Shepherd Neame is to unveil HOPS360°, a virtual reality (VR) experience that allows people to step into a hop garden, at Craft Beer Rising later this month.
Shot in ultra-high-definition (4k), the 360-degree video will be shown on a VR headset throughout the three day event (February 23-25) at the brewer’s bar. The ‘godfather’ of UK hop growing, Tony Redsell, will take viewers on a journey telling the story of British hops and giving them the chance to witness hop picking and drying first hand.
HOPS360° also features augmented reality, with drawings of famed Kentish hop varieties and historic photos of hop pickers knitted into the real-world environment.
The film was shot at Parsonage Farm, near Boughton in Kent, spiritual home of the famed East Kent Golding variety and just a few miles from Shepherd Neame’s historic Faversham Brewery.
Shepherd Neame head brewer, Richard Frost, said: “With Kent being one of only two major hop-growing regions in the UK, we’re extremely lucky that we regularly visit a hop garden. However, most people won’t have had the opportunity to experience the three-week harvest, so this is a chance for them to find out about our most vital ingredient wherever they are in the world.”
For those not attending Craft Beer Rising, the film will be made available on the brewery’s YouTube channel and Facebook page from 12.30am on February 26.
