Kent Green Hop Fortnight Finishes With Grand Tour Of Five East Kent Breweries
• Local award winning brewery, Goody Ales is opening up for a celebration of the Kent Hop Harvest as part of the Kent Green Hop Fortnight along with four other East Kent breweries
• Goody Ales brews Kent Green Hop Beer using hops grown organically in their own field
We are now at the Kent hop harvesting season and therefore the Kent Green Hop beers have been brewed by most of the breweries in Kent. This is the only time of year that brewers can brew using fresh hops as usually hops are dried in order to preserve them for use throughout the year. Fresh hops will deteriorate quite rapidly so it is important that they are added to the brew as soon as possible. To meet the Kent Green Hop Beer criteria they must be used within 12 hours.
To celebrate the hop harvest the Kent Green Hop Fortnight has been offering wonderful events such as the beer tent at the Canterbury Food Festival in Dane John Gardens which showcased the full range of Kent Green Hop beers brewed in Kent. As a finale to the fortnight, five breweries in East Kent are opening their doors to the public. On Sunday 12th October Gadds of Ramsgate, Wantsum Brewery, Canterbury Ales, Canterbury Brewers and our local microbrewery Goody Ales will be celebrating with live folk music, BBQ, Morris Dancers and other festivities. Visit as many or as few as you like, stay for an hour or all day, come alone or with friends. For those who would like to visit all five breweries, tour buses will transport customers around all five breweries where they can sample the many varied Kent Green Hop Beers and enjoy the entertainment. Peter McCabe said “This is a fabulous time to celebrate Kent hops and the day should be very interesting with an opportunity to see five microbreweries all in one day!” The Goody Ales bus will have a pick up point at Herne Bay station and then head off for Bleangate Brewery in Herne. Then, after sampling the beer move on to Canterbury Ales, The Foundry Brewpub, Wantsum Brewery, Gadds’ Brewery and then back to Goody’s and then to Herne Bay station. Buses will pick up at different points according to the local brewery. Tickets for the bus will cost £10 for the round trip and should be booked in advanced by contacting your nearest brewery. Please see breweries or Kent Green Hop Beer websites or phone for details.
As part of the Kent Green Hop Beer, this year, for the first time ever, Goody Ales planted around 30 hop plants, given to them by Humphrey Hulme of Wingham. Under his guidance they were planted in a position what was out of the wind and exposed to sunshine. The fields have been left fallow for many years and so the soil is uncontaminated by any pesticides or fertilizers. The poles were erected in a wigwam style in a very old and traditional style which was beneficial when harvesting. The brewers were warned that they might not flower in the first year but to their delight the bines grew strongly resulting in a bumper crop. Although the cones were not huge, they were full of very aromatic seeds which when crushed between the fingers released the most intense aromas from the oils, possibly due to them being grown organically. The colour of hops were a delicate emerald green with slight yellow tinge, so fresh and delicate. It was beautiful sunny afternoon when it was decided they were ripe for picking and it was a real family affair harvesting and removing the cones from the bines. A wonderfully rewarding job for a late summer afternoon. Following each the two afternoons of picking, the hops were thrown into the copper at the final stage of the brews and the brewery was filled with the delicious citrus and floral aromas. Karen and Peter did not know how the beer would taste as the hops were their first crop, hence each of the Green Hop beers that have been brewed by the award winning brewery have produced are unique and will be each year, with their own distinct flavours. Goody Ales’ own, brewery grown hops have given three of their Green Hop beers plenty of fresh aroma and flavour. “We were delighted to brew beer using our own organically grown hops and will look forward to next years harvest. We are particularly pleased with our Green Hop beers this year, Genesis Green Hop, Good Harvest and Good Life Green Hop are a treat as the hops provide a fresher and lighter flavour than the usual dried hops that we use throughout the year” said brewester Karen Goody. “Using Kent hops is something I feel passionate about and to be able to use our own is even more special” she added.
The usual monthly Firkins at Full Moon held at Goody Ales Bleangate Brewery, Herne will be replaced by the East Kent Green Hop Open Day on Sunday 12th October 10am – 6pm. Entry is free to all five breweries.
Bleangate Brewery is situated on Braggs Lane, Herne. On the Canterbury road half a mile outside the village of Herne, Braggs Lane is on the right after the First and Last pub. The nearest bus stop is a five minute walk from the brewery. The nearest train station is Herne Bay.
East Kent Open Day
www.goodyales.co.uk
