Who uses English hops?

[An Ankoù]

https://vinepair.com/articles/wa-beer-pros-underrated-and-overrated-hops/

Have just been reading this article and we Brits, posting on another forum, were wondering whether U.S. brewers made much use of English hops, either for English styles or other styles.
I speculated that EKGs and Fuggles were probably well known, but that others were probably unknown or niche. What do the brewers of America say on the matter?

 

[day_trippr]

I dunno, when you start poking around those lists it's more head scratching than illuminating, imo. Though I do agree with one point:

“Sabro. I would posit that this hop, while being unique and having the possibility of awesome coconut character, has a razor-thin line between making a beer better and making a beer worse.”

 

[mac_1103]

Yeah, EKG and Fuggle pretty regularly. Picked up a pound of closeout Target at YVH a while back, but haven't tried it yet.

 

[JohnA]

EKG and Fuggles here, too, but just for British styles so far. I tried to find Bramling Cross for my Butty Bach but was unsuccessful. Which others should we definitely explore, and for what?

 

[Cheshire Cat]

EKG and Fuggles here, too, but just for British styles so far. I tried to find Bramling Cross for my Butty Bach but was unsuccessful. Which others should we definitely explore, and for what?

If you can’t get Bramling then use East Kent Golding.

 

[An Ankoù]

EKG and Fuggles here, too, but just for British styles so far. I tried to find Bramling Cross for my Butty Bach but was unsuccessful. Which others should we definitely explore, and for what?

It's hard to recommend a particular hop as they're pretty recipe dependent. if I were to make a single hop, English bitter, I'd be looking at Challenger for bittering and any one of a number of hops for late additions. I see Northern Brewer do target ad First Gold; I find Target can be a bit coarse if overdone.
Here's a list and these guys at Crossmyloof Brewing (I have no commercial attachment to them) will ship worldwide, but you may have to pay import duty.

https://www.britishhops.org.uk/varieties/

https://www.crossmyloofbrew.co.uk/shipping-and-terms

I get my New Zealand and Australian hops from Beerco in Australia and it's cheaper than sourcing them locally so there's nothing odd about sourcing from the other side of the world. They haven't got many UK hops, though.

 

[MaxStout]

EKG and Fuggles here, too, but just for British styles so far. I tried to find Bramling Cross for my Butty Bach but was unsuccessful. Which others should we definitely explore, and for what?

Northwest Hops has Bramling Cross, but shipping from Canada might be steep.

 

[kevin58]

Yes, I use UK hops quite often. EKG and Fuggle primarily but also Northern Brewer, Challenger, Target and Admiral.

 

[Yooper]

Yes, I use UK hops quite often. EKG and Fuggle primarily but also Northern Brewer, Challenger, Target and Admiral.

I don't make many UK styles of beer lately, and I have no idea why. But I have routinely used EKG (my favorite), Brewers Gold, Challenger, Target, and Northern brewer. I dislike beers made with fuggles, but before I decided it was fuggles and not my lack of brewing skill, I used it a few times. I think fuggles as late additions make the beer taste dirty.

 

[Beekeeper]

Another vote for EKG!

 

[jdauria]

Pretty much only use English hops when making English styles, but did use Fuggle in a Biere de Garde last year and have used EKG in a pumpkin ale, Actually brewing a British Golden next, but using all American hops.

 

[James_AZ]

EKG, Kent Goldings, UK Goldings, Target, Brambling Cross, Fuggle, Challenger, North Down.
Do like EKG, with a little Fuggle and even less northdown on hotside with EKG and little Fuggle dry hop IPA with Marris and some 60L. LIght on the Carb and served at 55F.

 

[Pennine]

I've got some pilgrim and challenger I need to get more familiar with.

EKG is my go to. I have a hard time with fuggles.

 

[day_trippr]

fwiw, when I was really into european character years ago I used Hallertauer Mittelfrüher, Saaz, and Tetnang, plus some "noble adjacent" hops like English EKG and other Hallertauer strains like Hersbrucker and Tradition, plus home-grown Fuggles for seven years. Been awhile since I got that particular brewing bug...

Cheers!

 

[TheDudeLebowski]

Back in ancient times when I used to brew one of my favorite hops were Northern Brewer. Used in my California Common and a bunch of stouts.

I liked it so much I grew them. They liked my cool shady woods to grow in.

