Refresh search for Brakspear brewery hits 64
Refresh UK, the drinks company charged with building a new brewery to house Brakspear beers, has 64 possible sites.
"We have 64 proposed sites, said Refresh managing director Rupert Thompson. "We will initially visit 19 locations, eight of which look very interesting indeed."
It has emerged that the Trowbridge-based business is examining the possibility of using old farm buildings as an alternative to constructing a brewery from scratch.
Some of the sites are in rural locations with farm buildings that may be appropriate for conversion.
In such a case, Refresh would probably rent the buildings rather than buying them outright. "If we are renting, we would expect the substantial conversion costs to reflected in the price," said Mr Thompson. Refresh will take over the brewing of Brakspear beers from January. Brakspear will end its 200-year-old beer-making operations to focus on it tenanted and managed pub estate.
The Henley brewer will sell its £10m town centre site and Refresh will find a new site within south-east Oxfordshire.
Refresh plans to remove the roof from the Henley brewery and lift out the brewing equipment for use at the new location.
In the interim period between the closure of old and the opening of new, the beers will be brewed at Refresh's Wychwood Brewery and by contract brewer Thomas Hardy.
Countering CAMRA (Campaign for Real Ale) speculation, Mr Thompson confirmed that Refresh would have the sole rights to brew and distribute Brakspear ales in the on-trade, off-trade and export markets.
There have also been rumours that the reason Brakspear quit brewing was because it could not find a new site.
"The notion that Jim Burrows (Brakspear chief executive) quit brewing because he knew he could not find a site to build a brewery on is absolute rubbish - the land is there. He got out to concentrate on pubs - we are a specialist beer brands company," said Mr Thompson.
The Refresh boss appealed for support. "I think all this cynicism can be corrosive - give us the benefit of the doubt.
"We are trying to do something different. We need the industry's support - we are taking a risk and it doesn't help when people chip away with criticism."
Related articles:
CAMRA launches campaign for Brakspear pubs to remain independent (5 August 2002)
Brakspear to close its brewery (22 July 2002)
Campaign to save Brakspear's historic beer launched (5 June 2002)
Brakspear considers brewing exit (23 April 2002)
