Brewing decisions, explained
How to substitute hops: bittering, flavour and aroma
Start with the job of the hop addition. For bittering, adjust mass using the two lots’ alpha-acid percentages. For aroma, compare the intended flavour and process; an alpha-acid match is not a flavour match.
BrewMyBeer editorial · Sources checked 24 September 2026 · Calculated examples, not laboratory measurements. How we create content
1. Identify the addition you are replacing
Write down the original variety, hop form, lot alpha acids, mass and timing. Distinguish a long boil addition from a late kettle, whirlpool or dry-hop addition. The same replacement can be sensible for one job and unsuitable for another.
Also record the part of the original character you want to retain: for example, a restrained floral note or a pronounced citrus emphasis. A sensory goal is more useful than a claim that two varieties are universally equivalent.
2. Calculate a bittering starting point
Use replacement grams = original grams × original alpha percentage ÷ replacement alpha percentage. Thirty grams at 6% becomes 20 g at 9%. This preserves the alpha-acid charge, assuming comparable process conditions.
Recalculate the full recipe when hop form, boil duration or wort conditions change. The mass adjustment is not a measured IBU guarantee. Use one IBU model consistently when comparing versions.
3. Treat aroma as a separate decision
Read the producer’s description for the actual variety and consider freshness and storage. A substitution chart can offer candidates, but cannot guarantee identical results across harvests, suppliers and recipes.
For aroma-led additions, do not reduce mass mechanically just because the replacement has higher alpha acids. Decide a trial quantity from the recipe goal and document it as a trial, rather than presenting an untested exchange as equivalent.
4. Keep a useful substitution record
Record the original and replacement lot details, the changed addition and the expected effect. Keep other recipe variables stable where practical. Add your own observed result only after evaluating the actual batch.
If you share the recipe, distinguish a calculated prediction from a tasted result. That distinction makes your record useful to another brewer who may have a different lot or process.
Hop variety notes: compare the intended role
These twelve topics preserve the earlier guide’s consolidated coverage. Supplier descriptions are reference points; our comparison notes are editorial inferences, not sensory trials. Check the crop, format and actual lot. Sources rechecked 24 September 2026 except where marked.
Barbe Rouge
Red-fruit character with a citrus component.
Monroe is a red-fruit candidate in the same supplier guide. Treat any swap as a trial, not an equivalent.
Supplier reference ↗Cascade
US Cascade combines grapefruit-like citrus with floral spice.
Centennial shares the broad citrus/floral direction. Compare the actual lots and the role of the addition.
Supplier reference ↗Sterling
A spicy profile with pepper, citrus and floral accents.
Saaz-type or Hallertau-type candidates need separate aroma evaluation; ancestry is not a guarantee of flavour equivalence.
Supplier reference ↗Motueka
Lime-led citrus, with tropical-fruit character.
A Saaz connection does not reproduce Motueka’s lime character. Decide whether that lime note is essential before choosing a replacement.
Supplier reference ↗Huell Melon
Melon and strawberry are prominent supplier descriptors.
Choose which fruit note matters in the recipe before considering a blend. No exact replacement is established here.
Supplier reference ↗Horizon
The earlier site audit described a bittering role with floral, citrus and herbal notes.
The original supplier reference could not be retrieved in this review. Confirm a current lot sheet before using the retained description to choose a swap.
Earlier reference — recheck pending ↗Lemondrop
Lemon-focused aroma with mint, tea and some melon.
Hopsteiner lists Cascade, Mandarina Bavaria and Centennial as candidates. That supplier list does not establish identical finished-beer aroma.
Supplier reference ↗Ahtanum
The current Yakima Chief profile includes floral, cedar and citrus notes.
Compare the woody and herbal dimensions as well as citrus when evaluating another variety.
Supplier reference ↗Centennial
A floral and citrus direction in the supplier guide.
Cascade is a candidate for comparison within that broad direction. Similar descriptors do not prove equal intensity.
Supplier reference ↗Apollo
Hopsteiner’s aroma catalog describes citrus and resinous character.
Confirm the product format: an extract listing is not a gram-for-gram pellet specification. Match the lot and process before calculating a bittering swap.
Supplier reference ↗Jarrylo
Banana, pear and melon appear alongside herbal and citrus descriptors.
A single citrus substitute may miss the fruit combination. Define the target note and trial the result.
Supplier reference ↗Nugget
The BarthHaas guide emphasizes a mild herbal aroma.
For early bittering, compare alpha charge and process first. Do not transfer a bittering substitution directly into a late-hop flavour claim.
Supplier reference ↗Before you use the result
- Use lot-specific alpha acids when available.
- Keep the intended role of each addition visible.
- Label untested substitutions as predictions.
A quick learning check
Which comparison should lead a long-boil bittering substitution?
Try a craft decision game →Sources & further reading
These references explain the methods and limitations. The worked examples and learning questions on this page are BrewMyBeer calculations, not claims of hands-on testing.