Hops and Beer
Due to the strong, fertile and well drained soil with gentle climate, Kent was one of the first and most successful places to grow hops in the UK, with over half the hops produced being grown in this county.
Before the coming of the railway, it was only economically viable to market beer within a 6 mile radius and this resulted in the preponderance of local breweries. The number of breweries increased under James I (1603-1625). For example Mark Short established a brewery in Maidstone in 1612 and just 10 years later there were 10 breweries in the town. In addition in 1610 there were 6 inns and 24 alehouses in Maidstone, which seems quite a high number for a town with a then population of c.3.000 (making it one alehouse or inn for every 100 people).
The first major breweries were the Lower Brewery (Lower Stone St) established in c.1650 and Upper Brewery (in Brewer St). Taxes and competition began to push out smaller firms however and by 1830 three quarters of Maidstone's pubs were owned by a single firm; Brenchley & Stacey. By 1920 there were four breweries in Maidstone; Masons Waterside Brewery, Fremlins, Style and Winch and Lower Brewery.
Hops are used to make beer as they add bitterness, which counteract the sweetness of the malt and they also add flavour. Before the brewing process these hops therefore have to be picked: As we have seen from Orwell's account (see Wages), conditions and pay for the 'hoppers' was far from idyllic during the C19th and (despite the smiling faces on the photographs above right) far from the romantic image often portrayed of the Eastenders going down to Kent for a hop picking season.
Hop Picking was back breaking, low paid work and cholera epidemics were quite common. In 1834 one farmer, Mr Ellis from Barming, was reported to have stopped an outbreak of cholera among his workers by giving them only beer to drink as the water is boiled and purified in the beer brewing process so any bacteria is killed.
Another reason why Kent was a successful area for hop picking was its close proximity to London and therefore a plentiful work force. Despite the hard work and low pay, in 1867 the Coxheath Union (4 miles from Maidstone) took 600-700 hop pickers each night and there were another 1200 sleeping rough in Gravesend town centre. It has been estimated that in the early C20th c.60,000 'hoppers' descended upon Kent in late August and September.
Prior to mechanisation of agriculture, mainly following WWII, farmers needed to bring their crops in by hand and needed a large work force in which to do this. So despite some small Kentish villages doubling in populations overnight, most welcomed the extra custom in the local pubs and the farmers needed the workforce.
The Rev. J. Kendon used to visit pickers and introduced prayer meetings and organised volunteers to give out free teas to the workers. In 1868 he founded 'The Weald of Kent Hop-Picker Mission' to look after foreign hop pickers. Later, in 1877 the 'Church of England Missionary Association of Hop Pickers' was established in Maidstone to co-ordinate these support groups and due to these missions, the general living and working conditions of the hop-pickers improved.
Hops are still grown across Kent although the industry reduced dramatically after the 20th century. Although the 'hop' to Kent from London remained until the 1960's, machines began to replace the hop pickers in 1932 and in addition lager was becoming a much more popular drink. Lager requires less hops so less hops were grown and harvested. The many beautiful Oast Houses (used to dry the hops prior to brewing) can still be seen across parts of Kent.
Other alcoholic drinks were also made in Kent of course. As well as hops, Yalding is famous for its cherry orchards. Even before the cherry orchards were planted, the area around here seems to have been used by the Romans, and there is evidence which suggests that there were several 'Roman' vineyards which may date to the C2nd AD. So the links to grow various crops to produce different alcoholic beverages (wine, cherry brandy and beer) at various periods (depending upon consumers' tastes) is strong in Yalding. In the mid 17th century, George Bishops firm in Maidstone produced 5,000 gallons of gin a week and also Brandy was produced in Maidstone too. In 1872 a report stated that in Maidstone alone there were 9 ginger beer and one soda water manufacturers, the latter being a non alcoholic alternative to the traditional beverages of the area.
(All Hop Picking photos on this page are courtesy of Kent Life - Maidstone. For more information on hops and beers and an introduction to the process of brewing see The Museum of Kent Life website link: http://www.hoppingdowninkent.org.uk/index.php)