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New Zealand

Nelson Sauvin substitutes

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

Compare side by side

Direct substitutes

4

Enigma

Enigma

AustraliaAroma2013

Pale AlePilsWitbier

Alpha acid13.5–19.4%

Beta acid4.5–7.1%

Total oil1.8–3 mL

TropicalBerryStone fruitRaspberry+2

Hallertau Blanc

Hallertau Blanc

GermanyAroma2012

Pale AlePilsWitbier

Alpha acid9–12%

Beta acid4–7%

Total oil0.8–2.2 mL

PineappleGooseberryWhiteGrapes+4

Motueka

Motueka

New ZealandDual purpose1998

Alpha acid5–8.5%

Beta acid5–5.5%

Total oil0.8–1 mL

CitrusMojitoLimeLemon+2

Riwaka

Riwaka

New ZealandAroma1996

Pale AlePilsWitbier

Alpha acid4.5–6.5%

Beta acid4–5%

Total oil0.8–1.5 mL

TropicalPassion fruitGrapefruitCitrus

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.

Nelson Sauvin → Enigma

last-resort match

Use 0.7× the weight for the same bitterness

alpha acids 11.5% → 16.45% · 20% aroma match

Keeps: White
Loses: Fruity, Gooseberry, Grapes, Sauvignon
Adds: Tropical, Berry, Stone fruit, Raspberry, Redcurrant

Nelson Sauvin → Hallertau Blanc

close match

Use 1.1× the weight for the same bitterness

alpha acids 11.5% → 10.5% · 80% aroma match

Keeps: White, Gooseberry, Grapes, Sauvignon
Loses: Fruity
Adds: Pineapple, Lemongrass, Passion fruit, Clean

Nelson Sauvin → Motueka

last-resort match

Use 1.7× the weight for the same bitterness

alpha acids 11.5% → 6.75% · 0% aroma match

Loses: White, Fruity, Gooseberry, Grapes, Sauvignon
Adds: Citrus, Mojito, Lime, Lemon, Tropical, Floral

Nelson Sauvin → Riwaka

last-resort match

Use 2.09× the weight for the same bitterness

alpha acids 11.5% → 5.5% · 0% aroma match

Loses: White, Fruity, Gooseberry, Grapes, Sauvignon
Adds: Tropical, Passion fruit, Grapefruit, Citrus

Similar aroma profiles

2

Emerald Spire

USADual purpose

Alpha acid8.6–13%

Beta acid3.5–4.5%

PeachFruityWhiteGrapes+4

Ariana

Pale AlePilsWitbier

Alpha acid9–13%

Beta acid4.5–6%

Total oil1.6–2.4 mL

CitrusTangerinePassion fruitPineapple+4

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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