Fuller’s has announced that London Pride is deepening its roots with Brentford Football Club by bringing craft, community and character together for a unique hop-growing initiative.
Fuller’s ‘Bee a Hop Grower with Pride’ gives Brentford FC fans the chance to grow their own hops, which will be used to craft a limited-edition ale, served at selected Brentford FC home matches at Gtech Community Stadium during the 26/27 season.
Nearly 100 fans have signed up to receive hop-growing kits, containing everything they need to get started. They also have a unique opportunity to connect with fellow participants and local hop farmers via an optional WhatsApp chat.
The harvest day event will take place in September, bringing together the community of hop growers, then the grown hops make their way to Chiswick’s historic Fuller’s Griffin Brewery. There, the Cascade hops will be brewed into a special limited-edition London Pride x Brentford FC beer, a unique ale that will present citrus, stone fruit and floral characteristics.
Participating fans will receive a gift pack containing two bottles of the limited-edition beer and a voucher for a free matchday pint at Gtech Community Stadium.
The initiative aims to bring football fans together while raising awareness of the significant threat climate change poses to one of beer’s essential ingredients, hops. With only 45 hop growers left in the UK,2 a mere fraction of the number operating a generation ago, it’s becoming more important than ever to protect the future of British hop farming.
Through ‘Bee a Hop Grower with Pride’, Fuller’s London Pride and Brentford FC are raising awareness of these challenges and inviting fans to be part of the story, as hands-on custodians of this important craft.
Rob Hobart, marketing director at Asahi UK, said: “For more than 180 years, Fuller’s Griffin Brewery has been part of the fabric of south-west London. Our story has always been shaped by the people around us – and one of our longest-standing neighbours is Brentford FC.
“The ‘Bee a Hop Grower with Pride’ initiative is designed to bring our community together for a common goal, while raising the awareness of beer brewing heritage to create an ale that will be unique to Brentford FC.”
