Fuggle (hop)
From The Oxford Companion to Beer
is a classic old English aroma hop that was found as a seedling in 1861 and introuced by Richard Fuggle some 14 years later. Fuggle saw extensive use worldwide as an aroma hop because of its pleasantness on the drinker’s palate and its tolerance to downy mildew (Pseudoperonospora humuli) in the field. Although Fuggle was desirable for brewing, some unfavorable traits caused production problems. In many European growing areas, Verticillium wilt (Verticillium spp.) devastated commercial Fuggle yards, whereas in the United States, relatively low yields were the problem. Although Fuggle is still commercially grown, it has largely been supplanted by agronomically superior cultivars with similar flavor and aroma profiles. Its favorable brewing characteristics, however, have made Fuggle an ideal candidate for parenting in breeding programs. Not surprisingly, it has become the key ancestor for many modern cultivars and breeding lines, including Willamette in the United States.
Bibliography
This definition is from The Oxford Companion to Beer, edited by Garrett Oliver. © Oxford University Press 2012.