Hogs Back celebrates 30 years ahead of hop harvest
The event, held at the brewery in Tongham, Surrey, brought back happy memories from guests, including Nigel, who supped his first pint at the King William IV at Mickleham. He said it was “love at first taste and it has been an enduring love story”.
The lucky 30 invitees were also allowed to bring a younger member of the family or friend too.
Hogs Back Brewery managing director Rupert Thompson said: “We wanted to celebrate our 30th birthday with thanks to loyal customers who have supported us for 30 years because, without them, we wouldn’t be here today.”
Special place for TEA
He continued: “Over the years, TEA has been requested as the beer at many weddings and other celebrations, so for a whole generation of local people, it has a special place in their lives.
“Many also spoke about coming here with their parents to collect a barrel of Tongham TEA and are now doing the same with their own adult children. We’re, of course, delighted to see this tradition continue and by inviting some of these younger drinkers to join our celebrations, we hope that they too become lifelong Tongham TEA drinkers!"
The ‘30 at 30’ gathering was one of the last to be held in the Hogs Back hangar this summer before it switches from being a bar and event space to become the hub of the hop harvest, which starts at the end of August. Hop bines cut in the hop garden just yards away are brought back to the hangar where they are sorted, then dried and vacuum packed so they can add flavour and aroma to the brewer’s beers all year.
Bringing in the hops from the 8.5 acre field is expected to take several weeks and will be celebrated at the Hogs Back Hop Harvest weekend on 24-25 September, which includes a musical line-up, including Queen tribute band Majesty with a TEA party the following day.
Only brewer with hop garden
Thompson said: “The Hop Harvest festivities are the biggest event on our calendar and were attended by 2,500 people last year. And as we’re the only brewer of any size to have our own hop garden, it is a uniquely Hogs Back celebration.
“Hops, like all crops, need water to thrive and the recent drought will have an impact on this year’s harvest. We're not expecting to repeat last year's bumper crop, but we will still harvest a good quantity.
“And because they are grown just yards from the brewery, they are reducing our food miles and helping us achieve our goal of being an ever more sustainable brewer.”
Hogs Back will harvest three hop varieties this year: Fuggles, used in Tongham TEA; English Cascade, used in its Hogstar lager and Surrey Nirvana Session IPA and Farnham White Bine, a traditional local variety that the brewer saved from near extinction.
