Shepherd Neame preserves hop=growing heritage

Britain"e;s oldest brewer has stepped in as a guardian of the nation"e;s hop-growing heritage, preserving the lifeblood of rare varieties more than a century old.

Shepherd Neame has put aside an acre of land at its Queen Court Farm, near Faversham, to house part of the National Hop Collection, in collaboration with Dr Peter Darby, the UK"e;s leading hop researcher.

This summer, stringing has been erected which will accommodate rare breeds, some dating from the 19th century.

Shepherd Neame"e;s head of production, David Holmes, said: "We have been cultivating the ground and putting in wire this summer. This is not about commercial hop-growing; it is about preserving many varieties bred over the years for their strong natural attributes, such as flavour and character.

"A lot of these hops would never have a life commercially but many carry characteristics that can be incorporated into modern varieties. We also hope to use some of these rare breeds to create unique flavours in our microbrews."

Britain"e;s collection of historic hops, previously held at Wye College, is now principally in the care of renowned hop farmer and National Hop Association president Tony Redsell at China Farm, Harbledown. The land at Queen Court Farm provides back-up.