History - How We Got Here
Ludlow’s Award Winning Brewery Established in 2006.
Our story began with a dream to rekindle brewing in Ludlow, Shropshire.
The medieval town had enjoyed a long tradition of brewing until the closure of the Ludlow and Craven Arms Brewery in the 1930s. From humble beginnings in Managing Director Gary Walter’s garage, Ludlow Brewing Company’s first home was a disused maltings building in Corve Street.
By 2008 it was clear to founders Gary and Alison Walters that the business had outgrown the premises. The couple were given a fantastic opportunity to move the brewery to a derelict Victorian railway shed (built in 1857), off Station Drive, which they sympathetically renovated over two years.
The project was supported with financial assistance from the Rural Development Programme for England and the EU, plus a Shropshire Tourism Business Grant (funded by Shropshire Council). With a 20-barrel brewing system installed, Ludlow Brewing Company was capable of producing more than 30,000 pints a week. An on-site brewery tap and visitor centre opened to the public in 2011, and in 2015 the premises was extended, with the addition of a separate cold storage shed to accommodate an increase in production. Further expansion of our storage facilities took place in 2022, and a balcony was added to the front of the building, also creating a covered beer terrace below.
Ludlow Brewery’s perfectly balanced range of beers includes our multi-award-winning flagship beer Gold, which is widely known as “Ludlow Gold”. Locally-grown Goldings is the star of our iconic beer; you could say we love this classic British hop, as it features in all our core range of beers! Gold was the first beer created by Gary Walters and his small team in 2006, and it was soon followed by Boiling Well (named after a legendary local spring), Best, and Black Knight. Stairway To Paradise was introduced to our range in September 2010, while the light and hoppy Blonde was added late 2014, completing our range of core beers. Today, we are still pouring five of these six cask-conditioned ales, although Boiling Well has been replaced with red ale Red Dawn.
Off the rails brews
While we remain committed to staying true to our roots and championing cask ales for traditional ale tastes, we also believe in encouraging innovation and creativity. In 2019, we began releasing our limited-edition brews under the brand Derailed by Ludlow Brewery. This is to reflect a more modern style of beer, predominantly keg; currently the vessel of choice for pioneering craft brews.
The pilot brewery operates on a tiny 2.5 barrel plant, a very traditional set-up, with scope to upscale Derailed beers to the 20-barrel kit we use for our core range. The Derailed range will be expanded further in 2024 with the installation of five large pressurised and fully-automated brewing vessels in our cold-storage warehouse. The brewery’s first lager is also on the horizon. Watch this space as our brewing journey continue…
