Styrian Golding Hops
Styrian Golding, also known as Styrian Savinjski Golding or Savinja Golding, is a traditional Slovenian aroma hop prized for its refined herbal, spicy, earthy and tea-like character. It produces a pleasant bitterness alongside delicate notes of lemon, green tea, herbs, white pepper and subtle sweet fruit.
Styrian Golding T90 hop pellets are particularly well suited to Belgian ales, English bitters, saisons, farmhouse ales, traditional lagers and other European beer styles where a balanced, elegant hop character is preferred over intense modern fruit flavours.
Styrian Golding Hop Specifications
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Origin: Slovenia
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Also known as: Styrian Savinjski Golding, Savinjski Golding and Savinja Golding
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Heritage: Derived from the English Fuggle hop
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Form: T90 hop pellets
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Alpha acids: Approx. 3–6%
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Beta acids: Approx. 2–4%
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Cohumulone: Approx. 25–30% of alpha acids
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Total oils: Approx. 0.5–1.7ml per 100g
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Primary use: Aroma and flavour
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Aroma profile: Herbal, spicy, earthy, lemon, green tea and subtle sweet fruit
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Bitterness character: Pleasant, delicate and balanced
Alpha acid levels vary between crops and individual batches. Check the product title, packaging or current certificate of analysis for the exact alpha-acid content before calculating bitterness.
What Do Styrian Golding Hops Taste Like?
Styrian Golding produces a refined traditional hop character with flavours and aromas reminiscent of:
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Green tea and iced tea
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Lemon and lemongrass
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Earthy herbs
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White pepper and gentle spice
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Subtle floral notes
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Green apple and sweet fruit
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Light woody and resinous character
Its restrained and elegant profile complements malt and yeast-driven beers without overpowering them.
How to Use Styrian Golding Hops
Styrian Golding can be used throughout the boil, but its delicate aroma is best showcased through flavour and aroma additions.
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Bittering: Use early in the boil for gentle, traditional bitterness.
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Flavour addition: Add with approximately 15–30 minutes remaining for herbal, earthy and spicy flavour.
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Aroma addition: Add during the final 5–10 minutes for lemon, tea and delicate spice.
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Whirlpool: A small whirlpool addition can enhance its refined herbal and citrus aroma.
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Traditional dry hopping: Styrian Golding may be used for light dry hopping in English, Belgian or farmhouse ales, although large modern dry-hop additions are generally unnecessary.
Because Styrian Golding has a relatively low alpha-acid content, a higher-alpha hop may be used for the main bittering addition when greater bitterness is required. Styrian Golding can then be reserved for flavour and aroma.
Recommended Beer Styles and Bitterness Guide
The following bitterness ranges are general style guides. The amount of Styrian Golding required will depend on the exact alpha-acid percentage, batch volume, wort gravity, boil time and brewing system efficiency.
| Recommended beer style | Typical Styrian Golding use | Approximate total bitterness |
|---|---|---|
| Belgian Blonde Ale | Flavour and late aroma additions | 15–30 IBU |
| Belgian Pale Ale | Bittering, flavour and aroma | 20–30 IBU |
| Belgian Dubbel | Gentle bitterness and late flavour | 15–25 IBU |
| Belgian Tripel | Bittering, flavour and aroma | 20–40 IBU |
| Belgian Golden Strong Ale | Flavour and aroma additions | 22–35 IBU |
| Saison | Late-boil flavour and aroma | 20–35 IBU |
| Farmhouse Ale | Flavour, aroma or light dry hopping | 20–35 IBU |
| English Bitter | Flavour and late aroma additions | 20–35 IBU |
| Extra Special Bitter | Bittering, flavour and aroma | 30–45 IBU |
| English Pale Ale | Flavour and late aroma additions | 25–40 IBU |
| English Golden Ale | Late-boil and aroma additions | 20–35 IBU |
| European Lager | Gentle bitterness and late aroma | 15–30 IBU |
| Bière de Garde | Balanced bittering and flavour | 18–30 IBU |
For stronger Belgian ales, Magnum or another clean bittering hop can provide the main bitterness while Styrian Golding is reserved for late-boil flavour and aroma additions.
