26th October 2011

LYME REGIS: Can't beat a local Mighty Hop

LYME Regis based micro-brewery, The Mighty Hop, has harvested its first crop of locally grown hops.

The family-run brewery usually gets its hops from Worcester or Kent, the traditional growing areas of England, and some hops come from even further afield. However, this autumn, proprietor Mark Jenkin has been harvesting his own Dorset hops.

The hops were grown in a vineyard in Wootton Fitzpaine, with the space being offered by a friend of Mr Jenkin. They usually take about a year to become established so a crop in the first season was unexpected.

Mr Jenkin said: “Conditions must have been perfect for them, as a couple of weeks ago I was told I had hops and that I’d better come and harvest them quick!”

Hops are usually gathered, dried, pressed and then vacuum-packed. They can then be stored and transported at will. However, these hops were harvested in the morning, and were in a brew by the afternoon. They have been made into The Mighty Hop’s Golden Autumn beer which will soon be available in pubs, restaurants and off-licences in Lyme Regis and across the country, alongside The Mighty Hop’s six other brews.

“We have always tried to source our goods from within England where we can, but to be able to have our hops grown just seven miles away is fantastic,” Mr Jenkin added.

Mr Jenkin is now planning to increase the area of the hopyard to give a wider range of hops and a longer season of locally-hopped beer.

PICTURE: HOMEGROWN HOPS - Karen Jenkin, wife of Mighty Hop Brewery owner Mark Jenkin, picks the homegrown hops