The South West

A textbook case of brand, brewer and farm being three different things. The barley is Clarkson's, the brewery is Cotswold Brewing Company in Bourton-on-the-Water, and the name on the can is neither.…

Bought in 2016 by St Austell — a Cornish family brewer trading since 1851, not a conglomerate. The archive filed this as macro-owned for years, which told you a Somerset ale brand had been swallowed…

Producers of Doom Bar, one of the best-selling cask ales in the UK, heavily scaled after their Molson Coors acquisition.

Wild fermentation done properly, then administration in 2022 and a rescue by Curious Brewery — a small Kent brewer, not a giant. Craft rescuing craft is the quietest story in this archive and one of…

Brewing in Dorset since 1777 and still owned by the founding family seven generations on — one of a handful of British brewers that never sold, in a country where almost all of them eventually did.

The only thatched brewery in Britain, brewing at Bridport since 1794 within sight of the sea. The roof is not a marketing decision; it simply never came off.

A massive, family-owned regional brewer in the southwest, producing undisputed pub classics like Tribute.

A true staple of the Bristol scene known for serving all their high-quality ales in massive, satisfying pint-sized cans.

A fiercely independent anchor of the Bristol brewing renaissance, famously reviving long-dead local stout recipes.

A Somerset bitter that became the default good pint across the West Country. Now part of the Liberation Group, which is not the same thing as the independent it is often assumed to be.

An independent powerhouse that exploded in popularity thanks to their legendary Steady Rolling Man pale ale.

Funded largely through a massive local crowdfunding effort to secure their absolute independence from corporate buyouts.

A crucial player in the unfined, naturally hazy vegan beer movement across the UK, remaining fiercely independent.

One of the most highly-rated, fiercely independent producers of hazy New England-style IPAs in the UK.

A highly respected Bristol independent known for gorgeous branding and incredibly precision-brewed pales and stouts.

Undisputed masters of wild fermentation and foraging, crafting heavily fruited pastry sours and funky farmhouse ales.