Smiles Brewing Co. Rectangular Tin

Smiles Brewing Co. tin tray dating from the 1990s.

The Origins of the Brewery in 1977

The Company was founded by John Payne in 1977 at Bell's Diner restaurant on York Road in Montpelier, Bristol.
John had practised brewing his own beers whilst at St. Andrews University in the mid-1970s. It was a hobby that he really enjoyed.
John Payne ran the restaurant with his girlfriend Shirley Ann Bell, and they made the decision 'to serve decent beer with the meals'.
John began brewing with a tea urn in the back yard.
The reaction of the customers to his 'Smiles Bitter' was very positive and this encouraged him to continue brewing.
John started directly supplying his beer in polypins to 5 freehouses in Bristol.
The response once again was good, which led him to develop the business further.

The Colston Yard Brewery in 1978

The business, with a new brewhouse, moved to Colston Yard on Upper Maudlin Street in Bristol in 1978.
John Payne morgaged his house to start his new venture.
His godfather, Dick Heron, a chemist from Stockport, taught John how to brew more professionally.
After a few months John was happy with the consistency and quality of the beer he was producing.
John employed Harry Mansfield, a former cellarman at the Bristol Student Union, and they worked very hard through 1978 and 1979.
John did not take a salary himself and was only able to keep the business afloat through his waitering wages at Bell's Diner.
By 1981 demand had out-stripped production, and the self-made brewery was completely re-equipped to increase capacity three-fold, backed up by a new laboratory.

The Smiles Brewing Company in 1981

In 1981 the name of the business became the Smiles Brewing Co.
In the same year the Company purchased its first pub, the Highbury Vaults at the top of St. Michael's Hill in Bristol.
The Company continued to grow through the 1980s, as promoted in this video produced in 1984.

https://youtu.be/OvXET6EFw00

Management Buyout in 1992

A brand new pub built opposite the Colston Yard site, became the firm's Brewery Tap in 1991.
Behind the scenes though, the brewery was struggling.
In 1992 a management buyout, led by the main investor, an accountant Ian Williams, resulted in the firm's rapid expansion to own 17 public houses within a few years.
Sadly the expansion was not sustainable and in 2000 the Company sold its pub estate to Young & Co. Brewery Ltd of Wandsworth in London, to once again concentrate on brewing.
The brewery was sold again in 2003 to City Centre Breweries Ltd, a new Company which was run by Ron Kirk, formerly managing director of Mansfield Brewery Co. Ltd.

The End of Smiles Brewery

In December 2004 it was announced that the brewery had gone into administration.
All staff were laid off and the new business, Smiles Brewing Co. Ltd subcontracted the brewing of its beers to the Highgate & Walsall Brewery Co. Ltd.
All brewing equipment was removed from Colston Yard and the old Brewery Tap is now owned by the Butcombe Brewery Co.
Smiles branded beers had disappeared by 2007.