Celebrate the Coronation with MajesTEA

Round & About

Hogs Back Brewery

Raise a glass and mark historic occasion with Hogs Back Brewery

Hogs Back Brewery, based in Tongham, is inviting beer drinkers to toast the Coronation of King Charles with a pint of MajesTEA, a premium cask ale that is definitely fit for a king.

Originally brewed for the Platinum Jubilee in 2022, MajesTEA is returning as a limited edition ale for another special royal occasion. It will be available to pubs, as well as in the Hogs Back tap room at the brewery in Tongham, in time for the Coronation celebrations in May. It will also be served at Farnham Beerex, taking place from 20-23 April at Farnham Maltings.

MajesTEA is a regal variation on Hogs Back’s award-winning flagship ale Tongham TEA, brewed with a little more fine English malt, and more Fuggles hops, grown in the hop garden less than 100 yards from the brewhouse. The full-bodied 4.5% traditional amber ale has a beautiful balance of malty, caramel notes and spicy hop flavours, while dry-hopping with Fuggles adds grassy and floral notes.

Hogs Back managing director Rupert Thompson said: “There’s a long history amongst British brewers of producing very special beers to mark Royal occasions, and we’re delighted that MajesTEA is continuing the tradition. It’s a very British beer, eminently drinkable, and certainly worth breaking out the bunting for.

“People will be gathering in pubs to celebrate the Coronation weekend, including the ceremony itself on Saturday 6th May and the extra Bank Holiday on Monday 8th May. Raising a glass of MajesTEA is a great way to toast King Charles, as well as to show support for Britain’s pubs and brewers, which are right up there alongside the Crown Jewels as an iconic and much-loved part of our national heritage.”

Hogs Back welcomes Little Ginger Swine

Karen Neville

Hogs Back Brewery

New addition to the low alcohol beer family for Surrey brewery

Surrey-based Hogs Back Brewery is adding to its Little Swine family of low alcohol beers with the launch of flavoured craft ale Little Ginger Swine.

With an ABV of 0.5%, and spiced up with natural ginger extract after brewing, Little Ginger Swine is a full-bodied, flavoured pale ale, brewed with four speciality malts and three hop varieties including aromatic Cascade from Hogs Back’s own hop garden, and dry hopped with Mosaic for a robust citrus finish.

The addition of ginger gives a spicy kick which complements the crisp, smooth, ale, creating a memorable beer that punches well above its weight in flavour terms, despite its low ABV. Little Ginger Swine join Little Swine 2.8% and Little Swine 0.5% in Hogs Back’s expanding range of low alcohol beers.

Hogs Back Brewery managing director Rupert Thompson said: “We’re delighted to be expanding our Little Swine family. The strong consumer response to the existing Little Swine beers has shown that demand for low alcohol beers with plenty of character continues to grow.

“Little Ginger Swine has all the fiery character you’d expect from ginger with some to spare. We think that’s all part of its charm. It has a wonderful flavour that offers something different for the increasing number of beer drinkers enjoying low alcohol beers, making Little Ginger Swine a welcome new addition to the Little Swine family of beers.”

Little Ginger Swine 0.5% ABV is available in 500ml bottles with an RRP of £2.40.

Hogs Back Brewery offers vaccination help

Round & About

Hogs Back Brewery

Surrey-based Hogs Back Brewery has stepped up to the national COVID-19 vaccination drive, offering its Hop Hangar as a drive-through facility for people in the area to receive the life-saving jab.

The brewery’s offer is currently being assessed by the Local Resilience Forum, the alliance of councils, police, NHS and other strategic partners which is co-ordinating the response to the COVID-19 pandemic in Hogs Back’s Surrey and Hampshire heartland.

By opening up the large doors at either end of the Hangar for vaccine recipients to drive through, and housing the medical staff and chilled vaccines in the adjacent Tap Room bar, Hogs Back believes the brewery site in Tongham offers an ideal space for the vital programme.

Rupert Thompson (shown in main image), managing director of Hogs Back Brewery, says: “We’re offering the Hop Hangar as our contribution to the vaccination roll-out, and we’ll work with the Local Resilience Forum to ensure we can meet its requirements.

“Our brewery is in a location well served by main roads, and we believe it would be very effective as a drive through facility.

“We have fridges for the vaccines, and rooms for the medical and support staff.

“We can even offer those who’ve been vaccinated a cup of tea afterwards, and for the staff manning the site, we’ll also provide a free bottle of our very own TEA – our flagship Traditional English Ale – for them to enjoy once they’re off duty.

“With the whole of the UK now getting behind the programme, we’re keen to play our part and support our friends and neighbours.”

The Hogs Back Hop Hangar opened in the summer of 2020 as a facility to process the harvest from the Hop Garden adjacent to the brewery, and at other times operates as a bar and function space.

Read more about the local business at their website www.hogsback.co.uk