Beer firm, planned brewpub
13 Wagtail Walk SE2 9FE (Bexley)
rockleopardbrewing.com
Active since: November 2018
Stacey Ayeh got into the drinks business through importing and marketing in the 2000s: following a visit to Sweden, he established Swedish cider brands Kopparberg and Rekorderlig in the UK, dipping into beer through importing Swedish-brewed Nils Oscar. Realising the specialist drinks market was moving in the direction of local producers, he built his experience of brewing with a spell at London Fields in Hackney (since under new ownership as Saint Monday) and taught himself to homebrew.
Stacey launched Rock Leopard as a commercial cuckoo brewer in late 2018, working alongside several other cuckoo brewers at Missing Link in West Sussex. During the lockdowns he conceived a plan to create a brewpub in Thamesmead where he lived, as it was a rapidly redeveloping neighbourhood with very few hospitality outlets.
Rock Leopard gained wider recognition in 2021 when one of its beers was included in the series of Step Up collaborations brewed at Cloudwater in Manchester, alongside Eko and Queer Brewing. The beers have also been brewed at Altarnum in Cornwall, BBNo, Villages and most recently at Drop Project.
Following a successful crowdfunding round in May 2022, Stacey located a unit at the new development of Cygnet Square, Thamesmead where he planned to install a community-focused 15 hl brewery and taproom. Following numerous delays thanks to local authority and landlord bureaucracy, the taproom was granted a license in February 2024, though Bexley Council made a mistake in the hours, which didn’t cover evenings or Sundays.
The taproom finally opened in June 2025, initially as a temporary popup, but local response was so enthusiastic that it’s remained open with limited hours as fitup progresses. Installation of the brewhouse is planned to commence during 2025 but it’s unlikely to be operational until at least spring 2026. In the the meantime, cuckoo brewing continues mainly at Drop Project.
Beers are in keg and can.
Updated 1 September 2025.
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