Brewing for Kent
Kent Brewery supports the principles of the CAMRA LocAle scheme and aims, as much as possible, to source its ingredients locally. Whereas LocAle aims to support the local economy as far as the brewery gate, we believe it is the responsibility of the brewery to extend that support to local farmers and businesses as much as possible. We will be using hops, malt and other ingredients from local farmers whenever it is achievable and, when not, we will use local suppliers of ingredients from further afield. But at the heart of our business, the beer will always come first. Kent Brewery will not be recreating old recipes or keeping only to traditional hop varieties, because we are looking to the future rather than to the past for our inspiration. We are excited by the tastes of new hop varieties, and want to bring those great flavours and their economic benefits back to the home of the hop. Some new hop varieties will never survive in our climate. But we should not only be planting those that will, we should be creating new varieties to compete on the new world satge. We will encourage Kent hop farmers to plant exciting new varieties, by providing a strong local marketplace for their products, and so help to ensure that Kent can once again thrive as a hop-producing county.
Hops
Kent has played a major role in the development of new hop varieties to suit the requirements for English and British beers. Fuggles and Golding hops have lead the field as major varieties in many of our best known beers - and both originated in Kent*. Today, modern tastes are changing towards new varieties that have originated usually in the USA or New Zealand. Kent hop fields are in decline and must embrace these new varieties so as to grow and prosper. Kent Brewery is encouraging hop farmers to plant these crops when possible and to also experiment with new varieties in the same way as the greatest names in our celebrated and innovative hop heritage. In this way, Kent will once again become a major supplier of hops to the beers of Britain and beyond.
Malt
When Kent was a thriving hop-producing county it was also possible to find a Maltings, or Malthouse, in almost every town. Sadly today it is not possible to find one in the whole of Kent, and only six survive in the country. But Kent-produced barley is still grown in great quantities and is of outstanding quality. Even though the malting of the barley takes place elsewhere, we are working with the Maltsters to ensure that with modern traceability methods we are able to bring the malted Kent barley back to its place of origin for use in our beers.
Hops
Kent has played a major role in the development of new hop varieties to suit the requirements for English and British beers. Fuggles and Golding hops have lead the field as major varieties in many of our best known beers - and both originated in Kent*. Today, modern tastes are changing towards new varieties that have originated usually in the USA or New Zealand. Kent hop fields are in decline and must embrace these new varieties so as to grow and prosper. Kent Brewery is encouraging hop farmers to plant these crops when possible and to also experiment with new varieties in the same way as the greatest names in our celebrated and innovative hop heritage. In this way, Kent will once again become a major supplier of hops to the beers of Britain and beyond.
Malt
When Kent was a thriving hop-producing county it was also possible to find a Maltings, or Malthouse, in almost every town. Sadly today it is not possible to find one in the whole of Kent, and only six survive in the country. But Kent-produced barley is still grown in great quantities and is of outstanding quality. Even though the malting of the barley takes place elsewhere, we are working with the Maltsters to ensure that with modern traceability methods we are able to bring the malted Kent barley back to its place of origin for use in our beers.
 Fuggles: Horton Kirby, Kent, 31 July 2010 |
 Barley Harvest: Green Street Green, Kent, 31 July 2010 |
* Fuggles was propagated in Kent by a Richard Fuggle of Brenchley in 1875. At the end of the Second World War, Fuggles still made up 78% of the English hop acreage. It is now blighted by Verticillium Wilt which has made growth almost impossible in much of Kent and Sussex. We have a local supplier with a very good quality stock.
Golding hops have had the greatest impact of any variety on British beer and was recorded in 1790 as being 'raised by a man still living, Mr Golding, of the Malling quarter of the district'. Although the exact gentleman responsible is the subject of some dispute, Kent Brewery is proud to be situated so close to such an important site.
Golding hops have had the greatest impact of any variety on British beer and was recorded in 1790 as being 'raised by a man still living, Mr Golding, of the Malling quarter of the district'. Although the exact gentleman responsible is the subject of some dispute, Kent Brewery is proud to be situated so close to such an important site.
