Hogs Back Brewery staged a double celebration at its brewery in Tongham, near Farnham recently, marking both its third annual hop harvest and its 25th birthday with a one-day festival attended by more than 1,000 local residents, families, friends and members of the Tongham TEA Club
Guests gathered at the brewery for a day of live music, Morris dancing, children’s entertainment, freshly-cooked food and of course Hogs Back’s beers, including Green TEA – a version of the brewer’s flagship ale, made with fresh Surrey Fuggles hops from this year’s harvest.
At the party, Hogs Back managing director Rupert Thompson also announced the brewery’s support for Macmillan Cancer Support for 2017/18, presenting them with a cheque for £10,000. Hogs Back will be aim to raise at least £10,000 more for the charity over the next 12 months. The second donation of £7,500 to Mind, the company’s charity of the year in 2016/17, was also announced.
Thompson said, “Our Hop Harvest party is always a fantastic event and this year’s was no exception; the sun shone all day, the beer, food and food and entertainment all went down a treat and everyone had a wonderful time.
“This celebration was extra-special as we were also marking our 25th birthday, so we were delighted to welcome so many people who have supported Hogs Back over the years and contributed to the brewery’s success. We wouldn’t have reached this great milestone in the company’s history without the enthusiasm and loyalty of many local customers, so it was great to thank them with our biggest-ever party.”
He added, “We are pleased with our hop harvest this year, and we look forward to tasting Home Harvest Ale, the beer brewed using only hops from our garden, later this year.”
Hogs Back will be celebrating its hop harvest again in 2018 and has already set the date for 22nd September.
Captions to attached images:
- Hogs Back Brewery managing director Rupert Thompson (centre, back) with friends and family at Hop Harvest and 25th Birthday Party
NOTES TO EDITORS
- Hogs Back Brewery was founded in 1992 in Tongham, Surrey, in the heart of the traditional Surrey hop growing area.
- Hogs Back TEA is a full-bodied, well-balanced bitter. It is gently fermented to leave some of the natural malt sugars, giving a full and satisfying flavour with a long, dry finish. TEA has been winning awards ever since it was launched. It was runner-up in CAMRA’s Champion Beer of Britain in 2000 and winner of Best Bitter in the London & South East region in 2015.
- The Hogs Back Brewery range also 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 golden pale ale, all demonstrating Hogs Back’s ability to combine brewing expertise and tradition with product innovation to create distinctive, memorable beers. Hogstar won a Gold award at the Society of Independent Brewers’ National Keg Beer Competition 2015 and in the World Beer Awards 2017.
- Hogs Back Brewery has planted a hop garden on a 3.5 acre plot adjacent to the brewery, growing four varieties: Farnham White Bine, a traditional but near-extinct variety which Hogs Back has brought back to its Surrey home; Fuggles, used in TEA; Cascade and Pioneer. It harvested the hops in 2015, 2016 and 2017 and when fully mature, the hop garden will provide 25% of the brewery’s hop requirements.
Issued on behalf of: Hogs Back Brewery
Further information: Ros Shiel: ros@shielporter.com / 07841 694137
John Porter: john@shielporter.com / 07734 054389