Tongham Brewery celebrates Hop Harvest Party Weekend in style

Party-goer sporting a hat decorated with freshly cut hops from the Brewery’s hop garden

Surrey-based Hogs Back Brewery celebrated its annual Hop Harvest Party Weekend with nearly 4,000 revellers flocking to the brewery in Tongham near Farnham for live music, family entertainment, beer and street food over three days of festivities.

The entertainment started on Friday night with a sold-out Roots concert of original music, headlined by British Country duo, The Shires, supported by local band Bryony Dunn & The Forest and Emms Stevens.

On Saturday, Councillor Howard Smith, Mayor of Guildford, attended the sold-out Festival to see six bands playing the Festival stage. Stop Thinking kicked off proceedings with their indie and alternative rock.  Katy Hurt brought Country American. UK Blues Band of the Year, The Cinelli Brothers followed.  The Tarantinos presented their cool film soundtrack sound.  Super Vet Noel Fitzpatrick and his band supported, with the hard-rocking, local Chilli Fighters bringing the evening to a sensational finish.  Audience favourite and stand-up comedian, Patrick Monahan, kept the revellers entertained during band change overs, and performances were live streamed to the Beer Garden and Hangar to those wanting a more chilled musical experience.

On Sunday, families joined in the fun of the TEA Party, with entertainment for children of all ages in the Kids Zone.  Activities included bungee trampolines, archery, face painting and a visit from Mr Magic, as well as the ever-popular, horse-drawn dray rides around the Hop Garden.  Live music was courtesy of Ed Sheeran Experience, John Wilson Band and Hannah Dorman.

Across the weekend, guests enjoyed the full range of Hogs Back beers, including the brewer’s flagship Tongham TEA, Hogstar Lager and limited editions One Planet Passion Fruit Lager, Toffee Apple Ale and Utopia 8000, celebrating the brewery’s 8000^th brew. Over 14,000 pints were enjoyed by party goers.

The food, prepared and served by members of the Tap team, included pulled pork, BBQ burgers and hot dogs, tikka naans, sourdough pizzas and fries, with products sourced locally where possible. In line with Hogs Back’s continued aim to increase its sustainability, no single use plastics were used, replaced with reusable glasses or compostable items.

One of the highlights of the weekend was the traditional charity fundraising for National Autistic Society, Hogs Back’s chosen charity this year, and 125 (Godalming) Squadron Air Cadets. Volunteers from the organisations were on hand to help party-goers decorate their hats with fresh hops, taken from the brewery’s hop garden. The newly restored, customised Hogs Back Beer Engine motorbike was also on display.

Miles Chesterman, Hogs Back managing director, said, “The annual Hop Harvest Party Weekend is always a much-anticipated highlight and this year’s three-day celebration was no exception. The weekend brings a real sense of community and we’re delighted so many of our supporters were able to join us.”

He added, “It is huge effort by the team, led by Operations Manager, Mark Frogley, to host the event each year, and it is testament to all their hard work and planning that the event runs so smoothly. The weather was not so kind to us this year, but it didn’t dampen the enthusiasm for our best-ever line up of live music. So much so, we’ve already set the dates for next year’s Hop Harvest celebrations, which will run on 11^th, 12^th and 13^th September.”

Hop harvest celebrations have a long tradition in the Farnham area, which was historically one of the country’s most important hop growing centres.  The hop harvest at the brewery’s 8.5 acre hop garden will continue next week.

Notes to editors

Hop Harvest weekend: full musical lineup

Roots (Friday): The Shires, Bryony Dunn & The Forest, Emma Stevens

Festival (Saturday): The Chilli Fighters, Noel Fitzpatrick band, The Tarantinos, The Cinelli Brothers, Katy Hurt, Stop Thinking

TEA Party (Sunday): Ed Sheeran Experience, John Wilson Band, Hannah Dorman

Hogs Back Brewery

• Hogs Back Brewery was founded in 1992 in Tongham, in the traditional hop growing region of 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, and since then has been successfully harvesting its Fuggles, English Cascade, and Farnham White Bine hops, which provide approximately 50% of its annual hop requirements.  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.

• Committed to sustainability, Hogs Back has 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.

• In 2024, Hogs Back stepped in to help craft brewer Mondo, investing to secure the future of its brands and the brewery and taproom in Battersea.

• In May 2025, Hogs Back entered into a collaboration with Exmoor Ales, investing in a restructure and taking a 40% stake in the new business, Exmoor Drinks Ltd.

• www.hogsback.co.uk.

Image courtesy of Dave Pullinger

Contact:

Jill Adams, Director of Marketing, Hogs Back Brewery

jill@hogsback.co.uk

07879 334675

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