Styrian Golding hops and why they are really a Fuggle

A Fuggle with a Slovenian passport

Fuggle is an English hop, introduced in Kent in 1875 and for decades one of the most widely grown hops in England. In the twentieth century, growers in the Savinja Valley in Slovenia planted Fuggle. The hop they grew became known as Styrian Golding, or Savinjski Golding.

The name is a marketing accident. Genetically it is Fuggle, not Golding. Goldings are a separate group of English hops. The "Styrian" part refers to Styria, the historic region that spans parts of Slovenia and Austria. So the hop is neither a Golding nor, strictly, from Austrian Styria.

Same plant, different place

If it is the same plant, why does it taste different? Because soil, climate and growing practice all change how a hop develops. Slovenian Styrian Golding is usually described as softer and more refined than English Fuggle: earthy and floral, with white pepper, a little lemon and less of the woody, minty earthiness some English crops show.

Alpha acid is low, typically around 2.5 to 6%. That makes it an aroma hop first, though it can bitter a low IBU ale if you use enough of it. Our guide to English hops covers Fuggle and the Goldings in more detail.

Where it shines

Styrian Golding has a long track record in two families of beer:

• English ales: bitters, pale ales and milds, where its gentle earthiness suits malt led beers.
• Belgian ales: blondes, saisons and tripels, where its spicy, floral character sits well with the peppery, fruity yeast.

It also works in lagers and in any beer where you want hop aroma that is quiet rather than fruity. It is not a hop for a big citrus IPA. Its strength is in supporting malt and yeast, not leading them.

How much to use in a 20 litre batch

For an English best bitter at about 30 IBU and 4.2% ABV, a simple schedule:

• 60 minutes: a clean bittering hop, or Styrian Golding if you prefer a single hop beer. At 4% alpha and 28% utilisation, 22 IBU needs 22 x 20 / (0.04 x 0.28 x 1,000), about 39 g.
• 15 minutes: 20 g Styrian Golding for flavour and a few IBU.
• Flame out: 20 g for aroma.

For a Belgian blonde at around 20 to 25 IBU, cut the bittering charge and keep the late additions. The yeast does much of the work in that style.

Why naming matters when you shop

Hop names cause real confusion. Several hops share the word Styrian: Styrian Golding is the Fuggle, while Bobek, Celeia, Aurora and Wolf are separate Slovenian varieties sold with "Styrian" in front. An American recipe that says Fuggle may have been written for US grown Fuggle, or for Willamette, a Fuggle seedling bred in the United States.

When a recipe names a hop, check where it was grown and what the brewer meant. A substitute with the same name but a different origin can change the beer as much as a different variety.

Storage in a warm climate

Low alpha aroma hops depend on their oils. Those oils fade quickly in warm storage. In much of India a cupboard sits above 30 °C for months of the year, which is enough to turn floral hops cheesy. Buy small packets, keep them in the freezer and seal opened packs tightly with the air pressed out. Rub a pellet before you brew. Fresh Styrian Golding smells floral and lightly spicy.

Understanding how variety, origin and storage each shift a hop's character is part of what lets you design a beer instead of following a recipe.

Malt and yeast for an English bitter

The hop is only one part of the beer. A best bitter usually starts at an original gravity around 1.040 to 1.048, built on a pale ale malt such as Maris Otter with 5 to 10% crystal malt for colour and a little toffee. An English ale yeast fermented around 18 to 20 °C adds gentle fruit that sits nicely beside Styrian Golding's earthiness.

Keep the water moderate. A little sulphate gives an English bitter its dry, crisp finish, but very hard Indian borewell water high in bicarbonate can make the bitterness coarse. If your mash pH runs above 5.6, cut the water with filtered or reverse osmosis water. Our guide to brewing an English bitter at home covers the full recipe.

A first comparison to brew

If you can buy both, brew two small batches of the same bitter, one with English Fuggle and one with Styrian Golding, at the same IBU. Taste them side by side. The difference you notice is what place does to a single hop variety. It will change how you read every hop label afterwards.

Common questions

Is Styrian Golding a Golding hop?

No. Genetically it is Fuggle, grown in Slovenia. The Golding name stuck for historical and marketing reasons.

What does Styrian Golding taste like?

Earthy and floral with white pepper and a little lemon. It is usually softer than English grown Fuggle.

What beers suit Styrian Golding?

English bitters and pale ales, Belgian blondes, saisons and tripels. It also suits any beer where quiet hop aroma should support the malt and yeast.