Hogs Back Brewery - T.E.A

Hogs Back Brewery is based in the rolling hills of Tongham, on a small farm that is solely made for producing fine beers such as this T.E.A (Traditional English Ale). Firstly, it must be acknowledged that the branding on this bottle is truly amazing. How can you not love the traditional and quirky look of the bottle?

 

However, alas, we have not come here to admire the bottle, but moreover the contents within. When I first undid the cap, a stream of dark rich foamy beer came cascading down onto my kitchen work surface. Slightly disappointed at my waste of good beer, I nevertheless was intrigued by its colour and how it would pour in a glass.

A deep rich brown colour met my eyes with a fairly medium head, which I was not expecting. The aroma was, as the bottle describes: Traditional. This was certainly not a new or exciting beer. It has been produced before, however, when I took a sip, a strong malty flavour met my taste buds and a crisp almost bitter aftertaste. I should also mention that it was quite sweet for an ale, which may be due to their use of natural malt sugars.

The nice thing about this beer is that you can tell it has been lovingly made with care and precision, from the selected Fuggle hops to the leftover spent grain from the brewery's mash tun to feed the local hogs in Tongham (hence where the name came from).

Taking all this into consideration, I give this beer a healthy 7 out of 10. It would be the perfect beverage to accompany a Sunday roast at your local traditional country pub.

The Beer Blokes