Hop Back Brewery
Website: http://www.hopback.co.uk/
It was in 1986 that Hop Back history began, when John and Julie Gilbert purchased the freehold of The Wyndham Arms, a public house on the outskirts of Salisbury in Wiltshire. The space in the cellar of the pub and its backyard enabled John Gilbert to begin brewing quality ales for sale at The Wyndham Arms.
Within two years, the beers were achieving recognition at CAMRA's beer festivals and in June 1991 a second public house, The Waterloo Arms in Southampton, was purchased by the partnership.
The beers produced by John Gilbert were sold in these two tied outlets and, largely because of their reputation and the support of CAMRA awards, began to be sold direct to wholesalers, free houses and tied houses as guest beers. The beers won further awards at festivals and exhibitions, helping to stimulate demand to the point where brewing at The Wyndham Arms reached full capacity. To cope with this increase in demand, Hop Back Brewery Limited was formed in October 1991 to substantially increase the scale of brewing operations. The new Company acquired the lease of a factory unit at Downton, between Salisbury and Southampton, and after refurbishment and installation of equipment, commenced brewing in June 1992.
Hop Back Brewery's Real Ales
The following is a list of Hop Back Brewery's Real Ales that we have stocked or are coming soon.
World Hop MedleyPercentage: 3.9% ABV | Units: 2.2 per Pint World Hop Medley is a light blonde ale with a delicious hoppy flavour, and lightly spicy finish. The choicest hops from the countries in Group C of the 2010 World Cup; England (Pioneer), Slovenia (Styrian Goldings) and the United States (Amarillo) are topped off with a subtle blend of Algerian spices in this thirst-quenching session ale. |
Dragon's BreathPercentage: 4% ABV | Units: 2.3 per Pint A pale ruby bitter with a breath of fire! Dragon's Breath contains a hint of chilli, to warm the cockles of any knight or maiden's heart. |
Odyssey Best BitterPercentage: 4% ABV | Units: 2.3 per Pint A full-bodied balance of maltiness, gentle coffee notes and smooth, slightly sweet flavours builds to a clean bitterness with hints of marmalade. |
Crop CirclePercentage: 4.2% ABV | Units: 2.4 per Pint A very clean, flaxen-coloured beer with wonderful thirst-quenching properties. The subtle blend of aroma and bittering hops give a crispness on the tongue which is delicately fruity, giving way to some dryness. The inclusion of flaked maize in the grist subtlely hints at crisp corn flavours. |
Spring ZingPercentage: 4.2% ABV | Units: 2.4 per Pint A real hop-feast of a beer! Two English and two Continental hops give a very satisfying bitter yet flowery palate. Maize, wheat and barley malts combine with the hops to yield a very soft flavoursome pale thirst quenching ale. |
Entire StoutPercentage: 4.5% ABV | Units: 2.6 per Pint A rich dark stout with a strong roasted malt flavour and a long, smooth aftertaste. |
Summer LightningPercentage: 5% ABV | Units: 2.8 per Pint A trendsetter in the brewing industry; the original Summer ale brewed all year round. An extremely pleasant bitter, straw coloured beer with a terrific fresh, hoppy aroma. This, coupled with an intense bitterness, leads to an excellent long, dry finish. |
Great stay, dog loved it, will tell others about this place. Wonderful hospitality & welcome for both dogs & their owners.
