A Banbury pub has provided hops for a new Hook Norton brew from its own garden.
Back in January, Jem at Ye Olde Reindeer Inn decided to plant some hops in troughs in the back yard. After three months of nothing much happening, he realised that he’d planted them upside down.
Quickly putting them the right way up, Jem found they soon shot up and were harvested last week, dried out (in the airing cupboard!) and then bought to Hook Norton Brewery.
The result is Hopsidedown (4% ABV). The pub-grown Prima Donna hops were combined with Fuggles, Goldings and Challenger varieties, along with Maris Otter, crystal and enzymic malt.
It’s currently fermenting away, but it should be on the bar at Ye Olde Reindeer Inn in the next few weeks.
