Nelson Sauvin

[mwd]

Nelson Sauvin, named after the Sauvignon Blanc grape, is a variety of hop developed and grown in New Zealand. It has a strong fruity flavor and aroma that is described as resembling white wine, or fresh crushed grapes or gooseberries. Some reviewers of this hop perceive the fruitiness as being very tropical with descriptions including passion fruit, tangerines, and grapefruit. The distinctive character of these hops limit its aroma/flavor usage to American ales and specialty beers. As a bittering hop, its low cohumulone content imparts a very smooth bitterness.

Specifications

• Typical Use : All-Purpose
• Alpha Acid : 12 - 13%
• Cohumulone : 24%
• Beta Acid : 6 - 8%
• Origination : New Zealand
• Commercial Examples : Mikkeller Nelson Sauvin Single Hop IPA
• Characteristics : White wine, gooseberries, tropical fruit, passion fruit
• Styles : American Pale Ale, American IPA
• Similar Hops : N/A

The essential oil profile displays “fresh crushed gooseberries” a descriptor often used for the grape variety Sauvignon Blanc, giving rise to this variety’s name.
Selection:
Described during selection as “breathtaking” Nelson Sauvin has the unique ability to impart a distinctive cool climate white wine “fruitiness”. The complexity of the oils profile has seen selectors stretched looking for descriptors to document this unique new world variety.
Brewer’s notes:
A hop that requires judicious application in the brew house, this truly unique dual-purpose variety can be used to produce big punchy Ales as well as subtle yet bitter Lagers. The fruitiness may be a little overpowering for the un-initiated, however those with a penchant for bold hop character will find several applications for this true brewer's hop

MOD: Description added above by Lord Raja Goomba I - to keep the descriptions on top of the threads. Original post below:

Got 90g pack of NS hops just wondered what hops to go well with them in a brew ?

How about Centennial or even Amarillo ?

 

[dr K]

Got 90g pack of NS hops just wondered what hops to go well with them in a brew ?

How about Centennial or even Amarillo ?

NS is very much a one stop hop
Does butter go with margarine ?
Great hop, and a great choice .

K

 

[hoohaaman]

Try a SMASH with NS to 25-30 ibu.

As above,I rarely use other hops with NS.

 

[thesunsettree]

Got 90g pack of NS hops just wondered what hops to go well with them in a brew ?

How about Centennial or even Amarillo ?

hi mate,


from experince only; amarillo, super alpha, cascade, galaxy,simcoe will work well. i'm sure there are others.

matt

 

[Nick JD]

They go well with anything starting with "C". Try cascade or chinook if you are determined to mix them.

NS responds heavily to yeast-derived esters swaying it from one fruit to another. With a neutral lager yeast it tastes a lot of its namesake; with a estery pommy yeast it can err towards peaches and nectarines and even dried apricots. With US05, I find it's more citrusy and passionfruity.

It's a chameleon hop. Use it with caution.

 

[HoppingMad]

Careful before you leap in here! Particularly with NS & Amarillo.

These two hops become a clash-a-rama when used in equal amounts in a brew all the way through or at the same time at a certain stage in your boil I've found (when you consider NS is around 10%AA and Amarillo is around 8-9% depending on harvest roughly speaking - they're both big flavoured hops). So take it from one who has given these two a go and wound up with a beer that took 4 months to come good and not taste like a pile of resinous pine cones mixed in a bowl of citrus rind. It can also be a waste of good amarillo too because the NS can really swallow up the flavour of this other hop.

This is a hop that goes beautifully on its own too, or with a softer hop in terms of AA%.

The cool thing about NS is on its own the flavour really changes over time - When I've done it as a single hop it's awesome if you can be patient enough to drink it around 8 weeks in when some of the 'Wine-like' characteristic has melted away, early on I don't find this hop all that nice - but later it's awesome!

Combining Cascade and NS? Waay better (than amarillo). And you'll be making yourself a Fat Yak if you nail it right - which is mainly cascade hop early on and finished with Nelson Sauvin. Look up a clone and give it a bash.

Then you're really talking.

Hopper.

 

[jyo]

This hop is definitely on my to do list. Sounds awesome.

