Hop Pellets Willamette

Willamette is a gentle US aroma hop, an American refinement of English Fuggles, valued for soft floral, spicy and mild fruit notes. It is a low-alpha pellet that brings understated complexity to English and American ales without shouting.

Best suited to

• English and American brown ale
• Porter and stout
• English bitter and ESB
• Amber and red ales
• Belgian ales

Typical specs (vary by harvest, check the pack)

• Variety / origin: Willamette, United States
• Form: T-90 pellets
• Purpose: Aroma
• Alpha acid: typically 4-6%
• Beta acid: typically 3-4.5%
• Co-humulone: typically 30-35% of alpha
• Total oil: typically 1-1.5 mL/100g
• Character: floral, spice, mild blackcurrant, gentle fruit

When to choose this over alternatives

Choose Willamette when you want soft, rounded aroma rather than a citrus or tropical hit. As a Fuggles descendant it shares that earthy, floral English character but is a touch fruitier and cleaner, which makes it a great bridge hop in American brown ales, porters and ambers. If you want a more traditional English earthiness, use Fuggles or Goldings instead. Pair a clean high-alpha hop like Magnum underneath for the bittering charge.

Practical notes

Willamette is an aroma hop, so it is happiest in the mid-to-late boil, flameout and whirlpool where its soft floral and spicy notes survive. The alpha is low, so use a generous weight for aroma. It dry hops nicely for a gentle, rounded character, around 20 to 35g. Store cold and sealed; low-alpha hops fade faster, so use it fresh for the best aroma.

Reviewed by the AHB Brewing Team - June 2026