Can’t find the exact hop your recipe calls for?
Don’t cancel brew day.
For bittering hops, match alpha acid.
For late additions, whirlpool and dry hops, match flavor and aroma.
Recipes are guides, not handcuffs.
How To Use This Hop Substitution Chart
Ask yourself:
How is this hop being used?
- Bittering?
- Flavor?
- Whirlpool?
- Dry hop?
A hop that works great at 60 minutes may be terrible as a dry hop replacement.
Confidence Ratings
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ = Nearly interchangeable
⭐⭐⭐⭐☆ = Excellent substitute
⭐⭐⭐☆☆ = Good substitute, but expect differences
⭐⭐☆☆☆ = Use with caution
⭐☆☆☆☆ = Last resort only
American / IPA Hop Substitutions
| Hop | Best Substitute | Confidence | Best Use | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Amarillo | Cascade, Centennial, Simcoe | ⭐⭐⭐⭐☆ | Flavor / Dry Hop | Orange citrus, floral, light tropical. |
| Azacca | Amarillo, Citra, Pekko | ⭐⭐⭐⭐☆ | Whirlpool / Dry Hop | Mango, tropical fruit, citrus. |
| Cascade | Centennial, Amarillo, Ahtanum | ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ | All Uses | Grapefruit, floral, classic American citrus. |
| Cashmere | Cascade | ⭐⭐⭐⭐☆ | Flavor | Lemon, lime, melon, soft citrus. |
| Centennial | Cascade, Chinook, Columbus, Amarillo | ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ | All Uses | Big citrus/floral. Often works like a stronger Cascade. |
| Chinook | Nugget, Columbus, CTZ, Northern Brewer, Galena | ⭐⭐⭐⭐☆ | Bittering / Flavor | Pine, spice, grapefruit, resin. |
| Citra | Simcoe, Mosaic, Galaxy, Centennial, Cascade | ⭐⭐⭐⭐☆ | Whirlpool / Dry Hop | Citrus and tropical fruit. |
| Columbus | CTZ, Tomahawk, Zeus, Chinook, Galena, Nugget | ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ | All Uses | Dank, resin, pungent, strong bittering. |
| CTZ | Columbus, Tomahawk, Zeus | ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ | All Uses | CTZ = Columbus, Tomahawk, Zeus family. |
| El Dorado | Citra, Nelson Sauvin, Rakau | ⭐⭐⭐☆☆ | Flavor / Dry Hop | Tropical fruit, pear, candy-like fruit. |
| Enigma | Nelson Sauvin, Hallertau Blanc | ⭐⭐⭐☆☆ | Dry Hop | White wine, red fruit, unique character. |
| Galaxy | Simcoe, Citra, Amarillo, Mosaic | ⭐⭐⭐☆☆ | Whirlpool / Dry Hop | Passionfruit and tropical fruit. Hard to replace perfectly. |
| Hallertau Blanc | Nelson Sauvin, Enigma | ⭐⭐⭐☆☆ | Dry Hop | White wine, floral, fruity. |
| Huell Melon | Belma, Jarrylo | ⭐⭐⭐☆☆ | Flavor | Melon, berry, soft fruit. |
| Idaho 7 | Azacca, El Dorado, Cashmere, Citra, Amarillo, Chinook, Columbus | ⭐⭐⭐⭐☆ | All Uses | Tropical, citrus, resin. |
| Lemondrop | Cascade, Motueka, Liberty, Mandarina Bavaria, Centennial | ⭐⭐⭐⭐☆ | Flavor / Whirlpool | Lemon and bright citrus. |
| Mandarina Bavaria | Cascade, Huell Melon, Lemondrop, Perle | ⭐⭐⭐⭐☆ | Flavor | Mandarin orange and citrus. |
| Mosaic | Citra, Simcoe, Galaxy | ⭐⭐⭐⭐☆ | Whirlpool / Dry Hop | Tropical, berry, citrus, dank. Citra is a strong practical swap. |
| Nelson Sauvin | Hallertau Blanc, Enigma, Motueka, Riwaka | ⭐⭐⭐☆☆ | Dry Hop | White wine, gooseberry, fruit. Unique hop. |
| Nectaron | Waimea, Citra, Mosaic | ⭐⭐⭐☆☆ | Dry Hop | Big tropical fruit. Not easy to replace perfectly. |
| Riwaka | Saaz, Citra, Calypso, Centennial, Motueka | ⭐⭐⭐☆☆ | Flavor / Dry Hop | Citrus, grapefruit, very unique. |
| Sabro | Sorachi Ace or other coconut-forward hops | ⭐⭐☆☆☆ | Flavor / Dry Hop | Coconut/tropical. Hard to replace cleanly. |
| Simcoe | Citra, Mosaic, Amarillo, Chinook | ⭐⭐⭐⭐☆ | All Uses | Pine, citrus, passionfruit, dank. |
| Tomahawk | Columbus, CTZ, Zeus | ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ | All Uses | Same CTZ family. |
| Zeus | Columbus, CTZ, Tomahawk | ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ | All Uses | Same CTZ family. |
Big Robb Tip
Couldn’t find Mosaic?
