Oakhill Brewery

Oakhill Brewery was a brewery in Oakhill, Somerset, England, that was founded in 1761 by John Billingsley.

The Original Oakhill Brewery

In its heyday it was a major producer most famous for Oakhill Invalid Stout. In 1904, due to its large volumes of production (between 2,000 and 2,500 barrels per week), the brewery even constructed its own railway to take barrels of Oakhill Invalid Stout to the Somerset & Dorset Railway in nearby Binegar. Until the railway's construction, the brewery had used a Wallis & Stevens traction engine to deliver their barrels to the station. Production continued until at the brewery until the advent of World War I sent it into decline.^[1] The brewery was destroyed by fire in 1924, and subsequently taken over by Courage Brewery. While brewing itself stopped in 1938, the malt sheds remained in use.

Beacon Brewery

In 1981 brewing resurfaced in the former Oakhill Brewery building when Beacon Brewery took over the premises to brew Fosseway Bitter and later Fosseway Forty^[2]. The brewery closed in 1983 when owner Gerry Watts died, but not before he had managed to produce Fosseway Stout, a tribute beer to the former Oakhill Brewery.

New Oakhill Brewery

In 1984, the brewery plant and premises were bought by local businessman Reg Keevil. Under the name New Oakhill Brewery, he brewed beers in the location until 1997, when he moved the plant to the old Courage maltings in order to expand. The brewery produced a total of 31 different beers through the company's 13 year history, and acquired a small chain of tied houses in the local villages. The brewery finally closed in 2004 when the owner retired.

References

1. ^ Old Mendip, Robin Atthill, David & Charles, 1971
2. ^ Beacon Brewery

External links

• The Directory of UK Real Ale Breweries on Oakhill