A warm, real ale welcome to town’s very first brewery (From Gazette)

A warm, real ale welcome to town’s very first brewery

7:00pm Thursday 9th February 2012 in Colchester By Caroline Tilley

TWO friends are toasting the opening of Colchester’s First brewery.

Tom Knox and Roger Clark plan to serve their first ale – Colchester Number One – at real ale pubs the Fat Catt, in Butt Road, and the New Inn, in Chapel Street South, on Saturday.

The pals could not find a site for their venture in the town centre, so set up the brewery in the Viaduct Brewhouse, at Wakes Colne Business Centre.

Brewer Mr Knox said: “We have sunk everything we have into this.

“Roger and I have spoken about this a lot over the years and hopefully we will make it work – but the proof will be in the drinking.”

The pair have worked at major brewing companies over the past decade.

Mr Knox said they decided to start the business in Colchester because there isn’t one in the town.

He said: “We looked at getting premises in the town centre but because of business rates and rents, it was too expensive.

“Wakes Colne is still in the borough and is only five minutes outside Colchester.

“We were determined to call ourselves the Colchester Brewery and we can do that now.”

The real ale fanatics want to put Colchester on the map, but do not want to take the company global.

They hope to open a shop, produce bottled beers and install a cider press.

Mr Knox said: “We are not really interested in going nationwide.

“We want to be affiliated with Colchester and that’s the only area we are interested in.

“The idea is to be local and to support local pubs and the community.

“First we will get the beers on the go. After that, we hope to submit an application to open a shop on the side of the brewery, then create bottled beers and then down the line we will look at getting a cider press.”

Colchester Number One, which has been brewing for two weeks, is expected to be on sale from Saturday.