Hop
Northdown
A well-regarded English dual-purpose hop with clean bitterness and a piney, resinous aroma.
Aroma and flavour
Descriptors are impressions rather than analytical results. BeerHQ rates this characterisation as commonly reported.
Belongs to
Analysis
| Alpha acid | 8–10% |
|---|---|
| Purpose | dual purpose |
| Origin | United Kingdom |
| Breeder | Wye College |
| Released | 1970 |
| Storage stability | good |
How it is used
- Bittering (early boil). Added at or near the start of the boil, where long exposure isomerises alpha acids into bitterness and drives off aroma.
- Late boil. Added in the last few minutes, retaining more aromatic oils while adding modest bitterness.
If you like Northdown
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.
Brewer's Gold 6–9% alpha
Shares earth and wood, noble spice with Northdown; a dual-purpose variety at a comparable alpha acid.
Not the same: brings berry that Northdown does not; lacks the pine and resin of Northdown.
Close enough in both aroma and alpha acid to swap in a recipe.
Phoenix 9–11% alpha
Shares earth and wood, noble spice with Northdown; a dual-purpose variety at a comparable alpha acid.
Not the same: brings floral that Northdown does not; lacks the pine and resin of Northdown.
Smells alike, but the alpha acid differs enough that a like-for-like swap would change the bitterness.
Aurora 7–10% alpha
Shares earth and wood, pine and resin with Northdown; a dual-purpose variety at a comparable alpha acid.
Not the same: brings floral that Northdown does not; lacks the noble spice of Northdown.
Close enough in both aroma and alpha acid to swap in a recipe.
Challenger 7–9% alpha
Shares earth and wood, noble spice with Northdown; a dual-purpose variety at a comparable alpha acid.
Not the same: brings herbal and floral that Northdown does not; lacks the pine and resin of Northdown.
Close enough in both aroma and alpha acid to swap in a recipe.
Endeavour 8–10% alpha
Both lead with earth and wood; a dual-purpose variety at a comparable alpha acid.
Not the same: brings berry and citrus that Northdown does not; lacks the pine and resin and noble spice of Northdown.
Comparable alpha acid, but a different aroma — a bittering substitute rather than a character one.
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.
- Brewer's Gold — Shares earth and wood, noble spice with Northdown; a dual-purpose variety at a comparable alpha acid.
- Aurora — Shares earth and wood, pine and resin with Northdown; a dual-purpose variety at a comparable alpha acid.
- Challenger — Shares earth and wood, noble spice with Northdown; a dual-purpose variety at a comparable alpha acid.