Alnwick Brewery Co. Ltd Round Enamel

Alnwick Brewery Co. Ltd enamel tray dating from the 1920s.

The Brewing Years

The Company first started to brew and sell its beers in Alnwick in the 1860s in buildings dating back to around 1750. It was owned by the Mason Brothers who were suppliers to 'His Grace The Duke of Northumberland'.
Mason Brothers were brewers, wine & spirit merchants, aerated water manufacturers, and suppliers of Glen Aln whisky. The portfolio of the Company's beers included India Pale, Mild & Strong Ales, Stout and Porter.
The Company was registered as The Alnwick Brewery Co. Ltd (ABC) in 1890 to acquire Mason Brothers.

Brewing Ceases

The High Brewery ceased brewing in 1963 due to lack of funds for modernisation. The firm's 20 public houses were supplied by Drybrough & Co. Ltd which brewed its beers at the Craigmillar Brewery based in Edinburgh.
The Company continued to trade as ABC describing itself as 'Brewers' Agents..Wine & Sprit Merchants..and Soft Drinks Dustributors'.
Drybrough & Co. Ltd was taken over by Watney Mann Ltd in 1965 but continued to supply its beers to Alnwick until 1978 when Watney Truman Ltd took over its public houses.
After further mergers, the old Watney empire was eventually sold to Allied-Lyons plc in 1987. In that same year the Alnwick Brewery Co. Ltd ceased to trade and Drybrough's Craigmillar Brewery ceased brewing.
The brewery buildings were demolished in the 1990s before they could be listed.

Alnwick Beers Live On

The new Alnwick Brewery located in Hawkhill Industrial Estate, was relaunched in 2007. It brews a wide range of bottled beers.
The business was purchased by Harry Hotspur Holdings Ltd in 2013.

The manufacturer's mark states - C.E.Wilkins.Birmingham.