Uley Brewery
Uley Brewery is a traditional English cask ale brewery operating from a 1833-established Cotswold tower brewery, producing six core real ales and seasonal specials for over 100 pub trade partners and direct-to-consumer buyers across mainland UK.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1833
- HeadquartersUley, United Kingdom
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingHardware or Manufacturing
What Uley Brewery does
Uley Brewery (legally Uley Ales LTD) is a traditional English cask ale brewery operating from a Grade 2-listed tower brewery built in 1833 in Uley, Gloucestershire, on the edge of the Cotswold escarpment. The site is built atop a natural Cotswold spring that supplies all brewing water, and the production process is deliberately traditional: top fermentation with sacchormyces cerevisiae yeast (now almost exclusively an English process), cask conditioning with no filtration or pasteurisation, individually steam-cleaned casks, and aging in cellar for approximately one month before service. The original stainless steel vessels, designed by Chas Wright, have been in continuous use since the 1985 reopening. The brewery was revived by Chas Wright in 1984-1985 after decades of alternative uses, and ownership transferred to Martin Brooks at end of 2018. Head brewer Ken Lush participates in the Charles Faram Hop Development Programme, providing access to exclusive hop varieties including UB40, Emperor, Jester, Olicana, Harlequin, and experimental CF277.
The product portfolio comprises six year-round beers (Uley Bitter 4.0%, Pigs Ear 5.0%, Old Spot 5.0%, Uley Pale 3.8%, Uley Gold 4.2%, Uley Taverner 4.5%) plus a rolling calendar of seasonal and special releases - seven planned for 2026 alone, including the Crossbreed collaboration beer. Uley serves two principal customer segments: trade partners (over 100 pubs across Gloucestershire and surrounding counties stocking Uley beers as regular, guest, or rotational accounts, with permanent tie-ups including The Old Spot Inn, The Crown & Sceptre, The Fleece Inn, Edgemoor Inn, The Black Bear, and Snuffy Jack's Ale House) and direct-to-consumer buyers purchasing via the e-commerce shop, brewery collection, local delivery across specific Gloucestershire postcodes, national courier delivery to mainland UK, and farmer's market stalls at Stroud and Cirencester. CAMRA recognised Uley Bitter as SW Region Champion Bitter in 2013 and Pigs Ear as Champion Beer of Gloucestershire.
The business operates a hybrid revenue model combining transactional beer and merchandise sales (apparel, accessories, glassware, Old Spot Real Ale Chutney), a £30/year Brewer's Circle membership providing 10% online discounts, early access to specials, and one Brewer's Table session per member, gift vouchers in £10-£100 denominations valid for one year, and on-site experiences including The Forge taproom (Friday 4-8pm) and The Brewer's Table tasting sessions at £25 per person. Pricing ranges from £4.00 (UB40 pint glass) to £82.00 (Old Spot 20L bag-in-box), with local delivery at £4.50 (free over £50) and national delivery at £8.40. Uley Bitter, Pigs Ear, and Old Spot constitute the original "Uley Originals" range; Uley Pale, Uley Gold, and Uley Taverner were added under the "Lush Beers" line, with newer offerings like Squeal of Fortune (2025) and Hussar (2023 re-introduction) extending the portfolio. Distribution is exclusively within mainland UK with no global footprint.
Uley Brewery firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Uley Brewery
- Legal name
- Uley Ales LTD
- Website
- https://uleybrewery.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1833
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- Uley Brewery is a traditional English cask ale brewery operating from a 1833-established Cotswold tower brewery, producing six core real ales and seasonal specials for over 100 pub trade partners and direct-to-consumer buyers across mainland UK.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Uley Brewery industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Real Ale Brewing
- NAICS
- Breweries (31212), Breweries (312120)
- SIC
- Malt Beverages (2082)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Beer Brewing & Brands (CRADAIAA)
- akta.pro secondary industry
- Packaging & Production Breweries (Limited/No On-site Service) (THAFALAB)
Keywords
Where Uley Brewery is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Uley
- HQ country
- United Kingdom
- HQ region
- Europe
Offices1 record
Markets served
Uley Brewery business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Hardware or Manufacturing
- Cost components
- Supply Chain, Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure
Revenue model
- Beer Product Sales: Sale of core range beers (Uley Bitter, Pigs Ear, Old Spot, Uley Pale, Uley Gold, Uley Taverner) and seasonal specials in various formats including 1L bottles, 5L minipins, and 10L/20L bag-in-box. Available year-round and as limited seasonal releases.
