Three Tuns Brewery's sales hit £1m mark

The Three Tuns, in Bishops Castle, is now serving to more than 500 pubs, and is in the process of taking on its second outlet following the acquisition of the Bridges, in nearby Ratlinghope, in 2011.

Joint owner John Russell, who took over the brewery with fellow local entrepreneur Bill Bainbridge in 2002, said they had managed to reach the £1m mark through investment in the brewery and a sustained, steady period of organic growth.

He explained: “We set ourselves the task of modernising the original brewhouse, which is believed to date as far back as the 1590s. We have got to where we are by treading very carefully and developing an understanding of the cask beers we’ve got.”

New kit​

The duo has invested nearly £900,000 in a state-of-the-art brewing system, and have added nearly 200 tonnes of steel to allow for the new equipment to be installed over the brewery’s four floors.

Consequently, the brewery’s Victorian tower houses a new gravity brewing system, while the original brewhouse is now used exclusively for fermentation.

Russell said the plan is to grow by another 25% for each of the next three years, which will take the brewery to its 150-barrel a week capacity. In addition, they hope to take on another four pubs, taking the total to six.

He said: “We might invest in some side-projects, such as a craft lager plant, but our plan for the brewery is to settle at 150 barrels. We deliver all of our beers, and I don’t want us to extend beyond our current 60-mile reach.

“We don’t see ourselves as being anything more than a solid, regional brewer.”

Oldest license​

Based on recipe books as old as the brewery, flagship beers include XXX, 1642 Bitter and Cleric’s Cure.

Russell believed the brewery “unequivocally” held the oldest brewing licence in the UK, and on that basis it could lay claim to be the UK’s oldest brewer.

He explained: “A brewing licence was issued to the brewery by King Charles I in 1642, which was the year they were created.

“I know Shepherd Neame claims to be older than its official founding date of 1698, I think we can say we operate out of the oldest brewery in the UK.”