Hop Back Brewery

What Hop Back Brewery does

Hop Back Brewery is an independent UK craft brewery founded in 1986 by John Gilbert in Salisbury, Wiltshire, and incorporated as Hop Back Brewery PLC in October 1991. The company produces a portfolio of award-winning cask ales led by its flagship Summer Lightning (5% ABV, over 70 major awards since 1988), complemented by core products including GFB (3.4%), Crop Circle and Taiphoon (both gluten-free at <20ppm), Entire Stout (vegan), Citra, and Fugglestone, alongside an active monthly seasonal beer calendar and a branded merchandise line. Brewing is conducted at a Downton, Salisbury facility equipped with a 20-barrel brewhouse, a 2018 steam-powered heat exchanger and new wort-boiling system, and a 2024 state-of-the-art bottling line supporting bottled, polypin, and growler formats.

The company operates a vertically integrated business across three channels: direct-to-consumer e-commerce with nationwide UK mainland delivery via DPD; an estate of 10 owned community pubs from Salisbury and Southampton through Reading, Swindon, and Devizes to Wolstanton and Wimbledon (most recently The Albion in Winchester, November 2024), serving as brewery taps and hospitality venues; and B2B wholesale to free houses, tied pubs, and historical national supermarket distribution including a Tesco Summer Lightning listing. Revenue is generated through one-time product sales (cases from GBP 36.50, polypins from GBP 23.50-29.50, individual merchandise items), pub-level hospitality takings, and trade distribution. Marketing is primarily earned-media driven through CAMRA recognition, beer festival awards (Champion New Brewery 1989, Supreme Champion Winter Beer of Britain 2011 for Entire Stout, BIIA Gold 1996 for GFB), and Untappd community engagement rather than paid acquisition.

Hop Back is founder-controlled with broad early-stage shareholder ownership from a 1993 Business Expansion Scheme raise of over GBP 500,000, no disclosed private equity or parent company involvement, and a governance structure where no single shareholder can outvote the board. The company self-identifies as an SME in its S172 statement, with a small brewing team of three plus packaging, warehouse, delivery, administration, and sales staff, indicating an operationally lean organization relative to its product and venue footprint.

Name

Hop Back Brewery

Legal name

HOP BACK BREWERY PUBLIC LIMITED COMPANY

Website

https://hopback.co.uk

Company type

Private

Founded year

1986

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Hop Back Brewery is an independent UK craft brewery founded in 1986 in Salisbury, Wiltshire, producing award-winning cask ales led by Summer Lightning and operating 10 owned community pubs across southern England alongside DTC e-commerce and B2B wholesale distribution.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Craft Brewing

NAICS

Breweries (31212), Beer and Ale Merchant Wholesalers (424810), Drinking Places (Alcoholic Beverages) (722410), Beer, Wine, and Liquor Retailers (44532)

SIC

Malt Beverages (2082), Wholesale-Beer, Wine & Distilled Alcoholic Beverages (5180), Retail-Eating & Drinking Places (5810)

akta.pro primary industry

Beer, Wine & Spirits Wholesale Distribution (CRAOAIAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

Mixed Alcohol Specialty Retail (Beer/Wine/Spirits Combined) (CRANABAH), Liquor Stores (General Off-Premise) (CRANAAAA)

Keywords

• Cask ale brewing
• Microbrewery production
• Pub estate operations
• Bottle conditioned ales
• Craft beer distribution

Headquarters

HQ city

Salisbury

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Supply Chain, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Brewery Product Sales: Direct sales of bottled and canned beers through the company's e-commerce website to consumers. Products include flagship beers (Summer Lightning, GFB, Crop Circle, Taiphoon, Entire Stout) and seasonal offerings. Multiple case discounts available for single UK addresses.
2. Pub Operations: Revenue from 10 owned pubs across southern England and the Midlands. Pubs serve as both retail outlets for Hop Back beers and hospitality venues with food, accommodation, and entertainment services.
3. Wholesale Distribution: B2B sales of cask ales to wholesalers, free houses, tied pubs, and national pub chains. Historic partnership with Tesco for nationwide Summer Lightning bottle distribution.
4. Merchandise: Sale of branded merchandise including hoodies, t-shirts, hats, pin badges, bottle openers, and growlers through the online shop.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Hop Back Brewery brews and sells a portfolio of award-winning traditional British cask ales (Summer Lightning, Crop Circle, Taiphoon, Entire Stout, GFB, Citra, Fugglestone) plus 14+ seasonal and monthly specials in cask, bottle, polypin and growler formats. It operates a 10-pub estate across southern England and the Midlands serving as brewery taps and hospitality venues, and distributes wholesale to free houses, tied pubs, and national supermarket chains. Direct-to-consumer sales are fulfilled via UK mainland e-commerce with multiple case discounts.

