First Gold

An English dwarf hop — orange marmalade and gentle spice.

Origin

Kent

Country

United Kingdom

Released

1995

Alpha Acid

7.0–10.0%

What it tastes like

First Gold is a popular English dwarf dual-purpose hop, often described as a tidier, spicier Golding. It brings orange-marmalade citrus, floral notes and a clean, gentle bitterness — a versatile choice for bitters, ales and English-style IPAs.

orangecitrusfloral

Best in these styles

bitter / ESBenglish alegolden aleenglish IPA

Tasting Tip

First Gold works through the boil — clean bittering early, and an orange-marmalade Golding character late.

Beers showcasing First Gold

Specific beer examples coming soon.

Substitutes & relatives

If you can't source First Gold, these hops bring overlapping character.

Lineage & family

How First Gold connects to the rest of the hop family — its parents, and the varieties it spawned. Trace the full pedigree in the Hop Lineage explorer →

Founding lineage

● Bates Brewer 50% ● 2L183 12% ● 2L118 11% ● BB1 9% ● H.l. neomex. 8% ● other roots 10%

Blood relatives

Genetically closest in the pedigree (may taste different):

Pilgrim

spicy · lemon · cedar

Progress

earthy · honey · floral

Pioneer

Herald

For brewers — technical profile

Alpha Acid

7.0–10.0%

Beta Acid

3.0–4.5%

Total Oil

0.5–2.0 mL/100g

Oil composition

myrcene

30–38%

humulene

20–24%

caryophyllene

6–9%

farnesene

1.5–3%

History

First Gold was bred at Wye College and released in 1995, a dwarf (hedgerow) variety from a cross of Whitbread Golding Variety (WGV) with a dwarf male — prized as a Golding-like aroma hop that's easier to harvest.

Sources

So you can see nothing here is made up — the published specifications on this page are traceable to grower / breeder data:

Freshness Note

Store cold and sealed to keep its gentle citrus-floral aroma fresh.

Explore more hops

→ Browse all hop varieties

→ More from Kent