HOGS Back Brewery is on target to reap a second hop harvest next month more than double last year’s crop.

Managing director Rupert Thompson said: “We’re looking forward to our second harvest. Last year, we left a lot of hops on the bine rather than picking them, in order to create stronger plants, so we’re hoping to literally reap the rewards this time with a yield of excellent quality hops.

“We doubled the number of strings to support the hop plants from two to four this year, and we’ve also been blessed with more hop-friendly weather with warmth, rain and sunshine at the right points in the growing cycle.

“The hop garden is a huge investment for us and we’re in it for the long term, learning and improving as we go.

“We’re delighted with the beers we produced from our own hops last season and excited about the potential that the hop garden gives us to create unique beers in the future.

“”It also makes us a little more resilient than other brewers to the global hop shortage, particularly as we expand our plantings in future years to use more of our own hops in our beers, rather than buying in.

“Consumer interest in the hop garden has been bigger than we expected - 250 people came to our harvest party last year.

“In a crowded beer market, being the only UK brewer to grow our own hops gives us a point of difference that resonates with a growing number of consumers who are interested in sustainability and environmental issues.”

Hogs Back planted the hop garden in 2014, with the first harvest in September 2015.

The initiative has already won accolades from the industry, with the British Beer and Pub Association’s Grain-to-Glass Award 2015 recognising the brewer’s commitment to sustainability and local community engagement and, earlier this year, it gained the Society of Independent Brewers’ Business Innovation Award.