The Eagle Brewery
Bedford, Bedfordshire, United Kingdom · Est. 1876
Tally's Take
Why this matters
Formerly Charles Wells, then acquired by Marston's, and now swallowed up entirely by the CMBC joint venture.
The Museum
Timeline
- 2020Into Carlsberg Marston's
Carlsberg UK and Marston's merge their brewing operations in a £780 million joint venture — Carlsberg holding 60%, Marston's 40% — approved by the Competition and Markets Authority on 9 October 2020 and completed that month. Marston's kept its 1,400 pubs; the six breweries went into the venture. Bedford's Charles Wells brewery, bought by Marston's in 2017 and renamed the Eagle.
The Beer Library
Beers
Banana Bread Beer
Year-RoundFruit Beer
Brewed with actual fairtrade bananas. It sounds like a novelty and has been in continuous production for decades, which novelties are not.
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How it changed hands
1 recorded move- 1876Founded
- 2020Into Carlsberg Marston's
Carlsberg UK and Marston's merge their brewing operations in a £780 million joint venture — Carlsberg holding 60%, Marston's 40% — approved by the Competition and Markets Authority on 9 October 2020 and completed that month. Marston's kept its 1,400 pubs; the six breweries went into the venture. Bedford's Charles Wells brewery, bought by Marston's in 2017 and renamed the Eagle.
Today the chain tops out at Carlsberg Group.
Show your working
Sources
- controlConfirmed
The Eagle Brewery is controlled by Foundation / nonprofit.
Carlsberg Group Annual Report 2025 · Carlsberg Group · 2026-02
PrimaryHigh reliabilityAccessed 2026-08-05Reviewed 2026-08-05
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 The Eagle Brewery
- Who owns The Eagle Brewery?
- The Eagle Brewery is owned by Carlsberg Group. It is held through Carlsberg Marston's Brewing Company. The Eagle Brewery is based in Bedford, Bedfordshire, United Kingdom.
- Is The Eagle Brewery still independent?
- No. The Eagle Brewery is owned by Carlsberg Group and is no longer independent.
- When was The Eagle Brewery acquired?
- 2020. Carlsberg UK and Marston's merge their brewing operations in a £780 million joint venture — Carlsberg holding 60%, Marston's 40% — approved by the Competition and Markets Authority on 9 October 2020 and completed that month. Marston's kept its 1,400 pubs; the six breweries went into the venture. Bedford's Charles Wells brewery, bought by Marston's in 2017 and renamed the Eagle.
- When was The Eagle Brewery founded?
- The Eagle Brewery was founded in 1876 in Bedford, Bedfordshire, United Kingdom.
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