What should I do with 5 lbs of Cascade?

[GooberMcNutly]

No, these are Hops Direct, 6.9% Cascade hops. I grew 5 hops rhizomes this year and got almost enough hops to fill a pint jar. Maybe next year...

I have thought about splitting them up into 1 lb bags or 6 oz bags, vacuum sealing them and sending them into the BN if I thought that they could use them as a prize or something, but I refuse to be associated with "guess what number I am thinking of".

I was thinking of reserving some and letting them age, but I don't know if Cascade is really the style I want to be adding to my Lambics.

[DannyW]

You could donate some of those smaller packs to your homebrew club for raffle prizes. I've done that several times before (usually with equipment though) and it makes everyone happy - I clean out my garage a bit, the club can sell more raffle tickets, and someone goes home with a new gadget or gizmo that might inspire them to try something new.

I getting to love the randomness of raffle prizes. First time I won something it was at one of my first meetings it was Northern Brewer hops. I'd never heard of them. I asked what they were for and someone said "Steam beer!" I read up on the style, made some, and now it is in my regular rotation. Not sure when I would have gotten around to making it otherwise, in large part because Anchor Steam is often not very good here on the E Coast.

Later I won some corn, so made my first CAP. Another time I won some coriander, so made my first wit. Got some Polish hops that I never would have bought but now I'm familiar with them. The list goes on...

[GooberMcNutly]

So, what amount should I bag at a time. 6 oz? 8 oz? What is a good amount of Cascade to make a pale ale of sufficient hoppiness without coming up short or wasting any? I used 4 oz when I made my "worlds simplest pale ale":

Recipe Specifications
--------------------------
Batch Size: 5.00 gal
Boil Size: 6.90 gal
Estimated OG: 1.065 SG
Estimated Color: 4.4 SRM
Estimated IBU: 41.3 IBU
Brewhouse Efficiency: 75.0 %
Boil Time: 60 Minutes

Ingredients:
------------
Amount Item Type % or IBU
12.00 lb Pale Malt (2 Row) US (2.0 SRM) Grain 100.0 %
1.00 oz Cascade [5.50%] (60 min) Hops 19.4 IBU
1.00 oz Cascade [5.50%] (30 min) Hops 14.9 IBU
1.00 oz Cascade [5.50%] (10 min) Hops 7.0 IBU
1.00 oz Cascade [5.50%] (0 min) Hops -
1.00 items Whirlfloc Tablet (Boil 15.0 min) Misc
1.00 tsp Yeast Nutrient (Primary 3.0 days) Misc
1 Pkgs US-56 (Fermentis #US-56) Yeast-Ale


Mash Schedule: Brew In A Bag
Total Grain Weight: 12.00 lb
----------------------------
Name Description Step Temp Step Time
Brew In A Bag Add 8.50 gal of water at 158.8 F 154.0 F 60 min

But that is only 41 IBU and I know that some folks like to go much bigger.

[DannyW]

4oz, 6oz, 8oz doesn't really matter. It's "free" after all. I'd say go with whatever conveniently fits in whatever bag you have. Any of those amounts will get someone through one batch, and if not, they can blend with what they already have around or get another oz from the LHBS.