Looking at your links I'd say I've tried about 20% of them in breweries around here. We do hazies but their are niche English microbrews.

https://www.fathenbrewingcompany.com/

 

[worlddivides]

Outside of English styles, I also use English hops in saisons and just stouts and porters that I'm not trying to be "authentically English." Like, it'll use English hops and yeast, but it might not be like any English stout I've ever had before. For the longest time, the English hop I used the most was Northern Brewer, but I think I use East Kent Goldings the most now, followed by Fuggle. I've used a few other English hops, but they can be more difficult to find. Plus, those main ones are pretty good anyway.

 

[An Ankoù]

I've got some pilgrim and challenger I need to get more familiar with.

EKG is my go to. I have a hard time with fuggles.

Interesting what you and @Yooper say about fuggles. I'm going to go back through my notes to see where I've used them and how the beer turned out.
I know I haven't used fuggles for a while

 

[Cheshire Cat]

Interesting what you and @Yooper say about fuggles. I'm going to go back through my notes to see where I've used them and how the beer turned out.
I know I haven't used fuggles for a while

AA
I use 100% Fuggles when making 5 Points Best that’s 100g in 19 litres and it’s a great beer.

 

[worlddivides]

AA
I use 100% Fuggles when making 5 Points Best that’s 100g in 19 litres and it’s a great beer.

I've done a ton of beers that are 100% Fuggle, sometimes dry-hopped with it too. There's a reason it's been one of the most popular English hops for such a long time. The beer I brewed today was bittered with EKG and finished with Fuggle, but the beer I made about a month or two ago was 100% Fuggle. I have a bitter recipe that's bittered with Northern Brewer, with EKG and Fuggle for all the mid to late additions, but I could honestly go 100% with Fuggle and it'd be great too.

 

[An Ankoù]

AA
I use 100% Fuggles when making 5 Points Best that’s 100g in 19 litres and it’s a great beer.

You're right, CC. What made me prick up my ears is that I'm sure somebody on HBUK said, quite recently, that they didin't like fuggles. I don't see any other English hop singled out for such dislike, though.
Fuggles, after all, is the progenitor of so many modern hops not least cascade and a whole swathe of the various Styrian Goldings.

 

[Pennine]

You're right, CC. What made me prick up my ears is that I'm sure somebody on HBUK said, quite recently, that they didin't like fuggles. I don't see any other English hop singled out for such dislike, though.
Fuggles, after all, is the progenitor of so many modern hops not least cascade and a whole swathe of the various Styrian Goldings.

It always tastes like dirt to me. Not earthy but like freshly dug soil. I think it might be one of those cilantro/soap things honestly.

 

[leedspointbrew]

I recently scored a very good deal on a lb of First Gold. Worked really well in a dark mild and a BPA.

 

[Yooper]

It always tastes like dirt to me. Not earthy but like freshly dug soil. I think it might be one of those cilantro/soap things honestly.

It is for me- I love most hops and most beers, but fuggles tastes like dirt to me. Like you said- not 'earthy' or 'dank', but straight up soil. It smells like dirt and tastes like dirt to me.

 

[An Ankoù]

This is fascinating. I'm going to make a small SMaSH to see if I can experience what people are saying.

Here's the descriptor (everybody copies each other so I suppose it's indicative):

Flavour and Aroma​

It has a wonderful, delicate, minty, grassy and slightly floral aroma.

Characteristics​

Minty, floral, earthy.

 

[An Ankoù]

I see many of your outlets stock Target, which I find an unlikely representative of English hops. I don't recall seeing many recipes on this side of the Pond. Again, it;s high time I reacquainted myself with this hop.

 

[worlddivides]

I absolutely adore Cilantro/coriander, but my wife thinks it tastes like soap. Just like I can't imagine coriander tasting like soap, even though that's how a ton of people who hate it describe it, I also can't imagine Fuggle tasting like dirt. So it really might be a person-by-person kind of thing... Though there are TONS of people who despise coriander and say it tastes like soap, I have to say this is the first I've heard of people saying Fuggle tastes like dirt. Can't say I've ever had a hop that tastes like dirt. If such people find a lot of hops tasting like dirt, it really might be an odd genetic kind of thing.

 

[day_trippr]

Yeah, the "dirt" thing is news to me as well. What I got from what I grew was more of a less intense "Cascade" spectrum of character

Cheers!

 

[dmtaylor]

My friends call it "earthy". For fun I call it "Fugly", even though personally I don't mind a little earth in my English style beers. It's not 100% earth, there's other spicy and herbal things going on with it to make it a decent hop, another tool in the toolbox.

I'm also a fan of Brewer's Gold, forgot about that one. I want to use it more.

I pick up random English hops from time to time but none really stand out as being super interesting to me, not yet.

One time I made a SMASH IPA with Challenger. I wasn't a fan.