Hopedia
South Africa

African Queen substitutes

Proven alternatives to African Queen and hops with a similar aroma profile. Pick by availability, price or country of origin.

Compare side by side

Direct substitutes

5
Amarillo

Amarillo

USAAroma2014
Pale AlePilsWitbier
Alpha acid7–11%
Beta acid5.5–8%
Total oil1–2.3 mL
FloralSpicyTropicalCitrus+7
Cascade

Cascade

USADual purpose1972
IPAAPAPils
Alpha acid4.5–9%
Beta acid4.8–7.5%
Total oil0.7–2.5 mL
GrapefruitFloralSpicyCitrus+1
Citra

Citra

USADual purpose2008
IPAAPAPils
Alpha acid10–15%
Beta acid3–4.5%
Total oil1.5–3 mL
CitrusGrapefruitPeachMelon+5
Mosaic

Mosaic

USADual purpose2012
IPAAPAPils
Alpha acid11.5–13.5%
Beta acid3.2–3.9%
Total oil1–1.5 mL
BlueberryTropicalCitrusGrassy+9
Simcoe

Simcoe

USADual purpose2000
IPAAPAPils
Alpha acid11–15%
Beta acid3–5%
Total oil0.8–3.2 mL
FruityEarthyGrapefruitPassion fruit+5

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.

African Queen → Amarillo

last-resort match

Use 1.5× the weight for the same bitterness

alpha acids 13.5% → 9% · 18% aroma match

Keeps
Citrus, Dank
Loses
Blueberry, Stone fruit, Black currant, Gooseberry, Bubblegum, Cassis, Lemongrass, Chilies, Gazpacho
Adds
Floral, Spicy, Tropical, Orange, Lemon, Melon, Apricot, Peach, Grapefruit

African Queen → Cascade

last-resort match

Use 2× the weight for the same bitterness

alpha acids 13.5% → 6.75% · 9% aroma match

Keeps
Citrus
Loses
Dank, Blueberry, Stone fruit, Black currant, Gooseberry, Bubblegum, Cassis, Lemongrass, Chilies, Gazpacho
Adds
Grapefruit, Floral, Spicy, Pine

African Queen → Citra

last-resort match

Use 1.08× the weight for the same bitterness

alpha acids 13.5% → 12.5% · 18% aroma match

Keeps
Citrus, Gooseberry
Loses
Dank, Blueberry, Stone fruit, Black currant, Bubblegum, Cassis, Lemongrass, Chilies, Gazpacho
Adds
Grapefruit, Peach, Melon, Lime, Floral, Passion fruit, Lychee

African Queen → Mosaic

last-resort match

Use 1.08× the weight for the same bitterness

alpha acids 13.5% → 12.5% · 27% aroma match

Keeps
Citrus, Blueberry, Bubblegum
Loses
Dank, Stone fruit, Black currant, Gooseberry, Cassis, Lemongrass, Chilies, Gazpacho
Adds
Tropical, Grassy, Pine, Spicy, Tangerine, Papaya, Rose, Earthy, Blossom, Grapefruit

African Queen → Simcoe

last-resort match

Use 1.04× the weight for the same bitterness

alpha acids 13.5% → 13% · 18% aroma match

Keeps
Citrus, Bubblegum
Loses
Dank, Blueberry, Stone fruit, Black currant, Gooseberry, Cassis, Lemongrass, Chilies, Gazpacho
Adds
Fruity, Earthy, Grapefruit, Passion fruit, Pine, Berry, Apricot

Similar aroma profiles

1

Eureka

USADual purpose
IPAAPAPils
Alpha acid17–20%
Beta acid4.5–6%
Total oil2.5–4.4 mL
HerbalDarkMintCitrus+6

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.

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