New facilities allow Big Smoke to target nationwide on-trade

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Nationwide expansion: new facilities will allow Surrey-based Big Smoke to increase its UK presence

A new brewery and canning line will allow Surrey-based Big Smoke Brew Co to expand its on and off-trade presence across the UK, according to its founder.

Founded in 2014 and voted Greater London’s Best New Brewer at RateBeer Best Awards a year later, Big Smoke Brew Co has relocated to a 5,000sq ft premises in Esher, Surrey.

The move will see a fourfold increase in production and allow Big Smoke Brew Co to expand its presence nationwide in both the on and off-trade with its canned, cask and kegged products.

As well as a new canning line allowing Big Smoke Brew Co to bring all its production in-house, the new facility features a 33hl (hectolitre) kit with six 65hl fermenters, capable of producing 6,000 pints per brew as well as an on-site taproom.

Build on loyal following

The new facilities enable Big Smoke Brew Co to produce its six core beers – Electric Eye Pale Ale, Solaris Session Pale, Fruju New England Pale, Cold Spark Lactose Pale, Underworld Milk Stout and Helles Lager – as well as seasonal beers.  

It’s hoped that the upgrade will help the brewery circulate its products more broadly in the off-trade and beyond its five-strong estate of pubs, which include the Antelope in Surbiton, the Albion in Kingston – both south-west London – and the Hole in the Wall in Chichester, West Sussex.

“We’ve gradually built up a loyal following and the new brewery allows us to distribute nationally and target both the off and on-trade while maintaining control of our process and achieving a high-quality, consistent product,” James Morgan, co-founder of Big Smoke Brew Co explained.  

“We will continue to make the kind of beer that we like to drink – refreshing, balanced and flavoursome using sustainably sourced ingredients.”