What Hops Pair Well with Styrian Golding?
Styrian Golding pairs particularly well with traditional English and European hop varieties.
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Saaz adds earthy, herbal and spicy character.
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Hallertau Mittelfrüh adds delicate floral, herbal and spicy notes.
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East Kent Golding adds honey, floral, earthy and gentle spice.
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Fuggle reinforces earthy, woody and herbal character.
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Tettnang adds delicate spice, flowers and herbs.
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Perle adds mint, spice and gentle floral character.
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Northern Brewer provides firmer bitterness with woody and herbal notes.
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Bobek adds floral, pine, lemon and herbal character.
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Magnum provides clean base bitterness without covering Styrian Golding’s aroma.
Styrian Golding Hop Substitutions
There is no perfect substitute for Styrian Golding, but several traditional varieties can produce a similar result.
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Fuggle is the closest substitute for earthy, woody and herbal character.
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East Kent Golding adds floral, earthy and honey-like notes.
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Willamette provides mild spice, herbs, earth and floral character.
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Celeia offers lemon, green tea and herbal notes.
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Bobek provides floral, lemon, pine and herbal character.
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Tettnang adds delicate spice, herbs and floral aroma.
When substituting another variety, recalculate the addition using the alpha-acid percentage of the replacement hop.
Freshly Packed and Cold Stored
Our Styrian Golding T90 hop pellets are sealed in barrier packaging and cold stored to help protect their delicate essential oils, aroma, flavour and brewing quality.
For best results, keep unopened hops refrigerated or frozen. After opening, remove as much air as possible, reseal securely and return them to the freezer.
Explore our complete range of European and UK hops or shop all homebrewing hops available from Border Brewing Supplies.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Styrian Golding an aroma or bittering hop?
Styrian Golding is primarily an aroma and flavour hop. Its relatively low alpha-acid content can provide gentle bitterness, but its greatest value is its refined herbal, earthy, spicy, lemon and tea-like character.
Is Styrian Golding a noble hop?
Styrian Golding is often described as having a noble or noble-like aroma, but it is not one of the four classical noble hop varieties. Those are Hallertau Mittelfrüh, Tettnang, Spalt and Saaz.
Is Styrian Golding actually a Golding hop?
Despite its name, traditional Styrian Savinjski Golding originated from the English Fuggle variety rather than an English Golding. Fuggle plants were introduced into Slovenia and developed their own distinctive regional character.
Are Styrian Golding and Savinjski Golding the same?
Styrian Golding is commonly used as a name for Styrian Savinjski Golding or Savinja Golding. However, “Styrian Golding” has also been used commercially for related Slovenian varieties such as Celeia, so checking the supplier’s variety identification is worthwhile.
Can Styrian Golding be used in a Belgian Saison?
Yes. Styrian Golding is an excellent choice for saisons and farmhouse ales. Its herbal, spicy, earthy and lemon-like character complements peppery and fruity Belgian yeast flavours.
Can Styrian Golding be used in English ales?
Yes. Its Fuggle heritage and earthy, herbal character make it suitable for bitters, ESBs, pale ales and English golden ales.
Can Styrian Golding be used for dry hopping?
Yes, Styrian Golding can be used for light traditional dry hopping in English, Belgian and farmhouse ales. Large modern dry-hop rates are generally unnecessary because its character is delicate and refined.
What is the best substitute for Styrian Golding?
Fuggle is generally the closest substitute because Styrian Savinjski Golding originated from Fuggle. East Kent Golding, Willamette, Celeia, Bobek and Tettnang may also work depending on the beer style.
How should Styrian Golding hops be stored?
Keep unopened Styrian Golding hops refrigerated or frozen in their original sealed packaging. Once opened, remove as much air as possible, reseal securely and store them in the freezer.
