Regular readers will remember that at the end of
August
2022, I received an invitation to visit
Hukins Hops, at their hop farm at
St
Michaels, near
Tenterden. The invitation was received, courtesy of
Dom, from
UK
Brewery Tours, and on the allotted day, I met up with
several other members of the British Guild
of Beer Writers, and other interested parties, at Headcorn station, where a
pre-booked taxi transported us to Hukins home, at Haffeneden Farm.
Our small
group spent several hours at the farm, where we were shown around, and then led
on a walking tour through several hop fields (or gardens, to give them their
correct name). Dom acted as our guide, as owner, Ross Hukins, was tied
up making sure everything was in order for the impending hop harvest. Picking
and then drying the hops, represents the busiest, and most important time of
the year for every hop farmer, and it is crucial that the precious harvest is
gathered in at just the right moment.
You can read more about that scorching hot, late August day
here, but for the record, I had the pleasure of meeting Ross a few years
earlier, when we both acted as beer judges, at the Spa Valley Railway Beer
Festival. Ross has just released some exciting news which, after the
introductory stuff, is the main focus of this post. According to an article in KentOnline
a brewery with a taproom and brasserie is set to open, at Haffeneden Farm. It
will be housed in the farm’s old oast house, which became surplus to
requirements, three years ago, following the opening of a modern hop processing
facility.
It was this facility that my fellow
Beer Writers and I had
inspected last
August when it was being made ready for the impending hop
harvest. I remember at the time there was talk about finding a new use for the
old oast house, and I vaguely remember a brewery being suggested. Those
initial, sketchy plans have come to fruition, as
Hukins secured planning
permission in
February to transform the historic oast house into a brewery,
plus attached restaurant, offering pizza and beer.
Ross Hukins broke the news saying how excited he is about
this new project, which will be opening with a soft launch, set for
July. He
claims that the combined offer at the farm will be the first of its kind in
Kent
and is also a huge leap forward for this family-owned business, which has been
going for more than
100 years. After redeveloping the old oast house,
Hukins
started doing tours and began looking at how they could open themselves up to
the public and help them learn more about hops and their importance in local
Kentish beers.
They decided that an on-site brewery, would be a good way,
not only of reflect the former use of the oast house, but also of getting their
message across. The brewery they have partnered with is
McCanns
Brewery – a company I am not really familiar with although according to
Untappd,
they have a connection to the
Angels & Demons Brewery, based at
Capel-le-Ferne,
near
Dover. A photo of
Ross Gandon, manager at
McCanns, pictured alongside
Ross
Hukins, featured in the
KentOnline article. Like other local beer enthusiasts,
I am looking forward to sampling what
McCanns have to offer once they are up and
running.
As well as the
brasserie and
taproom where people can come
on tours, taste the beers, and enjoy some food, there will also be four to five
glamping units onsite so people can stay overnight. These will range from shepherds
huts, hop pickers huts and a converted brick building where people can stay and
explore the farm, see what goes on there.
Ross stated how excited he was to
have the brewery on the family hop farm; something he describes as quite unique,
that will allow people to come along, learn a bit about the beer and enjoy
themselves.
He concluded by saying,
"Hops play a crucial role today
but also historically with the local landscape and community. It is a really
important part of our local agricultural history. With the number of modern brewers,
we have in Kent now, with the Kent brewing scene flourishing, this will be a
great way of signposting to all the different types of beers they can get
locally and how important British hops are in those beers.”
Local residents will have a sneak peek at the development at the farm when it will be opens on June 11th
as part of National Farm Open Day, although the rest of
us will have to wait a little longer. I’m looking forward to visiting, when the
hop farm brewery complex opens its doors to the general public, although if I’m
really lucky, I might get a sneak preview of my own.
8 comments:
Did you pick hops in your youth, Paul ?
I don't think I knew what hops were, when I was younger, Martin. I did my fair share of picking runner beans, and harvesting beetroot, but hops weren't grown in the immediate vicinity of where we lived.
Quite surprising really, as Wye College, with its world leading hop-breeding programme was only a few miles down the road.
My mother went hop picking.
That was during the war.
This is exciting news, Paul, as Hukin's Hops is just up the road from us, well in the next parish. I had an opportunity to visit the farm, with our farmers' group just before COVID, while the new facility was under construction. Russ is a top man, and everything seems very well run,so I've high hopes.
McCanns is a sub brand of Angels and Demons, who produce some very good, albeit 'craft' ales. I managed to get my van in the way when the brew kit was transported from its former home at Old Dairy over in Tenterden during the winter.
Apologies: Ross, not Russ!
I did actually hand pick hops by hand on a family friend's farm as a very small child,not that I really did much!
Stafford Paul, was it Worcestershire where your mother went hop picking? I remember reading somewhere that the county has now overtaken Kent in terms of acreage and production of hops.
David, thanks for the info on McCanns. I shall look forward to trying some of their beers, once the brewery is up and running.
I thought I replied yesterday but it's disappeared.
No it was Kent, and she lived near Stockport.
Stafford Paul, Kent is a long way to travel from Stockport, just to pick hops. You mention the last war, so was your mother in the Land Army, like my mother-in-law was?
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