Hops. A Solstice celebration.

Living in Kent naturally brings you into close contact with hops. Partly through enjoying dog walks through hop gardens and partly (mainly) through drinking them. We are surrounded by nature here and although the air is filled with the sweet smell of strawberries, it’s the hops that we see everywhere ( part of the same family as Strawberries and Cannabis).
This time of year they literally hang heavy air. A curious fact about hops is that they run to a deadline. That is, they all ( give or take a few disruptors) reach the top wire on Summer solstice.

Nature never fails to impress us and that little fact just made us love her a little bit more. It’s not the end of the story though. This is the point that they then go onto develop buds, the all important part of the plant which is essential to brewing beer.
So instead of joining the crowds at Stonehenge this solstice, we will be celebrating the start of summer with a cool walk through the hop gardens and an even cooler pint at the pub.