Hogs Back Brewery is gearing up to meet increasing demand for its flagship beer TEA (Traditional English Ale), as well as its keg beer range, with a further £300k investment programme in the brewery at Tongham in Surrey. TEA is now sold in more than 1,000 supermarkets across the South-East and is a favourite cask ale in pubs throughout the region.
The first part of the programme is a new building housing a beer kegger, enabling Hogs Back to meet growing orders for Hogstar English Craft Lager and London’s Outback Pale Ale from pubs and bars. A new beer filtering system will also be installed. These will also help support Hogs Back’s innovation programme as it develops new products for the dynamic UK and export beer market.
The new building will be finished by the end of January, and the increased flexibility it delivers will also enable the brewery to meet demand for TEA from both the on-trade and off-trade. A further phase of significant investment in improvements and additions to the brewhouse is also scheduled for later in 2018, which will see the capacity of the brewhouse increase by 70%.
Rupert Thompson, managing director of Hogs Back Brewery, said, “This is a significant investment in the brewery, and will enable us to be even more flexible in terms of the range of beers we can brew and pack, as well as enabling us to increase capacity when needed.
“The UK beer market is more diverse than it’s ever been, with consumers enjoying beer in a wide range of styles and formats. As a local brewer combining heritage with innovation, it’s vital that we continue to invest to meet those consumer expectations.
“We’re delighted that there is growing demand for our two innovative keg beers, Hogstar lager and London’s Outback pale ale, and it’s equally important that this latest investment gives us improved flexibility to supply TEA. Over the past two years we’ve invested circa £300k, planted our 3.5 acre hop garden, and created five jobs at the brewery as a result.”
A new visitor reception area will also be completed in early December as the first stage to improving facilities in response to increased demand for tours and meetings, as well as providing a special event bar space.
The new beer kegger is from Brewology, while the filtration system was supplied by Liquid Solutions.
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Notes to editors:
- Hogs Back Brewery was founded in 1992 in Tongham, Surrey, in the heart of the traditional Surrey hop growing area.
- Its flagship brand TEA, or Traditional English Ale, is one of the leading regional ales in the South East. The first beer brewed by Hogs Back 25 years ago, TEA has won multiple awards including runner-up in CAMRA’s Champion Beer of Britain in 2000. Distribution of TEA is currently at an all-time high, with TEA now sold in more 1000 supermarkets in the South East and beyond, including branches of Tesco, Sainsburys, Asda, Waitrose, Morrisons and Co-op.
- The Hogs Back Brewery range includes a number of award-winning draught and bottled beers. Launches over recent years include Hogstar English Craft Lager, Montezuma’s Chocolate Lager and London’s Outback pale ale, all demonstrating Hogs Back’s ability to combine brewing expertise and tradition with product innovation to create distinctive, memorable beers. In 2013, Hogs Back also launched a traditional cloudy cider, Hazy Hog.
- In September 2015 Hogs Back Brewery harvested the first hops from its own hop garden on a 3.5 acre plot adjacent to the brewery, bringing the traditional but near-extinct Farnham White Bine hop variety back to its Surrey home. Once fully mature, the hop garden will provide 25% of the brewery’s hop requirements.
- Hogs Back Brewery achieved volume growth of 22% over the last year and is expanding its presence in both the on and off trade. Stockists include EI Group, Mitchells & Butlers, Greene King, Youngs, as well as independent pubs and bars.
Issued on behalf of: Hogs Back Brewery
Further information: Ros Shiel: ros@shielporter.com / 07841 694137
John Porter: john@shielporter.com / 07734 054389