To
celebrate the Diamond Jubilee of the Queen’s accession
to the throne, the Westerham Brewery has crafted a celebration
ale called Jubilation Ale.
The
beer is brewed with the finest English Maris Otter pale
ale malt to produce a crisp and sparkling golden ale. The
beer also showcases hop breeding and hop growing in Kent
over the last 100 years. We have carefully selected nine
different hops bred in Kent and grown in Kent to infuse
the Jubilation Ale with the flavour of the Garden of England.
1930s
Whitbread Golding Variety: first selected
in 1911 this hop was released to farmers in 1932 and at
one time was one of the most widely grown hop varieties
in Kent. Grown at Finchcocks’ hop garden in Goudhurst.
1940s Early Choice Golding: released in
1948, it is still grown to this day at Finchcocks’
in Goudhurst.
1950s Bramling Cross: bred at Wye College
in the 1927 and released in 1951, this is a cross between
Bramling Golding and a male seedling of a Manitoban wild
hop from Canada, a commonwealth connection in our Jubilation
Ale. Grown at Finchcocks’ in Goudhurst.
1960s Progress: bred at Wye College in
1950 and released in 1967, Progress has its parentage in
WGV and a grandfather of Target. Grown at Little Scotney
Farm in Lamberhurst.
1970s Target: bred at Wye College and released
in 1972, Target was bred as a high alpha hop. Excellent
for dry hopping. Grown at Little Scotney Farm in Lamberhurst.
1980s Pilgrim: bred at HRI Wye, Pilgrim
has the same father as First Gold. Grown at Hoad’s
Farm, Sandhurst
1990s First Gold: bred at HRI Wye in the
1980s from WGV and a dwarf male, it was released in 1996
as the world's first dwarf hop variety. Grown at Crow Plain
Farm, Marden.
2000s Sovereign: bred at HRI Wye from the
dwarf variety Pioneer, Sovereign was released on the Queen’s
birthday in 2006. It has a noble English hop aroma befitting
our noble Queen. Grown at Crow Plain Farm, Marden
2010s Finchcocks’ Hop X: a small
quantity of hops have been found in the Finchcocks’
hop garden that have a very special aroma. The hop will
be bred on in 2012 and then we hope it will go into farm-scale
trial.
Jubilation
Ale was first brewed on 20th January 2012 with Peter Darby
of Wye Hops Ltd and Ian Strang of Little Scotney Farm in
attendance to help with the hopping of the beer. Peter Darby
is the hopfather of the most recent four hop varieties we
are using and is one of the world’s experts on hop
breeding and cultivation. For the last 31 years he has continued
an unbroken tradition of hop breeding in Kent going back
to 1906 when hop breeding at Wye College was started by
Professor Ernest Salmon. Despite the closure of the College,
the breeding actively continues at Wye Hops Ltd, based near
Canterbury. Without the hop breeding programme at Wye Hops
Ltd and the hop growers of Kent, Jubilation Ale and other
true English ales would never taste the same.
Using
a combination of First Wort Hopping, Continuous Hopping
during the boil, Late Hopping in the Hop Rocket®
and Dry Hopping in maturation tank we hope to showcase the
hops of Kent. Available from February until July
1
October 2011
Scotney
Pale Ale, Scotney Best Bitter and William Wilberforce Freedom
Ale win the National Trust Fine Farm Produce Award
15
July 2011
Viceroy
India Pale Ale wins Supreme Champion Bottled Beer at SIBA
South East
Westerham's
Viceroy India Pale Ale took the Gold medal at the SIBA South
East Beer Competition on Friday 15th July in the Bottled
Beers over 5% category and then went on to win the Supreme
Champion Bottled Beer in the finals. The beer will now go
ahead into the SIBA National Finals in March 2012.
Finchcocks'
Original won Silver in the Milds category and Summer Perle
came away with the Bronze Medal in Standard Bitters under
3.9%.
This
is the second year in a row Westerham Brewery has won four
medals in the competition and the third year the brewery
has won a Supreme Champion award.
New
SIBA Film "Proud of British Beer" released on
YouTube
SIBA
has produced this film to celebrate great British Beer.
Please take a look at this celebration of all that is great
about our beer heritage. (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DI1oPNZYSWI)
Missed
the Oz & James Drink to Britain program with the Westerham
Brewery?
We
will be sourcing all our main hops from three hop gardens in
Kent in 2012.
Scotney
Castle hop garden is owned by the National Trust. Ian Strang
produces choice Target and Progress hops which are used in our
Grasshopper, Scotney Ales and the Viceroy India Pale Ale. It
is the last hop garden in Lamberhurst. In 2008 we secured funding
to plant some of the hop garden with new varieties and will
be using organic production methods.
Finchcocks'
hop garden is on the other side of the River Bewl from Scotney.
Ian Strang is also farming the superb quality Goldings, WGV
and Bramling Cross hops which go into many of our beers. Finchcocks'
is one of only two hop gardens left in Goudhurst parish.
Hulme
hop garden in Wingham supplies the Northdown hops used for bitterness
in several of our beers. In 2012 we also hope to secure our
First Gold for the Summer Perle from Stuart Highwood.
Without
these valiant hop farmers we would never be able to enjoy the
range of flavours and aromas we do today. Support the hop industry
by buying real beer!
Luke
6:38
"Give, and it will be given to you. A good measure, pressed
down, shaken together and running over, will be poured into
your lap. For with the measure you use, it will be measured
to you."
®
Westerham's
Viceroy India Pale Ale took the Gold medal at the SIBA South
East Beer Competition on Friday 15th July in the Bottled
Beers over 5% category and then went on to win the Supreme
Champion Bottled Beer in the finals. The beer will now go
ahead into the SIBA National Finals in March 2012. 
Mad
About Hops - Kent Hops in 2012
