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05-05-2015, 08:56
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Continuing our look at hops in the 1950’s, we’re going to consider the properties of the different varieties.

The 1950’s was a great time for the British hop industry. Two world wars had removed Britain’s dependency on hop imports. Back in the late 19th century between 20% and 40% of the hops used in Britain had been imported. Many of them from the USA.

A lot of it was to do with the drop in gravity. Weaker beers require fewer hops. And the amount of beer consumed also fell during the 20th century, much reducing the demand for hops. So even though production of hops in the 1950’s was about half that in the 1890’s, there were still plenty to go around.

This is really obvious in brewing logs. In the 1890’s, it’s rare to find a beer with no foreign hops. In the 1950’s, apart from the odd fancy Continental hop like Saaz, everything is British. Before WW II, Whitbread used all English hops in their posher beers, but some North American or New Zealand hops in their Milds. In the 1950’s, they don’t seem to have used any foreign hops at all.

The huge increase in barley production during WW II to replace imports meant that for the first time (other than during the wars) Britain was self-sufficient in brewing materials. In reality, it also reflects a decline in the international importance of British brewing.

These numbers will explain why foreign hops were no longer needed. First the 1890’s:



Hop production, acreage and imports 1890 – 1900 (cwt)


year
acres
UK production
yield per acre
net imports the following year
available for consumption
% imports


1890
53,961
283,629
5.26
185,526
469,155
40%


1891
56,142
436,716
7.78
176,834
613,350
29%


1892
56,259
413,259
7.35
185,716
598,975
31%


1893
57,564
414,929
7.21
168,316
583,245
29%


1894
59,535
636,846
10.70
204,087
840,933
24%


1895
58,940
553,396
9.39
193,738
747,134
26%


1896
54,217
453,188
8.36
148,660
601,848
25%


1897
50,863
411,086
8.08
223,747
634,833
35%


1898
49,735
356,948
7.18
168,130
525,078
32%


1899
51,843
661,426
12.76
180,233
841,659
21%


1900
51,308
473,894
9.24
141,307
489,201
29%


Source:


“100 Years of Brewing” 1903, page 656.




Now the 1950’s:



Hops: home production and imports


Year ended 31st Dec.
Acreage
Estimated Produce
Yield per acre
Imports: Less Re-Exports
Exports: British Hops
Consumption Years ended 30th Sept. following
surplus British hops




Cwts.
Cwts.
Cwts.
Cwts.
Cwts.
Cwts.


1935
18,251
248,300
13.6
35,186
16,223
258,300
-10,000


1936
18,317
252,000
13.7
31,953
19,987
270,692
-18,692


1937
18,093
235,000
13
40,406
16,130
277,846
-42,846


1938
18,460
257,000
13.9
45,287
12,580
286,716
-29,716


1939
18,812
288,000
15.3
7,840
16,050
265,512
22,488


1940
18,592
270,500
14.5
14,675
26,830
251,354
19,146


1941
18,158
262,800
14.5
31
17,209
223,007
39,793


1942
18,420
261,900
14.2
2,963
30,673
231,689
30,211


1943
19,131
285,200
14.9
198
24,941
243,900
41,300


1944
19,603
253,900
13
--
26,525
244,822
9,078


1945
19,957
282,900
14.1
574
32,337
226,197
56,703


1946
21,163
257,451
13.4
29,243
35,056
217,759
39,692


1947
22,142
289,908
13.2
7,716
31,661
231,470
58,438


1948
22,787
273,584
12
4,561
29,135
233,168
40,416


1949
22,196
250,406
11.3
900
42,301
232,979
17,427


1950
22,198
368,313
16.6
269
84,027
229,106
139,207


1951
22,460
321,824
14.3
626
107,738
228,512
93,312


1952
22,279
282,349
12.7
502
76,620
225,569
56,780


1953
21,932
272,593
12.3
1,015
64,762
216,841
55,752


1954
20,760
246,748
11.9
3,075
51,323
217,716
29,032


1955
20,453
256,821
12.1
5,836
49,049
218,820
38,001


1956
19,982
184,170
9.2
6,416
40,746
215,114
-30,944


1957
20,415
267,677
13.1
8,848
38,635
208,870
58,807


1958
21,130
302,640
14.9
5,441
42,352
226,371
76,269


1959
20,350
222,768
10.9
6,007
34,291
234,611
-11,843


1960
20,098
248,195
12.4
8,172
12,220
234,611
13,584


Sources:


1955 Brewers' Almanack, page 63.


1971 Brewers'Almanack, page 54



That’s quite a turnaround.

