In 2023 Red Fox Brewery changed hands an merged with the Witham and Harwich breweries which had been 'cuckooing' on the Red Fox site. The new brewery is called WHARF Brewery (Witham, Harwich And Red Fox) and produces beers from all three breweries under the WHARF name.
Located in Maldon behind the Blue Boar Hotel. The Maldon Brewing Company, more popularly know as 'Farmer's Ales' produces a range of beer styles which can always be found behind the bar of the Blue Boar and at many pubs around the county their explanation.
Founded in 1981 by two CAMRA enthusiasts, Crouch Vale is well established as a major player in Essex brewing, having moved to larger premises in 2006.
Harwich Town has been brewing since 2007. In 2011 they picked up the Beer of the Festival award at our Summer Festival with their outstanding Bay Bitter.
In 2023 The Harwich Town Brewing Company name was subsumed into the WHARF Brewery.
Established in 1996, the Mighty Oak Brewery produces 5000+ hectolitres of beer each year. Some 450 outlets across East Anglia and the South East are supplied.
They have won multiple awards for their beers, most notably national champion Oscar Wilde Mild.
Originally located at The Cross Inn, Bromley Sticklegs Brewery can now be found at Elmstead Market, just outside Colchester. The name comes from a pub dog with long legs.
Registered with HMRC in late 2016, Watsons Brewery started small but has big ambitions. Beers in bottles have mostly been found at Two Brews on Crouch Street in Colchester, and casks have appeared at a number of beer festivals and pubs in and around Colchester.
Micro brewery based at the White Hart, Halstead.
Nethergate was formed in 1986 in Clare, Suffolk and moved to its current site in 2017. It produces both traditional recipes and more modern beers and has recently added craft lager and low alcohol beer to its range. The establishment of a borehole means all the water comes directly from the chalk bed.
Other Monkey is located in the rear portion of Other Monkey Taproom and is visible to users of the pub. The beer brewed is predominantly served on draft, but cask is produced alongside this and served at the taproom and Three Wise Monkeys pub next door.
Colne Valley Brewing is a local, organic and premium craft beer brewery located in East Anglia.
JackRabbit Brewing Co was founded in 2019 by two beer lovers with an aim to bring modern craft beer to the Essex & Suffolk border. It offers a popular core range consisting of craft lager, New England pale, and hazy IPA (available in can and keg). New and special releases all year round.
Bishop Nick was launched in 2011 by Nelion Ridley, a member of the family that started Ridley's brewery near Chelmsford in 1842. In 2013 a new brewery was established in Braintree using a 20-barrel plant.
Established in 2016 this company contract brews low-alcohol bottled beers of no more than 0.5% ABV at a variety of breweries around the country. No real ale.
A brewery and taproom on the airport industrial estate, with an aircraft theme. Music and other events are held regularly. See social media for opening hours
Part of the Brewhouse & Kitchen chain, producing its own range of beers. Carry outs and brewery experience days are offered.
The Briarbank Brewing Company was established in 2013, and is situated on the site of the old Lloyds Bank on Fore Street, Ipswich. The brewery is a two-barrel plant, and the bar above offers a core range of beers - including some speciality ales.
This farm brewery was created by Charles O'Reilly in 2016 and is set in a former grain shed. In 2017 Sophie de Ronde joined the brewing team as Head Brewer. All beers brewed to date have been unfiltered and are available in both KeyKeg and 440ml cans.
Owner and brewer Chris Smith has been brewing since 2013, with Cabin Ales available commercially since 2015. Demand soon outgrew the original plant and a new two-barrel kit was designed and installed in 2018.
Chelmsford Brew Co, established in 2017, is a family-owned brewery located in Great Baddow, near the former Baddow Brewery. A brewery shop and taproom is open (see website for opening hours). Online orders are also available.
Courtyard Brewery uses a six-barrel plant designed to perfectly fit into a 19th century coach house in the north Essex village of Gosfield. It is run by two brewers passionate about producing ales traditionally, but with a 21st century twist.
Dove Street began brewing in 2011 using a 2.5-barrel plant in a garage opposite the Dove Street Inn. The pub, its sister pub and beer festivals are supplied.
Drinkstone Ales is a 100-litre, part-time nanobrewery owned by Colin Field, and based in his converted garage. It commenced brewing in 2021, supplying local outlets and festivals. It concentrates on traditional cask ale using only English malt and hops, now available in bottles at local markets and fayres.
Formerly known as the Broxbourne Brewery, the name changed to Fallen Angel in 2017. Brewing began in 2013 using a 12-barrel plant. A 15-barrel plant has been in operation since the brewery's move from Hertfordshire to Essex in 2015.