Ringwood Brewery

Ringwood Brewery was established in 1978 by a very experienced brewer, Peter Austin. Austin had brewing experiences in several breweries before he got inspired to open a brewery that he could call his own. After founding Ringwood, Austin continued on to do great things, including creating the brewery’s flagship ale - Old Thumper - and helping to establish over 120 breweries in 17 countries! Today, the brewery is capable of brewing over 40,000 barrels of its delicious ales and has managed to impress a multitude of beer lovers around the world.

No products found.

let's tap into their story!

In 1978, Peter Austin founded Ringwood Brewery after years of experience in several breweries. Austin was even the head brewer once, at Hull Brewery, where he stayed for 30 years. Feeling disillusioned with Hull Brewery’s direction, Austin left, bought a boat, and took several exciting boat trips on the south coast.

After being approached by Monty Python star Terry Jones and The Guardian beer columnist Richard Boston, Austin jumped at the shining opportunity to return to brewing. Austin helped the two establish a small brewery and was thus inspired to open a brewery of his own; that was how Ringwood came into the picture.

Ringwood’s first brewhouse was actually in a former bakery called Minty’s Yard. After outgrowing the place in 1986, it moved to its present site on Christchurch Road. To this day, the town is still filled with the inviting aroma of hops and malt, a nod to the brewery's early days.

Ringwood was named after the historic English town of Ringwood on the River Avon just to the west of the New Forest - one of the largest remaining tracts of unenclosed pasture land, heathland, and forest in the south east of England. The beautiful town used to have a vibrant brewing community that was lost after the second World War, though that was revived thanks to Austin’s great work.

In 1982, Austin hired Alan Pugsley and trained him to brew and work with him on brewery start-ups. The two helped to establish over 120 breweries in 17 countries while using Ringwood’s site for training purposes.

Widely acknowledged for saving the microbrewery movement in the UK, Austin also played a crucial role in introducing and popularising it in America and around the globe. His contributions also extend to the founding of the UK's Small Brewers Association, SIBA, back in 1980.

Austin brought his expertise and his unique Yorkshire yeast that he uses in Ringwood’s brews to the new breweries that he helped to erect.The yeast’s signature fruity and spicy flavours became ubiquitous in English and American start-up breweries.

As Ringwood grew, Peter took on two business partners, David and Nigel Welch, who brought greater financial stability to the brewery. Ringwood continued to grow and even managed to acquire a few pubs, which meant that the brewery had to expand its site. The expansion helped the brewery to increase its brewing capacity over the years.

He is widely credited with saving the microbrewery movement in the UK as well as introducing it to America and popularising it worldwide. He was also responsible for founding the UK's Small Brewers Association SIBA back in 1980.

Ringwood’s signature brews

Austin’s special Ringwood yeast not only helped spark the modern British microbrewery movement, but also resulted in the creation of Ringwood's flagship beer - Old Thumper. The strong ale was first brewed in 1979, and is known for its luscious balance of grainy hoppy goodness and finishes with delicate fruit notes.

Another popular brew of Ringwood is Seventy Eight - a light amber ale that was first brewed in 2008 to celebrate the brewery’s anniversary. In fact, Seventy Eight was so popular at the time that it was brought back for the brewery’s 40th celebrations.

Ringwood today

In 2007, Ringwood was sold to Marstons - Carlsberg’s joint venture partner. Today, Ringwood is able to produce 40,000 barrels of its distinctive beers! With a history dating back over a century and a dedication to crafting exceptional ales, they have become a beloved establishment in the brewing industry.