Fuller's London Pride and Brentford FC launch 'Bee a Hop Grower with Pride' initiative – blending football fandom with brewing heritage

• Brentford FC and Fuller's London Pride's 'Bee a Hop Grower with Pride' initiative gives fans the chance to be part of creating a new limited-edition ale that will be sold at Brentford's Gtech Community Stadium

• Nearly 100 participating fans will grow their own hops and come together at a harvest day event in September

• The limited-edition London Pride x Brentford FC ale will be served at selected Brentford home matches during the 2026/27 season

• The initiative will raise awareness of the climate challenges hop farmers are facing and invites fans to be a part of the journey towards more sustainable British hop farming

London – Fuller’s London Pride, the number one cask brand for rate of sale in central and south England,¹ 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, 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.”

Find out more at londonpride.co.uk/bee-a-hop-grower-with-pride

About Asahi Europe & International

Asahi Europe & International is the international branch of Asahi Group Holdings, a global beverage and food company listed on the Tokyo Stock Exchange, Japan. As of 2020, the business is established under the Asahi Europe and International organization. Building on centuries of European brewing heritage, the business runs 19 production facilities in 9 countries across Europe and North America, and is the custodian of some of the best beer brands in the world, including Asahi Super Dry, Pilsner Urquell, Peroni Nastro Azzurro, Grolsch and Kozel. Within the Asahi Group, the remit of Asahi Europe and International is also to develop and manage export markets globally, outside of Japan, Asia and Oceania. With over 10,000 passionate colleagues on board, through our shared purpose of creating meaningful connections the business is well positioned to inspire people around the world to drink better.

Footnotes

1. CGA MAT w/e 24/01/26, latest 12 weeks to 24/01/26 (By Rate of Sale in Central & South)

2. Royal Agricultural University (2024), ‘New research aims to support a sustainable revolution in British hop farming’

For more information:

Shoma Amin | Shoma.Amin@asahibeer.co.uk | 07788 345 806

Third-party news items are published as received for informational purposes. Publication does not imply endorsement by the Guild. Please use the contact details within the post for any enquiries.