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United States

Sonnet substitutes

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

Compare side by side

Direct substitutes

3

Crystal

Crystal

Pale AlePilsWitbier

Alpha acid2.8–6%

Beta acid4.5–8.5%

Total oil0.8–2.3 mL

WoodyFloralGreenFruity+4

Hersbrucker

Hersbrucker

GermanyAroma8230

Pale AlePilsWitbier

Alpha acid1.5–5%

Beta acid2.5–6%

Total oil0.5–1.3 mL

NobleHayOrangeTobacco

Saaz (US)

Saaz (US)

Pale AlePilsWitbier

Alpha acid3–4.5%

Beta acid3–4.5%

Total oil0.5–1 mL

SlightlyEarthyNoble

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.

Sonnet → Crystal

last-resort match

Use 1.14× the weight for the same bitterness

alpha acids 5% → 4.4% · 11% aroma match

Keeps: Floral
Loses: Honeysuckle, Citrus, Sweet, Lemon, Earthy, Grass, Honey, Oak
Adds: Woody, Green, Fruity, Spicy, Cinnamon, Nutmeg, Black currant

Sonnet → Hersbrucker

last-resort match

Use 1.54× the weight for the same bitterness

alpha acids 5% → 3.25% · 0% aroma match

Loses: Honeysuckle, Citrus, Sweet, Lemon, Floral, Earthy, Grass, Honey, Oak
Adds: Noble, Hay, Orange, Tobacco

Sonnet → Saaz (US)

last-resort match

Use 1.33× the weight for the same bitterness

alpha acids 5% → 3.75% · 11% aroma match

Keeps: Earthy
Loses: Honeysuckle, Citrus, Sweet, Lemon, Floral, Grass, Honey, Oak
Adds: Slightly, Noble

Similar aroma profiles

4

Ahtanum

Pale AlePilsWitbier

Alpha acid3.5–6.5%

Beta acid4–6.5%

Total oil0.5–1.7 mL

CitrusGrapefruitGeraniumPine+4

Sasquatch

CanadaDual purpose

Alpha acid6.6–9%

TangerineLemonFloralOrange+2

Amarillo

Pale AlePilsWitbier

Alpha acid7–11%

Beta acid5.5–8%

Total oil1–2.3 mL

FloralSpicyTropicalCitrus+7

Aurum

Pale AlePilsWitbier

Alpha acid3.5–5.7%

Total oil0.5–1.7 mL

SpicyFruityFloralMild+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.