Jonathan Price, Managing Director and Owner of Exmoor Ales today wrote to his customers with the following news:
“I wanted to update you on our future plans as a business. Sadly, like many breweries, we have faced some challenging times recently due to the knock-on effects of COVID-19, inflation, market changes and most recently, tax increases. This has meant we need to restructure and close brewery.
We looked at a number of options, but in most scenarios we were concerned that we would lose nearly all the jobs, our brands, and our independence. Exmoor Ales has a strong following of loyal drinkers built up over more than 40 years, so we’ve been looking for a solution that will allow us to continue employing people locally and also be in charge of our own sales and future.
I am pleased to announce that we’re collaborating with Hogs Back Brewery, another family-owned, award-winning independent brewery based in Surrey. They will brew our beers for a period of time whilst we look at future options. Exmoor’s Head Brewer, Sanghrash, will be brewing with them using the same recipes, same yeast for each Exmoor Brand to match the same taste and quality as now. Hogs Back has a lot of experience working collaboratively with other small businesses around the country.
We will continue distributing our beers locally from Wiveliscombe, with Hogs Back helping with national distribution. I remain here as Managing Director of the new operation, and with our sales and distribution team, we will be able to take advantage of exciting new opportunities that are emerging, including the launch of our own lager, a low-alcohol beer, and a new IPA, to be announced shortly. We will also seek collaborations with other local businesses and introduce exclusive distribution arrangements with other drinks businesses.
The closure of a brewery is always sad, but in the current market, it is becoming all too common as Global brewers’ close opportunities for small local brewers. A recent report by SIBA showed that independent brewers are now denied access to more than half of all the pubs in their local area – this cannot be good for consumer choice. We very much hope times will change and Exmoor will retain the support of its loyal local customers.
We will be making a further announcement with more details of our exciting plans shortly. In the meantime, we have good stocks of everything and you can be assured there will be complete continuity of supply. Thank you for your continuing support and keeping a proud local business independent.”
Rupert Thompson, owner and Chairman of Hogs Back Brewery has commented:
“In a very challenging market one of the ways to survive and eventually prosper is to enter into close commercial collaborations with like-minded businesses. This allows for the sharing of resources, expertise and staff and at the same time saves a very popular local beer brand.
Hogs Back Brewery has invested to support this restructuring and will hold a minority stake in the exciting new venture. The closure of a brewery is always sad and restructuring to allow for a brighter future can be difficult, but if it saves some jobs and keeps popular beers like Exmoor Gold and Beast alive, then it is worth it”
Exmoor Ales
Exmoor started in 1979 as one of the first microbrewery established at that time, along with the likes of Butcombe, Ringwood and others.
The original site was on the corner of the Victorian Hancock Brewery in Wiveliscombe on Golden Hill, hence its original name of “Golden Hill Brewery”.
The Brewery achieved early fame winning the National CAMRA GBBF in 1980 with Exmoor Ale (3.8%) winner Best Bitter.
Exmoor Gold was a famous breakthrough, being the first and original “Golden Ale”. It started a whole new category of “Golden Ale”, which virtually all breweries include in their ranges. It is now the Brewery’s biggest seller in cask and bottle.
The range of cask and bottle beers also includes:
Exmoor Beast 6.6%, a famous strong dark Porter.
Exmoor Stag 4.8%, brewed to celebrate Somerset CCC 100th anniversary in 1991 and still going strong as a premium Bitter.
Wicked Wolf 4.2%, a golden ale brewed with a slight hint of Juniper, is the result of a unique collaboration with Wicked Wolf Gin on, based on Exmoor.
For more information visit: www.exmoorales.co.uk
Contact: Jonathan.price@exmoorales.co.uk
Hogs Back Brewery was founded in 1992 in Tongham, Surrey. Its flagship brand, Tongham TEA (Traditional English Ale), is a leading regional ale in the south-east.
In 2014 Hogs Back planted its own revival hop garden. It celebrated its 10th Hop Harvest last September, harvesting Fuggles, English Cascade, and Farnham White Bine hops. It is the largest integrated hop grower and brewer in the UK.
In 2024, it won the Le May Cup for its White Bine hop and received Gold and Silver awards for its Fuggles and English Cascade hops, respectively.
The brewery’s range includes award-winning draught, bottled, and canned beers, showcasing its blend of brewing expertise and innovation. Notable awards include:
- Little Swine 0.5%: Gold medals in the European Beer Challenge 2024 and SIBA National Independent Beer Awards 2024.
- A over T (Aromas over Tongham) 9% ABV: CAMRA’s Champion Bottled Beer of Britain 2020.
- Hogstar lager: Gold medal in the World Beer Awards 2017.
- Hazy Hog: Bronze medal in the International Cider Challenge 2019.
- Tongham TEA: The first beer brewed by Hogs Back in 1992, Tongham TEA has won multiple awards including runner-up in CAMRA’s Champion Beer of Britain in 2000.
Committed to sustainability, Hogs Back introduced 120 solar panels to its roof, sells spent grain to local farmers as animal feed and aims to reduce its single-use plastic, having introduced refillable glass Snorters and Snifters flagons. It has removed over 20,000 PETs bottles from its business, and earning Plastic Free Champion status from Surfers Against Sewage.
In January 2025, Miles Chesterman became Managing Director, with owner Rupert Thompson now serving as Executive Chairman.
For more information, visit www.hogsback.co.uk
Contact: jill@hogsback.co.uk