Hogs Back Brewery is putting its flagship Traditional English Ale, TEA, centre stage at several key railway stations in its Surrey heartland, just as weeks of travel chaos for commuters in the area come to an end.
Poster advertising will run for four weeks from the end of August on the platforms at Farnham, Guildford and Woking stations on prime sites that are viewed by around 17 million consumers per year. The six-sheet posters carry a simple, enticing image of a pint of TEA and several bottles under the headline ‘Time for TEA’.
The poster campaign is part of Hogs Back’s investment in TEA, which saw it launch a new design for the brand across pumpclips, bottles and POS earlier this year. The new design retains the iconic and widely-recognised Hogs Back hog, but is pared down to create a cleaner, more impactful look
Rupert Thompson, Hogs Back Brewery managing director, said, “After three weeks of disrupted journeys, we think the invitation to enjoy a pint or a bottle of TEA, one of the most popular beers in the area, will be welcomed by many of the thousands of commuters and other train users arriving into these three stations, which are all Hogs Back strongholds.
“Many pubs, supermarkets and specialist stores in the area already stock TEA and are expecting an upturn in demand during the advertising campaign. The next four weeks are definitely going to be time for TEA in Surrey!”
At The Mulberry, next to Farnham station, general manager Chantal Walter said, “Our location makes us popular with commuters popping in for a pint on their way home and many of our customers have had challenging journeys over recent weeks. We think they’ll be very happy to toast the return of normal train service with a pint of TEA and we’ll certainly make sure we’ve plenty in to meet demand created by the on-platform advertising.”
TEA is one of the most popular and fastest-growing beers in the south east. The first beer to be brewed by Hogs Back when it started 25 years ago, TEA was an instant hit and has been the cornerstone of the brewery’s success.
A full-bodied, well-balanced 4.2% ABV bitter, TEA is brewed from 100% Surrey Fuggles hops and has won numerous awards over the years, including a Gold Medal at the World Beer Awards in August this year. TEA has built a loyal customer following in Surrey and across the south.
Distribution of TEA is at an all-time high. On trade stockists including Enterprise, Mitchells & Butlers, Youngs, Greene King and Stonegate Pub Company, while off trade customers include Sainsbury’s, Waitrose, Tesco and Majestic Wine.
NOTES TO EDITORS
- 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.
- Hogs Back Brewery was founded in 1992 in Tongham, Surrey, in the heart of the traditional Surrey hop growing area.
- 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 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 and 2016 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