Hop merchant Charles Faram is accelerating its development of new British varieties to meet demand from craft brewers for ‘New World’-style aromatic hops.

A new variety traditionally took 10 years from creation to commercial production, Faram said, but it was hoping to halve this by bringing pilot brew trials forward to assess demand.

The Worcester company unveiled a trial beer made with the new British-grown Olicana hop and developed with craft brewery Ilkley Brewery at the SIBA Beer X festival last month.