AN ESTABLISHED beer business has brewed up a £3million expansion plan to take it to 'the next level'.

New jobs are on the horizon as Hawkshead Brewery unveils proposals to build a state-of-the-art facility at an industrial site in Flookburgh, while also expanding its Staveley Mill Yard base.

Founder Alex Brodie said the new build will give the craft brewers the capacity to 'at least treble' production capacity.

"It will let Hawkshead Brewery off the leash," he said. "We are at capacity and this gives us the opportunity to grow.

"One of the purposes of doing this on two sites is that it protects the DNA of the business in Staveley. We remain a craft brewery, but for the first time in Hawkshead Brewery's life, we have space to play with.

"The technology coming in means we have the possibility of brewing multiple times per day, and there will be jobs from this. It's too early to say how many but there will be employment opportunities as the business grows."

The brewery has agreed a deal with German manufacturer Krones who will install a turn-key 40 Barrel (6,500 litre) rapid-batch brewhouse, capable of multiple brews per day, in a 10,000 square-foot warehouse on Moor Lane, the current site of Lakeland Willow Water.

The existing brewery at Staveley will continue in production, concentrating on small batch specialist and limited edition beers. It currently produces 7,000 barrels per year. The premises are being expanded following the acquisition of the Mill Yard unit formerly occupied by Lucy Cooks cookery school. This will pave the way for an increased cold collection room and provide space for a barrel-ageing programme.

"Our current 20 barrel plant is the perfect size for innovation and experimentation, but we also need more volume," said head brewer Matt Clarke.

The new brewery will be built on a site owned by Hawkshead’s parent company, Halewood International, whose CEO Stewart Hainsworth, said: “Hawkshead make great beers and cannot keep up with demand.

"We are investing both in a new brewery and in the existing one – to grow Hawkshead but also to protect and develop its wide portfolio of innovative limited edition beers. Hawkshead is the real thing - an authentic modern craft brewery. We want to keep it that way, as it expands.”

Mr Brodie added expansion on this scale would have previously been impossible before he sold the brewery to Halewood International earlier this year.

"This business has grown organically in its 15 years," he said. "Every development and growth had to be paid for out of profits. Halewood have been as good as their word when we did the deal and they're funding this £3m development."

He added: “The brewery is 15 years old and it has been straining at the leash for years. Halewood’s backing allows us go to the next level.

“Hawkshead is known for its commitment to cask ale, which is 65% of current output.

“We will be expanding production of keg, can and bottle, but we will also grow cask. Cask ale is Britain’s craft. We believe in it and, more to the point, so do most beer lovers, especially here in the North.”

Mark Heath, sales director of Krones UK, said: “It will be a showcase for us, demonstrating how rapid-batch brewing can future-proof a modern small brewery, giving it volume without the need to install a huge brew-house.

"We are delighted to have won the contract to help grow Hawkshead’s impressive range of flavoursome beers.”

David Stubbins, CAMRA area organiser for Cumbria and chairman of the Furness branch, said the expansion plans would open new doors for Hawkshead Brewery.

"I'm quite excited by it," he said. "What they're doing will give them tremendous flexibility. Their new owners have certainly opened up new routes to market.

"From my understanding, the type of kit they're investing in will enable them to do small production runs as they do now, but many more of them.

"I think they'll be able to match the more traditional breweries with their estates which are downsizing. That opens up new opportunities for brewers like Hawkshead."

Rob Johnston, chief executive of Cumbria Chamber of Commerce, was also full of praise for the move.

“Halewood promised to build a new brewery when they acquired Hawkshead earlier this year, and it’s good to see them coming good on that pledge," he said.

“That acquisition is proving beneficial for both parties, allowing Halewood to enter the brewing industry and giving Hawkshead capital investment and new routes to market through Halewood’s distribution network.”

He added: “Craft brewing is arguably the drink sector’s greatest success story of the last decade and Cumbrian breweries have been at the forefront.

“Alongside Hawkshead, we have the likes of Barngates, Bowness Bay, Coniston Brewery, Dent Brewery, Kirkby Lonsdale Brewery, Stringers, Ulverston Brewery, Unsworth’s Yard, Watermill and Winster Valley.

“They reinforce Cumbria’s reputation for premium quality food and drink, and complement the tourist offer. Being able to quaff a characterful local beer when you’re here on holiday adds to the overall experience.”