Whitbread Golding Variety hops in traditional cask ales

A Golding in name, not in pedigree

WGV is an old Kent selection from the early twentieth century that carries the name of the Whitbread brewery. Despite the name, it is not a true Golding. The Goldings are a family of closely related old Kent varieties. WGV sits outside that family genetically.

Its big moment came in the mid twentieth century, when verticillium wilt swept through English hop gardens. WGV tolerated the disease better than Fuggle and many Goldings, so growers planted it widely. Alpha acid usually runs from 5 to 7.5%, a little above most Goldings.

What it tastes like

WGV is softer and fruitier than Fuggle and less honeyed than East Kent Goldings. Descriptions mention sweet fruit, plum and stone fruit, along with floral and light grassy notes. The bitterness is gentle.

That profile makes it a natural cask ale hop. Cask ales are served at cellar temperature, around 11 to 13 °C, with low carbonation. At that temperature and fizz level, fruit and floral hop notes come through clearly while harsh bitterness also shows more. A soft hop with a fruity edge is exactly what the format wants.

Hop rates for a 1,000 litre best bitter

Say you are brewing a 1,000 litre best bitter at OG 1.042, targeting 32 IBU, with WGV at 6.5% alpha throughout:

• 60 minute addition at 28% utilisation for 24 IBU: 24 x 1,000 / (0.065 x 0.28 x 1,000) = about 1,320 g.
• 15 minute addition at about 12% utilisation for 6 IBU: about 770 g.
• Whirlpool or late addition of 500 to 800 g for aroma, adding a couple more IBU.

Plenty of breweries bitter with a higher alpha English hop and use WGV only late. That saves hop mass. The all WGV version gives a softer, more rounded bitterness that many cask drinkers prefer.

The floor detail: dry hopping in the cask

The traditional way to add aroma to cask ale is to put hops straight into the cask at racking. Whole hops or hop plugs (compressed discs of whole hops, usually about 14 g each) are the usual choice, because pellets break up into fine particles that can stay suspended and take a long time to settle in the cellar.

A common rate is somewhere between 0.5 and 1 g per litre, so two or three plugs in a 9 gallon firkin of about 41 litres. Add finings as normal. Yeast count at racking, priming sugar and cellar temperature decide whether the pint pours bright and lively or hazy and flat. Cask beer is won or lost in the cellar. The hops sit in the cask through conditioning and dispense, which is why the dose stays low. Too much and the last pints taste grassy.

Conditioning and cellar control

Cask ale needs secondary fermentation in the cask to build natural carbonation, typically to about 1 volume of CO2. Rack with a little fermentable sugar remaining or prime the cask. Hold at 11 to 13 °C for a few days so it conditions and drops bright before it is tapped.

In India that cellar temperature is the hard part. Most venues serve kegged beer from cold rooms at 2 to 4 °C. Cask needs a dedicated space at cellar temperature, not a warm storeroom. Without that, the beer either over-conditions in the heat or tastes flat and dull from the cold.

Where WGV fits beyond the bitter

WGV also suits:

• Golden ales, where its fruit gives more lift than Fuggle.
• Milds and brown ales, in small amounts.
• Porters, as a soft late hop over a firmer bittering variety.

It pairs well with First Gold, which shares WGV in its parentage and brings more orange. For a broader view of English varieties, our English hops guide sets WGV in context.

Buying WGV for an Indian brewery

WGV is a modest English crop. Indian importers may carry it only on order. Plan purchases ahead and ask for the harvest year and analysis date. Store pellets or whole hops frozen and sealed. For cask dry hopping, whole hops and plugs are bulkier and harder to store cold than pellets. Order only what you will use in a season.

If WGV runs out, East Kent Goldings is the closest in spirit, with more honey and less fruit. Fuggle works for an earthier version.

Common questions

Is Whitbread Golding Variety a true Golding?

No. It is a separate Kent selection that carries the Whitbread brewery's name. It sits outside the true Goldings family.

What does WGV taste like?

Soft and fruity, with plum and stone fruit plus light floral and grassy notes. It is fruitier than Fuggle and less honeyed than East Kent Goldings.

How do you dry hop a cask ale?

Add whole hops or hop plugs to the cask at racking, typically 0.5 to 1 g per litre. Pellets can stay suspended and are harder to settle in the cellar.