A micro-brewery raised a glass to a bright future after officially opening its new brewhouse on Friday.
The Andwell Brewing Company moved from Lodge Farm at North Warnborough to a former fish smokehouse at Old Trout Farm in Andwell Lane.
The brewery started up in 2008, and produces four ales – Resolute Bitter, Gold Muddler, King John and Ruddy Darter.
The new premises have doubled the brewery’s output.
Adam Komrower, who runs the brewery, said the upgraded premises include a 20-barrel brewhouse with eight fermenting vessels and a cask washer.
The brewhouse has the capacity to produce 80 casks of ales every seven days or a whopping 46,080 pints which are distributed to bars in Berkshire, Dorset, Surrey and Greater London.
And the brewery is planning to open to the public, allowing visitors to see how the grains are turned into pints.
Adam said: “We want people to be as interested in our practices as we are. We have a passion for making ales and we want people to have that passion when drinking them.”
The brewery opened last January and after five articulated lorries navigated the twisty hamlet roads carrying the made-to-order Bavarian Brewery Technology’s vats, which were sourced from Hungary.
Opening the new site, Basingstoke MP Maria Miller praised the company and said its success was a good example of small businesses in the town becoming successful.
She said: “It is fantastic to see a small business going from strength to strength. Importantly, it is a micro-brewery that can really help our local pubs and clubs and help local products made in the borough.
“It sends a strong message of encouragement to businesses. It is doing well in Basingstoke and it’s great that we can have a local product that local people can enjoy. ”
