Grow Beer Project - The Fresh Hop Lager.
Grow Beer Project
The idea started at an annual food-growing event in south-east London, recalls Ann Bodkin, co-founder of the Grow Beer movement. We celebrated with a meal of a menu curated from what we were growing on our doorstep in the city. The importance of connection developed the idea into what could a lot of people, with access to tiny bits of land, come together and collectively do in a single unifying action? If we all grew one hop each, the tall-building equivalent of the food-growing plant-world, would it be possible to produce a professional beer?
After a call out for growers on social media, the next step was sounding out the capital’s independent brewers at an event organized by the London Brewers Alliance. Bodkin and her co-founder, Helen Steer, explained the concept of the ‘patchwork hop farm’ and asked if anyone was interested in the idea to brew with them. They were indeed, with one brewer even offering to buy their entire harvest for as long as the project lasted. Bodkin and Steer didn’t hesitate in turning him down. That was not the project.
What we were interested in was to challenge the norms around food growing, land ownership and efficiency of labour to create an alternative model as part of the beer economy. We wanted to see if there was agency in trust and trade, with as many people involved to grow, brew and enjoy beer as part of a connected system.
That was in October 2011. Dr Peter Darby, then lead researcher with The National Hop Collection, advised a dwarf hop variety would be most suitable for the small scale plots and inconsistent city growing conditions. By Easter 2012 there were Prima Donna (First Gold) plants growing in 60 gardens, allotments, and balconies across south east London. The harvest and hop weigh-in took place in September and, one month later the green hop ale was launched at a local beer festival.
The Grow Beer model was first tested with Brixton Beer Co and has sustained growing and brewing in south east London since, lead by Ann Bodkin. The experimental nature of the model helps to nurture projects across the land supporting regional beer production. The idea has been adopted in more than 20 towns and cities across England, Scotland, Wales and Ireland and twin-towns across Europe.
The collectivist nature of the project is crucial. Knowledge share workshops occur, where confident growers invite growers to pop over to their allotment to learn about nurturing healthy soil. Throughout summer lupulin-watch kicks in, where growers post photos on the groups social media in how their hops are developing, to guage the right moment to call in the collective for the hop weigh-in at the brewery. The relationship with the brewers works on a mutual aid basis. No money changes hands and in exchange shares beer with the growing group.
A local market is created, who buy it from local pubs and taprooms and then go on to tell the story. Great for the local economy and the climate crisis: local food, less food miles, local manufacturer, local jobs in brewery and outlets. Happy community, as Stephen Wakeford, Deal Hop Farm lead, describes.
www.growbeer.co.uk
Instagram @GrowBeerProject
