery’s specialty IPAs.
“To me and most of our brew team, we find predominant peach/stone fruit notes with citrus undertones,” said Justin Taylor, co-founder and Chief Product Officer for Sloop. “We fell in love with it because we felt it had some Southern Hemisphere characteristics, but also carried the citrus flavor of the Pacific Northwest hops that everyone has grown to love.
“Finding something that brought these two great hop-growing regions together was very appealing to us.“
While Cashmere gives off some passionfruit and guava characteristics, it can be a very mild hop and Variant Brewing owner Matt Curling said it can be easily overwhelmed by other hops.
“This is why we decided to use Cashmere as a solo hop in our flagship so that it can really be the star of the show and exemplify the wonderful tropical fruit qualities that it creates when used correctly,” he said about the brand they succinctly named “Cashmere.”
Curling noted that Cashmere is a very unique hop that he feels has a very distinct passionfruit and guava character that isn’t replicated by any other hop currently available.
Other Half co-founder and Brewmaster, Samuel Richardson points out that Cashmere is great to work with in IPAs and Double IPAs because it is an interesting, easy to brew with, non-proprietary hop, which makes it a little easier to access for everyone.
“Cashmere is easy to brew with because it gives a lot of fruit character without resinous or bitter qualities,” Richardson said.
BREWER: What flavors/aromas did you expect … and didn’t expect from Cashmere? How did you use them to your advantage or have to alter the idea of the beer?
RICHARDSON: Cashmere really has what we call a “Fruity Pebbles” type flavor/aroma profile. Kind of a soft not clearly defined fruit character that could be a lot of things. I also get a candied lemon character off of Cashmere sometimes as well depending on the grower.
TONY GIORDANO, VÄSEN BREWING: The flavor that I didn’t expect was the strength of melon. But it is so distinct that it helps to separate it from other hop profiles with make the beers really unique.
CURLING: Of the common descriptors for Cashmere hops, coconut & melon come up quite a bit which I don’t personally get from our supply and use of Cashmere. I’d certainly be happy with a bit of coconut as I think it would be really complimentary to the tropical fruit that I do get from it, maybe used in conjunction with a little bit of Sabro could potentially highlight and bring out a bit more of a coconut aroma and flavor.
BREWER: Are there any technical challenges or tips you have for using Cashmere for someone that hasn’t used it yet?
GIORDANO: It acts really as I combination with other hops. By itself the melon flavor can take over a beer and some people are not a fan.
TAYLOR: We have not necessarily had any technical challenges, but we certainly save those incredible green nuggets for late additions … and don’t be afraid to go big. It’s considered a dual-purpose hop, and due to its low cohumulone levels you can expect a smooth bitterness – but as stated, we like to save them for late.
RICHARDSON: We find that Cashmere isn’t particularly aggressive so if you are looking for a big aggressive hop character it’s best to blend it with another variety that fits that bill. But if you want a soft fruity character, look no further.
BREWER: What do you feel are great complementary hops that go with Cashmere?
CURLING: Keeping in mind that certain strains of hops will drown out Cashmere if used in large amounts, I do believe that Mosaic and Motueka can be excellent complementary hops for Cashmere. Mosaic offers a bit of bright orange and tangerine citrus to go with the more tropical flavors of Cashmere. Motueka will highlight the passionfruit and guava and lend some lemon and lime undertones.
TAYLOR: Some great options that play well in the sandbox are Citra, Mosaic, Galaxy and Riwaka. We did a Cashmere and Citra Bomb back in March, and we’ve got a Cashmere and Simcoe combo coming up, which we’re pretty excited for.
BREWER: Do you have any ‘out of the box’ ideas for Cashmere that you want to share?
TAYLOR: I would love to dry hop with these in a brett IPA, sour beer, or with Phantasm Powder.
CURLING: We do a Variant of our Cashmere NEIPA that is fruited with passionfruit & guava puree that really just intensifies the wonderful aromas and character of the Cashmere hops and creates a complete juice bomb.
GIORDANO: I like to keep my ideas close to the chest but I’ll say that it could be good in a summer Lager.
Photo courtesy Robert Davidson, Sloop Brewing
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