Hop
Jester
A modern English variety bred for New World character — grapefruit and blackcurrant with an English backbone.
Aroma and flavour
Descriptors are impressions rather than analytical results. BeerHQ rates this characterisation as commonly reported.
Belongs to
Analysis
| Alpha acid | 7–9% |
|---|---|
| Purpose | aroma |
| Origin | United Kingdom |
| Released | 2013 |
| Storage stability | moderate |
How it is used
- Whirlpool / hop stand. Steeped below boiling after flameout. Extracts aroma and flavour with limited additional bitterness.
- Dry hop. Added after the boil, during or after fermentation. Contributes aroma and flavour with essentially no isomerised bitterness.
- Late boil. Added in the last few minutes, retaining more aromatic oils while adding modest bitterness.
If you like Jester
Hops with comparable character. Similarity and substitutability are different questions, so each entry says which it is: a hop can smell alike and still change the beer if its alpha acid is far off.
Endeavour 8–10% alpha
Shares citrus, berry with Jester; a dual-purpose variety at a comparable alpha acid.
Not the same: brings earth and wood that Jester does not; lacks the tropical fruit of Jester.
Close enough in both aroma and alpha acid to swap in a recipe.
Talus 7–9% alpha
Shares citrus, tropical fruit with Jester; an aroma variety at a comparable alpha acid.
Not the same: brings herbal that Jester does not; lacks the berry of Jester.
Comparable alpha acid, but a different aroma — a bittering substitute rather than a character one.
Bramling Cross 5–7% alpha
Shares citrus, berry with Jester; an aroma variety though it bitters more gently.
Not the same: brings noble spice that Jester does not; lacks the tropical fruit of Jester.
Smells alike, but the alpha acid differs enough that a like-for-like swap would change the bitterness.
Barbe Rouge 7–10% alpha
Shares citrus, berry with Jester; an aroma variety at a comparable alpha acid.
Not the same: brings stone fruit that Jester does not; lacks the tropical fruit of Jester.
Close enough in both aroma and alpha acid to swap in a recipe.
Olicana 7–10% alpha
Shares citrus, tropical fruit with Jester; an aroma variety at a comparable alpha acid.
Not the same: brings stone fruit that Jester does not; lacks the berry of Jester.
Close enough in both aroma and alpha acid to swap in a recipe.
Straight substitutes
Close enough in both character and alpha acid to swap at a similar weight. Substitution is directional and imperfect — these are the nearest available options, not equivalents.
- Endeavour — Shares citrus, berry with Jester; a dual-purpose variety at a comparable alpha acid.
- Barbe Rouge — Shares citrus, berry with Jester; an aroma variety at a comparable alpha acid.
- Olicana — Shares citrus, tropical fruit with Jester; an aroma variety at a comparable alpha acid.
- Taiheke — Shares citrus, tropical fruit with Jester; a dual-purpose variety at a comparable alpha acid.