Hot on the Trail of the Nelson Sauvin Hop

Having recently tracked down a bottle of Van Twee, a collaborative release from De Proef Brouwerij in Belgium and Bell’s Brewery in Michigan (and enjoying the wider distribution network of the former), I was impressed by how this Belgian Strong Ale juggled such a strange amalgam of core notes: roasted meats, mildly acidic Michigan cherries, dense chocolate, cocoa, whispers of Brettanomyces, and a yeast cocktail throwing out esters like nobody’s business. But perhaps the strangest notes came from the hops: very herbal, non-astringent, reminiscent of gooseberries and white wine grapes. Yet it all seemed, somehow, familiar.

When I finally read through the (rather long) commercial description of Van Twee, I realized that this bottle was only my most recent encounter with Nelson Sauvin hops. And it got me to thinking, where else have I tasted this before? And, why is it that the phrase “boutique hop” keeps popping into my head all of a sudden?

The origins of Nelson Sauvin seem relatively clinical. Selected from experimental seedlings in the 1980s, it was released commercially in 2000 following “several years of replicated and large-scale semicommercial trials” (Beatson et al.). “Nelson Sauvin was primarily selected for its high alpha acids content, low seed content, low cohumulone content, and subsequently because Nelson Sauvin imparts a unique ‘grape-like’ flavour to beer.” Its name originates half from its origins (the Nelson region of central New Zealand) and half from its characteristics (they’re similar to New Zealand’s charismatic sauvignon blanc). Originally appearing in New Zealand and British beers, often pale ales and pilseners (the highly regarded Emersons Pilsner, while offering similar notes, actually contains the related New Zealand Riwaka hop), Nelson Sauvin hops started seeing wider exposure in U.S. homebrew shops and commercial beers around (approximately) 2005.

Many of the earliest U.S.-available examples utilizing Nelson Sauvin featured it in tandem with other varieties. Widmer Brothers Drifter Pale Ale utilizes Nelson Sauvin for aroma and dry-hopping, but Summit ultimately takes center stage. Karl Strauss Big Barrel Double IPA positions it alongside Warrior and Ahtanum. The Scottish Brewdog Punk IPA features Nelson Sauvin, Ahtanum, and Chinook.

But Nelson Sauvin plays out beautifully by itself. My first encounter with the NS hop arrived in the form of a growler of Nelson IPA from Alpine Beer Company in late 2007. One of the top-rated IPAs on Ratebeer, it’s heavily resiny and herbal, showing the characteristic Nelson Sauvin profile: gooseberries, some cattiness, herbal notes and hints of tropical fruits: to me, lychee and passion fruit. The aroma of this beer is enormous, and Nelson Sauvin serves as both an aroma hop and a significant source of alpha acids, a dual-purpose quality that makes it ideal for single-hop beers.

Sly Fox produced a Nelson Sauvin IPA as part of its limited-release Hop Project in 2007. Widmer Brothers’ Half Nelson IPA and Full Nelson IPA (the latter appearing at the Oregon Brewers Festival in 2008) both featured the Nelson Sauvin hop prominently. All of these were draft-only offerings, however, with very limited (if any) distribution.

For U.S. craft beer drinkers, 2009 was perhaps the first time that single-hop beers featuring Nelson Sauvin were available on a wider scale. Van Twee, while not the best framework to showcase the hop, went everywhere De Proef distributes. Alpine’s Nelson IPA, originally a draft-only release, was bottled in 22oz bombers and distributed to accounts throughout Southern California. Anchor Brewing Co. used the “very rare and unusual hop variety” in its draft-only Humming Ale (more info on this milestone beer available here), distributed throughout many northern California accounts. Mikkeller’s Single Hop Nelson Sauvin IPA was distributed throughout the U.S. via Shelton Brothers. I’m sure I’ve missed a few examples.

It would be imprudent to predict that the Nelson Sauvin hop will take over the world in 2010. In New Zealand’s most recent hop harvest, Nelson Sauvin accounted for less than 4% of the total yield. And New Zealand isn’t even one of the world’s biggest hop-producing countries (for comparison, it harvested 830 tonnes in 2009).

But there’s something quite special about the Nelson Sauvin hop, in much the same way that New Zealand sauvignon blanc holds a beloved niche in the wine world. “Early trials with Nelson Sauvin immediately revealed it to be somewhat different in its brewing character compared to other hop cultivars. This variety imparts certain grape-like flavours to the beer; flavours which have yet to be positively identified.” Recent studies are only now identifying the responsible compounds: new volatile thiols related to those found in sauvignon blanc.

Most people I know who have sampled a Nelson Sauvin beer have described it as something of a (quietly) revelatory experience, simply because it is so different from the standard hop varieties that many of us have grown accustomed to over the years. Whether it establishes itself as more than a niche or “boutique” hop variety remains to be seen, but overall industry response has been very positive. New Zealand’s disease-free growing conditions are helping it become a vital source of both experimental and organically grown hop varieties, and these new varieties seem worth tracking down. There’s never been a better time to do so.

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