The British Hop Association was formed by British Hop Growers in 1996 to ensure that the industry had a coordinated approach to its activities and in particular the research and development of new hop varieties through its subsidiary Wye Hops. In 1998 there were 13 commercially-grown British hop varieties, today there are 31. Given that it can take 10 years to develop a new hop variety, that’s quite an achievement.

The British Hop Association, formerly known as The National Hop Association, is a limited company, with three Directors from each of the 3 Growers Groups sitting on its Board. The Growers Groups are: English Hops Ltd, Faram Farms Ltd, Wealden Hops Ltd.  The British Hop Association is the forum by which growers make representations to the UK Government, the EC, international & national industry committees.

British Hops ‘Terroir’:

All British hops share the same wonderful ‘terroir’ – great soils and a mild maritime climate with even rainfall throughout the year.  We use the natural resources we have available, which means that very few of our hops are irrigated.  It is this special and sustainable terroir that gives our hops a lower level of myrcene than hops grown anywhere else in the world.  It is lower myrcene that makes the aromas so delicate and complex and so good at helping you to brew the best session beers in the world (in our humble opinion).  To find out more about lower myrcene levels, click on British Hops USP Climate.

The facts about British Hops:

There are 34 commercially grown British Aroma Hop varieties in the UK.

• British hop aromas include notes such as tangerine, citrus, grass, grapefruit, chocolate, blackcurrant, spice, pepper, apricot, marmalade, mint, honey, floral & molasses.
• The UK is the only country to have focused so strongly on disease resistance, making our British hops both environmentally friendly and inevitably more appealing.
• Very few British hops are irrigated, making them some of the most environmentally sustainable in the world.
• The low trellis growing system, which is more cost effective and the future of hop growing, was developed in the UK, and is being emulated in the rest of the world.