Futtle, an organic brewery in the East Neuk of Fife has partnered with the Rufflets Hotel, St Andrews, to produce an organic pale ale using fresh hops grown in the Rufflets’ kitchen garden which is due for release tomorrow (14 April). According to Futtle, this is the first instance they are aware of where organically-grown Scottish hops have been used fresh and brewed into a completely organic Scottish beer.
Futtle was founded in 2020 by Lucy Hine and Stephen Marshall, and the company produces a variety of organic beers in a converted stable block located at the Bowhouse food hub. Inspired by their favourite rustic European beer styles, the couple installed a custom-made copper cooling tray in the brewery’s rafters to achieve their goal of creating spontaneously-fermented beer.
Head Gardener at Rufflets, Logie Cassells, grew seven different varieties of hops in Rufflets’ kitchen garden using organic methods. The hops were harvested by Logie, Lucy and Stephen in September last year and were used to brew with on the same day.
Lucy Hine, brewer and co-founder of Futtle said, “Although customary across hop-growing counties like Kent and Norfolk, the tradition of using fresh local hops on the same day that they are harvested is certainly not something we’re used to seeing in Scotland. And we believe this is the first time where the hops have been grown organically and brewed into a fully organic beer. We were delighted to collaborate with the whole Rufflets’ team and look forward to making this an annual Fife tradition, to rival the English hop counties celebrations, putting Scottish hops on the map!”
Marco Truffelli, Partner and Managing Director at Rufflets added, “We are what we eat and drink, and what we eat and drink comes from our lands. We at Rufflets passionately believe it is our responsibility to play a part in sustainable agriculture: our partnership with Futtle gives us the opportunity to celebrate our micro farming efforts.
“The next crop is already growing in Rufflets’ kitchen garden and we plan for this collaboration to continue and to expand year on year. 4,000 cans have been produced this year and they will be available to enjoy in the beautiful surroundings of Rufflets from next week.”
