The annual Weald of Kent Hop Competition has announced the winners of this year’s event. Hop growers and brewers from across Kent and Sussex displayed the best of their produce for judging by a distinguished panel of experts from across the industry. The event, hosted by the Weald of Kent Ploughing Match Association, was held in Marden on November 23rd.

New this year was an award for the Best Hopped Beer. The first winner of the award was the Royal Tunbridge Wells Brewing Company. The winning beer was their Harvest Royal.

Kent is famous for its hops and for the first time the Royal Tunbridge Wells Brewing Company has marked the local hop harvest by producing a special edition green hopped beer. Many UK craft brewers have embraced the technique of using freshly harvested green hops directly in the brewing process replacing the usual dried aroma hops. This gives the beer a fresher, more delicate aroma that just cannot be  achieved from dried hops. Because the green hop is a perishable product it must be used very soon after picking. As a result this green hopped beer can only be brewed in the few weeks of the harvest in late summer.

Working with their local hop grower, Andy Coombe-Jones of Iden Green Farm in Goudhurst the Royal Tunbridge Wells Brewing Company was able to arrange the quickest shortest route from the field to the brewery by collecting the freshly harvested Kentish hops only hours after they had been picked and brewing with them the same day. Head Brewer Mark Gardner has used these green hops for a special Harvest version of the brewery’s best selling Royal Best Bitter.

Owner of the brewery Simon Lewis said, “It is a great honour to win an award like this. We are very honoured to be the first winners. We are glad that we have been able to showcase the wonderful hops that Kent is so proud of in this beer.”

The annual Weald of Kent Hop Competition has announced the winners of this year’s event. Hop growers and brewers from across Kent and Sussex displayed the best of their produce for judging by a distinguished panel of experts from across the industry. The event, hosted by the Weald of Kent Ploughing Match Association, was held in Marden on November 23rd.

New this year was an award for the Best Hopped Beer. The first winner of the award was the Royal Tunbridge Wells Brewing Company. The winning beer was their Harvest Royal.

Kent is famous for its hops and for the first time the Royal Tunbridge Wells Brewing Company has marked the local hop harvest by producing a special edition green hopped beer. Many UK craft brewers have embraced the technique of using freshly harvested green hops directly in the brewing process replacing the usual dried aroma hops. This gives the beer a fresher, more delicate aroma that just cannot be  achieved from dried hops. Because the green hop is a perishable product it must be used very soon after picking. As a result this green hopped beer can only be brewed in the few weeks of the harvest in late summer.

Working with their local hop grower, Andy Coombe-Jones of Iden Green Farm in Goudhurst the Royal Tunbridge Wells Brewing Company was able to arrange the quickest shortest route from the field to the brewery by collecting the freshly harvested Kentish hops only hours after they had been picked and brewing with them the same day. Head Brewer Mark Gardner has used these green hops for a special Harvest version of the brewery’s best selling Royal Best Bitter.

Owner of the brewery Simon Lewis said, “It is a great honour to win an award like this. We are very honoured to be the first winners. We are glad that we have been able to showcase the wonderful hops that Kent is so proud of in this beer.”