Brewery
547 Brixton Station Road SW9 8PF (Lambeth)
brixtonbrewery.com
First sold beer: October 2013
Closed brewery
1 Dylan Road SE24 0HL (Lambeth)
First sold beer: June 2018
Ceased brewing: September 2024
Conceived as early as 2011 by homebrewing neighbours Jez Galaun and Mike Ross, Brixton eventually opened two years with a 10 hl brewhouse from Oban Ales in a railway arch a little east of Brixton station at 547 Station Road. Soon establishing a keen local following, the operation later expanded into the next arch east, 548.
Many in the industry were surprised when this small outfit became the fourth new London brewery to attract funding from a multinational group Heineken bought a 49% stake in November 2017. The strong brand and association with an iconic neighbourhood were doubtless part of the attraction.
Though the founders retained control, the Dutch brewer’s resources enabled a major expansion to a much larger industrial unit in Herne Hill, under a kilometre from the brewery’s birthplace. Operations began here in June 2018 on a 50 hl automated brewhouse from UK supplier Gravity Systems and a new canning line installed on a hi-tech floor, with a potential capacity of 30,000 hl a year.
The Brixton arches were retained: 547 houses the brewhouse, which is still in regular use, while 548 has been converted into a regular taproom.
Heineken acquired full ownership in Feburary 2021, though the existing management remained in place.
In August 2024, Brixton announced that it was in the process of closing its main Herne Hill production site and shifting its core brands to the big Beavertown site in Ponders End, also now owned by Heineken. This was due to capacity restrictions in Herne Hill, where the lease was soon due for renewal. The Brixton arches were retained and remain in use for small runs and specials as well as providing a taproom, and the company is looking for a warehouse nearby to service local deliveries.
Beers are in keg and can, with some bottling and occasional cask, named with local references.
An unrelated earlier Brixton Brewery operated as a Conway brewpub in the 1980s.
Updated 18 October 2024.
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