Former Arkell's Brewery chairman Peter Arkell died peacefully at his home near Cirencester on Friday morning.
He was 87 and had worked at the brewery for 50 years until he was well over 80. He joined Arkell's in 1954.
Arkell was a World War II veteran and flew Lysander aircraft in darkness behing enemy lines with the RAF in France and Burma.
He was awarded an OBE in the in 1997 and an award from the United States Air Force for his work as chairman of the Anglo-American Community Relations Committee at RAF Fairford.
"Peter was an English brewer in the most traditional sense," said an Arkell's spokeswoman.
"He loved the brewery, its staff — many of whom have been with the brewery through generations of their families, much like the Arkell's themselves, and its beer.
"However, he knew when to innovate as well as preserve the great tradition of British brewing."