Archive record · Brewery
Wrexham Lager Beer Co.
Wrexham, Wales, Wales, United Kingdom
Also known as Wrexham Lager, Wrexham AFC
- Founded
- 1882
- Archive ID
- TB-DG99QP7F
- Last checked
- Not yet checked
Who owns this brewery?
The archive is still digging. That is a gap in the research, not a finding of independence.
Know who owns it? Tell us, and we will correct the record.
From the record
Summary
The first lager brewery in Britain, founded in 1882 by German immigrants Ivan Levinstein and Otto Isler. It was rescued by industrialist Robert Graesser, who solved the brewery's cellar-cooling problem with mechanical refrigeration and took full ownership. Wrexham Lager was sold through Harrods and Selfridges, exported worldwide, and served aboard the Titanic. The brewery closed in 2000 under Carlsberg; the rights were bought for one pound in 2001 and the beer revived by the Roberts family in 2011. Rob McElhenney and Ryan Reynolds became co-owners alongside the Roberts family in October 2024. Founder: Roberts family; Martin Jones (brand-rights revival). Revived Wrexham Lager brewery at 42 St George's Crescent. Brewing recommenced in 2011 after the historic brand was reacquired from Carlsberg. Current first-party site lists Wrexham Lager, Wrexham Export and Wrexham Pilsener; current ownership includes the Roberts family with Rob McElhenney, Ryan Reynolds and the Allyn family.
A summary written during research. The sourced facts are in the sections below.
Tally’s Take
Britain drank ale for centuries and then two Germans turned up in north Wales and brewed it a lager, forty years before anyone else bothered. The whole history of British lager starts in Wrexham, which is not where anybody looks for it. Then the ending, which is almost too neat: brand dead in 2000, rights sold for a single pound, brewery brought back by a local family, and finally bought into by the two actors who bought the football club. A town that lost its brewery got it back and then got famous for it.
The Museum
Timeline
- 1882Founded
Ivan Levinstein and Otto Isler open the first lager brewery in Britain, in Wrexham.
- 1912Milestone
Wrexham Lager is carried aboard the Titanic, having reached Harrods, Selfridges and export markets worldwide.
- 2000Closed
Carlsberg closes the brewery after decades of declining sales, ending 118 years of production.
- 2001Sold
The rights to the Wrexham Lager name are bought from Carlsberg for one pound.
- 2011Reopened
The Roberts family revive the beer from an older recipe, returning brewing to Wrexham after eleven years.
- 2024Stake taken
Rob McElhenney and Ryan Reynolds become co-owners alongside the Roberts family in October, four years after buying Wrexham AFC.
The People
Behind the beer
German immigrant who, with Otto Isler, brought Bavarian lager brewing to Britain in 1882.
Co-founded the brewery that produced the first lager made in Britain.
Industrialist who rescued the failing brewery by installing mechanical refrigeration, then took full ownership.
Revived the dormant brand in 2011 from an older recipe and still run the brewery.
The Beer Library
Beers
Wrexham Lager
Year-RoundPale Lager
The oldest lager recipe in Britain, brewed again from an older version of it after the brand spent eleven years out of production. Lager needs cold cellars, which is precisely what nearly killed the brewery in the 1880s until refrigeration arrived.
Drank this? Add it to your passport →On the record
Awards
- 2025
GOLD — Wales - Light Lager — Wrexham Pilsener
World Beer Awards
- 2025
GOLD — Wales - International Lager — Wrexham Export
World Beer Awards
- 2025
COUNTRY WINNER — International Lager - Wales Country Winner — Wrexham Export
World Beer Awards
- 2025
BRONZE — Wales - Light Lager — Wrexham Lager
World Beer Awards
Only awards we could attribute to a named body and year appear here. An empty section means unresearched, not unawarded.
Follow the money
How it changed hands
2 recorded moves- 1882Founded
- 2001Sold
The rights to the Wrexham Lager name are bought from Carlsberg for one pound.
- 2024Stake taken
Rob McElhenney and Ryan Reynolds become co-owners alongside the Roberts family in October, four years after buying Wrexham AFC.
No current parent in the archive's records — the moves above are history, not present ownership.
1 organisations
Connected suppliers & bodies
- world beer awardsAwarded2025GOLD — Wales - Light Lager
- world beer awardsAwarded2025GOLD — Wales - International Lager
- world beer awardsAwarded2025COUNTRY WINNER — International Lager - Wales Country Winner
- world beer awardsAwarded2025BRONZE — Wales - Light Lager
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 reliabilitySource accessed 2026-08-19Claim last checked 2026-08-19
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.
Drinking Wrexham Lager Beer Co.? 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 Wrexham Lager Beer Co., 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.
No payment affects this record — editorial policy