The Year in Beer 08 - March

Did I mention yet that East Kent is one of the hotbeds of quality hop growing in the world? It's true: for the last couple of hundred years or so the region's lupuline produce has been revered and sought after by generations of brewers. It's all about terroir: chalky downland, sunshine, rain, sea breeze. Garden of England and all that. Unfortunately recent years have seen the grubbing out (I love farmers' vernacular) of many of our hop gardens due to the mad economics of the market place, the fashion for less bitter beers and the lack of new generations of devoted growers emerging. It's not all doom and gloom though since crop devastating weather last year in the US and continental Europe has seen the price more than treble and growers are experiencing that rarest of farming commodities these days: profit margin.

As you both know, all Gadds' beers contain only Kent grown hops (except the ones that don't - few and far between but I won't entirely restrict my creative palate) and East Kent Pale Ale is no exception. In the brewing I use a medley of varieties to create a clean, crisp, hoppy bitter with a bitter-sweet finish. It won't win CBoB but it does drink well.


We've already delivered some to the Unicorn and of course the Monty will be serving it over the weekend. Ask at the white Swan, the Crown, the Foy Boat & the Arty too.

A Taste of Kent, as they say....