Whitbread Goldings Variety WGV hops

[Sidney Harbour-Bridge]

I've just acquired Graham Wheelers book brew your own British real ale, many of the recipes specify WGV hops, which I cannot find for sale in Australia.

My questions are, does anyone know where I can buy them and is there a good substitute?

 

[philrob]

I can't find them on either Brewman in Brandy Hill, or at Hoppy Days in Brisbane.
I suggest East Kent Goldings, Fuggles, or Styrian Goldings would be reasonable substitutes.

 

[MHB]

For a late addition i would use EKG, for bittering there would be lots of choices, EKG, Target, Northern Brewer (both higher alpha descendants of Golding) Nugget, Bullion... (clue to ancestery in the names). Really any hop would do for low to moderate bitterness, say 10-40 IBU.

Fuggle or Stryian (a Fuggle not a Golding descendant) would be OK for bittering but in recipe calling for any of the 20 or so versions of Golding, EKG is regarded as the best UK finishing hop.
If you are interested there are lots of good articles on the history of hops in the UK.

WGV was popular in a time when seeded hops were trendy (around when Wheeler was writing), unfortunately not available in Australia they are a prohibited import, odds on you won’t see them here, even if it is still being grown.

First choice for me would be Target for bittering and EKG late.
Mark

 

[Sidney Harbour-Bridge]

Thanks for the replies guys

I've read that they are similar to both EKG and Fuggle so I'm inclined to use a mix of the two where WGV is specified.

I generally FWH with Magnum but I have used Target before, not sure the bittering hop has a massive input to flavour. I might try Northern Brewer if I can find some.

I'll try and remember to post back here when I try one of Wheelers recipes.

 

[THC]

Hi Sidney,

WGV does not have Golding in its lineage and was bred from Bates Brewer. A good substitute is First Gold bred from a female WVG and a dwarf male by Peter Darby. It is very popular in the UK for both bittering and flavour. My favourite bittering hop is Magnum (soft bittering). I also use Fuggle and Challenger in British ales as I am not a fan of Target at all - too harsh. I have used Graham Wheelers book from time to time. You might be interested in the recipes in "British Ales" pdf book download from Wild About Hops web site for $NZ20.

 

[dough]

Interesting thread, thanks guys!

 

[Half Pint]

Just had a quick scout around the online sellers.
UK hops not available in great variety.

EKG, Fuggles, everywhere, and Challenger also common.

Styrian Goldings and Bramling Cross fairly easy to find.

Target also turned up a couple of hits.

First Gold turned up in an eBay search. I could not find it for sale anywhere else in Australia.

WGV I did not find at all. I had a moment, but then I saw that the googlebot was asserting WGV = EKG

Northdown did not show up at all.

In general, my experience with quality of UK hops over many years has been trending inconsistent towards poor.

 

[An Ankoù]

WGV is easily available in the UK. It has a somewhat "old fashioned" flavour along with many of the hops that were used in English bitters in the 70s and 80s. If a recipe calls for WGV, I'd use it. You can get it from Crossmyloof brewing in England who post worldwide at very reasonable cost.
Magnum is great for bittering German beers and modern international styles. It really doesn't have enough character for traditional English bitters, though. My goto bitteting hop for my own formulations is Challenger. You can get it from beerco.com.au.

 

[An Ankoù]

WGV I did not find at all. I had a moment, but then I saw that the googlebot was asserting WGV = EKG

Google British Hop Association to find out pretty much all you need to know about English hops.
If you're having quality issues, then you need to look for a new supplier. Leaf hops don't travel well unless they looked after. Pellets are much more resilient.
I get pellets sent over from beerco and they travel just fine.