Abbey Ales Brewery
The brewery was founded in 1997 by Alan Morgan and became the first beer producer in Bath since the 1950s.
Morgan worked for some the UK's leading brewers including Bass and Sam Smith before deciding to start his own firm.
"I almost ran out of brewers to work for," he recalls.
"Initially the focus was on producing a quality beer that was only available in the local area."
Critics were quick to praise the Camden Row Brewery, with cask bitter Bellringer being named top beer at the Cotswolds Camra (Campaign for Real Ale) festival in July 1998.
The 4.2% abv beer went on to receive accolades in the Devizes Camra festival 1999, the Bath Camra festival 2000 and the Champion Beer of Britain 2001.
Plaudits came from Bath MP Don Foster, who arranged for the beer to appear as guest ale at the House of Commons.
Connoisseurs are invited to enjoy a pint with a Bellringer Banger, a real-ale sausage sold locally.
Bellringer remains the only ale in continual production at Abbey Ales, according to Morgan.
"Due to our size we can only produce 30 barrels a week so we tend to focus on our main brand.
However, we do brew several specialty beers," he says.
Head brewer, Martin Langham creates a range of specialty ales including Twelfth Night, Bath Star and Black Friar, using a blend of Maris Otter Malt and English Challenger, Goldings and Fuggles hops.
Main Brands: Bellringer (4.2% abv), Chorister (4.5%), Twelfth Night (5%), Bath Star (4.5%)
Employees: 4 Don't mention: (1) National pubcos.
Despite Bellringer's local popularity, many Bath pubs are unable to stock it, as their owners will not deal with small brewers, he says.
"I've had city-centre licensees desperate to offer the beer but they are stopped by their tie."
(2) Property prices.
The brewery has looked at moving to a larger site, but expansion within Bath is prevented by high costs.
Despite this Abbey Ales will always remain in the city, stresses Morgan.
Plans for the future: The brewery will unveil its White Friar ale next month.
This specialty beer was originally released to mark the Queen's visit to Bath in August 2003.
However, it proved so popular that it has been re-released.
Abbey Ales will also continue to expand sales via the internet.
Bellringer caps, umbrellas and 36-pint boxes can be bought on the web.
