Love British Hops | Great Newsome Brewery

British Hops?

After the summer of 2025 with which was filled with 1990’s music nostalgia, “Buy more Brit Hop!” seemed appropriate and has certainly become our mantra here at Great Newsome Brewery. That isn’t surprising when you consider that not only are we brewers but also run a small family mixed farm; so, we have a great affinity for anything grown on these fair isles.

A couple years back we attended a hop walk in Herefordshire. As we strolled along the tour of the hop yards, with the hop bines towering above us like a giant “Wonder Wall”, we came across a gap in the crop where once clearly hops had been growing. On enquiry it turned out that the particular hop variety in question had been grubbed out and the farmer was considering his options, potentially no longer growing hops on that area, possibly replacing hops with more lucrative apple trees. The hop yard we were told had been established around 70 years. We were taken aback by this, on our farm we grow annual crops but for a hop farmer planting crops it is much more of a long-term generational commitment. The farmer will clearly only grow hops if they are profitable and there is a demand for them, with any decision not to grow them not taken lightly. It made us think that as brewer’s, we should all be concerned for the future of British hops and for the people who make the long-term commitment on their land to grow them.

Jester (4.1%) – Punchy pale ale with bags of citrus aromas and a depth of grapefruit bitterness.

Available in March.

Behind the hop – Early on in development, an experienced hop merchant mistook Jester for an American variety. He thought a group of botanists were pulling his leg, hence the name.

Thinking about what we could do to help, on return to the brewery, we all sat down. Our Head Brewer, James, looked at what hop varieties we use across the range of beers we brew. Even though Great Newsome could be categorised as leaning more towards brewing traditional styles of beer, we found it surprising what proportion of non-British hops we used. When we started on our brewing journey over 18 years ago, rightly or wrongly we found one of the most effective ways of getting citrusy notes or exciting aromas into our newly created beers was to use typically bold US hops, albeit in conservative amounts. For us it felt like our hearts were telling us that to switch to using more British hops was the right thing to do but our heads were telling us not to mess with things, particularly in our core beer range. It was a big decision and one we decided to put on the back burner.

Sovereign (4.5%) – Sweet and moreish, Sovereign is a hearty golden ale in the classic English style. Marmalade, honey and biscuit malt flavours are all abound in every pint.

Available in April.

Behind the hop – Sovereign hops are a 21st century take on classic British aroma varieties. Their natural disease resistance means farmers can continue providing pubgoers with the classic flavours they love for many years to come.

More recently, both James and Joe from our brewing team attended a net zero workshop arranged by the CIBD (Chartered Institute of Brewing and Distilling). The workshop covered many of the topics you would associate with net zero such as saving energy, cooling efficiencies and heat recovery plus it also asked attendees to make pledges on how they would get their brewery’s closer to net zero. One of the easy wins and pledges the guys came up with was a switching to UK grown raw materials. As we have always used British grown malt, (we grow malting barley right here on the farm) then the attention once again returned to hops.

Ernest (4.0) – A malty session beer with bold, stonefruit aromas.

Available in May.

Behind the hop – Ernest hops, originally ignored for tasting too bold, are now undergoing a renaissance among British brewers… we think it’s high time someone used them in a proper bitter.

The organisation British Hops report that only as far back as 1962, the UK grew approximately 8,200 Ha (about 10,000 football pitches) of hops. By 2007 this had declined to 1,060 Ha and is currently only around 500Ha on just 42 farms. Why the decline? Well, it can be attributed to a number of reasons, changes in consumer and brewer preferences, competition from imported hops and a potential image problem.

Harlequin (3.9%) – A dry-hopped session pale that’s oozing with fresh, tropical aromas. Your local isn’t going to know what hit it!

Available in July.

Behind the hop – Named for its unique look, Harlequin® goes toe-to-toe with American and new world varieties. No brewer would previously have believed such a hop could be grown in the UK, yet Britain’s farmers have outdone themselves.

So, here at Great Newsome Brewery we are making our pledge to use more British hops. British hops are to beer what Britpop was to music — a bold reclaiming of identity, subtle swagger, and homegrown character. In 2026 any new seasonal beers we create will be brewed with 100% British hops which we are calling the “Love British Hops” range. The range of six beers will each be created using a single British hop such as Sovereign, Jester® and Harlequin® producing some really exciting beers packed with aroma and character. As we’ve found out researching and developing these new beers, each hop has its own story to tell and so over the year we will bring you these unique anecdotes.

Wye Fuggle (4.5%) – A step beyond a best bitter… Expect a full-on, rich ale with grassy notes, sweet malt body and delicate floral aroma.

Available in September.

Behind the hop – Fuggles have been the quintessential British hop for over 150 years. Sadly, they’re susceptible to soil-borne diseases, meaning growing them has become harder and harder. Wye Fuggles are a new, disease-resistant incarnation of that classic hop; we’re proud to help show just how great they are.

The idea is to get everyone back in the pub a GREAT British Institution to enjoy the “Love British Hops” range so initially the beers will be available as changing seasonal cask beers throughout the year. So, let’s all give “Brit Hop” a little more love and help the British hop industry “Live Forever”.

Phoenix (4.5%) – Wheat biscuit, roasted malt and sweet caramel flavours are all abound in this new porter.

Available in November.

Behind the hop – Sweet, chocolatey flavours come from malt, as a rule, not hops… that’s brewing 101! That all changes with Phoenix: one of the sweetest, most unique tasting hops on the planet. Grown only in Britain.

Find The Love British Hops Range

• Alma Inn (Scarborough)
• Black Horse (York)
• Blacksmiths (Coniston)
• Brown Cow (Louth)
• Butchers Arms (Market Rasen)
• Centurion Arms (Brough)
• Click em Inn (Lincolnshire)
• Copper Cow (Sowerby Bridge)
• Cresent Club (York)
• Crown & Anchor (Kilnsea)
• Dairycoats (Hull)
• Dawnay Arms (West Heslerton)
• Dog & Duck (Beverley)
• Dog House (Bridlington)
• Foxhound (Flixton)
• George Inn (Bridlington)
• George Inn (Winterton)
• Green Owl (Hornsea)
• Hare & Hounds (Riccall)
• Hed on Inn (Hedon)
• Hull Minster Beer Festival
• Larkins (Hull)
• Micro Pig (Long Riston)
• Monks Walk (Beverley)
• New Inn (Hornsea)
• Norton Coronation Working Mens Club
• Old Boat Shed (Withernsea)
• Pontefract Beer Festival
• Pourhouse (Hessle)
• Rodley Barge (Rodley)
• Roos Arms (Roos)
• Salutation Inn (Nettleton)
• Star Inn (Driffield)
• Star Inn (Sandal)
• Steptoes Cafe (Kimberworth)
• Swiss Cottage Restaurant (Hornsea)
• The Golden Lion (Osmotherley)
• Tiny Tavern (Lincoln)
• Trunch Social Club (Norfolk)
• White Horse (Bempton)
• Wrens (Leeds)