pint.com.au - Brewing Calculator - Hop Substitution Guide and Calculator

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Hop Substitution Guide
(As mentioned on the 21 May 09 Basic Brewing Radio podcast)

This Page can be used to suggest an alternative to a hop variety that you do not have and to calculate the amount of replacement hops that you will need.

1. To find a suggested replacement variety choose the variety that you would like to find a substitute for from the drop down box. Suggested substitutions, obtained from a variety of sources, are then displayed below. (depending on your browser, you may need to hit the 'Convert Button' below the calculator or the 'tab' or 'enter' keys on your keyboard for the suggestions to appear).

2. To calculate the amount of replacement hops you will need, enter the original alpha acid % and amount of hops from your recipe, then enter the alpha acid % of your replacement hops. Once you have done this hit the 'Convert' button to see how much of the replacement hops you will need. This calculator can also be used for hops of the same variety that have different alpha acid percentages to your recipe.

1. Hop Variety Substitution Guide

Hops that you would like to find a substitute for:


Substitution suggestions made by various sources:

BYO Magazine (March/April - 2008)


Zymurgy (September/October - 2008)


Palmer - How to Brew 3rd Edition (2006)


Hopunion Data Book (2008)



2. Replacement Hop Amount Calculator
(for bittering hops)
Calculates the amount of hops needed to add the same amount of alpha acids to your brew

Original Hop alpha acid %
Original Hop Amount (in g , oz or any other unit)
Replacement Hop alpha acid %
Replacement Hop Amount
The calculated replacement hop amount will be in the same units as the original hop amount.

Explanation of the Guide and Calculator.
You do not need to use both parts of this page. If you are just after a variety substitution suggestion then you can just use that part of the page. If you just want to make a hop substitution amounts calculation then just use that part of the page.

1. The Hop Substitution part of this page looks up a data base, that has been compiled from the displayed references, to display hop substitution suggestions. Looking for a hop variety can get a little confusing in some cases as they can be named differently in different references. For example a hop variety may be named Hersbrucker in one reference and Hallertau Hersbrucker in another and Hallertauer Hersbrucker in another. We have tried to put cross references in the database where possible, but if you are having trouble finding a particular variety look through the list of hops carefully to see if you can find it under a slightly different name.

For more information on any of the hop varieties, links to the web pages of the references can be found in the bibliography at the bottom of this page.

2. The hop amounts calculator is actually very simple and uses the following formula:

Replacement Hop Amount = Orig. Hop Amount x Orig. Hop aa %
Replacement hop aa %

It should only be used when substituting bittering hops. If you are substituting flavour / aroma hops near the end of the boil you can use the same amount of hops that was originally in your recipe as they will contribute very little to the bitterness of your beer. Alternatively you could try and match the oil profile and amounts of the original hops to your replacement hops. But we will not go into that here.

If you have any further suggestions to how we can improve this page contact us via the 'contact us' link at the top of the page.

Bibliography

BYO Magazine (2008). March/April, 2008. pg. 36-37. www.byo.com

Zymurgy Magazine (2008) - Journal of the American Homebrewers Association. September/October, 2008. pg 28. www.beertown.org/homebrewing/zymurgy_magazine

Palmer, John (2006) 'How to Brew 3rd Edition.' (Brewers Publications: Boulder, Colorado, USA) . pg. 45-54. www.howtobrew.com

Hopunion Data Book. Downloaded in 2008 from www.hopunion.com

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