WGV

[far9410]

Anyone got any good recipes for this hop?

[DaveyT]

Graham Wheeler's Boddington's uses WGV. Do you have the book/recipe? I think he once said he didn't mind us publishing his recipes. I could post it if you need it.
Made to it's original spec, it ought to be dazzling.

[mozza]

It's a very earthy, harsh Golding. It works well with other hops. I would think twice about using it as a sole hop

[far9410]

thanks guys, yes i have grahams book, just thought it might be good for something out of the ordinary. would you say suitable for bittering only or late additions?

[mozza]

It can work well late in the boil, I would throw it in with another hop near the end but in moderation

[seymour]

It seems WGV is seldom used by itself, but usually combined with other distinctly English hops. Though many newer, higher alpha, higher yielding, more disease-resistent varieties have come along, WGV remains an important part of history and the flavour profile of some modern beers as well.

To quote our passionate English hops grower Dave Berry,

WGV should be named Whites Golding Variety, after the man who bred the hop. Unfortunately as with most large corporations they forget the real people who did the work and take the glory. Whitbreads bought the farms and also the name in 1920. Ironically they don't even make beer anymore, they own pubs, hotels and sell coffee!

Edward Albert White (1844-1922) was a true pioneer in the world of hops. He implemented his own breeding program and working closely with the great Professor Salmon (of the newly formed Wye College.) He developed the idea of cross pollination in an effort to battle the disease-ridden varieties. WGV was the result of a seedling selection.

Mr White built the Beltring Hop farm. For those that don't know it, it is 4 massive oasts each with 5 kilns, as well as the Brooker which is 3 kilns and it dominates the local skyline. At his peak he farmed some 400 acres of hops. Coming from a wealthy family he was a true gent and dismayed at the conditions in which his pickers lived, he built the very first permament pickers huts. He also developed the use of pesticides and whilst other farms struggled with disease, his crops flourished. His own company was the starting blocks for ICI. A truely great man often missed by the history books.

So I reiterate WHITES GOLDING VARIETY. I shall start a lobby of Parliament to have the name changed.

Sample recipes containing WGV hops:

Boddington Bitter (raise your hand if you find this complex hop bill hard to believe…)
Boddingtons/Strangeway Brewery (Historic, 1853-2005) - Manchester, UK
OG: 1038
IBU: 30
Colour: amber
Grainbill: 95% Pale, 2% Black Patent, 3% Cane sugar
Bittering Hops: 35% Fuggles, 30% Goldings, 22% Whitbread Goldings Variety, 8% Bramling Cross, 5% Northern Brewer
Aroma hops: Northern Brewer, Bramling Cross, Goldings
Yeast: proprietary brewery strain, originally obtained from Strangeways Brewery in Manchester, now available as WY1318 London III

Felinfoel Double Dragon (actually, it looks like Felinfoel uses a little WGV in all their beers)
Felinfoel - Llanelli, Dyfed, Wales, UK
ABV: 4.2%
IBU: 25
Colour: 15°SRM/30°EBC, copper
Grainbill: 80% Pale, 8% Torrified Wheat, 3% Dark Crystal Malt, 1.5% Black Malt, 7.5% Sugar
Bittering hops: 60% Challenger, 20% Whitbread Goldings Variety, 20% Bramling Cross
Aroma hops: Whitbread Goldings Variety (15 min)

Highgate Dark Mild
Highgate Brewery/Davenports/HWBC Ltd (1898-present) - Walsall, West Midlands, UK
OG: 1035
ABV: 3.4%
IBU: 22
Colour: brown
Grainbill: 70% Mild Malt, 10% Crystal Malt, 2% Black Malt, 6% Torrified Barley, 12% Invert Syrup
Bittering hops: Challenger, Progress (historically Fuggles)
Aroma hops: Challenger, Whitbread Goldings Variety (historically Goldings)
Yeast: brewery used to pitch two proprietary yeasts: the first contained 4 strains, the second was a single-strain pure culture

Another native Englishman Alan Pugsley, the brewer from your legendary Ringwood Brewery helped establish many influential American craft breweries, and WGV seems to appear in many of their recipes, such as:

Gritty's Christmas Ale
Gritty McDuff's - Portland, Maine, USA
Style: English Strong Ale
OG: 1068
IBU: 35
Colour: 16/31.5, copper
Grainbill: 70.9% Pale, 15% Crystal Malt, 10% Wheat Malt, 2% CaraMalt, 2% Torrified Wheat, .1% Roasted Barley
Hops: Cluster (60 min), Whitbread Goldings Variety (30 min), Saaz (10 min), Goldings (flame-out)
Yeast: historic Ringwood strain, available as Wyeast 1187/White Labs WLP005

They use WGV in other brews too, such as their Nuptial Ale (Dark Mild), and another Pugsley-related brewery Shipyard uses WGV a lot too.

Supposedly most Belhaven Scotch ales use WGV for bittering; sometimes by itself, and sometimes blended with Fuggles, Goldings, and Bramling Cross. Same goes for Burtonwood, Innis & Gunn, Moles, Orkney, Phoenix/Oak, Nethergate, Selby, Sensible Mole, Thwaites, West Berkshire, Westerham, and Whitbread, among others of course.

Hilden Scullions Irish Ale calls for a blend of First Gold, Goldings, and Whitbread Goldings Variety. Larkins use a blend of Fuggles, Goldings, Progress, Whitbread Goldings Variety. Liefman's use some WGV for aroma in their Frambozenbier and Goudenband brews. Many Marstons brews use a blend of Fuggles, Goldings, and Whitbread Goldings Variety for bittering. McMullen uses blends some in for bittering, their Country Bitter/Best Bitter is even dry-hopped with WGV.

Old Higsons recipes feature WGV seemingly interchangeably amongst any other handy English varieties. The old Kimberley ales supposedly called for a blend of Challenger, Northdown, Target, Whitbread Goldings Variety. The old Kings & Barnes ales supposedly used a blend of Challenger, Goldings, Whitbread Goldings Variety.

[lee1]

hi far save me a bottle with those hops lol i know you will make a fantastic beer

[far9410]

hi far save me a bottle with those hops lol i know you will make a fantastic beer

No worries mate