Heading for home

After months of hard work Rupert Thompson has successfully returned Brakspear to its Oxfordshire home. He speaks to Adam Withrington.

Rupert Thompson is a happy man these days. After months of hard work and uncertainty, the chief executive of drinks company Refresh UK has launched the newest string in his bow of brands: Brakspear - and there are signs of early success. Rupert has set out along with his drays to pubs in the Oxfordshire and Thames Valley area to spread the gospel of the return of Brakspear beers. "All the pubs I've visited so far are taking the beer back," he says. "I've been to four pubs just today and they have all welcomed it back."

It is now two years since Rupert struck a deal with Brakspear to brew its range of ales up in Oxfordshire, after the Henley-based brewer decided to pull out of the brewing business and focus on its pub estate. He promised to transport much of the original brewing equipment from the Henley site up to the Wychwood brewery in Witney, Oxfordshire, which is owned by Refresh.

"When we said we were going to buy Brakspear and move the brewing operation back up here there was a lot of scepticism as to whether we could do it," he says. "So we are delighted to be able to say that we have, but it was not without blood, sweat and tears."

At a time when big national brewers are closing down breweries with great heritage and tradition (the Fountain Brewery in Edinburgh being a good example), it is refreshing (excuse the pun) to see a real success story for traditional brewing in the UK.

The Campaign for Real Ale (CAMRA) has given a ringing endorsement to the launch. Mike Benner, chief executive of CAMRA, said: "Refresh UK promised to build a new brewery to brew Brakspear beers and they have delivered. Brakspear beers have a huge following and Refresh has taken steps to make sure the beers taste exactly as they should."

There was much wailing and gnashing of teeth two years ago when Brakspear announced that it was going to close down all brewing operations at its Henley base. It was not proving to be profitable, Brakspear said, and they had reportedly received some tempting offers for the brewery site. (In fact Brakspear finalised the sale of the site to the Hotel du Vin group earlier this year). So it seemed that it was the end of an era - one of Britain's great beers was to be lost to the ages.

In stepped Rupert Thompson and Refresh. "Immediately after the Henley brewery closed, the brands were brewed under contract by the Thomas Hardy brewery in Burtonwood," says Rupert. "Hardy's was doing a good job of it and many people told me it would be best if we left the brewing up to them, but I was determined that we would rebuild the brewery and have it back up here in Oxfordshire."

The Refresh team has successfully managed to do just that and has fitted a lot of the original Henley brewing equipment into the site in Witney, including six fermenters and the top for the copper. To see the new site for yourself is to see a true feat of engineering - it looks like a highly complex jigsaw puzzle.

The fermenters were pushed in on rollers and packed in tightly together, while two other fermenters, which sit above the lower six, were dropped in through the roof by a crane.

"It was such a big job, not only the moving of all the equipment, but also the financial side," says Rupert. "It was a major investment and we don't know if we are going to get any payback from it."

In making this move Brakspear has come full circle. After all, Robert Brakspear was brewing beer in Witney, Oxfordshire way back in 1769 and in many ways, Rupert paints Brakspear's move to Oxfordshire as its return home.

However, while there seems to be early success for Rupert, the future holds challenges, the most important of which is maintaining the standards of the range of beers. "So many people that I have spoken to are really positive about the beer - they are happy that it is back and they are happy about the quality," he says. "But in the end the only thing that really counts is the quality."

Rupert on Brakspear​

"Brakspear always had a cult following, in the same vein as London Pride or Marston's - it is a classic. What is interesting about the way it tastes is that although it is 3.4 per cent ABV it drinks a lot stronger. It has a great flavour and that is one of the reasons we took it on.

"The fact that it is a lower ABV also means there is a great commercial opportunity because a lot of brewers and pubs are now going for premium cask ales. There is a big demand out there for "session" ales, plus it is cheaper for the landlord!

"We are not looking to roll it out nationwide. We want to keep it in its traditional Thames Valley and Oxfordshire heartland.

"It has a unique brewing process using a double-drop fermenting system, where the beer is fermented in one tank for 12 to 24 hours and then dropped down into another tank for a second fermentation. It means the beer is cleaner the second time around."