Hyde Hall could soon be almost as famous for its pints as it is for its plants.

The Royal Horticultural Society’s showpiece gardens near Rettendon have long been one of Essex’s most popular visitor attractions.

Over the years, they have grown just about everything the vegetable kingdom has to offer, but this is the first time they have sown hops.

So 2014 will be a special year for the gardens. It will be remembered, not just as the year of the first Hyde Hall hops, but also for the end result, Hyde Hall Ale.

It is believed to be the first commercial beer to be brewed with Essex-grown hops in more than 50 years.

As they enjoy the resulting brew, real ale lovers will be raising their tankards to Matt Oliver, the enthusiastic Hyde Hall gardener in charge of the vegetable section.

Matt said: “I like to give things a go if I’ve never grown them, or eaten them.”

Hop growing is more often associated with Kent and Herefordshire, where hops were once a defining feature of the landscape. However, Matt had reason to believe they were once grown in Essex, as well.

He said: “I’ve heard my grandfather used to go hop picking in Great Warley, so we know they do grow well here.”

It was certainly “worth an experiment,” in Matt’s words, to see if Essex hop growing could be re-established – and where better try it than in one of its most famous gardens?

Matt was encouraged by the Brentwood Brewing Company, whose managing director, Roland Kannor, said: “Our policy is to source all our raw materials as close as possible to home, but there was a big gap when it came to hops.

“We thought Hyde Hall might like to lead the way in seeing how well hops could grow in Essex soil.

“With all the expertise they’ve got there, I reckon there’s nothing they couldn’t grow if they put their minds to it.”

Until recently, far from using local hops, Brentwood Brewing had looked just about as far from Essex as it was possible to get.

Matt explained: “There’s a big trend in our brewing industry for using American hops. Brewers and drinkers are keen on the lemony back-taste they give. The funny thing is, when you talk to American brewers, they really love the earthier taste of English hops.”

The prospect of his hops being used by a commercial brewer galvanised Matt into action. First, he researched the subject thoroughly, online and in print. He explained: “It would have been nice to talk to someone with direct experience, but I haven’t yet. However, nothing in my research suggested hops couldn’t be grown here with good results.”

He settled on a robust dwarf variety called First Gold, planting an experimental row of 25 plants in a well-drained, south-facing site, bedded in Hyde Hall’s home-made compost.

The first hops appeared in early August, and eventually the plants yielded about 8lbs – enough for about ten kegs of ale.

Brewer Roland said: “We used our standard Brentwood IPA recipe, but the Hyde Hall hops certainly made a difference to the flavour, producing what I’d call an ‘old English’ taste. I absolutely loved it.”

The first batch of Hyde Hall Ale made its appearance at the gardens during its Taste of Autumn festival.

Roland said: “The visitors lapped it up. It didn’t last long and there were no complaints.

“Next year, I’ll be pestering Hyde Hall to start growing hops on a commercial scale.”

For now, just a handful Hyde Hall hops remains, in Matt’s kitchen.

He said: “I’m planning to use them for a home brewing experiment, but I’m not too sure what the result will be. I’m a much better gardener than I am a brewer.”