Refresh UK plc, owners of traditional English beers such as Manns Brown Ale and Hobgoblin from Wychwood brewery, have formed a partnership with fellow Oxfordshire brewers, W.H. Brakspear and Sons plc from Henley on Thames, to develop and grow the Brakspear brand.

Following Brakspear’s strategic review and the decision by its Board to discontinue brewing in central Henley, Refresh will take over the brewing, sales and marketing of Brakspear’s much loved beers.

Rupert Thompson, Refresh’s Chief Executive and a former pupil of Oundle School, commented: “I have always admired Brakspear’s beer and our aim will be to maintain the tradition of crafting characterful, award-winning Oxfordshire beers.”

Refresh has begun looking for a site within Brakspear’s Thames Valley heartland to build a new brewery and will use some of the existing brewing equipment from Henley. In the interim, the highly successful Wychwood Brewery will undertake the necessary transitional brewing, with any additional capacity provided by Thomas Hardy.

Rupert Thompson added: “We are looking to create a small specialist brewery, which will inspire a new interest in beer and allow it to be seen in a very modern light. Ideally we would like to also include a visitor centre, bar and taste training rooms so that visitors can understand what a wonderful, natural and refreshing drink beer is.”

Refresh has already instructed its property agents to locate a ¾ acre site in the Thames Valley for the new brewery. But, in order to help speed up the search, they are offering a ‘year of beer’ to the individual who helps them find the perfect location for this new venture. The ideal site will be an out of town location on a major road, as near to Henley on Thames as practicable, within the South Oxfordshire area of the Thames Valley.

Refresh UK plc was formed three years ago when Rupert Thompson led a management buy out of the Ushers beer business. The Brakspear brands will complement Refresh’s growing portfolio, which now includes the off-trade sales for Wadworth 6X, Caledonian breweries, the recent Tesco Beer Challenge winner, Exmoor Ales, and UK distribution rights for Löwenbräu lagers and Franziskaner wheat beers.

Brakspear beers have won numerous awards over recent years including Champion Beer of Britain for Brakspear Bitter, Gold medal at the IFE Awards for Brakspear Special, and Champion Organic Beer of Britain in SIBA’s organic brewing competitions in 2000 and 2001 for Live Organic.