Charles Faram Leads in Hop Innovation
Charles Faram Hop Factors & Merchants is leading the field in UK hop innovation for brewers and growers with new hop varieties and new natural hop products. Today’s beer scene is moving fast and Charles Faram is setting the pace with the latest advances in hops.
Each year Charles Faram hosts a seminar and hop walk in a major Worcestershire hop yard when approximately 350 brewers, beer writers, key brewing industry figures and hop growers from around the world congregate to hear presentations about the latest developments in hops, news on Faram’s Hop Breeding Programme and the latest craft brewing and hop developments in the USA.
This year it took place at Stocks Farm in Suckley, owned by Richard and Alison ‘Ali’ Capper. Ali Capper is also the publicity manager for the British Hop Association – travelling widely in Britain and overseas advocating for the special qualities that British hops give to beer and advocating for their diversity, and subtle, yet complex characteristics.
Paul Corbett, MD of Charles Faram discussed the new hops developed and in development by Peter Glendinning who heads the company’s hop development Programme. These include Archer®, Olicana®, Jester®, Minstrel® and some yet to be named. These hops bestow to the beer aromas and flavours such as apricot peach, floral, spice, grapefruit, lychees, blackcurrant, orange, herbs, mango and passionfruit. He commented that “Faram’s is focusing on the development of new varieties to provide a wider range of more intense, exciting flavours for the brewer and good agronomic characteristics for the grower.
When asked about the hopwalk seminars Ross Hunter from Surrey Hills Brewery said, “I was very excited to hear about the Charles Faram hop development programme. Jester has already established a reputation as an interesting and aromatic hop. I’m looking forward to more great new English hops. It was an interesting and informative seminar on the 2015 worldwide crop reports, British hops and new developments. I’m glad that I attended.
Dave Bailey of Hardknott Brewery added, “With the unfavourable harvests expected from around the world, it was extremely useful to be provide with information and ideas for how to navigate around the challenges of hop shortages.”
