Admiral → Challenger
last-resort matchUse 1.88× the weight for the same bitterness
alpha acids 14.6% → 7.75% · 0% aroma match
- Loses
- Orange, Tea, Fresh, Pine, Citrus, Resin, Herbal
- Adds
- Cedar, Green, Fruity
United KingdomAdmiral substitutes
Proven alternatives to Admiral and hops with a similar aroma profile. Pick by availability, price or country of origin.
Direct substitutes
3
Challenger
United KingdomDual purpose1972IPAAPAPils
Alpha acid6.5–9%
Beta acid3–4.5%
Total oil1–1.7 mL
CedarGreenFruity
Northdown
USADual purpose8230IPAAPAPils
Alpha acid7–10%
Beta acid4–5.5%
Total oil1.2–2.5 mL
FloralPineCedarBerry+1
Target
United KingdomBittering1992IPAImperial StoutBarleywine
Alpha acid8.5–13.5%
Beta acid4.3–5.7%
Total oil1–1.4 mL
CitrusMarmaladeSageSpicy+1
How to swap it in a recipe
Bitterness scales with alpha acid times weight, so for bittering additions rescale the weight by the alpha ratio — the multiplier for each substitute is given below. For late, whirlpool and dry-hop additions dose 1:1 by weight and go by aroma instead, because alpha acids do not drive those.
Admiral → Northdown
last-resort matchUse 1.72× the weight for the same bitterness
alpha acids 14.6% → 8.5% · 14% aroma match
- Keeps
- Pine
- Loses
- Orange, Tea, Fresh, Citrus, Resin, Herbal
- Adds
- Floral, Cedar, Berry, Spicy
Admiral → Target
last-resort matchUse 1.33× the weight for the same bitterness
alpha acids 14.6% → 11% · 14% aroma match
- Keeps
- Citrus
- Loses
- Orange, Tea, Fresh, Pine, Resin, Herbal
- Adds
- Marmalade, Sage, Spicy, Pepper
Similar aroma profiles
3Apollo
USABitteringIPAImperial StoutBarleywine
Alpha acid15–20.5%
Beta acid5.5–8%
Total oil0.8–2.5 mL
CitrusGrapefruitOrangePine+5
Idaho 7
USAAromaPale AlePilsWitbier
Alpha acid9.5–14.9%
Beta acid3.5–5%
Total oil1–2 mL
Black currantTropicalCitrusApricot+8
Zenia
USADual purposeIPAAPAPils
Alpha acid11–14%
Beta acid4.4–5.1%
Total oil0.7–2.5 mL
DankResinOrangeOnion+5
How to pick a substitute
Look for similar alpha acid content (within 2%) and overlapping aroma notes. The more shared notes, the safer the swap.