- Merchandise: Branded merchandise including apparel (t-shirts, polo shirts, caps), accessories (key rings, bobble hats), glassware (pint glasses), and food products (Old Spot Real Ale Chutney).
- Brewer's Circle Membership: Annual membership at £30 providing 10% discount on all online orders, early notice of specials, exclusive brewery gift, member updates, and one Brewer's Table session for member and guest. Does not auto-renew.
- Event Tickets: The Brewer's Table tasting sessions at £25 per person including all beer until 4pm. Private hire of The Forge venue for events.
- Gift Vouchers: Gift vouchers available in £10-£100 denominations, valid for one year from purchase, redeemable for beer and merchandise.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Core beer range priced by format |
| One time/ perpetual license | One time/ perpetual license | Gift vouchers for beer and merchandise purchases |
| Subscription | Annual | Brewer's Circle annual membership |
| One time/ perpetual license | Pay-as-you-go | The Brewer's Table tasting event |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Merchandise items |
Go-to-market motion3 records
Distribution channels6 records
Marketing channels7 records
Uley Brewery product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Uley Brewery is a traditional Cotswold tower brewery that produces cask-conditioned real ales brewed with natural Cotswold spring water, English top-fermentation yeast, and premium ingredients such as Maris Otter malt and Herefordshire hops. The brewery sells its beer directly to consumers through an e-commerce shop, local delivery service, farmers markets, and an on-site taproom called The Forge, while also supplying a network of more than 100 pubs and trade partners across Gloucestershire and surrounding counties.
Product overview
Uley Brewery is a traditional Cotswold tower brewery founded in 1833, operating from its original site in Uley, Gloucestershire. The company produces a portfolio of cask-conditioned real ales alongside merchandise, gift offerings, membership programs, and venue experiences. The core beer range consists of six year-round offerings: Uley Bitter (Classic English Bitter, 4.0%), Pigs Ear (Strong Pale Ale, 5.0%), Old Spot (Prize Strong Ale, 5.0%), Uley Pale (Pale Ale, 3.8%), Uley Gold (Golden Beer, 4.2%), and Uley Taverner (Premium Bitter, 4.5%). Seasonal and limited special beers are released throughout the year, with seven planned specials for 2026 including Reservoir Hogs, Crossbreed (collaboration with Charles Faram), Hog's Wallop, Cheeky Swine, Harvest Special, and Pigor Mortis. The product portfolio extends beyond beer to include branded merchandise (apparel, accessories, glassware, food products), gift vouchers (£10-£100), and The Brewer's Circle membership program (£30/year offering 10% discount and exclusive events). The company operates The Forge taproom for in-person experiences and offers home delivery of beer across the UK.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Quantifiable outcome
- CAMRA's SW Region Champion 2013 Bitter for Uley Bitter
- +1 more outcomes
Companies that use Uley Brewery
Customer profileNamed customers7 records
Segments3 records
Ideal customer profiles2 records
Uley Brewery technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature5 records
Uley Brewery partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Four partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.
- Warminster MaltingscoreSupplier of Maris Otter Pale Ale Malt and Roasted Crystal Malt. One of the last traditional floor maltings in the West Country, located in Wiltshire. Critical ingredient partnership for Uley's traditional brewing.
- Charles Faram Hop Development ProgrammecorePartnership with hop breeder Charles Faram providing access to new English hop varieties including Emperor, Jester, Olicana, Harlequin, and experimental hop CF277. Uley is reportedly the only UK brewery using the UB40 hop variety developed through this programme.
- Kitchen Garden FoodsminorProducer of Old Spot Real Ale Chutney, a branded food product sold through Uley's merchandise line. Manufactured using Uley's Old Spot Ale.
- Neil Griffin LeatherminorLocal artisan from Forest of Dean who designs and creates UB40 leather keyrings, sold as limited edition merchandise. Neil has been a regular at Stroud market for over a decade.
Scale indicators3 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights5 records
Uley Brewery competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Hook Norton Brewery: Oxfordshire-based traditional tower brewery producing cask-conditioned real ales using heritage methods comparable to Uley's. Similar family-owned independent model, traditional brewing technology, and focus on regional pub trade in the Home Counties / Cotswolds corridor.
