Target was released in 1972 by Wye College, the same year as Challenger, and went on to become the single most widely grown hop in England for a long commercial stretch — its combination of genuinely high alpha acid by English standards and strong yield made it the default choice for English breweries needing efficient, dependable bitterness rather than a specific aromatic signature.
At 9.5-12.5% alpha acid, Target is meaningfully higher than nearly every other English variety on this site, functioning primarily as a bittering hop despite carrying a distinctive sage and woody aroma that sets it apart from the more neutral American and German bittering hops in a similar alpha range. That sage note is genuinely uncommon — English hops rarely carry anything this herbal and savory rather than earthy or honeyed. Target is one of the few English varieties that can genuinely anchor a full bittering charge on its own, thanks to a comparatively high, dependable alpha range the IBU calculator will confirm.
Challenger and Northdown both serve as substitutes for Target's general dual-purpose role, though neither matches its higher alpha acid or distinctive sage character. English bitter and pale ale use Target as a primary bittering hop, often alongside a lower-alpha aroma variety like East Kent Golding for the late-boil character. Target's alpha floor sits above both Challenger's and Northdown's ceilings, the clearest reason English brewers reach for it specifically when a recipe needs more raw bittering strength than either dual-purpose relative can efficiently supply.