Surrey-based Hogs Back Brewery is investing in new delivery vehicles in response to growing demand for its range of award-winning beers.
The brewery, in Tongham, near Farnham, is buying two new delivery vehicles which will transport cask, keg and packaged beers to its on-trade customers, and fulfil orders from consumers buying direct from the brewery website.
The new, more efficient diesel Isuzu vans help Hogs Back to achieve its ongoing mission to become a more sustainable brewery and are painted in its distinctive green livery featuring the ionic hog.
New Hogs Back managing director Miles Chesterman said: “We’re delighted to be in a strong position in terms of sales, which is allowing us to make this investment in the future of Hogs Back.
“The decline in cask ale sales generally has been well-documented, but we are seeing steady demand for our Tongham TEA flagship ale from pubs across the south east as well as for our Session IPA, Surrey Nirvana. Our online sales direct to consumers are also performing strongly.
“The new delivery vehicles will allow us to take our beers to our customers more efficiently and as cleaner diesel vehicles, they also fit into our sustainability agenda. We plan to invest in electric vehicles when the range and reliability improves.”
Images courtesy of Jon Hawkins, Surrey Hills Photography:
Image 033 – Draymen Dave Barnett (L) and Bryan Jackson
Notes to editors
- Hogs Back Brewery was founded in 1992 in Tongham, in the heart of the traditional Surrey hop growing area.
- Its flagship brand Tongham TEA, or Traditional English Ale, is one of the leading regional ales in the South East. 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.
- The Hogs Back Brewery range includes a number of award-winning draught, bottled and canned beers, demonstrating its ability to combine brewing expertise and tradition with product innovation to create distinctive, memorable beers..
- Other brewing awards include:
- Gold medals for Little Swine 0.5% in the European Beer Challenge 2024 and the Society of Independent Brewers (SIBA) National Independent Beer Awards 2024
- CAMRA’s Champion Bottled Beer of Britain 2020 for its A over T (Aromas over Tongham) 9% ABV bottle conditioned barley wine
- Gold medal in the World Beer Awards 2017 for Hogstar lager
- Bronze medal in the International Cider Challenge 2019 for traditional cloudy cider, Hazy Hog.
- In 2014, Hogs Back planted a hop garden, moving it in 2019 to a larger site adjacent to the brewery. It celebrated its 10th Hop Harvest in September this year, harvesting three hop varieties: Fuggles – used in the brewer’s flagship Tongham TEA ale; English Cascade – used in its Hogstar lager; and Farnham White Bine – a local variety that Hogs Back revived from near-extinction
- Earlier this year, Hogs Back won the Le May Cup for its White Bine hop in the Institute of Brewing & Distilling’s annual Hop Competition. They also received a Gold Award for their Fuggles hop and a Silver for their English Cascade. Hogs Back is the first brewer to win the Le May Cup.
- As part of its drive to become an ever more sustainable brewer, Hogs Back is aiming to eliminate single use plastic. They have introduced refillable glass Snorters (3.5 pints) and Snifters (1 ¾ pints), and to date have removed over 20,000 PETs, earning them Plastic Free Champion status from Surfers Against Sewage.
- At the end of January 2025, Miles Chesterman took over the role of Managing Director of Hogs Back Brewery having joined the Brewery in 2012. Owner, Rupert Thompson, is now Executive Chairman.
- www.hogsback.co.uk.
For more information, please contact jill@hogsback.co.uk
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