Brewery to close as family firm goes after real ale market
By: JimOldfield
January 12th, 2012
Hydes, the long-established Manchester family brewer and pub operator, has decided to close down and replace its historic Grade II listed Queens Brewery, with the loss of a number of jobs.
The Moss Side brewery, which turns out 60,000 barrels a year and employs 50 staff, will be canned in favour of a new £2m replacement plant.
The move will take place later this year, after Hydes decided the Queens Brewery – built in 1861 – is no longer up to meeting the challenges of efficient beer production.
At the same time, the company has decided to withdraw from supplying the free trade market and is selling its free trade interests to Blackburn-based Daniel Thwaites.
The deal will see the transfer of eight sales and technical services staff to Thwaites.
At the new brewery, Hydes intends to focus solely on producing cask ales – including the highly-popular Hydes Original, and a range of seasonal and craft ales – to take advantage of the real ale boom.
It will also concentrate on acquiring new pubs – it already has 66 tenanted and managed houses – and refurbishing its present pub stock.
