Hop
Nugget
A clean, herbal American high-alpha bittering hop with good storage stability.
Aroma and flavour
Descriptors are impressions rather than analytical results. BeerHQ rates this characterisation as well established.
Belongs to
Analysis
| Alpha acid | 12–14% |
|---|---|
| Cohumulone | 22–30% |
| Purpose | bittering |
| Origin | United States |
| Released | 1983 |
| Storage stability | excellent |
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.
- First wort. Added to the kettle as it fills, before the boil. Associated with a rounder, smoother bitterness.
If you like Nugget
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.
Zeus 13–17% alpha
Shares herbal, pine and resin, earth and wood with Nugget; a bittering variety though it bitters harder.
Not the same: nothing in the recorded profile separates the two, which means BeerHQ cannot tell you how they differ rather than that they are interchangeable.
Smells alike, but the alpha acid differs enough that a like-for-like swap would change the bitterness.
Chinook 12–14% alpha
Shares pine and resin, earth and wood with Nugget; a dual-purpose variety at a comparable alpha acid.
Not the same: brings citrus that Nugget does not; lacks the herbal of Nugget.
Close enough in both aroma and alpha acid to swap in a recipe.
Southern Cross 11–14% alpha
Shares pine and resin, earth and wood with Nugget; a dual-purpose variety at a comparable alpha acid.
Not the same: brings citrus that Nugget does not; lacks the herbal of Nugget.
Close enough in both aroma and alpha acid to swap in a recipe.
Simcoe 12–14% alpha
Shares pine and resin, earth and wood with Nugget; a dual-purpose variety at a comparable alpha acid.
Not the same: brings tropical fruit and citrus that Nugget does not; lacks the herbal of Nugget.
Close enough in both aroma and alpha acid to swap in a recipe.
Agnus 9–13% alpha
Shares herbal, earth and wood with Nugget; a bittering variety though it bitters more gently.
Not the same: brings noble spice that Nugget does not; lacks the pine and resin of Nugget.
Smells alike, but the alpha acid differs enough that a like-for-like swap would change the bitterness.
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.
- Chinook — Shares pine and resin, earth and wood with Nugget; a dual-purpose variety at a comparable alpha acid.
- Southern Cross — Shares pine and resin, earth and wood with Nugget; a dual-purpose variety at a comparable alpha acid.
- Simcoe — Shares pine and resin, earth and wood with Nugget; a dual-purpose variety at a comparable alpha acid.
- Galena — Both lead with earth and wood; a bittering variety at a comparable alpha acid.