In March 1996 the session beer G.F.B (3.5% ABV), its initials taken from its full name of Gilbert’s First Brew, was entered in The International Brewing & Technology Awards held in Burton-upon-Trent. The beer gained Gold Medal in its class and also won the overall Gold Medal, beating over 300 beers to the title. In August, the brewery gained its fifth pub, The Jolly Farmer in Weybridge, Surrey. The brewery finished its financial year with sales 25% up on the previous year.
1997 was another successful year for the brewery. In April, Summer Lightning was awarded Cask Ale Brand of the Year 1997, sponsored by the Morning Advertiser and Licensee. May saw Hop Back Brewery celebrating its tenth anniversary with a birthday party held for over 400 shareholders and customers, and the event also saw the official launch of Crop Circle (ABV 4.2%).
Then, in August, Summer Lightning triumphed at the GBBF in Olympia, London by winning two awards: Bronze in the Best Strong Beer category and Gold in the Bottle Conditioned Beer category.
1998 began with the purchase of The Bull Hotel at Downton, Hop Back Brewery’s sixth public house, and continued in a successful vein with Summer Lightning winning the Gold Award at the National Hop Association. 1998 also saw Summer Lighting becoming nationally available in Tesco supermarkets, and subsequently exported to the USA, together with Thunderstorm. At the end of the year, Hop Back commenced brewing special ‘one-off’ brews to add variety to the standard product range.