Product overview

Hop Back Brewery is an award-winning Wiltshire-based brewery established in 1986, operating as both a cask ale producer and pub estate operator. The company offers a portfolio of core beers including Summer Lightning (flagship, 5% ABV, most awarded cask ale in Britain), Crop Circle (4.2%), Taiphoon (4.2%, gluten-free), Entire Stout (4.5%, vegan), GFB (3.4%), Citra (4.0%), and Fugglestone (4%), along with seasonal releases throughout the year (January-December covering Winter Lightning, Hooking Good, Rockets Revenge, Spring Zing, Cloud Piercer, Calypso, Golden Goal, Glasshopper, Slovenian Rhapsody, Beereux Tapestry, Green Hopped, Red Ember, and Elf & Hoppiness). Products are available in multiple formats including cask, bottles (including gluten-free variants), polypins, and growlers through their online shop. The brewery also retails branded merchandise (apparel, accessories) and operates a chain of 10 pubs across southern England and the Midlands including The Wyndham Arms (Salisbury), The Duck Inn (Laverstock), The Waterloo Arms (Southampton), The Dolphin (Weymouth), The Southgate (Devizes), The Glue Pot (Swindon), The Hopleaf (Reading), The Archer (Wolstanton), The Sultan (Wimbledon), and The Albion (Winchester).

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Summer Lightning Flagship golden ale brewed all year round with East Kent Goldings hops, known for intense bitterness and dry finish. 5% ABV. Original summer ale now brewed year-round.
• Crop Circle Flaxen-coloured, thirst-quenching ale with subtle hop blend giving crisp, delicately fruity taste with dryness. Contains flaked maize. Gluten-free (less than 20ppm). 4.2% ABV.
• Taiphoon

Quantifiable outcome

• Over 70 major awards for Summer Lightning, making it probably the most awarded cask ale in Britain
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers6 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration5 records

Feature4 records

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves13 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• Adnams: Suffolk-based regional brewer, pub/hotel operator and spirits producer with a broader multi-category portfolio (brewed beverages, distilling, retail). Adjacent comparable operating mix - own-brew plus on-trade and DTC channels - though larger and more diversified than Hop Back.
• Thwaites Brewery: Lancashire family-owned regional brewer with around 300 pubs, multiple beer brands and on-site hotels. Broader and larger incumbent operating the same vertically integrated brewery, pub and cask ale model in a different UK region.
• Shepherd Neame: Britain's oldest brewer (Faversham, Kent, founded 1698) with a tied pub estate, brewing cask ales and lagers for national on-trade customers. Larger and broader incumbent occupying the same brewery-plus-pub and traditional British ale category as Hop Back.

Direct peers

• Timothy Taylor: Keighley, West Yorkshire family-owned cask ale specialist (founded 1858), brewer of Landlord and other award-winning ales distributed nationally to on-trade. Closest comparable on cask ale quality focus, family ownership and award heritage to Hop Back.
• Arkell's Brewery: Swindon-based, family-owned Wiltshire brewer founded 1843 operating a tied pub estate of 110+ pubs and brewing traditional ales. Same Wiltshire catchment as Hop Back, comparable vertical integration of brewery and on-trade outlets.
• Batham's Brewery: Black Country family brewer (Brierley Hill) tied to a small estate of own pubs, producing cask ales with strong local loyalty. Comparable in size, decades-old operating history and brewery-plus-pubs vertical model to Hop Back.
• St Austell Brewery: Cornwall-based regional family brewer with a 160+ strong pub estate and a flagship ale range (Tribute, Proper Job). Larger than Hop Back but operates the same vertically integrated regional brewery-and-pubs model producing cask-led British ales.
• Donnington Brewery: Small, family-owned Gloucestershire brewer (Baunton) producing traditional cask ales sold through a tied pub estate of around 20 pubs. Closest direct match to Hop Back in scale, ownership structure and product mix.
• Wadworth Brewery: Family-owned Wiltshire brewery founded 1875 with a tied pub estate and similar regional cask ale focus. Operates from Devizes, less than 30 miles from Hop Back's Downton site, and shares the same brewery-plus-pubs model serving southern England.
• Hook Norton Brewery: Oxfordshire family-owned Victorian tower brewery (founded 1849) with a tied pub estate and traditional cask ale portfolio. Highly comparable heritage brewery serving central-southern England on-trade customers.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/HopBackBeers
• Xx.com/hopbackbrewery
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/hop-back-brewery-public-limited-company

Compliance16 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles10 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Hop Back Brewery