Overview
Bred from a mix of European varieties, Centennial is a classic craft brewing hop and one of the standby dual-purpose varieties of the industry. Centennial is characterized by its clean, sharp notes of pine and citrus, as well as floral overtones. Vermont Centennial has varied over the last three years, featuring bright and zesty lemon-lime notes in 2020, which were replaced by darker fruit and berry notes in 2021. Our 2022 Centennial is a nice mix of both. Vermont Centennial is an excellent choice for the IPAs that made it famous and can also be used in combination with some of our other varieties to form a local substitute for the proprietary Citra behemoth!
Centennial Hop Profile: Aroma & Flavor
As a variety, Centennial is generally characterized by pine, citrus, and floral aroma notes. Its flavor profile is bright, clean, and sharp (bitter). Centennial occupies a similar territory to Cascade, but with more bittering oomph.
Our Vermont Centennial has shown sweet notes of berry and dark fruit along with bright lemon and herbal notes. Our 2020 Centennial has more citrus/herbal notes and our 2021 Centennial has more of the dark fruit notes that are typical of the variety.
Centennial Hop History
Released in 1990 by Washington State University, Centennial was named after the centennial of the state’s founding. It was a mix of Brewer’s Gold, Fuggle, East Kent Golding, Bavarian, and an unknown variety.
One of the classics of the craft beer boom in the US, Centennial is a notably high AA (alpha acid) variety which makes it ideal for bittering without losing an interesting aroma profile (similar to Cascade in sensibility, but a little more intense).
It’s a true dual-purpose hop which has continued in popularity since its emergence on the market. Centennial hops can be combined with some of our other core varieties to substitute for Citra due to its high levels of the essential oils linalool and geraniol!
Beers that use Centennial hops
IPAs (NE and West Coast), Amber Ale, American Blonde, Pale Ale, Saison, Red Ale, Wheat Ale
When to add Centennial hops
Centennial is a dual-purpose variety, so it can be used at any stage of the brewing process. Dry hopping with Centennial can add a lot of great flavor and aroma to IPAs. It is commonly used both on its own and as part of a hop blend.
What hops go well with Centennial?
Simcoe, Cascade, CTZ, Amarillo, Chinook, Citra
Centennial hop substitute options
Cascade, Chinook, CTZ, Amarillo, Simcoe
