East Yorkshire’s Great Newsome Brewery has pledged support for British hop growers by creating a new series of beers entitled Love British Hops.
Inspired by the UK’s rich heritage of hop growing, the farm-based brewery has created a series of six special beers for 2026, showcasing the best hops the country has to offer.
“We were inspired to come up with this idea after visiting a hop farm in Herefordshire a couple of years ago”, said James Hodgson, head brewer at Great Newsome.
“We had noticed a field there where the hops had been grubbed out. Although the hops had been growing there for around 70 years, the grower was considering replacing them with apple trees as these were more profitable. That seemed a real shame to us.”
According to the British Hop Association, the UK grew approximately 8,200 hectares (about 10,000 football pitches) of hops in 1962. This had dropped to 1,060ha by 2007 and, at the time of writing, is now just 500ha on 42 farms. Competition from imports, changes in brewer preferences, and Britain’s hop-hostil, maritime climate have all played their part in the decline.
Brewery director Matthew Hodgson said: “The thing is, the UK is now home to an incredibly diverse assortment of hops. Not only does buying British cut our carbon footprint down, but we’re also allowing ourselves the privilege of brewing with fantastic, world-beating ingredients. Why wouldn’t we do it?
“Each beer in this new range uses a single hop variety, allowing us to focus on that one plant, its story, and the passionate growers behind it. We’re farmers as well as brewers, after all, so we want to do everything we can to support British growers.
“Our mission with the Love British Hops series is to prove that high-quality, flavoursome beers can be brewed using modern British hops.”
The series will be available throughout 2026. throughout 2026 in all good pubs. The first beer, Jester — a 4% ABV punchy pale ale — is available this March. The Jester hop takes its title from the time an experienced hop merchant mistook Jester for an American hop. He thought a group of botanists were pulling his leg, hence the name.
Winners of multiple World Beer Awards, Great Newsome brew their beers using Yorkshire water, home-grown malt, whole hops, and their own distinctive yeast strain.
