Herefordshire hop grower Sarah Hawkins and her team have won champion hop at the Chartered Institute of Brewing and Distilling (CIBD) Hop Awards for the third time in a row.
The Hawkins Farming team celebrate their win. Left to right are Philip Fergus, Sarah Hawkins, and Matthew Bailey
Judged by a panel of head brewers from leading UK breweries, the competition celebrates the finest quality UK hops and the considerable skill and expertise of the growers behind them.
The winning hop, Harlequin, is a product of the Charles Faram Hop Development Programme, renowned for producing innovative, high-performing hop varieties to bring better yields, aromas, flavours, and sustainability benefits.
The award highlights the exceptional quality and unique flavour profile of Harlequin, which continues to gain popularity in the brewing community with the intended goal of competing against the highly aromatic hops currently being imported from the USA and Southern Hemisphere.
After the award ceremony last week, at Purity Brewing’s PureCraft bar in Birmingham, Sarah Hawkins, the winner and owner of Hawkins Farming, expressed her gratitude and pride, attributing the farm’s success to the unwavering dedication and expertise of farm manager Matthew Bailey and his assistant Philip Fergus.
“This win truly belongs to Matt and Philip,” she said. “Their commitment to excellence and deep knowledge of hop farming are the heart of our success. I couldn’t be prouder of their work.”
The achievement is a triumph not only for Hawkins Farming, but also for the broader UK hop industry, showcasing outstanding quality produced by growers after what proved to be an exceptionally difficult growing season and harvest period.
