Countryfile puts the focus on hop growing at Hogs Back
The Hogs Back Brewery hop garden in Tongham, Surrey is all set to feature on the BBC's Countryfile programme this coming Sunday.
Show presenter Anita Rani visited the garden and brewery recently to look at the hop growing heritage of the Farnham area of Surrey, and the revival of the Farnham White Bine hops.
Hogs Back Brewery managing director Rupert Thompson and hop garden manager Matthew King were both interviewed alongside hop historians and locals who attended the event at the brewery to share memories of Farnham's hop growing heyday and a celebration of the Hop Harvest organised for members of the Tongham TEA Club, the Hogs Back Brewery's official members club, named for their flagship beer.
Thompson said: "We were delighted to welcome Anita and the Countryfile team to Tongham just as our second harvest was beginning. The return of Farnham White Bine in the Hogs Back Brewery hop garden is a great example of tradition and innovation working hand-in-hand.
"Growing our own hops improves the sustainability and traceability of our beer, and the direct link between the hop garden has allowed us to learn a lot more about hops, making us better brewers. It also redefines local brewing as being not just about proximity, but also about really local sourcing and involvement with our famer suppliers.
The popular Sunday night show which airs on Sunday 2 October at 18.15 also filmed at the nearby Hampton Estate in Puttenham. One of the last commercial hop growers in the area, and an expanding acreage devoted to Fuggles hops as the boom in craft beer drives demand.
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