Banner
Banner

Sign Up for Brew Your Own’s Free E-Newsletter

Email
Get a free trial issue of WineMaker.
Banner
Home Resource Guide Hop Chart
Comparing and Selecting Hops

So how do I choose the right hops for my beer? With such a wide range of flavor and aroma characteristics, this chart can serve as a helpful guide to more than eighty varieties. Whether you are trying to duplicate a style or are looking to experiment, the following list can help to get you started. Just select a beer style below and a chart will pull up with appropriate hops to consider for your recipe.

Name Alpha Acid % Possible Substitutions Flavor Description
Cascade (New Zealand) 6-8% Ahtanum, Cascade, Centennial Similar to US Cascade, has floral, citrus grapefruit character.
Centennial 8-11.5% Cascade, possibly Columbus Medium with floral and citrus tones.
Chinook 10-14% Columbus, Northern Brewer, Nugget, U.K. Target Mild to medium-heavy, spicy, piney, and grapefruity.
Cluster 5.5-8.5% Galena Medium and quite spicy.
Columbus 11-16% Chinook, Northern Brewer, Nugget, U.K. Target Pleasant, with pungent aroma.
Eroica (German) 9-12% Chinook, Galena, Nugget Strong but pleasant aroma.
Green Bullet (New Zealand) 11-14% Crystal, Hallertauer Tradition, Liberty, Mt. Hood, Ultra Dual purpose hop.
Hallertau Aroma (New Zealand) 6.5-8.5% Perle A dual purpose hop which has been used to replace Perle
Hallertauer (U.S.) 3.5-5.5% Hallertauer Tradition, Liberty, Ultra Very mild, pleasant, and slightly flowery, some spicy.
Hallertauer Gold (German) 6-6.5% Crystal, Mt. Hood Known for its aromatic properties similar to Hallertauer.
Hallertauer Mittelfrüh (German) 3-5.5% German Tradition, Liberty, Ultra Mild and pleasant.
Hallertauer Tradition (German) 3.5-5.5% Crystal, Liberty Known for its aromatic properties. A replacement for Hallertauer Mittelfrüh.
Hersbrucker (German) 3-5.5% French Strisslespalt, Mt. Hood Mild to semi-strong, pleasant, hoppy.
Horizon 11-14% Magnum or a high-alpha hop Pleasantly hoppy.
Liberty 3-6% Hallertauer, Hallertauer Tradition, Mt. Hood Mild and clean aroma, slightly spicy character.
Magnum 13-15% Northern Brewer Known for bittering value and quality.
Mt. Hood 3-8% Crystal, French Strisslespalt, Hersbrucker Mild, pleasant, and clean, somewhat pungent and resiny.
Northern Brewer (German) 7-10% Chinook, U.S. Northern Brewer Medium-strong with some wild tones.
Northern Brewer (U.S.) 6-10% Chinook, Nugget Medium-strong with some wild tones.
Northwest Golding 4-5% Known for aromatic properties.
Nugget 11-14.5% Chinook, Columbus, Galena, U.K. Target Quite heavy and herbal.
Olympic 11-13% Chinook Mild to medium, citrusy aroma, spicy.
Pacific Jade (New Zealand) 12-14% A "soft" bittering hop with spicy and citrus aroma qualities.
Pacifica (New Zealand) 5-6% Hallertau family An aroma hop with some citrus and floral character
Perle (German) 6-8.5% Northern Brewer, U.S. Perle Moderately intense, good and hoppy, fruity and a little spicy.
Perle (U.S.) 6-9.5% Chinook, Cluster, Galena, Northern Brewer Known for its aromatic and bittering properties, pleasant and slightly spicy.
Saaz (Czech) 3-4.5% U.S. Saaz Very mild with pleasant hoppy notes, earthy, spicy, and herbal.
Saaz (U.S.) 3-5% Czech Saaz Mild and pleasant, earthy and spicy.
Santiam 5-7.9% German Spalt, German Spalt Select, German Tettnanger Noble characteristics.
Saphir (German) 2.5-4.5% Any noble hops Mild aroma hop.
Simcoe 12-14% A bittering and aromatic hop.
Sladek (Czech) 5-6% Czech Saaz, U.S. Saaz, U.S. Tettnanger A dual-purpose Saaz hybrid.
Sorachi Ace (Japan) 13-16% Bittering hop with lemony aroma
Spalt (German) 4-5.5% German Spalt Select, U.S. Saaz, U.S. Tettnanger Mild and pleasant, slightly spicy.
Spalt Select (German) 4-6% German Spalt, U.S. Saaz, U.S. Tettnanger Very fine Spalter-type aroma.
Spalt Select (U.S.) 3-5% Saaz, Tettnanger Medium intensity and pleasant hoppy qualities. Medium-strong aroma with wild American tones.
Sterling 6-9% Saaz Herbal, spicy, pleasant aroma, hint of floral and citrus.
Strisslespalt (France) 3-5% Crystal, Hersbrucker, Mt. Hood Medium intensity, pleasant, hoppy.
Target (U.K.) 9.5-12.5% Fuggle, Willamette Pleasant English hop aroma, quite intense.
Tettnanger (German) 3.5-5.5% German Spalt, German Spalt Select, Saaz, U.S. Tettnanger Mild and pleasant, slightly spicy, herbal.
Tettnanger (U.S.) 3.4-5.2% Czech Saaz, German Spalt, Santiam An aromatic hop, mild and slightly spicy.
Tomahawk 15-17% Columbus Primarily a bittering hop.
Tradition (German) 5-7% Hallertauer Mittelfrüh, Hersbrucker Very fine and similar to Hallertauer Mittelfrüh.
Ultra 2-4.1% Hallertauer Tradition, Liberty, Saaz Very good to outstanding, some Saaz-like qualities. Aromatic properties similar to Hallertauer.
Vanguard 4-5.7% Hallertauer Mittelfrüh, Saaz Aroma similar to continental European types.
Warrior 15-17% Nugget A bittering and aromatic hop.
Willamette 3.5-6% Styrian Golding, U.S. Fuggle, U.S. Tettnanger Mild and pleasant, slightly spicy, fruity, floral, a little earthy.
Yakima Cluster 6-8.5% Used as a kettle hop for bittering.
Zeus 13-17% Columbus Aromatic and pleasant.

Subscribe

Free Trial Issue. Subscribe Today!

Send me a FREE TRIAL issue of Brew Your Own and start my risk-free subscription. If I like it, I'll pay just $28.00 for 7 more issues (8 in all) and save 30% off the annual newsstand rate. If I'm not completely satisfied with the trial issue, I'll just write "cancel" on the invoice and return it. I'll owe nothing and the trial issue is mine to keep.

Publisher's Guarantee: If you aren't completely satisfied with Brew Your Own Magazine at any time, for any reason, we'll issue a complete refund of your subscription price.

8 issues - $28.00 Add $5.00/year for Canadian postage Add $17.00/year for foreign postage

Risk-Free. Just fill out the form and click submit.

First Name
Last Name
Address
Address 2
City
State or Province
ZIP
Country
Email