BASED just beside the stunning Malvern hills, just off a country lane in Bromyard, independent hop supplier Brook House Hops are a hidden gem in the Herefordshire countryside.

Boasting just shy of 100 acres of hop fields, they have been selling their UK hops to brewers all over the country since last year but this year was their first organised hop walk.

Alongside brewers from far and wide, the Brook House team joined representatives from Hobsons Brewery, Wye Valley Brewery and Marston’s Brewery on a day out at the farm, exploring the long and luscious hop bines out in the fields and discussing the industry and what was next in store for beer.

Sebastian Nielsen, sales manager for the farm, said it was a great day of celebrating British produce: “Our ethos is to provide the best UK grown hop products to support brewers in their quest for the creation of unique, crafted products.

"We are unusual in that we sell hops directly to brewers, instead of through the big merchants. We want to directly support brewers and the hop walk was a great celebration of UK industry. We even had lunch provided by Legges – legendary 4th generation Bromyard butchers!”

 A young, ambitious team, Brook House have a unique story to tell and were keen to spend a day with likeminded people with a passion for beer and hops. Their farm has a history of world-class, award-winning hop cultivation thanks to the rich, red, Herefordshire soil and in the past, it was famous for all types of farming from rearing livestock to growing cider apples.

They sell differently too – directly and not through hop merchants. By cutting out the middleman, they can listen more closely to trends and provide their customers with a personalised service.

The event was a big deal for the region, Sebastian said: “In the brewing world an annual hop walk is a big event, looked forward to all year round as an occasion for brewers, beer writers, beer enthusiasts and hop farmers to get together and enjoy each other’s company whilst watching the annual harvest. We hope that everybody got something from the day.”

The tour took the groups out into the fields to look at the beautiful hop bines, sturdy and strong after a great year of sunshine and plenty of rain, as well as into the working production plant, which was busy with harvest workers. There they watched the hops being taken from the bines, separated from the leaves, dried and processed, ready to be sent out and made into great beer.

Many brewers took the opportunity to grab some green hops – hops that are not yet dried, and therefore give the beer a uniquely fresh and crisp aroma. Green ale is a growing trend in brewing, and it tastes best when the hops are as fresh as can be. What could be better than hops direct from the UK countryside?

After the tour, lunch was served and the debating started. Which is best – UK or US hops? What are the trends for 2019? How is the New Zealand harvest doing? What types of beer are popular and growing right now? It certainly made for an interesting roundup to a great day and a wonderful celebration of what makes Brook House proud to be a part of the UK brewing industry.