Cascading Effect by Reuben's Brews: the hops, explained

What it'll taste like

Passionfruit ×3
Berry ×2
Grapefruit ×2
Blackcurrant
Cannabis
Citrus
Dank
Elderflower
Floral
Gooseberry
Guava
Lavender

What the 5 hops smell like, most shared first — from the hop growers' and breeders' own notes, not the brewery's. 5 from USA.

The hop bill

Comet
USA

Orchard fruit, Elderflower, Passionfruit, Gooseberry, Guava

Bitterness High 8–12.4% α

Aroma oil 1–2 mL

Grown 2025: 209 ac Washington
Citra
USA · Dual purpose

Passionfruit, Mango, Grapefruit, Citrus, Tropical fruit, Lime

Bitterness High 11–14.3% α

Aroma oil 2.2–2.8 mL

Mostly myrcene 60%, humulene 12%

Grown 2025: 5,327 ac Washington · 1,525 ac Oregon · 729 ac Idaho
Strata
USA

Passionfruit, Strawberry, Grapefruit, Cannabis, Dank

Bitterness Very high 12–15% α

Aroma oil 2.3–3.5 mL

Mostly myrcene 63%, humulene 28%

Grown 2025: 326 ac Oregon
Audacia
USA · Aroma

Blackcurrant, Berry, Floral, Lavender, Rose

Bitterness Moderate 5.5–8% α

Aroma oil 1.1–1.5 mL
Meridian
USA · Aroma

Mint, Berry, Lemon, Pineapple

Bitterness Moderate 5–6.5% α

Aroma oil 1.1–1.6 mL

Mostly myrcene 73%, humulene 19%

In the order Reuben's Brews lists them: Comet, Citra, Strata, Audacia, Meridian. From the brewery's page for this beer. Forms like Cryo and CO2 extract are the same variety processed differently.

Beers like this one · the closest hop bills on file

Sticky Notes: Fresh Hop Extra Pale Ale Reuben's Brews · shares Strata, Audacia, Meridian
Haze Squared Reuben's Brews · shares Comet, Citra, Strata
Pale Ale Chuckanut Brewery · shares Comet, Strata
Wetabout Us? Cloudburst Brewing · shares Comet, Citra
Picking Window Fresh Hop Pale (Collaboration with Varietal Beer Co.) Stoup Brewing · shares Comet, Citra

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New to hop talk? What these words mean

Bitterness (alpha acid): How much bite a hop gives when it's boiled. Under 5% is gentle, 13%+ is a bruiser. It's why a West Coast IPA snaps and a pilsner doesn't.
Aroma oil: The smelly part of the hop — where the citrus, pine and tropical fruit come from. More oil, more punch when it's added late or dry-hopped.
Myrcene, humulene…: The main oils. Lots of myrcene reads fruity and resinous; humulene and caryophyllene read woody, herbal, spicy.
Aroma / bittering / dual purpose: What brewers mostly use the hop for: smell, bite, or both.
Fresh (wet) hop: Hops straight from the field into the beer, same day, never dried. Only at harvest, late August into October.
Cryo, CGX, LupoMax, Incognito: The same hop, processed: concentrated powder or extract, for more aroma with less vegetal taste.

In Brooks’s glass

Brooks hasn’t had this one yet.