Willamette

American-Grown English Soul • Soft Floral-Earthy Aroma • Smooth and Versatile

Willamette is America's answer to the English Fuggle — a seedless descendant bred in Oregon and named for the Willamette Valley where it thrives. It is prized for a gentle, complex aroma that bridges old-world earthiness and a subtle fruity brightness, making it one of the most versatile aroma hops in the American catalog.

With an alpha acid content of 5%, Willamette contributes mild, even bitterness alongside its aroma, so it can comfortably handle an entire hop schedule in malt-forward ales.

Flavor & Aroma Profile

• Soft floral aroma
• Earthy, gently woody base
• Light peppery spice
• Subtle blackcurrant fruitiness
• Smooth, low-impact bitterness

In small doses Willamette adds quiet, rounded complexity to porters and browns. Larger late additions reveal its floral-spice side with that distinctive whisper of dark fruit.

Brewing Applications

Willamette is a staple ingredient in many American and English-inspired styles, including:

• American Brown Ale
• Robust and English Porter
• Dry and Oatmeal Stout
• American and English Pale Ale
• Extra Special Bitter (ESB)
• Scottish Ale

It is also a reliable substitute anywhere Fuggle or Goldings are called for, and a graceful finishing hop in amber and red ales.

Usage Recommendations

For a 5 gallon batch, use 1–1.5 oz at 60 minutes and 0.5–1 oz in the final 10–15 minutes. Restrained use keeps dark malts in the spotlight, while heavier late additions add a floral, lightly fruity lift that works beautifully against roast and caramel.

Try Willamette as the sole hop in a brown ale or porter — its balance of earth, spice, and fruit carries a single-hop beer with ease.

Specifications

• Alpha Acid: 5%
• Flavor Notes: Floral, earthy, spicy, blackcurrant
• Typical Use: Aroma, with smooth mild bittering
• Common Additions: 60 min, 15 min
• Substitutes: Fuggle, East Kent Goldings, Styrian Goldings
• Beer Styles: Brown ale, porter, stout, pale ale, ESB

Whether you're crafting a nutty brown ale, a roasty porter, or a balanced pale ale, Willamette provides the soft floral-earthy character that has made it an American classic with an English accent.