Homebrewers have their chance to help shape the future of a new hop variety by registering for this year’s Society of Independent Brewers and Associates (SIBA) awards.
SIBA has partnered with hop merchants Charles Faram to give homebrewers access to the latest experimental British hop called CF243.
Early feedback shows it offers orange peel, spearmint and intense honey flavours. Entrants will have the chance to brew a single-mash and single-hop (SMaSH) beer with the new variety and provide valuable feedback on how they perform.
Charles Faram MD Paul Corbett said: “We have a pioneering hop development programme which breeds new unique varieties to find the next generation of hops.
“We’re looking forward to placing some of these in the hands of homebrewers to see what they can do with them. Their feedback will be vital in determining the future of this new variety.”
The SIBA National Homebrew Beer Awards 2026 will give the winner the opportunity to scale up their recipe on Copper Beech Brewing Company’s 1,400-litre brew kit, with the beer being made available in its taproom.
“At Copper Beech we pride ourselves on using locally sourced ingredients and we’re really looking forward to trying out the latest cutting-edge British hops and seeing what our innovative homebrewers can make with them,” said director Dan Lawson.
The competition is free for SIBA homebrewer members and is now in its fourth year. It gives amateurs the chance to have their beers judged by the UK’s best professional brewers, sommeliers and experts at BeerX in Liverpool – the UK’s biggest beer and brewing trade event in March 2026.
By entering the awards all entrants automatically become a SIBA homebrewer member.
Homebrewers who have registered for the competition will be able to get hold of the experimental hops via the Malt Miller, which also has a wide range of ingredients.
More information can be found here: siba.co.uk/2025/10/22/siba-homebrew-beer-awards-2026
