Crafty Brewing Acquires Ridgeway Brewery

_{Luke Herman of Crafty Brewing (Left) & Peter Scholey of Ridgeway Brewing (Right)}

Crafty Brewing acquires Ridgeway Brewery, combining 2 like-minded Beer Producers whose common focus is consistently creating high quality beers, whilst being environmentally considerate.  All of which has been recognised with multiple awards and most importantly by their customers for producing excellent beer.

Both breweries have successfully navigated the choppy waters during the pandemic coming out stronger with focus on specialist markets & innovation. 

The combined business can produce 100,000 litres of beer per week with care and attention to quality beer being paramount. The beers are destined for Export, Supermarkets, Pubs, Restaurants, the British Army and Sports/Entertainment venues as well as a growing consumer market for core award winning beers.

 Peter Scholey, Master Brewer, who founded & has run Ridgeway Brewery since 2002 said: 

“Any business needs a succession plan but with brewing it is far more than just finding a new manager. You need someone who shares your vision of what “good beer” should be and I am pleased to have found that person in Luke Herman.  I look forward to working alongside Luke as we explore the exciting new opportunities created. “ 

Based in Oxfordshire the Ridgeway Brewery is particularly known for its strong export focus, beers including Ridgeway IPA, Biter & ESB and best-selling range of whimsically named Christmas Beers such as Santa’s Butt, Bad Elf, Criminally Bad Elf , Lump of Coal,  and  Reindeer’s Revolt.

Luke Herman who founded and runs Crafty Brewing since 2014 commented: 

“Having grown Crafty Brewing from a 100-litre kit in a lorry body to a 5,000-litre setup in a purpose-built facility, producing traditional beers with a modern twist, joining forces with Ridgeway was a natural next step.

Peter brings a deep understanding of the industry, expert brewing skills, and a portfolio of world-class beers. I’m thrilled to be working alongside him, learning from his experience, and maintaining the Ridgeway brand he has built with such dedication. I look forward to combining our expertise, creativity, enthusiasm and commitment to quality, award-winning beer.”Based in Dunsfold, Surrey, Crafty Brewing produces award winning beers such as, Arctic Fox Pilsner, Wave Catcher Session IPA, Distant Horizon Hazy Pale, Loxhill Biscuit Gluten Free Golden Ale and Blind Side Best Bitter.  They also received the SIBA (Society of Independent Brewers & Associates) Business Innovation award in 2024 for their range of fully personalised beers, where customers can have total creative control of designing their own labels for gifting.

The full Ridgeway bottled beer range will be available to Crafty Brewing trade customers for delivery w/c 24 Feb with a new range of cask versions coming in the near future. 

Mixed cases of Ridgeway Brewery beers are now available to buy online from Crafty Brewing.