Hop blessing held at Hogs Back Brewery
Surrey-based Hogs Back Brewery welcomed 200 guests to an official blessing of its hop garden in Tongham by local vicar Rev. Claire Holt, held on Ascension Day (26 May). Blessing of crops is a tradition dating back centuries in rural communities, as a way of encouraging plentiful harvests. Hogs Back’s 8.5-acre hop garden is home to 6,000 hop plants, which are currently climbing up posts and wires and expected to be ready to harvest in late August.