Cardiff Brewery Co. Ltd
Cardiff, Wales, United Kingdom · Est. 1885
Tally's Take
Why this matters
Registered on 21 December 1885 by a syndicate of licensed victuallers to acquire the Crown Brewery — publicans buying their own supply, which was a common enough arrangement and rarely a durable one. The Brewery History Society says it was possibly acquired by Brain & Co. around 1893; trading ceased in 1901 and the company was dissolved in 1904. The word 'possibly' belongs to the source, and the archive keeps it there rather than quietly promoting a maybe into a fact.
The Museum
Timeline
- 1885Registered to acquire the Crown Brewery
21 December 1885, by a syndicate of licensed victuallers.
- 1893Possibly acquired by Brain & Co.
The Brewery History Society's wording; not treated as settled.
- 1901Trading ceases
The company was dissolved in 1904.
Follow the money
How it changed hands
1 recorded move- 1885Founded
- 1893Possibly acquired by Brain & Co.
The Brewery History Society's wording; not treated as settled.
No current parent in the archive's records — the moves above are history, not present ownership.
Corrected by
- Mike Brown, Brewery History Society — one change to note,claims, 2026-08-23
Corrections from outside the archive are logged permanently and credited here. Every one of them replaced something this archive had wrong.
Show your working
Sources
- recordProbable
Brewery record taken from Tally's Wales master, Pass 139. No source URL accompanied this row.
Tally's Wales master, Pass 139 (research workbook) · Tally's Beer Universe research workbook · 2026
CommercialMedium reliabilityAccessed 2026-08-19Reviewed 2026-08-19 - historyProbable
Dated evidence as recorded in the source pass: 1885, 1893, 1901.
Tally's Wales master, Pass 139 (research workbook) · Tally's Beer Universe research workbook · 2026
CommercialMedium reliabilityAccessed 2026-08-19Reviewed 2026-08-19 - historyDisputed
The Brewery History Society regards the Cardiff Brewery Co. as unresolved — "a puzzle and a 'probably' at best". The suggested acquisition by Brain & Co. c.1893 is not established, and this archive does not treat it as settled.
Source not recorded — this claim needs one.
Reviewed 2026-08-23Conflict. Acquisition by Brain & Co. c.1893 unconfirmed
Only the claims above are sourced. Everything else on this page is the archive's own research and has not yet been tied to a document — which is worth knowing rather than hiding.
Straight answers
Common questions about Cardiff Brewery Co. Ltd
- Who owns Cardiff Brewery Co. Ltd?
- Cardiff Brewery Co. Ltd is independently owned — there is no parent company above it on record. It is based in Cardiff, Wales, United Kingdom.
- Is Cardiff Brewery Co. Ltd independent?
- Yes. Cardiff Brewery Co. Ltd is recorded as independent, with no parent company. Independence is recorded as the brewery states it; where a stake is a minority holding or joint venture, this archive leaves it unmapped rather than calling it ownership.
- Is Cardiff Brewery Co. Ltd still open?
- No. Cardiff Brewery Co. Ltd has closed. Wales Pass 139. Closed 1901. Founder: Syndicate of licensed victuallers / UNKNOWN. Registered 21 Dec 1885 to acquire the Crown Brewery. The Brewery History Society regards the company as unresolved and its acquisition by Brain & Co. c.1893 as probable at best; trading ceased 1901 and company dissolved 1904.
- When was Cardiff Brewery Co. Ltd founded?
- Cardiff Brewery Co. Ltd was founded in 1885 in Cardiff, Wales, United Kingdom.
Drinking Cardiff Brewery Co. Ltd? Stamp it in your passport.
Discover it here — collect it in the Passport. Track every beer, earn stamps, and build your own beer passport.
Every brewery deserves its full story told.
If you're the owner or team behind Cardiff Brewery Co. Ltd, we'll build out your complete profile — history, the people, every beer — and feature you in a Tally's documentary. No cost, just your story.