 

[Kai]

They go well with anything starting with "C". Try cascade or chinook if you are determined to mix them.

NS responds heavily to yeast-derived esters swaying it from one fruit to another. With a neutral lager yeast it tastes a lot of its namesake; with a estery pommy yeast it can err towards peaches and nectarines and even dried apricots. With US05, I find it's more citrusy and passionfruity.

It's a chameleon hop. Use it with caution.

Now that's interesting. I feel like throwing in a SASHAY (single-and-single hop-and-yeast) brew with a good English ale yeast now, based on this.

In the chameleon stakes though, you've omitted straight cat pee.

 

[browndog]

If you have got some NS for the first time why would you want to blend it with another hop? As others have said, use it on it's own and appreciate it for what it is. It is a unique and maginificent hop in it's own right. I believe new brewers should brew single hop beers to gain an understanding of what each variety will offer before considering blending hops with no idea of the outcome.

cheers

Browndog

 

[mwd]

Thanks for all the comments looks like single hop is the best way to go with this one. :icon_cheers:

 

[Bongchitis]

Now that's interesting. I feel like throwing in a SASHAY (single-and-single hop-and-yeast) brew with a good English ale yeast now, based on this.

In the chameleon stakes though, you've omitted straight cat pee.

Its funny you say that kai. Had a rogue cat come into the house the other day and sprayed when he realised he was cornered... NS all the way... I like the hop so much I actually find myself enjoying elements of the cat piss. h34r: Very fruity and almost medicinal.

 

[Off Ear Beer]

Got 90g pack of NS hops just wondered what hops to go well with them in a brew ?

How about Centennial or even Amarillo ?

I made an Amber IPA 5 weeks back and I used NS for bittering 37.5 grams (60 min)
25 Grams of Perle (40 min )

25grams of Cascade (30 min)

25 grams of Cascade ( 15 min )

12.5 grams NS ( dry hop)


This is one of the best I've brewed and tasted ever!


I highly recommend this hop profile!

 

[TheWiggman]

I brewed a bit of a mashup using my leftover NS and went quite heavy on it late, about 30g cube hopped. Basic recipe was based on a spring beer but I didn't have the hops needed in the fridge so used NS instead. I flew blind not knowing what NS would lend to the beer -

Pale ale malt
Munich I at around 20%
Carapils, maybe 5%

Thames Valley Ale 1275

Fuggles at 60 mins
30g NS in cube

OG: 1.042, FG 1.008 for a 4.5% quaffer
IBU: ~25

I've had it in the keg for around 3 weeks. Oh my. It's of drinking age but it's honestly like a fruit punch. Citrus-ish, but heavy on nectarine and peach flavours. If you think about white wine it's hiding in there somewhere. It's a really unusual beer. It's inoffensive but not at all what I expected. Lots of flavour and a fair bit of hop aroma, but not a typical hop like I thought. 30g for a 4.5% beer isn't a hop bomb but if I hadn't read the above descriptors (particularly from NickJD) I would have thought there was something wrong with it. It's not infected because FG hasn't changed and I know what infected tastes like.
Wouldn't brew again.

 

[droid]

interesting with fuggles eh?

personally I found the hop a bit too up front and intense to go it alone, maybe in a big west coast IPA

fwiw I made up 3 kegs of a basic APA and in the last keg it was dry-hopped with 25% Nelson Sauvin, 25% Galaxy, 25% Mosaic, 25% Cascade for a total of 3g/l keg hopped and it's *amazeballs!

*shout outs to djLethal there hehe

 

[Tahoose]

Can you put the keg aside for a while, I went a bit too hard with Neilson Sauvin a couple of years ago.

Ended up putting the keg in the garage for a few months and it turned out to be amazing. Almost undrinkable before that.

 

[mckenry]

NS is a hop with a reputation. Ive used it late and get Sauvignon Blanc as expected/described. Those who have been heavy handed say it is awesome on its own. After my first two brews with late hopping I'm not a fan, but - and I'm not joking - every single one of my non crafty mates love it. Not a bad word.
I just cant bring myself to go hard with it, until I've tried a beer that has. Cant be wasting a 5 hour brew day and up to two weeks wait to realise I dont like it.