- Stroud Brewery: Gloucestershire-based craft brewery operating in the same South West regional market as Uley with comparable cask ale portfolio, DTC e-commerce, and pub trade network. Direct overlap in geography, target customers (Gloucestershire pubs and local drinkers), and traditional real ale positioning makes it Uley's closest peer.
- Cotswold Brewing Co: Brewery located in the same Cotswolds region, producing traditional cask ales and bottled beers with a similar heritage-and-provenance brand narrative. Comparable scale, product mix, and target on-trade customers within Gloucestershire and the surrounding Cotswolds geography.
- Theakston Brewery: Yorkshire-based independent family brewery producing traditional English cask ales and bitters with strong CAMRA award pedigree. Comparable traditional brewing focus, regional pub trade model, and award-validated product quality credentials.
- Thornbridge Brewery: UK craft brewery producing a wide range of cask and packaged ales distributed nationally through pub trade and DTC channels. Similar multi-channel approach (DTC, trade, taproom), craft positioning, and seasonal/special release cadence.
- Wadworth Brewery: Wiltshire-based family-owned regional brewery (six-generation) producing traditional cask ales with a comparable heritage brand and regional pub trade network. Direct overlap with Uley in Wiltshire accounts and traditional bitter/strong ale product positioning.
- Bath Brewery: Independent South West England craft brewery producing traditional and contemporary cask ales for the regional pub trade and DTC customers. Similar heritage-led positioning, comparable product mix of bitters/pales/strong ales, and overlap in on-trade accounts across the West of England.
Broad incumbents
- Shepherd Neame: Britain's oldest brewer (1698) and a broad regional incumbent in the South East producing traditional cask ales, lagers and spirits at substantially larger scale. Operates in the same UK traditional cask ale category but with much broader portfolio, national distribution and own-tied estate of pubs, making it a higher-scale benchmark rather than direct competitor.
- Greene King: Major UK brewer (now part of a large pub/brewing group) producing cask ales including regional heritage brands alongside lagers and ciders. Broad incumbent competing for the same on-trade cask ale taps across UK pubs, though at national scale with a tied-estate advantage Uley does not have.
Emerging players
- Moor Beer: Independent UK craft brewery producing cask and packaged ales with focus on quality ingredients and modern craft styles. Comparable independent scale and craft positioning, though with more contemporary style focus versus Uley's traditional English bitter/ale heritage.
Market position
Strengths4 records
Weaknesses4 records
Competitive moat3 records
Key risks5 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Uley Brewery social profiles
Digital presenceUley Brewery financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Uley Brewery leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles4 records
Uley Brewery funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Uley Brewery M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Uley Brewery
What does Uley Brewery do?
Uley Brewery is a traditional Cotswold tower brewery that produces cask-conditioned real ales brewed with natural Cotswold spring water, English top-fermentation yeast, and premium ingredients such as Maris Otter malt and Herefordshire hops. The brewery sells its beer directly to consumers through an e-commerce shop, local delivery service, farmers markets, and an on-site taproom called The Forge, while also supplying a network of more than 100 pubs and trade partners across Gloucestershire and surrounding counties.
Is Uley Brewery a public or private company?
Uley Brewery is a private company. It is classified as family owned and is currently operating.
When was Uley Brewery founded?
Uley Brewery was founded in 1833. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is Uley Brewery based?
Uley Brewery is headquartered in Uley, United Kingdom, in the Europe region.
How does Uley Brewery make money?
Five revenue lines are on record. Beer Product Sales are the primary driver. The others are merchandise, brewer's Circle Membership, event Tickets and gift Vouchers.
Who are Uley Brewery's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Hook Norton Brewery, Stroud Brewery, Cotswold Brewing Co, Theakston Brewery, Thornbridge Brewery, Wadworth Brewery and Bath Brewery. Broad incumbents are Shepherd Neame and Greene King. Moor Beer is listed as an emerging player.
Does Uley Brewery have an API?
No public API is recorded for Uley Brewery.
What industry is Uley Brewery in?
Uley Brewery's product category is Real Ale Brewing. Its primary akta.pro industry code is CRADAIAA, Beer Brewing & Brands, with a secondary code of THAFALAB, Packaging & Production Breweries (Limited/No On-site Service). Its NAICS code is 31212 and its SIC code is 2082.