Green Hop Beer

The summer may well be over but down here, in deepest Kent, the garden remains green, awash with around 50 different Kent Green Hop beers from 27 different breweries. These sappy-fresh brews are available in pubs throughout the county and sell ridiculously quickly.

This weekend sees the departure of the East Kent Green Hop Open Day Magic Green Bus Tour, so if you're stuck in London book a ticket, jump on a train and come down to the country/seaside to find some peace, and recharge the batteries. Where else can you get to visit five different breweries in a day, and supp Green Hop ales in each one?

First call for the Green Hop Open Day Bus Tour

Roll up folks and book yourself onto the Gadds' Green Hop Brewery Open Day Tour Bus (GGHBODB for short). Every year five East Kent breweries open their doors, on the same day, and invite all (and sundry) to poke around the premises, supp Green Hop Ale and dance in the sunshine. And for those of you that notice this as an ideal opportunity to visit five breweries in a day, we lay on a tour bus from each brewery. Ours starts at Broadstairs Grand Central Station for your convenience.

Since we're brewers, and not especially adept at running buses and ticketing, we've employed Eventbrite to sell bus tickets - buy them here.

And if you fancy touring the Green Hop breweries under your own steam, I'll be wearing the malliot vert and leading the peloton out from our brewery at around midday - do join us!

East Kent Green Hop Brewers' Open Day

Sunday October 12^th

10am to 6pm

The following breweries will open their doors for the day:

• ·         Goody’s Ales
• ·         Canterbury Ales
• ·         The Foundry Brewpub
• ·         Wantsum Brewery
• ·         Gadds’ Ramsgate Brewery

Visit one, or visit them all and enjoy brewery tours, light entertainment, great food and, of course, barrels of Kent Green Hop Ale.

For those wanting to visit all 5, and looking for an easy life, we’ve organised one bus tour leaving from each brewery.

To book bus tours (£10 per head) check the routes below and contact the brewery most relevant to your travel plans.

• The Wantsum Bus picks up at Deal Station at 10am, heads over to Wantsum Brewery and starts the Tour at 11am (wantsumbrewery@gmail.com).
• The Gadds’ Bus picks up at Broadstairs Station, heads over to Gadds’ Brewery and starts the Tour at 11am (beer@ramsgatebrewery.co.uk).
• The Goody’s Bus picks up at Herne Station, heads over to Goody’s Ales and starts the Tour at 11am (karen@goodyales.co.uk).
• The Canterbury Ales bus picks up at Canterbury West at 10am, heads to Canterbury Ales and leaves on Tour at 11am (canterbrew@gmail.com).
• The Foundry Bus starts at the Foundry Brewpub at 11am (manager@stonesetinns.com).

Each tour arrives back at the starting brewery at about 4:30 before heading back to the starting stations at 5pm, arriving there sometime later. Obviously you have the choice of starting at the station or starting at the brewery, and finishing at the brewery or finishing at the station. Full timetables are here.

Reserve your tickets in advance and pay at the starting brewery on the day.

Apologies: the tickets had been previously advertised at £7.50. This was before we had a true picture of the costs and was based on a single bus. I apologise profusely for promising something I can’t deliver. I do believe £10 represents great value for you though.

The Green Hop Tour of East Kent

So you'll be well aware that September means hop harvest & October means Kent Green Hop Beer, so you'll be really excited learn of the Great East Kent Green Hop Breweries Open Day (sometimes called the East Kent Tour of the Green Hop, or Tour of the East Kent Green Hop, or any manner of variations).

Sunday October 6th, 10am to 6pm

Five east Kent breweries will open their doors to you, the great unwashed, to generously allow you in for a look round, a few Green Hop beers, possibly a bite to eat and a dance in the late summer sun.


View Bicycling directions for the Green Hop Open Day in a larger map

You don't have to ride, and you don't have to visit all 5 breweries, but you might want to do both. I'll be starting at Broadstairs around 10:30 I expect, visiting GADDS', Wantsum, Goodys', Canterbury Ales & The Foundry, in that order, before returning via Canterbury West. Foundry Jon is doing it in reverse. You are all cordially invited to join us.