Hogs Back Brewery has picked up its first medal at the International Brewing Awards, earning a bronze for Tongham TEA (Traditional English Ale).
The brewing team at Hogs Back Brewery
Tongham TEA was the first beer ever to be brewed at Manor Farm, Surrey, more than 33 years ago, and has been on sale continuously ever since.
Brewed to an almost unchanged recipe, the 4.2% ABV beer, named after the village the brewery calls home, is small-batch brewed with the finest English malted barley, Surrey-grown hops, and water drawn from the chalk aquifers under the Hogs Back ridge.
Many of the Fuggles hops are grown at the brewery’s own hop garden, just yards from the brewhouse, by estate manager Matthew King.
From its modest roots in the farm buildings of Tongham, Tongham TEA was immediately recognised for its quality by its many successes at regional beer festivals. It came to national prominence by winning gold in the CAMRA best bitters category in 2000, and scooping CAMRA runner-up Champion Beer of Britain that same year.
With further regional success in the London and South East CAMRA awards of 2014, a gold at the World Beer Awards of 2017, and a bronze in the International Beer Challenge 2017, Tongham TEA has established itself as one of the leading brands within the South East region.
Sales of Tongham TEA have proven resilient, bouncing back after Covid, and have just posted year-on-year turnover increases of 7% in on-trade national accounts, despite the current trading challenges.
“We are delighted to receive this award for our flagship brand,” said Miles Chesterman, managing director of Hogs Back Brewery. “It’s testament to the skill of our head brewer, Dewald Goosen, and the brew team to be able to brew a beer of this quality, week in, week out.
“Despite the challenges faced by the cask ale sector, consumers really appreciate a well-brewed, traditional pint at their local pub. We hope the recognition from winning this accolade will bring Tongham TEA to an even wider audience of cask ale drinkers.”
