As Surrey-based Hogs Back Brewery approaches its 10th hop harvest, it has recreated historic hop farming photographs lining the walls of its taproom, with local residents helping to update the images during a Hop Garden Open Evening.
Two original images were recreated – one showing a group of hop pickers reading the local newspaper, while in the other, Matthew King, Hogs Back’s estate manager, is shown with brewery owner Rupert Thompson inspecting the ripening hop plants, replacing Mr Tice, a member of a renowned local hop growing family, in the original photograph.
The Hop Garden Open Evening drew 120 guests, who enjoyed a tour of the hop garden next to the brewery, followed by a pint or two in the Brewery Tap. Guests made a £5 donation to the British Heart Foundation, Hogs Back’s chosen charity this year.
Rupert Thompson said: “We’re immensely proud to mark 10 years of hop growing. We planted our first hop garden across the road from the brewery to help us become a more sustainable brewery, bring hop farming back to the Farnham region and build ties with the local community.
“A decade on, we have relocated to a larger hop garden even closer to the brewery, meaning the hops travel ‘from field to firkin in a furlong’ as we say! We capture them at optimum freshness and create a carbon footprint that’s close to zero!
“We are producing around 60% of our hop requirement and growing three varieties: Fuggles, English Cascade and Farnham White Bine.”
He added: “Hop growing is not the faint-hearted! Hops are a delicate, high-maintenance crop, much impacted by climate; this year’s heavy rain has delayed growth and therefore our harvest.
“However, it has been enormously rewarding, not least because of the support from the local community, in particular our loyal band of volunteers.
“Not only do they help us tend our hops during the growing season and bring in the harvest in September, but some of them are now immortalised in our recreations of classic hop farming photographs.”
