Hogs Back Brewery is a hops-growing

brewery A brewery or brewing company is a business that makes and sells beer. The place at which beer is commercially made is either called a brewery or a beerhouse, where distinct sets of brewing equipment are called plant. The commercial brewing of bee ...

Tongham Tongham is a village northeast of the town of Farnham in Surrey, England. The village's buildings occupy most of the west of the civil parish, adjoining the A31 and the A331. The boundaries take in Poyle Park in the east and the replacement to ...

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the European mainland, continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotlan ...

. In 2013, Miles Chesterman was the head brewer and Rupert Thompson was the chairman. In June 2014,

Magners Magners Irish Cider is a brand of hard cider produced in County Tipperary in Ireland by the C&C Group. The product range includes the cider varieties: Original, Light, Berry, Pear and Rosé. The cider was originally produced as Bulmers Irish ...

released their Cider Hog, a "portable cider dispenser" with a name and graphics similar to Hogs Back's own Hazy Hog cider, released 15 months prior. Concerned about

trademark infringement Trademark infringement is a violation of the exclusive rights attached to a trademark without the authorization of the trademark owner or any licensees (provided that such authorization was within the scope of the licence). Infringement may ...

, Hogs Back communicated with Magners for six months without an acceptable resolution, and so in February 2015 the Tongham brewery initiated legal action against the larger company.

C&C Group C&C Group plc (known prior to its flotation as Cantrell & Cochrane Limited) is an Irish manufacturer, marketer and distributor of alcoholic drinks, particularly cider, and soft drinks. It has production facilities across Ireland, Great Britain ...

disputer Hogs Back's claims. In 2018, the hops garden was expanded to , with the new land growing Fuggle, Cascade, and Goldings. The following year, Hogs Back Brewery was expected to spend on a traditional

oast house An oast, oast house or hop kiln is a building designed for kilning (drying) hops as part of the brewing process. They can be found in most hop-growing (and former hop-growing) areas and are often good examples of vernacular architecture. Many re ...

(the first built in the UK in over 100 years). This new kiln was to be built adjacent to the

brewhouse A brewhouse is a building made for brewing beer and ale. This could be a part of a specialized brewery operation, but historically a brewhouse is a private building only meant for domestic production. Larger households, such as noble estates, o ...

and from the hops garden; it was expected to be operational before the Hogs Back's harvest in September 2019. During the eleven months the kiln isn't drying hops, it will be "an event space and visitor centre, educating people about the local hop farming industry which Hogs Back is helping to revive."

Products

Premiering in 2013, the Hogstar lager was fermented longer than contemporary lagers, resulting in what Hogs Back called "the traditional way to round out and balance 'lager' beers. Carbonation develops naturally and we do not pasteurise." This new unpasteurised British lager hoped to succeed on the coattails of

Pilsner Urquell Pilsner Urquell (; cs, Plzeňský prazdroj ) is a lager beer brewed by the Pilsner Urquell Brewery in Plzeň (German name: Pilsen), Czech Republic. Pilsner Urquell was the world's first pale lager, and its popularity meant it was much copied ...

, a Londoner lager that helped Plzeňský Prazdroj, a. s. grow 17% in the first half of 2013. Hogstar's initial

list price The list price, also known as the manufacturer's suggested retail price (MSRP), or the recommended retail price (RRP), or the suggested retail price (SRP) of a product is the price at which its manufacturer notionally recommends that a retailer ...

was . In partnership with Montezuma's, a chocolate lager was released in 2014. Though the reviewers with ''

All About Beer ''All About Beer'' was an English-language magazine published by All About Beer, LLC. Under previous owner Chris Rice, it filed for bankruptcy in 2019. It was located in Durham, NC, USA and was published six times per year, plus one special annua ...

'' called the bronze beer a

novelty Novelty (derived from Latin word ''novus'' for "new") is the quality of being new, or following from that, of being striking, original or unusual. Novelty may be the shared experience of a new cultural phenomenon or the subjective perception of an ...

, the chocolate flavor was described as surprisingly good on its own merits.

References

External links

* {{Guildford Breweries in England Companies based in Surrey