Community: Fresh Hop Beer Season!

Hops Growing in Cator Park

What is a Fresh Hop?

When we talk of the hop harvest, 'fresh' paints a vivid picture of hops plucked straight off the bine (not quite a vine, but close). You might hear people referring to them as 'green' hops or 'whole cone'. Simply put, these are hops in their most natural, unprocessed form.

But at harvest time, we get the opportunity to use fresh hops, these soft, pillowy treasures, untouched by the drying process, pelletisation or packaging. 

Fresh means fresh! There's no brewing style where the packaging date rings more true than with fresh hop beers. It's as if cans have that magic touch, sealing in those fleeting qualities. Yet, the ephemeral charm of these beers is just that – fleeting.

The Process

But when harvest season rolls around, we reserve a handful of these hops in their pure, unprocessed form. Their window of availability is fleeting. Freshly picked, their juicy richness starts to wane after just 24 hours. This special event graces us each year in early Autumn, with different hop varieties ripening in rapid succession over a brief period.

Brewers like us revel in these moments. These hops give rise to one-of-a-kind creations, their flavour profiles truly extraordinary. There's an oily richness on the palate, and the aroma carries a lively, delicate pungency, reminiscent of a fresh garden. It may not be as dramatic as the difference between dried and fresh herbs, but it's in the same ballpark. Just as dried herbs have a more potent, intense flavour compared to fresh ones, the same goes for hops.

The 2024 Hop Harvest with our community.

Our Community

Each September we invite our amazing local community to bring in their hops they’ve been growing all year in their gardens and allotments in and around Penge and in return we invite them to a ceremonial ‘first pour’ event. This is where we gather round, share our insights and chat about the process while savouring the freshest beer, a product of our collective effort and the unique project we all helped create.

But this year, we've also got a bonus surprise up our sleeves. In past years, we've had the pleasure of hosting a community hop pick in Cator Park, just down the road from the brewery. Where wild hops grow, nestled in the hedge rows, basking in the sun. This year, nature was particularly generous. The harvest was so abundant that we've been able to craft a small, yet incredibly special batch of Cator Park Fresh Hop. A truly local beer, rooted in our community, that you'll be hard-pressed to find anywhere else!

Each of the beers we’ve been able to produce this year have a story. Each one of them is unique in their own way. The hop harvest is something anyone can get involved in; from growing, picking, learning and drinking. This is pure history, and it tastes wonderful: It’s about heritage; keeping the memory of the past alive in an ever increasingly hectic world. 

It’s much more than just beer, it’s about a community coming together.