Press release for immediate use: Wed 3 Sept 2014
Kent brewers have once again been putting their speed, skill and creativity to the test as they make the ultimate seasonal beer for the county’s Green Hop Beer Fortnight.
Kent Green Hop Beers are made using hops fresh from the bine – instead of waiting for them to be dried – and capture the incredible flavours normally lost in the traditional drying process.
Nearly every brewery in the county takes part in the event which brewers consider a high point of the year. The full beer list is still to be announced but this year’s beers include two from Tunbridge Wells-based Pig & Porter Brewery inspired by the seminal BBC comedy series Blackadder; Belgian style brews from Canterbury’s Foundry Brewpub and a bitter featuring the scarce Canterbury Whitebine hop – a historical variety which is a ‘parent’ of the well known Goldings variety – from Shepherd Neame.
“Kent Green Hop Beers are genuinely – and naturally – unique because fresh hops are much trickier to tame than dried ones so brewers can’t be completely sure how a finished beer will taste,” explains Beer Sommelier Sophie Atherton who has helped promote The Fortnight since it began in 2012.
She adds, “This is just one of the reasons green hop brews are so exciting. They’re also absolutely brilliant for showing off the flavours – and aromas – of British hops which are sometimes overshadowed by the fashion for using imported varieties.”
The Fortnight inevitably also brings out brewers’ competitive streak. Old Dairy Brewery at Rolvenden, near Cranbrook, retain the record for brewing the first Kent Green Hop Beer of the year and have also thrown down a gauntlet to fellow brewers by getting hops from bine to brew in under 25 minutes.
Kent Green Hop Beer Fortnight officially begins at Canterbury Food & Drink Festival on Friday 26th September. A dedicated Kent Green Hop bar at the event will be the only occasion that all (or nearly all) the beers will be available in the same place at the same time.
Beer lovers also have the opportunity to drink Kent Green Hop Beer with the people that make it if they visit one or more breweries taking part in East Kent Open Day on 12th October. Visit www.kentgreenhopbeer.com for further details.
Kent Green Hop Beer Fortnight starts at Canterbury Food & Drink Festival on 26/27/28th September and continues at pubs throughout the county until 12th October.
