Surrey-based Hogs Back Brewery has been given an extra 30th birthday present with the news that its flagship ale Tongham TEA has won a drinks industry design award.
The distinctive new pack design and branding for Tongham TEA, launched earlier this year, won the silver medal for best design and packaging in the International Beer Challenge.
Tongham TEA’s new look celebrates Hogs Back’s place at the heart of the community in Tongham, and across Surrey and the South East. It has a traditional graphic style, with an illustration of the familiar Hog mascot in front of the brewery, farm buildings, and fields, and includes the ‘Farm Brewery’ statement on bottle labels.
The judges said the new look is a “beautiful, perfect design” which is “well considered” and which “lifted the brand”. They also admired the “great green accents” in the branding, as well as the way Hogs Back uses the packaging both to tell the brewery story and focus on the ingredients which give Tongham TEA its distinctive character, including Fuggles hops grown in the brewery’s hop garden just yards from the brewhouse.
“The relaunch of Tongham TEA helped to kick off our 30th birthday celebrations this year, so as we approach the end of our anniversary year, we’re delighted to have won this IBC award,” said Hogs Back managing director Rupert Thompson. “To win a silver medal in an award entered by brewers from around the world is a great achievement.
“With the new design we focus on the fact that TEA is a local, natural, fresh beer, proudly from a specific location — everything a traditional English ale should be. That goes against the tide of abstract names and designs that currently characterise the craft brewing sector, so it’s particularly gratifying that the IBC judges understood what we set out to achieve.”
The winning design was created by Brighton-based COOKCHICK Design, who have worked with Hogs Back for a number of years.
