Hop Yard

In the 1800s the Isle of Wight was the fifth largest hop producing county in the United Kingdom; the hops supplying the brewing industry for the naval port of Portsmouth.  For a number of factors hop production vanished from the island economy and landscape early in the 20th century, few remnant escapee hops still survive in our hedgrows.

In 2009 Ventnor Botanic Garden resurrected this hop growing tradition and now have the only fully established productive hop yard on the island.  The hops are carefully maintained, basking in the microclimate of the Undercliff and perched on the very cliff top to the south of the Garden.  Every year the hops are picked by hand, then dried and packaged.  In 2011 the Garden is proud to have a new beer, Ventnor Botanic Garden TropicAle, brewed by Yates' Brewery on the Island.  The beer is available bottle conditioned from our Gift Shop, on tap in the Royal Garden Cafe, and from good pubs everywhere.

This project was made possible through the financial backing and dedicated volunteers of the VBG Friends' Society.

 

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