(East Kent) Goldings

[JimJiminy]

Hi All,

(First time poster, near-novice homebrewer, nice to "meet" you all!)

Is there any difference in flavour between EK Goldings and other Goldings?

I don't think there should be much, as my understanding is that this is the same strain grown in different parts of the country. Of course, that could make a difference, but I imagine it's pretty subtle.

But I notice that a lot of places giving descriptions of hops have words like "citrus" and "orange" associated with Goldings and words like "earthy" and "spicy" associated with East Kent Goldings, which make them sound pretty distinct.

I'm actually looking for something with a subtle citrus taste. I've definitely been hit with the earthy/spicy flavour in beers I knew to be EKG heavy, and it's not quite what I'm looking for (and not at all citrus, but maybe that's for other more complex reasons that just the hop choice).

Or perhaps there's something else you would recommend to go in a fairly delicate pale ale?

[PMowdes]

Not sure about the difference between Goldings and EKG. I dont really use many english hops.

As for citrus there are plenty of American and NZ hops the have those characteristics, especially if used late in the boil or for dry hopping. English and european hops tend to more earthy, floral, spicy.

Citra is the obvious one, Galaxy perhaps. In fact many of the US "C" hops (Cascade, Centenial, Columbus, Chinook) are all worth a punt and produce big flavours if used correctly

[I_used_to_brew]

EKG and Goldings are different varieties apparently; (from http://www.britishhops.org.uk/ )


East Kent Goldings was developed from the Canterbury Whitebine variety in the late 1700’s. Canterbury is a town in Kent, England. Goldings consists of several clonal variants known by the name of either the original grower or their village. It has been sold as East Kent Goldings since 1838. It is grown exclusively in East Kent by a handful of growers. It is a tall hop with loose low yielding cones, is susceptible to downy & powdery mildews and wilt.


Goldings is an old long-established variety originating in Kent, England. It incorporates a group of similar varieties that harvest at different times, known as Cobbs, Amos’ Early Bird, Eastwell and Mathon. Historically other clones such as Bramling, Canterbury, Rodmersham and Petham were also grown. It is a tall hop with loose low yielding cones, is susceptible to downy mildew and wilt.

[JimJiminy]

Thanks PMowdes. Citra is one of the few hops I can identify, so I'd considered it, but the beer I currently have fermenting has been citra-d so heavily it'll probably make grown hop-heads weep. So I wanted to avoid citra, purely for variety.

Also, the beer I'm trying to replicate has something unknown but definitely British in it (picked locally, wild hops of unknown variety), and it's definitely closer to the subtle end of the spectrum than "big flavour" (which has it's place, just not what I'm aiming for this time)

Having said that, my initial thought when I tried this brew was that it reminded me a bit of St Austell's Proper Job (but much subtler and a little sweeter), which I notice has two of your recommendations (Cascade and Chinook), so maybe that's the way to go.

[JimJiminy]

EKG and Goldings are different varieties apparently; (from http://www.britishhops.org.uk/ )

Ah, that's interesting, perhaps I've got the wrong end of the stick, then. That would certainly explain the different descriptions for EKG vs Goldings.

I was going by the info on Wikipedia, which I now notice, doesn't provide a source for the claim that they are the same variety, other than location.

[PMowdes]

Thanks PMowdes. Citra is one of the few hops I can identify, so I'd considered it, but the beer I currently have fermenting has been citra-d so heavily it'll probably make grown hop-heads weep. So I wanted to avoid citra, purely for variety.

Also, the beer I'm trying to replicate has something unknown but definitely British in it (picked locally, wild hops of unknown variety), and it's definitely closer to the subtle end of the spectrum than "big flavour" (which has it's place, just not what I'm aiming for this time)

Having said that, my initial thought when I tried this brew was that it reminded me a bit of St Austell's Proper Job (but much subtler and a little sweeter), which I notice has two of your recommendations (Cascade and Chinook), so maybe that's the way to go.

Proper job is hopped with Cascade, Chinnok and Willemette. I suspect that the Chinook and / or Cascade are used for bittering due to their high Alpha content. The Willemette will be used late in the boil.
Chinook lends grapefruit / citrus pith aromas whilst US Cascade is sort of slightly resinous.

I usually use a ton of Centennial, far and away my favourite hop to date, closely followed by Simcoe

[Bimster]

Proper job (I understand) uses Chinook to bitter due to it's high AA and cacade for the steep, with some flavour and aroma from the spicy Willamette (a fuggles derivative).

Cascade isn't a particualrly high alpha hop. Centenial (sometimes called super Cascade) is though.

Of course, this is my understanding so may be rubbish but may be correct.

I would suggest that for something 'citrusy' on the subtle side, then a late addition of cascade would be ideal.

My experience of EKG and WGV (Whitbread Goldings Variety) is that EKG is floral and delicate whilst WGV is more earthy and spicy.......I've always prefered EKG to WGV, but this is personal opinion.

[I_used_to_brew]

Go easy on Chinook, it's a pokey hop.

Proper Job is OK, the bottle strength version sold in keg as Proper Cool is so much better and never pass up any opportunity to try a Big Job.

Why don't you try some of the newer English hops such as Jester and Minstrel? They may be just what you want.

[JimJiminy]

Why don't you try some of the newer English hops such as Jester and Minstrel? They may be just what you want.

Interesting!

Struggling to find anywhere that has them for sale, though.

[I_used_to_brew]

Why don't you try some of the newer English hops such as Jester and Minstrel? They may be just what you want.

Interesting!

Struggling to find anywhere that has them for sale, though.

Try http://stocksfarm.net/shop/