Last year, we were given the opportunity to produce our first Green Hopped Beer. We approached the project with a mix of pensiveness and excitement. It was a complete unknown, but we were thrilled by the chance to use not just fresh, but locally sourced hops, grown all around Manchester by the Manchester Hop Project.
Side Note - For those unfamiliar, green hops (also known as wet hops) are hops that are used as fresh as possible, from being harvested. Unlike the dried hops typically used in brewing, green hops haven't undergone any processing and retain all of their raw characteristics.
A large amount of the ingredients we use in brewing are mono crops, produced at large scale with detailed analysis to give an idea of what to expect. But with green hops, you get none of that. They are untouched, unprocessed, and with that comes an unpredictability that is, well... pretty exciting.
There was also something magical about producing a beer that could never be replicated and so closely connected to our local community.
Manchester Hop Project - Harvest 2024
The experience of last year, and the beer that came out of it, planted a seed. A seed that has grown into (what will be) a series of beers and our first Green Hop Festival, Harvest, taking place this Autumn.
In this mini blog series, we will be taking a look at the beers we've produced, what it's like to brew them and learning more about what it takes to grow your own hops for any curious growers out there.
Part Two - Coming Soon...