Kentish Express Ashford & District
Wye beer helps brewer fight back
A pale ale using Wye hops and inspired by the village’s history is helping a brewery fight back during lockdown.
Docker Brewery in Folkestone has been producing craft beers since 2016, mostly making drinks for pubs and eateries.
That was until 2020, when the Covid-19 pandemic changed how many businesses operated.
Director Peter Nelson said: “We expanded to a larger brewery in December 2019, so it wasn’t ideal timing and we were expecting a big summer in 2020.
“We made a lot of beer in preparation but obviously had to throw lots away. Originally we were a pub-focused but we’ve now transitioned to cans.
“During the lockdowns, we’re only a one or two-person operation so thankfully we’ve been able to brew throughout.”
“We’ve just bought a canning machine along with other Tenterden’s Nightingale Cider Co. and Hythe’s Hop Fuzz brewery, as we all realise the need to get it out there quicker and fresher in a deliverable format.
Stocking drinks with Kent-in
spired names such as Hythe Pale Ale and DFL, Docker Brewery tries to promote ingredients found in the county.
In December, a new addition to the range - Wye.P.A. - highlighted Wye’s place in beer brewing history and quickly sold out.
Mr Nelson said: “We’re really interested in the UK’s hop heritage but not necessarily in the traditional way of doing things.
“We create new flavours from hops developed more recently.
“That’s why we like Wye and made a beer about it - it was one of the main centres of global hop production in the 20th Century, and a lot of the world’s top hops were developed there.
“In our newer beers, we’ve been taking a lot of heritage hops that were seen as too strong and re-introducing them to people. They’re becoming a lot more popular in the industry.”
The 46-year-old is no stranger to getting to grips with new technologies, as he and co-director Wes Burden come from a background working with computers. He says this is common, as the brewing process requires a lot of technical know-how.
The brewery’s sister company, Docker Bakery, produces bread for restaurants and hospitality businesses such as Rocksalt in Folkestone and Macknade in Ashford.
The brewery also recently supported the annual Hythe Hops project, in which residents grow hops in gardens and allotments before nearby brewers turn them into craft beer.
Mr Nelson added: “People have been really supportive during the pandemic, as we’ve started delivering much more than we used to.
“We still want to get back into pub beer but we’ve had to go into survival mode for 2020 and people have been liking what we’re making.”