From Vol. 4, No. 11, March 2021
History: During the latter part of the 20th century the New Zealand breeding program focused on a) aroma hops designed to emulate the characteristics of European landrace varieties and b) hops with high alpha acids content and low seed count. Nelson Sauvin was chosen as a b) but turned out to be a 21st century aroma hop.
She is the result of open pollination with a female parent, Smoothcone (herself on offspring of American Cluster), in 1984-85. One hundred seedlings from this population were raised in a glasshouse and grown on in a plant nursery facility during 1985-86. They were then planted in the field in early spring of 1986. Forty-four of those seedlings were selected for harvesting in March 1987, including one that would first be known as 85-03-06.
During trials throughout the 1990s, 85-03-06 outperformed other seedlings based on a combination of yield, alpha acids, low seed content and low cohumulone. In 2006, she was given the name Nelson Sauvin, and “unique (and as yet unidentified) flavor properties described as ‘grape-like’” were noted.
The basics: 10-13% alpha acids, 5-8% beta acids, 1.1 mL/100 grams essential oil.
Aroma qualities: Lives up to her name, reminding of white wine, particularly Sauvignon Blanc, with residual grape character.
Noteworthy: Dr. Koyoshi Takoi in Japan, one of the world’s preeminent hop scientists, has described Nelson Sauvin as an “epoch making” variety for both the beer industry and for hop/beer flavor science. Two hop volatile thiols, 3S4MP and 3S4MPA, were identified for the first time in this variety. 3S4MP may be found at about twice its threshold in beers in beers hopped with Sauvin. 3S4MPA is measured below its threshold, but it is believed 3S4MP enhances the flavors of 3S4MPA by synergy.