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The Hophurst Brewery in Wigan brews great beers and also helps re-skill people over 50 to enable them to get back into the labour market. The brewery opened in 2014 and now has big range of beers available in local pubs and bars and plans its own taproom.

Added: Thursday, April 15th 2021

New breweries, numbering 210, opened in 2020 despite the corona virus and the shut down of pubs for many months, according to figures from the leading accountancy firm UHY Hacker Young. There are now 3,018 breweries in the UK and the company thinks many owners looked for new routes to market when pub sales were not available. It thinks drinkers are becoming more adventurous and are seeking out new styles of beer.

Added: Monday, March 15th 2021

The Czech brewer Budweiser Budvar has relaunched its strong 7.5 per cent beer as Budvar Reserve with new main and neck labels. The beer is aged for 200 days in the cellars of the brewery in Ceske Budejovice/Budweis and is brewed with pale malt from Moravia, acclaimed Saaz hops and pure, soft water from a well 300 metres below the brewery. The beer is available in bottle in Britain and in kegs when pubs reopen.

Added: Thursday, March 4th 2021

Duvel Moortgat in Belgium is celebrating 150 years of brewing with a new version of its famous Duvel blond ale. Duvel 6.66% uses six hops and has added orange zest alongside the famous Poire William character of the original beer. Head brewer Hedwig Neven also worked in collaboration with the 't IJ' brewery in Amsterdam, which is now owned by Duvel Moortgat.

Added: Thursday, February 18th 2021

A team of American and Egyptian archaeologists has found a large brewing complex at Abydos near Luxor in Egypt. It's thought to be the oldest brewery in the world and dates from the time of King Narmer, founder of the First Dynasty. The brewery contained hundreds of pots in which grain and water were heated. Hops were not used at the time. The beer is thought to have been drunk at royal rituals and funerals.

Added: Tuesday, February 16th 2021

For the first time in its 30-year history, Black Sheep Brewery in Masham, North Yorkshire, is offering its Best Bitter in bottle. It's one of the country's best-selling ales but to date it has only been available in cask format. But now the closure of pubs and the demand from drinkers has encouraged the brewery to offer the beer in bottle

Added: Monday, February 15th 2021

Two craft brewers in Hertfordshire -- in common with small brewers everywhere -- are having a tough time. Farr Brew is planning to pour casks of ale down the drain and its cellars are full of unsold stock while 3 Brewers has its brewer furloughed and can't supply the 200 pubs that take its beer. Pictured: Farr Brew pumps on the bar of the Elephant & Castle in Amwell

Added: Friday, January 29th 2021

One of Britain's oldest craft breweries, St Peter's in Suffolk, has been bought by a group of beer lovers following the decision by founder John Murphy to retire. The brewery, based in an old moated hall in the countryside, is famous for its quirky oval bottles and for a range of ales and no-alcohol beers.

Added: Wednesday, January 27th 2021

Two breweries in the English Midlands and the Scottish Borders have brought back two noble beer styles from the 19th and 20th centuries. In Northampton, Phipps has aged a batch of its Stingo barley wine for a year while Broughton in Scotland has kept a batch of Imperial Russian Stout in its cellars for 20 years.

Added: Wednesday, December 16th 2020

Not all pubs are open but there's still plenty of good beer available to help celebrate the festive season. They range from ale from Britain's oldest brewery to beers from modern craft producers. There's a stout, too, plus the revival of an ancient style, Audit Ale, that was once brewed for Oxford and Cambridge colleges that had audit feasts when they finished their annual accounts

Added: Sunday, December 6th 2020