BLACKNEST brewery Hop Art has celebrated its first anniversary with a sellout party at the West End Centre in Aldershot.

Friends Tony Scardarella and Erik Van Dongen launched Hop Art at the Blacknest Industrial Estate, near Farnham, last February and one year on the duo are still looking forward to the challenges ahead.

Tony said: “Our first year has flown past. The business is still just the two of us, Erik and I have to do everything, which is very challenging. Even though it doesn’t really feel like work, very hard work is exactly what it is.

“We have lots of people to thank but you soon realise that the buck stops with us and that this business is a tough and competitive one.”

Hop Art currently has four different cask ales in production – Hoppy Blonde, Golden IPA and RedCap, as well as its winter seasonal special Hoppist – and there will be more coming with Weisshop, a Belgian-style wheat beer hopefully to follow this summer.

The brewery’s beers are traditionally produced from natural, whole ingredients. Tony and Erik use only water, malted barley, whole cone hops and live yeast, and in the case of its Belgian-style Hoppist ale, the yeast is a strain of Rochefort to add some authentic Belgian flavour.

Tony continued: “Our Hop Art van has been clocking up some mileage covering our delivery area which includes pubs all over Hampshire, most of Surrey and parts of West Sussex, Berkshire, Greater London, and occasionally even further.

“However, it is local custom we value the most and we are pleased to report that our beers can be regularly found in a number of Farnham pubs.

“Local support certainly can’t be taken for granted and we certainly appreciate those that have helped us bring our beers to market.”

Tony explained the venue for Hop Art’s anniversary party, The West End Centre or ‘Westy’ for those in the know, holds a special importance for the duo.

“Barney and all his team at the ‘Westy’ have been enthusiastic supporters from our start,” he said. “In fact, we were invited to appear at their January 2015 beer festival with our pre-production bottled beers which had been produced in my garden.

“We appeared, like buskers, in a corridor adjacent to the main bar, where all the real brewers were. One year later we returned with four cask ales for the Westy festival visitors to enjoy, and we’d even made it to the main stage.

“So when we suggested we’d like to celebrate our first anniversary there, Simon, the Westy’s events manager, he jumped at the idea. We’re delighted that he did because the event was a big success and very enjoyable for Erik and myself.”

Tony and Erik have attended numerous events and fares over the year with their pop-up gazebo, fresh cask ales and bottled beers to share with Farnham residents and beer lovers.

And this year Hop Art is looking forward to the 40th anniversary of Farnham’s famous Beerex festival from April 21-23, for which Tony and Erik have promised “something special” to mark the occasion.

Tony added: “Year two looks like being every bit as challenging as year one but we do now have some experience to draw on. Our ambitions are still the same as when we started, to simply produce great beers, the kind we’d like to drink ourselves and to add one or two more to our repertoire.”

For more details, visit the website hopartbrewery.com or visit the brewery’s shop at the Blacknest Trading Estate, Bentley, between 9.30am and 6pm Monday to Friday (8pm Thursdays).