Archive record · Brewery
Kelham Island Brewery
Sheffield, England, England, United Kingdom
- Founded
- 1990
- Closed
- 2022
- Archive ID
- TB-MGZBM20R
- Last checked
- 2026-09-10
Who owns this brewery?
Independent ownership is recorded. No parent company is held in the archive.
From the record
Summary
Sheffield's first new independent brewery in over 50 years, opened 1990 behind the Fat Cat by Dave Wickett. Closed May 2022 under rising costs — then saved that September by a Sheffield consortium including Tramlines co-founder James O'Hara and Thornbridge's founders, whose own brewery began by brewing Kelham Island's beers. Pale Rider poured again; brewing continues.
A summary written during research. The sourced facts are in the sections below.
The People
Behind the beer
The Beer Library
Beers
On the record
Awards
- 2004
Gold / Champion — Overall Champion — Pale Rider
CAMRA Champion Beer of Britain
Only awards we could attribute to a named body and year appear here. An empty section means unresearched, not unawarded.
Show your working
Sources
- recordProbable
Brewery record from Tally's UK master, Pass 147. First new independent brewery in Sheffield for over 50 years; opened behind the Fat Cat in 1990, moved to purpose-built premises in 1999, liquidated in 2022. Assets later purchased; beers subsequently brewed by Thornbridge.
Tally's UK master, Pass 147 — Wales public lists, thin beers, photo rights · Tally's Beer Universe research workbook · 2026
CommercialMedium reliabilitySource accessed 2026-08-21Claim last checked 2026-08-21
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 Kelham Island Brewery
- Who owns Kelham Island Brewery?
- Kelham Island Brewery is independently owned — there is no parent company above it on record. It is based in Sheffield, England, United Kingdom.
- Is Kelham Island Brewery independent?
- Yes. Kelham Island Brewery 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 Kelham Island Brewery still open?
- No. Kelham Island Brewery has closed (2022). Sheffield's first new independent brewery in over 50 years, opened 1990 behind the Fat Cat by Dave Wickett. Closed May 2022 under rising costs — then saved that September by a Sheffield consortium including Tramlines co-founder James O'Hara and Thornbridge's founders, whose own brewery began by brewing Kelham Island's beers. Pale Rider poured again; brewing continues.
- When was Kelham Island Brewery founded?
- Kelham Island Brewery was founded in 1990 in Sheffield, England, United Kingdom.
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