That’s exactly what happened with Tropical Thunder Blonde Ale.
I used Citra instead.
Brew day kept moving.
Don’t let one missing hop stop the beer.
Why Dry Hop Substitutions Matter More
A 60-minute bittering addition gives you more flexibility.
A dry hop is different.
That hop is front and center in the aroma, so match flavor and aroma first.
If your recipe calls for Mosaic in the dry hop, don’t replace it with Magnum just because the alpha acid looks close.
That’s not the same job.
Southern Hemisphere Hop Substitutions
| Hop | Best Substitute | Confidence | Best Use | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Enigma | Nelson Sauvin, Hallertau Blanc | ⭐⭐⭐☆☆ | Dry Hop | Wine-like fruit character. |
| Galaxy | Citra, Simcoe, Amarillo | ⭐⭐⭐☆☆ | Whirlpool / Dry Hop | Passionfruit and tropical fruit. Hard to replace exactly. |
| Motueka | Saaz, Sterling | ⭐⭐⭐⭐☆ | Flavor / Whirlpool | Lime, citrus, noble-like character. |
| Nelson Sauvin | Hallertau Blanc, Enigma, Motueka, Riwaka | ⭐⭐⭐☆☆ | Dry Hop | White wine, gooseberry, fruit. |
| Nectaron | Waimea, Citra, Mosaic | ⭐⭐⭐☆☆ | Dry Hop | Big tropical fruit. |
| Riwaka | Motueka, Citra, Centennial, Calypso | ⭐⭐⭐☆☆ | Flavor / Dry Hop | Grapefruit and citrus. Unique. |
| Waimea | Nectaron, Citra, Mosaic | ⭐⭐⭐☆☆ | Bittering / Dry Hop | Citrus and tropical fruit. |
Big Robb Tip
Southern Hemisphere hops can be harder to replace because some of them are weird in the best way.
Galaxy, Nelson Sauvin, Riwaka and Nectaron all have their own thing going on.
You can get close.
You may not get identical.
That’s fine.
Brew the beer.
Noble / European Hop Substitutions
| Hop | Best Substitute | Confidence | Best Use | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crystal | Mount Hood, Hersbrucker, Strisselspalt, Liberty, Hallertau | ⭐⭐⭐⭐☆ | Flavor | Soft floral and spice. |
| Hallertau | Liberty, Mount Hood, Hallertau Mittelfrüh, Crystal, Hallertau Tradition | ⭐⭐⭐⭐☆ | Flavor | Mild floral and spicy noble character. |
| Hallertau Mittelfrüh | Hallertau, Liberty, Vanguard, Hallertau Tradition | ⭐⭐⭐⭐☆ | Flavor | German noble character. |
| Hersbrucker | Hallertau, Mount Hood, Liberty, Spalt | ⭐⭐⭐⭐☆ | Flavor | Mild floral and herbal. |
| Liberty | Hallertau, Mount Hood, Crystal | ⭐⭐⭐⭐☆ | Flavor | American-grown noble-style hop. |
| Mount Hood | Hallertau, Hersbrucker, Liberty, Crystal, Hallertau Mittelfrüh | ⭐⭐⭐⭐☆ | Flavor | American noble-style hop. |
| Perle | Northern Brewer, Hallertau, Liberty | ⭐⭐⭐☆☆ | Bittering / Flavor | Mild spice, mint and floral. |
| Saaz | Polish Lublin, Saaz US, Sterling, Tettnang | ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ | Flavor | Spicy, herbal noble hop. |
| Styrian Golding | Fuggle, Willamette, East Kent Goldings | ⭐⭐⭐⭐☆ | Flavor | Earthy and floral. |
| Tettnang | Saaz, Spalt, Hallertau Mittelfrüh | ⭐⭐⭐⭐☆ | Flavor | Noble spicy/floral character. |
English Hop Substitutions
| Hop | Best Substitute | Confidence | Best Use | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bramling Cross | East Kent Goldings, Bullion, Northern Brewer, Galena | ⭐⭐⭐☆☆ | Flavor | Berry/blackcurrant English character. Not perfect. |