Back to hop varieties. We’ll start with the classic English hop, the Golding.


“English Goldings. The genuine Golding is of very delicate aroma and flavour. It is usually a small and compact hop, of what might be called buttony appearance. When ripe and well managed the cones are unbroken. As a result, when a sample is cut from a pocket the formation of each cone is clearly outlined, with its resins in clusters of gold. The strig is short and angular, with the joints close together. The bracts have the ends rounded off and lie closely packed to the strig. If ripe and in good condition, Goldings should break up in an even and regular texture when rubbed down between the hands. They should not feel stringy, and the deposit on the hands reveals a wealth of resin. As a rule there is not a large amount of seed. For that reason the hop is most suitable for dry hopping, especially as it retains its wholeness in the cask and obviates floaters.

The Golding is an ideal hop for stock pale ales, as the preservative properties are high. It is at all times suitable for any pale ale, especially bottling beers.”
"Brewing Theory and Practice" by E. J. Jeffery, 1956, page 173.
This confirms what I thought about Goldings: good flavour, perfect for Pale Ales, an excellent dry hop. It’s no wonder that it’s hung around for so long. Despite its lower yield per acre, it had many qualities brewers desired.

Now for related varieties:


“Golding Types. Under this heading we can include Bramlings, Worcester Mathons, Cobbs, and Tutshams, all of which vary from Goldings, perhaps in some cases only a little. The difference, however, is just enough to be noticeable.

Bramlings, for instance, ripen earlier than Goldings, and have neither the delicate flavour nor the amount of resin. They are not quite so compact in formation. At the same time, they are very useful pale ale hops. Mathons are claimed to be every bit the equal of Kent Goldings, and with the vast improvement effected in the production of hops in the Worcester district in recent years we are almost inclined to agree. Some, produced by a well-known grower whose name it is inadvisable to mention, are certainly equal to any Goldings ever produced, and they only differ in so far as they are a little brighter and yellower in appearance. This difference in colour is rather a characteristic of the Worcester growth. Cobbs have slightly larger cones, and the bracts do not lie so closely together as is the case with Goldings proper. The flavour is a little coarser. We have seen some with a large amount of resins, but others are rather deficient in this respect. It appears therefore that they vary according to management. They, too, are useful hops for pale ales if blended with some other hop which is rather more delicate in flavour. Tutshams are larger hops, and of still heavier flavour. We advise them for use as a blend with coarse Fuggles in order to tone down the latter for mild ales. The strig of all hops of this type is short, and with joints set closely together at angles.”
"Brewing Theory and Practice" by E. J. Jeffery, 1956, pages 173 - 174.
Strange that Mathons – really the Farnham variety – were grown in Worcester, but not in Surrey. I’d noticed that Worcester hops were sometimes used in quite classy beers. I assume these hops would have been Mathons.

What’s left of Worcester hop growing today? I suspect very little.

Now the other classic English hop:


“Fuggles. Fuggles proper are unfortunately placed upon the market in varying stages of growth. We have seen some samples in which the cones were so small and under-developed as might easily deceive an unpractised eye into thinking the hops were Golding type. There is no mistaking fully grown Fuggles, which sometimes attain a very large size. In colour they are much greener than hops of the Golding type, and this feature is particularly noticeable at the junction of the stalk and strig. So much so that some growers resort to the undesirable practice of bleaching by the use of undue amounts of sulphur in the curing kilns. This bleaching can only be detected by an experienced eye. The strigs are long and fairly thick, and of a greenish hue. The bract joints are some distance apart, and the angles at which they are set are wider. The bracts are long and taper to a point. They are more open, and in fact the whole hop might almost be called 'untidy'. As regards flavour, Fuggles vary very much according to the district where they are grown. Those grown on the rich soil of the Weald of Kent give very heavy crops of coarse flavour. We have met with Fuggles produced from gardens in East and Mid Kent and also Worcester which are of sufficiently delicate flavour to warrant their use in running pale ales. Generally speaking, however, Fuggles are best reserved for mild ales and stout. The amount of resins present varies considerably. In some cases, when a sample is cut cleanly through, the side looks quite golden. In other cases the hops look like useless straw and nothing else.”
"Brewing Theory and Practice" by E. J. Jeffery, 1956, pages 174 - 175.
Sounds as if Fuggles varied greatly in quality and flavour. Classiness in hops could be described as their suitability for use in Pale Ales. Note, though, that Jeffery only considers the best Fuggle’s as good for running Pale Ales, the lowest order of the style. Mostly he recommends it for Mild and Stout, beers with either little hop character or where other strong flavours were present.

