The Distinguished Gentleman’s Ride (DGR) marked its traditional finish at Hogs Back Brewery on Sunday 18th May.
A record number of riders – over 1300 in total – joined the Surrey Hills ride through the picturesque Surrey countryside, making it the largest DGR ride in UK, Europe and North America, and fourth largest worldwide.
The ride was officially started in Guildford High Street by Deputy Mayor of Guildford, Councillor Jane Tyson from the balcony of the Guildhall, then headed to the stop off at Loseley Park, hosted by Alexander and Sophia More-Molyneux, and Lord Lieutenant of Surrey, Michael More Molyneux, before finishing at Hogs Back Brewery in Tongham.
The fine array of motorbikes and dapper-dressed gentlemen were enthusiastically cheered on by onlookers along the 28-mile route, with celebrity biker, Joe Wicks, among the riders.
In a first for the Hogs Back Brewery, its custom-build Harley Davidson Beer Engine motorbike with beer barrel shaped side car, successfully led the ride. The machine, commissioned in 2006, is usually only on static display for high days and holidays at the Brewery. But local bike enthusiast, Nigel Gower, has coaxed it back to life and proudly headed the ride, with friend and fellow enthusiast, Jo Farnfield in the side car.
At the Brewery, riders and visitors alike enjoyed a glass of Hogs Back’s Little Swine Alcohol Free Pale Ale on draught, brewed specially for the event, and musical entertainment provided by viral sensation Thomas Benjamin Wild Esq.
This year’s Surrey Hills DGR has already raised over £88k, for the Movember Foundation and men’s mental health charities, with money still coming in.
Managing Director Miles Chesterman said, “It’s great to support this fantastic event again, that raises such an impressive amount of money for charity. Its popularity is growing year on year and to see the Hogs Back bike lead it was an added bonus”.
Proceeds from the Hogs Back Brewery’s next charity quiz on Thursday 5th June will be donated to DGR.
About Distinguished Gentleman’s Ride: DRG was founded in 2012 in Sydney to bring dapper dressed riders of classic and vintage styled motorcycles together to raise funds for men’s mental health charities and prostate cancer research. The global impact to date is 1038 Rides, in 108 countries, raising over $59.98m USD.
https://www.gentlemansride.com/
About Hogs Back Brewery
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.
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
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