Find out about the Best Brewing Pub Company finalists

The finalists are:

Everards

Since closing its old brewery and opening Everards Meadows​ on the outskirts of Leicester in 2019, the family brewer has undergone a big transformation. Production at a smaller, state-of-the-art brewery, set among 70 acres of green leisure space, is now almost exclusively sold through the company’s 150-strong tenanted estate and on-site beer hall.

The latter has given Everards fresh insights into its market, and with the whole team focused on beer, the past year or so has brought a dramatic expansion of the range available to its partners in the pubs, one both cask and craft keg.

From a core range of four, plus a few seasonals, in 2023 around 100 different beers were produced. These include a series of experimental small-batch brews in many styles, sales of which, combined, are now second only to flagship ale Tiger. The Salt Lime Lager has been a particular triumph.

A new online ordering system has allowed telesales staff to be more proactive, improving communications with partners, selling in the new beers and getting feedback on their success. And to help drive change, a beer sommelier was appointed to champion the new beers in the pubs.

Drinkers can also scan a QR code on pump clips and badges to view a video on their phone in which brewers themselves tell them about the beer, and they have the chance, too, to join a free brewery tour to learn more.

Representatives of the company’s brewing, commercial, marketing and finance teams meet three times a week to talk about beer, and everyone across the business is charged with coming up with new ideas for brews. Designs by a local artist ensure each has a distinct character.

In a difficult market, Everards has made great progress over the past few years and is demonstrating just what good teamwork and a determined focus on beer can achieve.

Salt Brewing

Salt began its journey only in 2018 when parent company Ossett Brewery opened the Salt Beer Factory in an old tram shed in the World Heritage Site of Saltaire, Yorkshire, combining a craft brewery with a spectacular pub and taproom.

Since then, the concept has grown to a dozen sites including two in London, where most of its beer is now produced following the success of the brand in both the off-trade and wider on-trade.

The latest opening, the Bingley at Horbury Bridge in Wakefield​, marks a fresh departure for the business, fusing Salt’s modern ethos with the warmer, traditional feel of an Ossett Brewery pub, and giving us an idea of what future growth might look like.

In the past year, Salt has also joined forces with its former managing director to create a chameleon bar in Leeds serving coffee during the day and craft beer and cocktails at night.

At the brewery, the team continue to have plenty of scope to exercise their creative powers on daring concepts and bring new beers to market, lately collaborating with some leading names in UK craft brewing to provide a constant stream of interest for customers at its bars. The core range, too, has been expanded with the addition of two 3.4% abv beers and a nitro stout.

Thanks in part to the brewery’s new Pub Co Champion, strong communications with managers and staff around the estate make sure they have a sound knowledge of the beers and are able to deliver a quality serve, deepened by immersion days at headquarters where they have a chance to help with the brewing.

Under the leadership of its new managing director, with a strong brand and a strong culture of investing in its people, Salt potentially has some exciting times ahead as it expands its estate.

Wells & Co/Brewpoint​

Turbulent times at Wells & Co have settled down into a family business with modern ambitions. Having sold its old brewery and most of its brands in 2017, the company effectively started again in 2020, launching a state-of-the-art brewery on the outskirts of Bedford in the middle of lockdown before fully opening the Brewpoint taproom the following year.

The new home, which acts as a showcase for new beers as well as a community hub, has been key to Wells re-establishing itself as the local brewer, and has been a tremendous success in itself.

In recent months, the focus has been on strengthening the brand story around the image and character of ‘Josephine’. Redesigned draught taps and pump clips have helped give them a distinctive stand-out on bars and along with some quality glassware and merchandise more closely aligns the beers with the Wells family and its values. Five new permanent brands have been introduced on keg and cask, embracing modern styles.

The team at the brewery is concentrated on selling these beers into the 150-strong Wells tenanted estate and the new branding is going down well with licensees and their customers. Brewpoint’s own take on a nitro stout, called Genesis, has proved a particular hit.

Good communications between brewery and the pubs feature weekly videos from a new beer development manager to help drive the understanding of different styles among staff behind the bars, supporting regular training, meetings and invitations to brewery tours and brew days.

With the group’s 16 managed pubs in France​ especially enthusiastic about the new-look Wells & Co, and setting high standards for the domestic estate, the family seem poised for interesting adventures ahead.