HAWKSHEAD Brewery has served up the next round of its £3 million expansion plans.

As reported by the Gazette, the company founded by Alex Brodie has set its sights on creating a state-of-the-art, rapid-batch brewhouse in Flookburgh, to complement its existing brewery at Staveley Mill Yard.

A formal planning application to build the new brewery at the former Willow Water bottling plant in Flookburgh has now been lodged with South Lakeland District Council, including malt storage silos and a boiler chimney.

The plans have been submitted by project manager Bryan Bremner, of Hawkshead Brewery's parent company, Halewood International, based at Sovereign Distillery, Liverpool.

The new 40-barrel brewhouse would operate 5.30am to 5.30pm Monday to Friday, with occasional brewing at the weekends, according to planning documents. Its capacity would be around 20,000 hectolitres (3.5 million pints) per year, and 15 full-time staff are proposed.

As reported by the Gazette in December 2017, Hawkshead Brewery is also to expand its brewery in Staveley, to focus on small-batch and limited edition beers.

Brewers created Wezzy Gezzy, a light, hoppy, pale ale, to mark The Westmorland Gazette's 200th anniversary, earlier this year.

- Willow Water told the Gazette it has not ceased trading, but now only supplies in bulk, and staff have been moved to other parts of the group.