Nelson Sauvin hops anyone ever used them?

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I use it quite a bit.
I cube hopped it with cascade & dry hopped with it on the same beer.
It can be overpowering so don't go nuts if you want it for aroma.
I've found it settles down with a bit of age. I had a 150 lashes clone @ two weeks in the keg & the hops were pretty harsh & I didn't like it to be honest but @ week four, it had mellowed out quite a bit & the beers great.
 
Less is more, I have found out after I over hopped late with nelson Sauvin on 3 different beers.

Mind you have a Nelson Sauvin/citra ale, which has a light body 4.5% and I that is seriously sessionable it's not funny.
 
Very bad purchase. PM me for my address and I will dispose of them for you.
 
I havent used it for a while but have done loads of experimenting in the past. It works good in beers around the 4 - 5 1/2% with late hopping and dry hop. Dont like it as a bittering hop as I always found it harsh. Use it in the last 20 mins of the boil and definately no more than 30% IBU's. It's a very fruity hope (Grape), but it's nice to have variety eh. It also goes well in small amounts with any of the big american citrusy hops. Try the 'Knapstein Reserve Lager' you will find it at Dans. That will give you a good idea of the aroma and flavour. Cheers
 
It's great in an easy drinking PA. Small bittering additions as a first wort hop (10-20g in a 20l batch) and then paired with something citrusy or piney late in a 1 : 3-5 ratio (I like 10gNS to 40g motueka @ 10mins and flame out). Not so good as a dry hop - it muddles other flavours.
Try a Knappsteins reserve lager to get an idea of NS done well.
I've heard it said NS is like MSG for beer, used right it makes all the other flavours pop.
 
I used about 300gm of it in a black IPA once - not surprisingly it was a bit much!

Try Kooinda's black IPA - great use of NS, unlike mine.
 
This is one of my favourite hops at the moment. I use it for flavour and aroma additions but only in small amounts. In fact im using it tonight in a pale ale - along wilth POR and Centennial. Dont know if I would be brave enough to use it in a single hop beer.

Coopers Celebration Ale is a good example where they have got the balance right with this hop.
 
I second the idea of trying it in small amounts.

As an aroma hop I like it, but prefer others in hop-forward styles like APAs and AIPAs. Try it and see how you like it.

The winey taste comes out even when you use it as a bittering hop and can be a nice background for aroma hops added at -20 or -15 minutes. I liked it paired with Amarillo in a blonde, but too much could be cloying.
 
I'll clarify what I meant last night (on a phone, with a couple under the belt, watching TV).

My recipe is a good one for using Nelson in good doses. That's the name of it.

Nelson is a less is more hop. A reasonable dry hopper (though I'd probably prefer Citra for that), great as a flavour addition, aroma addition. Bittering can be a little harsh, but certainly not like Galaxy in that respect.

Generally I use it at 10 minutes (assuming chill), with another hop and use a more neutral hop (or a pine/resinous hop) for bittering at 30-60 minutes (APA-AIPA). Works a treat.

Fantastic hop, but don't use like Citra, less is more. And I love the comment about making other hops pop. #gold
 
I find Nelson works well with Cascade or Amarillo. I don't find the bitterness as overly harsh.

Say,
20g Nelson @60 min
20g Amarillo @ 10
20g Amarillo @0

or
30g Cascade @60
30g Nelson @10
30g Cascade @5
 
I love NS. The first beer I made with it was an 11L SMaSH trial batch (recipe below). Turned out really well, pleasant and fruity, however it needed a depth of flavour to compliment it, so as stated in previous posts, use with Cascade, Amarillo or Simcoe. I highly recommend doing a small SMaSH to try out a new hop. It really helps!

- 2.6kg 2 Row (can't remember which)
- 14g Nelson Sauvin @ 60 mins
- 10g Nelson Sauvin @ 15 mins
- 15g Nelson Sauvin @ 1 min
- ½ Whirlflock Tab at 15 mins
- Safale US-05 (got 6% abv)
 
Lord Raja Goomba I said:
I'll clarify what I meant last night (on a phone, with a couple under the belt, watching TV).

My recipe is a good one for using Nelson in good doses. That's the name of it.

Nelson is a less is more hop. A reasonable dry hopper (though I'd probably prefer Citra for that), great as a flavour addition, aroma addition. Bittering can be a little harsh, but certainly not like Galaxy in that respect.

Generally I use it at 10 minutes (assuming chill), with another hop and use a more neutral hop (or a pine/resinous hop) for bittering at 30-60 minutes (APA-AIPA). Works a treat.

Fantastic hop, but don't use like Citra, less is more. And I love the comment about making other hops pop. #gold
If i want to use it as a dry hopper for aroma and maybe a tiny bit of flavour in a 23litre brew how much would you recommend i use? Somewhere around the 20 gram mark or more?
 
Buy a cheap bottle of Sauvignon Blanc wine, and you've got the flavour and aroma of Nelson Sauvin.

I used it once, and never again. It's like they say, you either love it or hate it. I don't love it, but you may well do. No way of knowing without trying.
 
I think the Pilsner Kiwifirst may be referring to could be Macs Hop Rocker, which has a unique flavour which I believe comes from the use of Nelson Sauvignon, but it's a flavour I really like. I've never actually brewed with it, but have some in the freezer I plan to try at some stage. My staple brew is a POR/Galaxy combo, so as I tribute to ANZAC Day I was going to sub in the Nelson Sauv for the Galaxy to get the Aussie/Kiwi link, but never got to brew it in time. Maybe next year :D
 
heshtek said:
If i want to use it as a dry hopper for aroma and maybe a tiny bit of flavour in a 23litre brew how much would you recommend i use? Somewhere around the 20 gram mark or more?
No more than 20g, if you have cascade, another 20g of that should do the trick. But....


warra48 said:
It's like they say, you either love it or hate it. I don't love it, but you may well do. No way of knowing without trying.
Keep this in mind. I love it, there's a number of other brewers who do (and excellent brewers including Ross). Others can't stand it (and there are also some excellent brewers in this camp).

A gently gently approach will help.
 
I think 8Wired's Hopwired IPA has a healthy does of NS, amongst other NZ varieties. That's a pretty good drop if you ask me.
 
Used in a Pale, bittered with Magnum then Nelson 15g @10 min and 20g @ flame out.(no chill) Brewmate says it was 38 IBU but didn't seem that high ...... lovely
 
Once you're used to it its a great hop. It is an in your face hop if you use to much. I remember doing Ross's Nelsons Summer ale (think that was its named) and I didn't like it. Reminded me of dishwashing detergent. I then did a few more over the years and toned them down and did a Nelsons ******* ale which I put into a NSW Xmas Ale swap which was well received. So use it in moderation and its a bloody lovely hope.
Cheers
Steve
 
warra48 said:
Buy a cheap bottle of Sauvignon Blanc wine, and you've got the flavour and aroma of Nelson Sauvin.

I used it once, and never again. It's like they say, you either love it or hate it. I don't love it, but you may well do. No way of knowing without trying.
I had the same result . Dry hopped with 20g in 19ltr. To me it was undrinkable. ( luckily i have a piss head mate who drank the keg ) .So as others have suggested go easy on it. I would not go any higher than 10g in 23ltr to see if you like it .
 

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