Brewery News

Feature

Elgoods: the fight back in the Fens

Elgood's elegant Georgian brewery in Wisbech was struggling in the age of micro-breweries and stiff competition from big regionals Adnams and Greene King. But thanks to managing director Belinda Sutton -- representing the fifth generation of the family -- Elgood's is in good shape with a host of new brands, including its own version of Belgian lambic, and a vigorous export policy

Added: Thursday, November 5th 2015

News

Round-up: Oakham to double capacity; Moorhouse's to build pub estate; Freedom launches new East India Pale lager

Oakham Brewery has won planning permission to extend capacity at its Peterborough brewery to 61,000 barrels a year and will also make a major sales drive in the London area. Moorhouse's Brewery in Lancashire may move into "micro-pubs" in order to meet increased competition from small craft breweries. Freedom Brewery in Staffordshire has launched three new beers, including a lager version of IPA

Added: Friday, October 30th 2015

Comment

Giant takeover passes its fizzical

SABMiller has finally succumbed to a £68 billion bid from AB InBev and the new merged group will control 30% of world beer production. The deal is aimed primarily at building bigger market share in Africa, Asia and Eastern Europe, but successful craft brewers in the west should not sleep easily in their beds.

Added: Tuesday, October 13th 2015

Feature

Bristol harbours new ideas for beer

Brewers in Bristol are busily pushing back the boundaries of beer with Bristol Beer Factory winning awards for its Milk Stout while Moor is challenging tradition by producing unfined beer made without isinglass finings and where Justin Hawke is replacing glass with real ale in cans. Pictured are Sam Burrows (left) and Simon Bartlett at Bristol Beer Factory

Added: Friday, October 9th 2015

News

Britain's beer boom goes roaring on

British breweries have grown by 10% over the past year, the 2016 edition of the CAMRA Good Beer Guide reports. There are now 1,424 breweries in the country and they can draw on 11,000 cask beers to serve to their customers. One of the new entrants to the brewing arena is the Brewhouse & Kitchen chain,offering good food alongside beers made on the premises. In Bristol, Mark Wainwright is seen in his brewhouse

Added: Thursday, September 10th 2015

News

'Green beer' from Britain's eco breweries

A growing number of British brewers are "going green" by recycling used ingredients, using solar panels for heat and capturing rain water for cleaning. Several, including Purity in Warwickshire, have developed a series of reed beds where water is purified and returned to the breweries: the reed beds encourage wild life to find habitats. Pictured: brewer Florent Vialan at Purity

Added: Thursday, September 10th 2015

Feature

Cobbett would hail Surrey's ale revival

After years in the doldrums following the closure of Friary Meux in the 1960s, there's a major ale revival underway in Surrey. In Farnham, the William Cobbett pub pays homage to the radical writer who championed the cause of ale. Hogs Back Brewery has restored hop growing and the ancient Farnham White Bine variety, while Emily and Miles Stephens (pictured) are brewing in a former farm dairy

Added: Sunday, September 6th 2015

News

I&G hits target to build Scottish brewery

Innis & Gunn, the Scottish company famous for its "oak-aged beers" matured in whisky and bourbon casks, has raised £3 million with a beer bond scheme that will enable it to build a state-of-the-art new brewery in South-east Scotland. I&G founder Dougal Sharp says he has been "blown away" by the support for the project

Added: Saturday, August 22nd 2015

News

Shock as Batemans downsizes brewing

Bateman's brewery in Wainfleet, Lincs, is dramatically downsizing its brewing capacity from 18,000 barrels a year to just 7,000 in order to reap greater benefits from Progressive Beer Duty. The brewery, founded in 1874, is run today by siblings Jaclyn and Stuart Bateman (pictured). MD Stuart says PBD is hitting middle-sized brewers as they cannot get the same benefits as smaller ones, who undercut them on price

Added: Tuesday, July 21st 2015

Feature

Wylam plans to steam into Newcastle

Wylam Brewery, founded just 15 years ago in George Stephenson's birthplace, has ambitious plans to move from its farm buildings near Hadrian's Wall to the splendour of the Palace of Arts in Exhibition Park in Newcastle-on-Tyne. The council should give the go-ahead this autumn but residents in Jesmond may put a spanner in the works. Pictured: Wylam's brewing team of Lee Howourth, Ben Wilkinson, Christopher Lee and Matt Boyle

Added: Thursday, July 16th 2015