A Champion and a Charity Cheque at Hogs Back Harvest Festival
Hogs Back Brewery has marked a successful hop harvest with a party, which included a £7,500 charity donation and the triumphant return of Paralympic double gold medallist Georgie Hermitage, who used to work at the brewery.
Over the course of the day around 800 guests attended the Hop Harvest Festival at the brewery in Tongham, enjoying children’s entertainment, live music, freshly-cooked food and, of course, a beer or two from the award-winning Hogs Back range. Local residents, members of the Tongham TEA Club named for the flagship Hogs Back Beer, and family and friends all came together to celebrate the harvesting of the hops from the brewery’s 3.5-acre garden.
To mark the occasion, managing director Rupert Thompson, presented a cheque for £7,500 to Lorna Killin, corporate partnerships officer with mental health charity MIND. Guests also had the chance to meet Paralympic sprinter Georgie, and even hold the two gold medals she won in Rio.
Thompson said: “Celebrations of the hop harvest are a centuries-old tradition in the Farnham area, and we’re delighted to have revived the tradition with our hop garden. We select a charity to support each year, and chose MIND due to the remarkable statistic that every year 1 in 4 people will suffer some form of mental health problem. By raising awareness people may feel more comfortable talking to friends and seeking help when they need it.
“It was also wonderful to welcome Georgie and her family back to the brewery. Georgie worked with us for two years in our trade office, and we know the whole community shares our pride in her achievements in Rio. There were many people who wanted to congratulate her, and Georgie found time to talk to all of them.
“The weather was kind to us and everyone had a great time. The celebration will continue over the next few weeks with a special beer “Home Harvest Ale” brewed exclusively using only hops from the Tongham hop garden. We know have to start planning on how to make next year’s Hop Harvest Festival, which will coincide with our 25th anniversary, even bigger and better.”
The stage at the festival was a lorry kindly owned by Hi-Speed Services Ltd, with The Nefarious Picaroons, Don’t Fret Music, Elias Martell and The Chilli Fighters providing the music.
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NOTES TO EDITORS
Hogs Back Brewery was founded in 1992 in Tongham, Surrey, in the heart of the traditional Surrey hop growing area.
Its flagship brand TEA, or Traditional English Ale, is the leading independent ale in Surrey and increasing in popularity elsewhere. According to CGA Brand Index figures for the year to September 2015, TEA was the third biggest craft beer brand in volume growth terms in the on-trade, behind Brewdog Punk IPA and Goose Island IPA, and saw the biggest growth of any cask ale brand.
The Hogs Back Brewery range includes a number of award-winning draught and bottled beers. Recent launches include Hogstar English Craft Lager and Montezuma’s Chocolate Lager, both 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. In 2013, Hogs Back also launched a traditional cloudy cider, Hazy Hog.
In September 2015 Hogs Back Brewery harvested the first hops from its own hop garden on a 3.5 acre plot adjacent to the brewery, bringing the traditional but near-extinct Farnham White Bine hop variety back to its Surrey home. Once fully mature, the hop garden will provide 25% of the brewery’s hop requirements.
Hogs Back Brewery is growing its presence in both the on and off trade. Customers include Sainsbury’s, Waitrose, Lidl, Majestic Wine, JD Wetherspoon, Mitchells & Butlers, Greene King and Spirit Pub Company.
Issued on behalf of: Hogs Back Brewery
Further information: Ros Shiel: ros@shielporter.com / 07841 694137
John Porter: john@shielporter.com / 07734 054389
