Craft brewing: History in the making

We English have a curious attitude to our history: we're proud of it when roused, especially if there are battles involved, but there's so much of it lying around that we often allow it to be discarded.

Take beer. It's our national drink and yet even most beer enthusiasts have a limited knowledge of its long history, which is inextricably entwined with the history of the nation. I only recently discovered that beer was the second-largest industry of the Victorian era after cotton, for example, because this is rarely mentioned in history lessons.

And what about hops? They're the vital ingredient, the soul of a great beer, the one thing even those who don't drink beer can identify as a key component.

The focus of the craft beer world is currently on American hops, which provide much of the citrus and tropical fruit character in the pale ales and IPAs that are switching many people on to ale for the first time. This has prompted some to view our home-grown varieties - the solid, dependable fuggles and goldings - as a little dull in comparison. The Weald of Kent - probably best-known for the fact that cockneys used to go hop-picking there for their summer holidays - seems a lot less exotic than the snow-topped Cascade Mountains of Oregon and the mighty Willamette River that flows between them.

Digging deeper

Given that, is there any point in finding out more, in trying to dig a little deeper into the history of British hops? The 70 per cent year-on-year sales growth currently being enjoyed by the Westerham Brewery suggests there is.

When Robert Wicks founded Westerham in 2004 on a National Trust farm deep in the Weald, he turned to local hop farmers Bill Calcutt and Ian Strang for his supply. The two hop farms neighbour each other on land once owned by the Hussey family, who donated Scotney Castle - home to Strang's hop farm - to the National Trust in 1970.

"Once the whole Weald was covered in hop farms," says Strang. "Not any more. But this one goes way back, it's always been regarded as one of the best."

The tenant farmer before Strang took over in 1990 was named Charles Fuggle, and may have been a descendant of the farmers who gave their name to the famous Kentish hop; the whole place is redolent of hoppy history.

"This used to be the centre of the world hop industry," says Strang. "The price of hops used to be set in the Vine, a pub in Goudhurst village just down the road. In 1932 the Hops Marketing Board was set up in a room in there. I think it's a Malaysian restaurant now."

History long gone

In fact, the Vine is still a pub - although it does offer Thai food - but its place at the centre of a global industry is long gone. In 1878, some 77,000 acres of Kentish land were given over to the cultivation of hops. In 2003, that figure had fallen to 3,000 acres - and the remaining hop growers were struggling.

Which was when Robert Wicks stepped in. "After Charles Hussey gave Scotney Castle to the National Trust, his wife was very keen that they continue to grow hops there. But it wasn't making any money," he says. "So we came up with Little Scotney Pale Ale - named by Mrs Hussey - and launched in March 2005.

"It's made solely with hops from Scotney Castle and is sold through National Trust shops. We and the National Trust donate a sum from every bottle sold to the revitalisation of the hop farm."

Mrs Hussey passed away in 2006, but the relationship between Scotney Castle Hop Farm and the Westerham Brewery has gone from strength to strength, with the pale ale joined by Scotney Best Bitter. Also, every harvest time, Westerham takes 11 kilos of undried, green hops and creates Green Hop Scotney Ale - a delicate beer with the fragrance of fresh hops alive on the palate.

In 2007, Westerham, the National Trust and Strang were awarded European funding to replant redundant space in Scotney Castle with organic progress and target hops. Last month, these hops (which aren't quite yet certifiably organic) went into the National Trust's first branded beer, brewed under licence by Westerham. Viceroy India Pale Ale (pictured left) is a true IPA, with an assertive aroma of apricot and peach giving way to a full-flavoured but balanced beer.

Capturing the imagination

The combination of great beer, the National Trust and the rejuvenation of a forgotten piece of history seems to be catching the imaginations of retailers and drinkers.

"The bitter was recently featured in a national campaign by Waitrose," says Wicks. "And the Pale Ale came top in a National Trust tasting competition, beating Timothy Taylor Landlord into second place."

The brewery added two fermenters last year, effectively doubling its capacity, and is already running close to capacity again. Its beers are sold on a strictly local basis, but sales are increasing by 70 to 80 per cent annually. The lesson here is that history is far from boring and that interest in crafted, flavourful beer is booming. Here is a brewery that found itself sitting next door to something that could differentiate it, something the brewer believed drinkers would really care about. Drinkers don't need an essay on history, but a few key nuggets are always welcome in the varied tapestry of pub conversation.

It makes you wonder what else might be buried in different parts of the country, waiting to be dusted off and revealed to drinkers whose minds are as curious as their palates.

• To find out more about Westerham Brewery and its work with Scotney Castle, visit www.westerhambrewery.co.uk​