Brewer’s Gold hops were developed by Ernest Stanley Salmon at Wye College in England in 1919. It was created through the open pollination of a wild hop sourced from Morden, Manitoba. Brewer’s Gold hops were initially popular, but they became largely redundant commercially due to the emergence of super-alpha hop varieties in the 1980s. However, Brewer’s Gold is still a good choice for late bittering in brewing, and it has desirable notes of spice and blackcurrant.
Brewer’s Gold is also nearly identical to its sister selection Bullion.
Brewer’s Gold hops are an ancestor to many modern high alpha hops, including Sterling, Galena, Horizon, Centennial, and Nugget. They are an English variety, but American-grown Brewer’s Gold contains higher levels of alpha acids than the English version. Brewer’s Gold hops have been used in breeding processes for brewing worldwide.
Usage: | Bittering |
Country of Origin: | United States |
Hop Growers Code: | C9a |
Where To Buy Brewer’s Gold Hops
Brewer’s Gold Flavor And Aroma
Brewer’s Gold is a bittering hop that is often described to have the following aroma characteristics:
blackcurrant
spicy
Brewer’s Gold Hop Oil Breakdown
Hop oils can vary from year to year and farm to farm but based on our research, here are the typical values we have seen reported. This information comes from various hop farms, The Hop Aroma Compendium, and For The Love Of Hops.
Alpha Acid % (AA) Alpha acids are what is isomerized when boiling to create bitterness in beer. | 8.1% – 13.1% |
Beta Acid % Beta acids are what give hops their more aroma and flavor compounds. | 3.7% – 6.8% |
Alpha-Beta Ratio This ratio of alpha acids to beta acids determines how quickly bitterness fades during aging. Lower ratios are common for aromatic varieties. | 1:1 – 3:1 |
Co-Humulone as a % of Alpha Higher numbers are said to impart a harsher bitterness. | 41% |
Total Oils (mL/100g) With more total oils, typically comes a more complex hop profile but these are highly volatile compounds. | 1.8mL |
Myrcene green, resinous | 40% |
Humulene woody, piney | 35% |
Caryophyllene woody | 35% |
Farnesene floral | 0% – 1% |
Other Oils: Includes beta-ionine, beta-pinene, limonene, linalool, geranoil & selinene | 9% – 40% |
Hop Storage Index (HSI) The HSI indicates the percent of alpha and beta acids lost after 6 months of storage at room temperature (68°F or 20°C). | Data Not Available |
Hop Storage Index (HSI) Rating | Data Not Available |
Brewer’s Gold Hop Substitutions
Replacing one hop for another is seldom straightforward but sometimes you don’t have the right hop or the right quantity of hops for the beer you want to make. For those situations, we have made a comprehensive list of hops to substitute on brew day.
These substitutions aren’t perfect as hop chemistry is pretty complex.
We wanted to make this list of substitutions with varietals that are easy to find when possible. For Brewer’s Gold, we recommend substituting with the following hops:
Beer Styles
For the most part, any hop could have a place in just about any beer style. Based on popular beers, historical usage, and our own preferences, we would recommend using Brewer's Gold for IPA, New England IPA, Pale Ale, Wheat Beer, Golden Ale. That being said, experiment and see what works best for you.
References
https://www.hopslist.com/
https://www.ars.usda.gov/
https://www.brewersassociation.org/
https://www.barthhaasx.com/
https://www.yakimachief.com/
Hieronymus, Stan. For The Love of Hops. Brewers Publications, 2012
The Hop Aroma Compendium. 2012