Hop
Whitbread Golding Variety
A traditional English aroma hop, fruitier and slightly sweeter than East Kent Goldings.
Also known as WGV.
Aroma and flavour
Descriptors are impressions rather than analytical results. BeerHQ rates this characterisation as commonly reported.
Belongs to
Analysis
| Alpha acid | 5–8% |
|---|---|
| Purpose | aroma |
| Origin | United Kingdom |
| Storage stability | moderate |
How it is used
- Late boil. Added in the last few minutes, retaining more aromatic oils while adding modest bitterness.
- Dry hop. Added after the boil, during or after fermentation. Contributes aroma and flavour with essentially no isomerised bitterness.
If you like Whitbread Golding Variety
Hops with comparable character. Similarity and substitutability are different questions, so each entry says which it is: a hop can smell alike and still change the beer if its alpha acid is far off.
East Kent Goldings 5–7% alpha · editorial
The classic it derives from.
Not the same: brings herbal that Whitbread Golding Variety does not; lacks the stone fruit of Whitbread Golding Variety.
Close enough in both aroma and alpha acid to swap in a recipe.
Progress 5–8% alpha
Shares floral, earth and wood with Whitbread Golding Variety; an aroma variety at a comparable alpha acid.
Not the same: brings herbal that Whitbread Golding Variety does not; lacks the stone fruit of Whitbread Golding Variety.
Close enough in both aroma and alpha acid to swap in a recipe.
Willamette 4–6% alpha
Shares floral, earth and wood with Whitbread Golding Variety; an aroma variety at a comparable alpha acid.
Not the same: brings herbal that Whitbread Golding Variety does not; lacks the stone fruit of Whitbread Golding Variety.
Smells alike, but the alpha acid differs enough that a like-for-like swap would change the bitterness.
First Gold 7–9% alpha
Shares floral, earth and wood with Whitbread Golding Variety; a dual-purpose variety at a comparable alpha acid.
Not the same: brings citrus that Whitbread Golding Variety does not; lacks the stone fruit of Whitbread Golding Variety.
Smells alike, but the alpha acid differs enough that a like-for-like swap would change the bitterness.
Cluster 6–9% alpha
Shares floral, earth and wood with Whitbread Golding Variety; a dual-purpose variety at a comparable alpha acid.
Not the same: brings citrus that Whitbread Golding Variety does not; lacks the stone fruit of Whitbread Golding Variety.
Close enough in both aroma and alpha acid to swap in a recipe.
Straight substitutes
Close enough in both character and alpha acid to swap at a similar weight. Substitution is directional and imperfect — these are the nearest available options, not equivalents.
- East Kent Goldings — The classic it derives from.
- Progress — Shares floral, earth and wood with Whitbread Golding Variety; an aroma variety at a comparable alpha acid.
- Cluster — Shares floral, earth and wood with Whitbread Golding Variety; a dual-purpose variety at a comparable alpha acid.
- Ahtanum — Shares floral, earth and wood with Whitbread Golding Variety; an aroma variety at a comparable alpha acid.