| Challenger | Northern Brewer, Perle, Target, Northdown | ⭐⭐⭐☆☆ | Bittering / Flavor | English bittering and flavor hop. |
| East Kent Goldings | Golding, Fuggle, Willamette | ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ | All Uses | Classic English floral/earthy hop. |
| Fuggle | Willamette, Styrian Golding, East Kent Goldings | ⭐⭐⭐⭐☆ | Flavor | Earthy, woody, herbal. |
| Golding | East Kent Goldings, Fuggle, Willamette, Styrian Golding, Progress | ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ | All Uses | English floral/earthy character. |
| Northdown | Northern Brewer, Target, Challenger, Admiral | ⭐⭐⭐⭐☆ | Bittering / Flavor | Resin, spice, English bittering. |
| Target | Admiral, Northdown, Challenger | ⭐⭐⭐⭐☆ | Bittering | English bittering hop. |
| Willamette | Fuggle, Styrian Golding, East Kent Goldings | ⭐⭐⭐⭐☆ | Flavor | Mild earthy/floral. |
Bittering Hop Substitutions
| Hop | Best Substitute | Confidence | Best Use | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apollo | Magnum, Columbus, CTZ, Nugget | ⭐⭐⭐⭐☆ | Bittering | High-alpha bittering hop. |
| Galena | Brewer’s Gold, Columbus, CTZ, Nugget | ⭐⭐⭐⭐☆ | Bittering | Strong bittering hop. |
| Magnum | Galena, Nugget, Columbus, Horizon, Northern Brewer | ⭐⭐⭐⭐☆ | Bittering | Clean bittering. Adjust for alpha acid. |
| Northern Brewer | Galena, Perle, Magnum, Chinook | ⭐⭐⭐☆☆ | Bittering / Flavor | Woody, minty, bittering character. |
| Nugget | Galena, Magnum, Columbus, CTZ | ⭐⭐⭐⭐☆ | Bittering | Strong bittering, herbal/resin. |
| Summit | Columbus, Chinook, Nugget | ⭐⭐⭐☆☆ | Bittering | Strong bittering; can be intense. |
| Warrior | Magnum, Columbus, Nugget | ⭐⭐⭐⭐☆ | Bittering | Clean high-alpha bittering. |
Why Alpha Acid Matters
If a hop is being used at 60 minutes, bitterness is the main job.
That means alpha acid matters more than aroma.
If your recipe calls for Magnum at 12% alpha acid and your substitute is 6%, you may need more of it to hit the same bitterness.
If your substitute is 16%, you may need less.
Big Robb Tip
For bittering hops:
Match alpha acid.
For dry hops:
Match aroma.
Don’t confuse the two.
Real Brew Day Examples
✅ Couldn’t find Mosaic?
Use Citra or Simcoe.
✅ Need Cascade?
Centennial is one of the easiest swaps.
✅ Need East Kent Goldings?
Golding, Fuggle or Willamette can work.
✅ Need Magnum for bittering?
Warrior, Nugget or Galena can work, but adjust for alpha acid.
❌ Need a dry hop substitute for Citra?
Don’t use Magnum just because the alpha acid is high.
That is not the same job.
Final Thoughts
Hop substitutions are part of brewing.
Sometimes your shop is out.
Sometimes the recipe calls for something expensive.
Sometimes you just use what you have.
That does not mean brew day is ruined.
Understand what the hop is doing, pick the closest reasonable substitute, and keep brewing.
Recipes are guides, not handcuffs.
Cheers,
Big Robb
P.S. 🍺 New to homebrewing? Grab my free Beginner Brewing Bootcamp and I’ll show you how to brew great beer without making the hobby more complicated than it needs to be.
P.P.S. 🍻 Want to brew some of my favorite beers? Get my Top 5 Best-Selling Brew Pub Recipes free and start brewing proven recipes at home.
👉 Insert Recipe Newsletter Link