Hawkins Farming, of Bosbury, Herefordshire, has seen its hop variety Harlequin named champion hop at the Institute of Brewing and Distilling (IBD) British Hop Awards for a second time.
Philip Fergus, Sarah Hawkins, and Matt Bailey, of Hawkins Farming, celebrate their win
The IBD British Hop Awards, renowned as the pinnacle of recognition in the UK hop industry, brought together samples from hop growers across the nation.
The expert judging panel, consisting of leading brewers, selected Harlequin as the standout hop. The variety has been developed by Malvern-based hop merchant Charles Faram and Co Ltd. Its Hop Development Programme crafts new and exciting hop varieties, with a huge focus on sustainability.
Harlequin was specifically crafted to enable UK growers to compete with the popular New World hop varieties from the USA and New Zealand. The aim is to give more intense hop flavours and choices for British craft brewers, particularly for beer styles like India pale ales and New England IPAs.
“We are absolutely thrilled to once again secure this prestigious award,” said Sarah Hawkins, of Hawkins Farming.
“Winning is testament to the dedication and hard work of everyone at Hawkins Farming Ltd, and it brings us immense
joy and pride, especially for Matt and his exceptional team, who have invested an incredible amount of hard work and effort into cultivating these beautiful hops.”
As part of the celebration, Renegade Brewery hosted the awards ceremony. It created a special cask beer with the winning hop, aptly named Harlequin.
Harlequin is described as moderately bitter and sweet in equal quantities, presenting notes of peach and pineapple, with a tropical fruit flavour and a long, clean finish.
Renegade head brewer, Will Twomey, said: “As a brewer and lover of cask beer, it was a great honour to be asked to brew a beer with this year’s champion hop.”
