Hoppy days

SIR – I was pleased to read Tim Barnsley’s interest in hops (Letters, September 29).

The first hop gardens were planted in Faversham in 1520, and a huge part of our heritage has been built on finding the right balance between the natural sweetness of British barley and the bitterness and character of local hops, such as East Kent Goldings, the doyen of British hops, with its mellow, resinous pine aroma.

However, British beer drinkers are in a bold mood. They are attracted to the citrus notes of Cascade or Citra hops, or the tropical fruit characteristics of Galaxy, or the spicey notes of Centennial.

We are experimenting with some of these and have also developed a new beer with five different grains.

It’s wonderful that we are discussing the intriguing and diverse world of hops again after the rather bland beers of the 1980s and 1990s. Jonathan Neame

Chief Executive, Shepherd Neame Faversham, Kent