After a treat-free 2020, likely to be remembered by most for the absence of any experiences outside the home, Surrey based Hogs Back Brewery is offering a selection of beer tastings and tours, some to enjoy now, others ideal as Christmas gifts for beer lovers, redeemable whenever COVID restrictions ease next year.
The Hogs Back Brewery Tap in Tongham has reopened and is taking table bookings for Friday and Saturday evenings, with a programme of live music lined up and comedy nights set to resume as soon as possible. They are also offering a Virtual Beer Tasting, to recreate the popular events which have been held regularly at the brewery, and a VIP Day which includes trying your hand at brewing.
Hogs Back Brewery owner Rupert Thompson said: “Before reopening after the latest national lockdown, we asked our customers whether they would feel comfortable returning to our Brewery Tap and what entertainment they’d like to see. Comments were overwhelmingly positive and have informed the way we plan to run our bar safely while restrictions are in place.
“The national and partial lockdowns have presented us, and the hospitality sector generally, with huge challenges. We’re all hoping that the situation will improve in 2021, but until then, we hope that local drinkers will want to support us, either by visiting the Brewery Tap, or purchasing one of our ‘brewery experience’ vouchers as a Christmas gift.”
The Hogs Back Brewery experience vouchers, all available to purchase online from www.hogsback.co.uk, include:
- Brewery Tap It’s my Round’ – £14
A table for up to 6 people and a flagon of any Hogs Back draft beer available in the Tap bar.
- Brewery Tap Music Night – £24
Live music from popular, mainly local, bands, in the Hangar – used earlier this year to dry the hops harvested from the adjacent hop garden. A table for up to 6 and a flagon of beer are included in the price.
- Virtual Beer Tasting – £35
The perfect gift for beer lovers who want to learn while they drink! Recipients receive a box of five beers, a set of beer ingredients, a glass, snacks and an invitation to join the Zoom tasting, conducted by a Hogs Back expert. Tastings are scheduled for December 10th and 16th and more dates will be added for 2021.
A VIP day at Hogs Back Brewery, priced at £100, is ideal for anyone who’s ever fancied brewing beer as well as drinking it. As well as a guided tour of the brewery and hop garden, you’ll be able to join the team in the brewhouse, and have a tutored beer tasting. Available for a group of up to 6 people, dates to be announced.
Finally, tickets to the Hogs Back Hop Harvest Party, on Saturday 18th September, are also on sale at an ‘early bird’ price of £12, including a pint of beer. Although this year’s event was cancelled, previous parties have seen up to 2,000 people celebrate the harvest with beer, food, live music and other entertainment – a truly unique experience!
All experience tickets can be purchased from the Hogs Back website. Attending a Brewery Tap event may require purchase of a ‘substantial meal’, depending on regulations at the time of visit.
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Notes to editors
- Hogs Back Brewery was founded in 1992 in Tongham, 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 in 1992, TEA has won multiple awards including runner-up in CAMRA’s Champion Beer of Britain in 2000.
- The Hogs Back Brewery range includes a number of award-winning draught, bottled and canned beers, demonstrating its ability to combine brewing expertise and tradition with product innovation to create distinctive, memorable beers.
- Hogs Back’s traditional cloudy cider, Hazy Hog, launched in 2013, won a Bronze medal in the International Cider Challenge in 2019.
- Hogs Back planted a hop garden adjacent to its brewery in 2014, growing three hop varieties: Fuggles – used in its flagship TEA ale; Cascade – used in Hogstar lager; and Farnham White Bine.
- Hogs Back relocated its hop garden in 2019 and completed its first commercial harvest of this site in September 2020.
Issued on behalf of:Hogs Back Brewery
Ros Shiel: ros@shielporter.com / 07841 694137
John Porter: john@shielporter.com / 07734 054389