Sister to Bullion, US-grown Brewer’s Gold is a cultivar of the original English variety, Brewer’s Gold. Despite having been developed in England, its origin is undoubtedly North American having been initially derived from a wild hop sourced from Canada’s Pembina Valley in Manitoba. The American version is naturally similar to the original but contains higher alpha acids on average.
The USDA used heat therapy and other techniques to adapt the variety to local conditions and to improve disease resistance. It was grown predominantly in Oregon and on significant acreage until the advent of super-alpha varieties in the 1980’s. It was discontinued from commercial production in 1985 but is still available today, albeit largely for the homebrew market.
