Favorite Nelson Hopped Beers

Can you please expound upon this.

What does a "done right" Nelson Sauvin beer smell/taste like?

And was does a non-done right Nelson Sauvin smell/taste like?

Cheers!

 

It's too bad about Belma. I thought that was a unique flavor profil- red berries mostly a fragrant strawberry or strawberry flowers.

 

Jack I think I remember you saying you've tried brewing with that hop and it's never really impressed you?
I was a big fan of the Alpine version in the bombers. I do like the hop but I have to be honest I've been dissapointed with many I've tried since then. I have to look back and see of any I thought were not really comparable but did a nice job of expressing its unique qualities

 

I never homebrewed with Nelson Sauvin hops.

Cheers!

 

Oops sorry must have read that somewhere else. What's your take? Cheers!

 

I am relatively inexperienced with commercial beers which feature Nelson Sauvin hops. I was hoping to learn more from you given your above post.

Cheers!

 

Tree House Nelson Pale Ale

 

I don't think I've had a Nelson beer, so I came into this thread to see what beers are being mentioned. Only the Toppling Goliath Zealander might be available to me because my stores carry a couple of their beers. I'll have to look for it. Otherwise, Nelson must not be a Midwest thing if these beers are that scarce.

 

Can I say any beer with Nelson? I haven't had a bad beer with Nelson hops.

 

It's not the typical IPA-based answer, but I've really enjoyed Casey's tart saisons that were dry hopped with Nelson.

 

Used to get that one and Duet, and a bomber of KRBC Just Outstanding ,shipped from a store in San Diego (cant remember the name) always was a treat many years ago .

 

None of the above. I can enjoy a hop bill with some Nelson included but going Full Nelson is something I do not enjoy.

 

Alpine Nelson isn’t/wasn’t a Nelson Single Hop
Beer. It was actually 30-40% Southern Cross, A somewhat old school NZ variety that’s actually really cool. Kinda like a NZ Chinook so to speak. (Still need to make a single hop Southern Cross beer)…

Nelson always had a bit of haze to it which is more due to the fact that NZ hops (and Aussie hops) tend to be much higher in polyphenol content. I’d imagine the Alpine approach was probably pretty similar to the early Alchemist or HF approach in that they could have made the beers clear but actually thought they tasted/smelled better with a bit of haze. They weren’t trying to make beer hazy but they also weren’t trying to make it clear. They were just trying to make the best tasting/smelling IPA they could.

Forever the only source for hops from new Zealand was NZ Hops or the “CoOp” as it’s referred to. They did then and still do blend all their hops so you could get a blend of the most amazing Nelson and the worst most oxidized crap all blended into one lot. Freestyle Hops came along and changed the game. They listened to brewers and offered selection of specific lots with info on where it was grown and when it was harvested. They were growing and picking NZ hops with specific aroma and flavor targets instead of just letting them hang maximum alpha as the goal. This was a change that had been happening in the US for a while but took Freestyle to really bring it to NZ. This helped to raise the quality of all NZ hops available from all growers and suppliers so you’re seeing much higher quality and consistency across the board now.

 

I looked back to find my My favorite fairly recent Nelson hopped brews.
Trillium - DDH Stillings Street
Green Cheek - Nelson! It's What We Like Here!
Eredita - Zeal
Weldwerks - Transmountain Diversion

 

I'm always in for a Nelson forward beer. To me, when done well, it offers flavors reminiscent of white wine, red currant/gooseberry, kiwi fruit, and passion fruit. I whole heartedly agree with @Domingo that it can work really well in a mixed fermentation or saison type beer, complementing and enhancing the vinous aspects of those styles.

But two ipas I've had recently that highlighted Nelson and worked very well for me were Nelson & Co from Fieldwork (Nelson and Simcoe) and WIPA from Wondrous brewing (Nelson, Citra, and Cascade). Both excellent modern examples of the west coast ipa.

 

To clarify.. Muntz has Nectaron and Prison Pals Nelson has Citra and Bravo. So only "All That Remains Is Nelson" is 100% Nelson hopped.

 

Nelson has become one of my favorite profiles. The Alpine Nelson you mentioned was in my top 10, my number one being Schneider Tap X : Mein Nelson Sauvin. It was probably one of first exposures to Nelson, and it is one of my highest rated beers.

Honorable mentions:
Other Half Nelson + Simcoe
Other Half All Nelson Everything
Hill Farmstead Nelson Single Hop Pale
Mortalis Oldmannbearma : Nelson

 

I had a Tree House Woodstock Nelson pale ale on tap this week and it was outstanding!