Butcombe Brewery Visit April 2026

The Wrington site. Courtesy Mick Connors

Courtesy Geoff Dye

Courtesy Geoff Dye

Butcombe Brewery, BHS Visit April 2026

Visit Report – April 2026 - by Phil Wilson

Butcombe has undergone some significant changes over the last year or two, from a major refinancing deal to enable expansion, increasing its high street retail outlets and integrating the Liberation Brewery operation from the Channel Islands, where it had been for around 150 years, to Wrington.

Our host and tour guide, Pat Dean, now their Development Brewer, had previously been Head Brewer at Liberation until its closure last year. He gave us a fascinating tour of the Butcombe brewing operation and explained in great detail how Liberation brands had been merged into the Wrington site, bringing all of the group’s brewing under one roof. The newly expanded plant has a maximum brewing capacity of 170,000 pints per week and an annual capacity of 30,000 – 40,000 barrels per year. Increasing demand for Butcombe products over recent years was the trigger for major investment, enabling a significant ramping up of both keg and bottle production.

Butcombe’s principal distribution, kegging and bottling operation is in a 54,000 sq.ft. site in Bridgewater. A smaller scale distribution hub still exists in their Channel Islands estate to continue supporting local wholesale and retail outlets.

Pat showed us a map of the Butcombe Group’s estate which currently consists of almost 120 public houses, bars and boutique inns. These are concentrated in the Somerset area with outlets also in Bristol, London, the wider Southeast and the Channel Islands. Approximately 40% are managed houses the remainder being tenanted.

At the time of our visit, Pat was awaiting arrival from the Channel Islands, of Liberation’s small batch brewing equipment which he will be using in his new role of Development Brewer. We saw the space it will operate in; Pat was clearly keen to get going on this new project alongside Butcombe’s Head Brewer, Mike Jordan.

Our group was particularly interested in the reasoning behind the closure of Liberation brewery. It seems that it was simply down to the viability of running a brewery on Jersey, with rapidly rising operating and supply chain costs, squeezed margins, current inflationary pressures and escalating utility charges. So Butcombe Group took the decision to consolidate at Wrington but keep the Liberation brands going in a more cost-effective way.

Following the tour, our hosts took us into their sampling room where we had a chance to sample a range of complimentary ales, including Original, Goram IPA and Rare Breed. All excellent!

In 2028 Butcombe will be celebrating its 50th anniversary, perhaps a return visit?

Thanks go to Geoff Dye for making the initial contact and our host for the day, Pat Dean.

All photographs courtesy of Mick Conners

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