Kirkstall hops in 1885

Every beer contained at least three different types of hops. A couple had even four. Nothing unusual there. It was standard practice to use multiple types, both with base malt and hops. Presumably to minimise differences in flavour when stock of one ingredient ran out.

A majority of the hop types used – about two thirds – were English. Not many regions were specified, sadly. Three Sussex, two Farnham and one Kent. There’s a good chance that the ones where the origin wasn’t specified were also from those areas. None of the beers had all English hops.

Amongst the foreign hops, only Bavaria is specified as a source. One of the few areas outside the UK considered to have hops f a quality to rival the best English examples. The ones simply described as “foreign” probably came from less fashionable regions such as Belgium.

The 1880 Free Mash Tun Act the possibility opened the possibility of using hop substitutes. Something which not many took advantage of. Even Kirkstall didn’t show a great deal of enthusiasm, only using it in one of their beers. Not at all sure what Wylde’s was.  

Kirkstall hops in 1885
Beer	Style	hop 1	hop 2	hop 3	hop 4	hop 5
L	Mild	Bavarian 1884	Sussex 1884	Foreign 1884
X	Mild	English 1883	English 1884	English 1884	Foreign 1884
XXX	Mild	English 1884	Sussex 1884	Kent 1883	Foreign 1884
AK	Pale Ale	Farnham 1884	English 1884	Bavarian 1883	English 1884	Wylde's hop substitute
BA	Pale Ale	Farnham 1884	Bavarian 1884	Sussex 1884
PA	Pale Ale	Farnham 1884	Bavarian 1884	English 1883
KKK	Stock Ale	Bavarian 1884	English 1883	English 1884
IS	Stout	Bavarian 1884	English 1884	English 1884
Source:
Kirkstall brewing record.