Beer with a difference
Hidden away at the brewery here in Tongham is Terra Tempo – a 100% oak fermented and aged wild beer blendery!
We caught up with Owner Lee:
Q: Where does the name from your blendery come from?
A: The name comes from Terra meaning land, earth and Tempo meaning weather, time.
Q: Can you explain a bit more about what you do at the blendery?
A: We use hops, that are all grown here at Hogs Back Brewery – Cascade, Fuggles and the heritage hop, Farnham White Bine – picked at their freshest and dried on site to retain their depth of flavour, aroma and oil.
Our processes are absolute minimal intervention using centuries old methods borrowed from European artisan culture. The blendery does not use electricity, gas or any harmful cleaning chemicals and operates as “off the grid” as possible.
We use vintage Portuguese red wine barrels previously holding Douro wine and a small number of whisky barrels that previously held one-off Islay whiskies alongside the ubiquitous bourbon barrels of which we use JD for their reliability and adaptability for blending.
Although we employ centuries-old methods, the past is only used as a gateway and a safety net to create the conditions for experimentation and innovation; there is absolutely no attempt to create a product that is already established; the beers are spontaneously fermented via coolship but this is where the link to spontaneous beers ends. Working in the modern “craft” beer industry for almost a decade means the best elements of modern processes can be applied whilst the worst elements can be rejected.
Q: Which of your beers are currently stocked in the Brewery Shop?
A: The summer fruit harvest range of 750ml bottles, consisting of:
Fontaine 7% Red Wine Barrel Aged Wild Ale with Rhubarb, Plum, Damson and Vanilla
French clafoutis pastry inspired spontaneously fermented ale with Yorkshire forced rhubarb, Italian plums and British damsons at a rate of 500g/L. Sweet, vibrant and earthy with low acidity and a juicy finish.
Lorca 7.3% Red Wine Barrel Aged Wild Ale with Bergamot, Seville, Navel, Sanguinelli and Salustiana Oranges.
Andalucian inspired spontaneously fermented ale using every variety of Spanish oranges from the 2024 harvests at a rate of 650g/L. Intensely fragrant and aromatic with multiple layers of complexity, bitter, sour, sweet and a touch of minerality.
Cigrik 8% Bourbon Barrel Aged Wild Ale with Apricots, Vanilla, Coffee and Surrey Wildflower Honey.
Turkish dessert inspired spontaneously fermented ale with fresh and dried apricots at a rate of 300g/L alongside West Yorkshire coffee roaster Dark Woods’ bourbon barrel aged coffee, organic Madagascan vanilla and wildflower honey.
These 750ml bottle retails at £15 from the Brewery Shop.
To read the full story about Terra Tempo, click About – Terra Tempo Brewing
Look out for the new range of 5 beers coming to the Brewery Shop soon.
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