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04-05-2021, 07:06
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I doubt it will come as much of a shock that the hops used in AK during the war were almost exclusively English.
Hop imports almost totally dried up during the war. Falling from 44,056 cwt. in 1939 to just 2,024 cwt. in 1940. During the last four years of the war a total of a mere 3,589 cwt. were imported. The vast majority - 3,254 cwt. - in 1943.* That must have been the year when Shepherd Neame's Oregon hops were imported.
I am slightly surprised that Shepherd Neame were still using hops from the 1940 and 1941 seasons as late as 1944. By the later war years brewers had mostly used up their old stocks and were limited to hops from the most recent harvest and possibly the one before that.
It's a shame Shepherd Neame didn't bother recording the growing region. We can, however, safely assume that the majority were from Kent. What with the brewery being located in that county and having its own hop gardens.
AK hops during WW II
Date
Year
Brewer
Beer
hop 1
hop 2
hop 3
hop 4
23rd Jan
1940
Greene King
AK
EK (1936)
EK (1938)
8th May
1940
Fullers
AK
English (1938)
English (1939)
20th May
1940
Shepherd Neame
AK
English (1937)
English (1938)
English (1939)
25th May
1941
Fullers
AK
English (1939)
English (1940)
4th Feb
1943
Shepherd Neame
AK
English (1939)
English (1941)
English (1942)
18th Dec
1943
Shepherd Neame
AK
English (1940)
English (1941)
English (1942)
English (1943)
21st Feb
1944
Shepherd Neame
AK
English (1940)
English (1941)
English (1942)
English (1943)
27th Nov
1944
Shepherd Neame
AK
English (1941)
English (1943)
English (1944)
Oregon (1942)
22nd Feb
1945
Shepherd Neame
AK
English (1941)
English (1943)
English (1944)
Oregon (1942)
7th May
1945
Shepherd Neame
AK
English (1941)
English (1943)
English (1944)
Oregon (1942)
Sources:
Fullers brewing records held at the brewery.
Greene King brewing record held at the brewery, document number AC93/1/14 .
Shepherd Neame brewing record held at the brewery.
* 1955 Brewers' Almanack, page 64.
More... (http://barclayperkins.blogspot.com/2021/05/ak-hops-during-ww-ii.html)
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I doubt it will come as much of a shock that the hops used in AK during the war were almost exclusively English.
Hop imports almost totally dried up during the war. Falling from 44,056 cwt. in 1939 to just 2,024 cwt. in 1940. During the last four years of the war a total of a mere 3,589 cwt. were imported. The vast majority - 3,254 cwt. - in 1943.* That must have been the year when Shepherd Neame's Oregon hops were imported.
I am slightly surprised that Shepherd Neame were still using hops from the 1940 and 1941 seasons as late as 1944. By the later war years brewers had mostly used up their old stocks and were limited to hops from the most recent harvest and possibly the one before that.
It's a shame Shepherd Neame didn't bother recording the growing region. We can, however, safely assume that the majority were from Kent. What with the brewery being located in that county and having its own hop gardens.
AK hops during WW II
Date
Year
Brewer
Beer
hop 1
hop 2
hop 3
hop 4
23rd Jan
1940
Greene King
AK
EK (1936)
EK (1938)
8th May
1940
Fullers
AK
English (1938)
English (1939)
20th May
1940
Shepherd Neame
AK
English (1937)
English (1938)
English (1939)
25th May
1941
Fullers
AK
English (1939)
English (1940)
4th Feb
1943
Shepherd Neame
AK
English (1939)
English (1941)
English (1942)
18th Dec
1943
Shepherd Neame
AK
English (1940)
English (1941)
English (1942)
English (1943)
21st Feb
1944
Shepherd Neame
AK
English (1940)
English (1941)
English (1942)
English (1943)
27th Nov
1944
Shepherd Neame
AK
English (1941)
English (1943)
English (1944)
Oregon (1942)
22nd Feb
1945
Shepherd Neame
AK
English (1941)
English (1943)
English (1944)
Oregon (1942)
7th May
1945
Shepherd Neame
AK
English (1941)
English (1943)
English (1944)
Oregon (1942)
Sources:
Fullers brewing records held at the brewery.
Greene King brewing record held at the brewery, document number AC93/1/14 .
Shepherd Neame brewing record held at the brewery.
* 1955 Brewers' Almanack, page 64.
More... (http://barclayperkins.blogspot.com/2021/05/ak-hops-during-ww-ii.html)