Nelson Sauvin Hop
| Purpose: | Aroma |
|---|---|
| Country: | New Zealand (NZ) |
| International Code: | NSN |
| Cultivar/Brand ID: | 85-03-06 |
| Ownership: | ™ NZ Hops Ltd. |
| Comparison | Compare with other hops |
Purchase Nelson Sauvin Hops
Nelson Sauvin hops are available to be purchased at multiple suppliers. We've conveniently linked to the most popular hop suppliers as well as Amazon.com. Every supplier may have different prices, harvest years and amounts available for purchase.
Origin and Geneology of the Nelson Sauvin Hop
Nelson Sauvin is a triploid variety developed at Hort Research, Riwaka Research Centre from a Smoothcone and NZ male cross. It was first released in 2000.
New Zealand hops begin to be harvested in late February or March and continues through to early April.
Flavor & Aroma Profile of Nelson Sauvin Hops
Nelson Sauvin is an aroma hop that is typically used in only late boil additions, including dry hopping.
The Nelson Sauvin hop aroma descriptors include distinctive white wine characters along with fruity flavors, such as fresh crushed gooseberry and grape. The essential oil profile displays characteristics of fresh crushed gooseberries, which is a descriptor often used for the grape variety Sauvignon Blanc, which is the reason for this variety's name.
This is a hop that may require efficient application in the brew house, this truly unique dual-purpose variety can be used to produce big punchy Ales as well as subtle aroma driven Lagers. The fruitiness may be a little overpowering for the uninitiated, however those with a penchant for bold hop character will find several applications for this true brewer's hop.
Read More: Southern Hemisphere Hops: Superlatives Edition
Tags: #white_wine #fruity #gooseberry #grapes #sauvignon_blanc
Brewing Values for Nelson Sauvin Hops
These are the common ranges that we've seen with Nelson Sauvin hops over the years. Each year's crop can yield hops that have slightly different qualities, so these number ranges are based on history.
| Alpha Acid % (AA) Alpha acids are the main source of bitterness in beer. Longer boil times will result in isomerization of more alpha acids leading to increased bitterness. Learn more » | 10-13%11.5% avg |
|---|---|
| Beta Acid %Beta acids are a component of hop resins responsible for contributing volatile aromatic and flavor properties. Beta acids contribute no bitterness. | 5.0-8.0%6.5% avg |
| Alpha-Beta RatioThe ratio of alpha to beta acids dictates the degree to which bitterness fades during aging. 1:1 ratios are common in aroma varieties. | 1:1 - 3:12:1 avg |
| Co-Humulone as % of AlphaLow cohumulone hops may impart a smoother bitterness when added to the boil as opposed to higher ones that add a sharper bitterness to the final beer. Learn more » | 20-25%22.5% avg |
| Total Oils (mL/100g)These highly volatile, not very soluble oils are easily boiled off, but add flavor and aroma to the finished beer when added very late in the boil or during fermentation. Learn more » | 0.8-1.5 mL1.2mL avg |
| Total Oil Breakdown: | |
| › MyrceneFlavors: resinous, citrus, fruity (β-myrcene) | 20-45%32.5% avg |
| › HumuleneFlavors: woody, noble, spicy (α-caryophyllene) | 25-37%31% avg |
| › CaryophylleneFlavors: pepper, woody, herbal (β-caryophyllene) | 6-11%8.5% avg. |
| › FarneseneFlavors: fresh, green, floral (β-farnesene) | 0-1%0.5% avg |
| › All OthersIncluding β-pinene, linalool, geranoil & selinene | 6-49% |
Hop Pairings with Nelson Sauvin Hops
Some hops just taste better together. We recently analyzed [1] hundreds of the most popular beers to find which hops are commonly paired together. We found that Citra, Simcoe, Strata, Mosaic, Galaxy, Pacific Jade & Motueka hops are commonly used alongside the Nelson Sauvin hop. This is not a complete list, but should give you a good idea of what hops are commonly used together.
Here is the relative frequency of the top 7 hops that are used with Nelson Sauvin:
Beer Styles using Nelson Sauvin Hops
Some popular beer styles that make use of the Nelson Sauvin hop include American Ale, Lager & IPA.
Nelson Sauvin is also sometimes featured as a single hop in beers to highlight its unique flavors and aromas. It can be added either as a fresh hop, or via hop pellets. Some popular examples of commercial beers that use 100% Nelson Sauvin hops in their recipes are Alpine Nelson IPA, Hill Farmstead Nelson Single Hop IPA, Dogfish Head I Heard You Like Nelson & Anchor Brewing Humming Ale.
Nelson Sauvin Hop Substitutions
If the Nelson Sauvin hop is hard to find or if you are simply out of it on brew day, you can try to substitute it with a similar hop. The old way of choosing replacement hops was done by experience and "feel". There is nothing wrong with that way. However, we wanted to build a data-driven tool to find your Nelson Sauvin substitutions.
Experienced brewers have chosen the following hop varieties as substitutions of Nelson Sauvin:
Is Nelson Sauvin available in lupulin powder?
Unfortunately, there is no lupulin powder version of the Nelson Sauvin hop. Neither Yakima Chief Hops (Cryo/LupuLN2), Haas (Lupomax) or Hopsteiner have created versions of this hop variety in lupulin powder form yet. Too bad too - it is pure hop lupulin powder, which leads to huge, concentrated flavor when used in the whirlpool or dry hop additions.
Nelson Sauvin Hop Statistics
We love statistics. We've analyzed hundreds of IPAs, dug into the Hop Growers of America's annual reports[2] and researched the history behind some of the most popular beer ingredients. Here are a few of the things we've found interesting about the Nelson Sauvin hop:
- In 2019, 1,041 metric tonnes of Nelson Sauvin hops were harvested, making it the most grown hop in New Zealand.
- Many hop farms in New Zealand are at least 50% Nelson Sauvin hops. Many farmers are able to retire off this hop.
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