Here’s another venerable type of hop. Sort of.


“Farnham and Country Farnhams. Grown in Surrey and Hampshire, these hops are mostly of the Golding type. The first named especially is small and compact, but is a little more pointed in formation. They are very delicate in flavour, and it would be almost wasteful to use these hops in anything but pale ales. The colour is a very pale primrose. Samples of these hops are easily distinguishable from those grown in Kent and Worcester districts, as they weigh nearly half as much again, although of similar size. This feature is due to very close packing and pressing in pockets of much stronger texture. In consequence the pockets are much heavier in weight than the average pocket of just over 1.5 cwt.”
"Brewing Theory and Practice" by E. J. Jeffery, 1956, page 175.
Back in the 1800’s Farnham hops were the most valued by brewers, being considered superior even to East Kent Goldings. Though these aren’t the real Farnham type. The last of those was grubbed up before WW II. Though the region was still producing top-quality hops.

A rare piece of good news for British hops was the announcement in 2014 by the Hogs Back brewery that they were planting a hop garden. And even better, some of the hops were the renowned variety from nearby Farnham, the Farnham White Bine. For the first time in almost 100 years genuine Farnham variety hops are being grown in the region. I wonder what they’re going to do with them?


“Sussex Fuggles. These hops are mentioned separately as they are now sold as a distinct growth. The cones are fairly large and rather open in texture, and, if picked when over-ripe, have a tendency to break up and look ragged. Formerly of decidedly coarse flavour, a definite improvement has been noticed in this respect recently. In fact, better management all round has made Sussex Fuggles quite suitable for mild ales and stout. In colour they are yellower when ripe than the Fuggles from the adjoining county.”
"Brewing Theory and Practice" by E. J. Jeffery, 1956, page 175.
So Sussex Fuggle’s weren’t good enough for Pale Ale, only Mild and Stout. Given that the former was the most popular style back then, it means there was a considerable market for this type of hop.

I’ll finish with a review of the English hop growing districts and their varieties. First before the war:



Hop varieties by region in the 1930’s


Region
main varieties


East Kent (Canterbury, Faversham)
Goldings, Bramling, Cobb and Tutsham


Mid Kent (Medway valley, Maidstone to Tonbridge)
Fuggle's, Bramling, Tutsham, Cobb, Goldings, Tolhurst


Weald of Kent (Tonbridge to Sussex)
Fuggle's


Sussex
Fuggle's


Hampshire, Surrey
Fuggle's, Farnham Whitebine.


Hereford and Worcester
Mathon, Bramling, Fuggle's


Berkshire and Shropshire
Fuggle's, Goldings


Source:


"Brewing Science & Practice" H. Lloyd Hind, 1943, page 391



Then after it:



Hop varieties by region in the 1950’s


Region
main varieties


East Kent (Canterbury, Faversham)
Goldings


Mid Kent (Medway valley, Maidstone to Tonbridge)
Fuggle's, Goldings


Weald of Kent (Tonbridge to Sussex)
Fuggle's, Colegate


Sussex
Fuggle's, Colegate


Hampshire, Surrey
Fuggle's, Farnhams


Hereford and Worcester
Mathon, Cobb, Mayfield Grape, Fuggle's


Source:


"Brewing Theory and Practice" by E. J. Jeffery, 1956, pages 172 - 175.



Foreign hops next.

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