I have really enjoyed being kept abreast of the latest developments in hop breeding in the UK by Charles Faram. The team there certainly know their stuff; they have alpha acids running through their veins (in a good way) and they are an absolutely lovely group of people. I have been fortunate to be able to brew with brand new varieties, as well as experiment in many different ways with relatively new - but perhaps little known - English hops.
My favourites in the last few years have been:
Phoenix
I think it suits darker beers so well. Notes of molasses and caramelised sugar give it a much deeper, earthier character than pretty much any other variety. I think it’s very smooth and can work well in a darker bitter, mild, amber, stout or porter. In my opinion it complements sweetness in a beer very well.
Olicana
Fruity and perhaps a touch tropical, it’s a nice bright variety that works well in IPAs and pales. I think it can stand up well against US proprietary varieties, and the nice thing is it probably works better in lower doses (so it goes a little further).
Harlequin
Brand new for the 2018 crop year, I was very excited by how it smelt on the rub and how it tasted in a single-hop beer made by Burning Soul brewery. Again, light and fruity with tropical notes, but it also has a very clean and building bitterness. I think it has a delicate and diverse spectrum of flavours that could suit floral pales, just as well as a softer lager or punchy IPA.
I think the last few years have shown us that hops from further afield are here to stay, and I’m certainly glad of that; it would be a shame if UK drinkers were deprived of beers shining with hops like Citra, Mosaic, Galaxy or Nelson. However, I hope that more UK breweries are able to use more English hops. As ever with making beer, there are a large number of moving parts - everything is connected - and I can see that an increase in English hop usage will bring a whole lot of benefits in many different ways.
They are cheaper
Certainly compared to US and Southern hemisphere varieties, the average price per kilo of English hops is much lower for UK brewers.
It is also cheaper for UK brewers to visit farms or processing plants.
Sourcing locally is more sustainable and more environmentally-friendly
This is becoming more of a priority for drinkers, and is bound to become more important as a point of differentiation between breweries.
It makes brewers and employees feel better about what they’re doing. Working in a brewery is hard, and our environmental impact is one of those factors that we weigh up when we’re considering how valuable our input is. If you can feel like you’re part of a bigger thing that is doing good for the environment and the community, then you’ll take pride in what you do.
The flavours and aromas are unique
I’ve encountered some flavour descriptors in English hops that I haven’t found in other varieties. Even if some of these descriptors don’t necessarily fit into current trend profiles, they may well do soon! Drinkers’s palates are constantly evolving; building up positive associations with locality and sustainability can certainly enhance a beer drinking experience.
There are improvements to be made in hop processing
Ok so the processing technology is probably a little behind, if you compare English hops to what’s coming out of the US.
Cones are often drier and flakier. This could mean that the flavour isn’t quite as punchy as it might be. However, more often than not it could cause the brewer processing issues (if you need the cones to form a filter bed in the kettle).
T-90 pellets can be harder / more compact. They might not break up as easily and flavour extraction will happen more slowly.
We haven’t seen any T-45 pellets or Cryo hops yet.
There is more investment happening in English hop processing, and this will accelerate as the demand from UK brewers increases.
Vast amounts of money are required when it comes to investing in hops. The breeding and growing periods are long and fraught with risk. Equipment is expensive and continuous advancements in technology are happening very quickly. Drinkers and brewers are becoming more discerning; more focused on quality, yet still sensitive to price at a time when costs are always increasing. I think if we see a big buy-in to English hops over the next few years, there will be a rippling of longer-term benefits all the way from the hop bines to the glasses.
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