We first visited the USA in 1995 - Boston Mass was our first destination. On our first trip we discovered a few brewpubs - Commonwealth and Cambridge Brewing were a revelation - with new hops I was delighted to discover- the new standout being Cascade. After tasting bitterness that seemed unique, and quite extreme (at the time) I was determined to track down some American hops and start brewing. So in 1997 Rockingham Ales commenced brewing, and it was not too long I had tracked down some Cascade - and we've never looked back.
As time went by Willamette, Mount Hood, Chinook, and Amarillo came on the scene and in the last few years we've seen such great varieties as Summit, Citra, Mosaic and Simcoe. If that was not enough we have been fortunate to brew with a couple of great Australian and New Zealand hops varieties - Galaxy, Ella and Nelson Sauvin - all brilliant ! But it started in the good old USA.
Subsequently we've been up and down Southern California (six years running) Seattle, Portland (Beervanna and Beertopia) Vancouver, and back to Boston quite a few more times, discovering ever more beer styles. Who would have dreamed of Double IPA back in 1995?
All the small brewers in the UK owe a BIG debt to Sean Franklin - the founder of Roosters Brewery - he was the pioneer in using American hops and was instrumental in helping to get them imported. A Legend .
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