Bison Beer

What Bison Beer does

Bison Beer is an independent craft brewery and hospitality operator headquartered in Brighton, UK, founded in 2015 with 17 employees. The company operates a portfolio of physical venues rather than a traditional wholesale brewery model: the Bison Beach Bar at Sea Lanes on the East Brighton coastline (300 Madeira Drive, Brighton), the Hove Actually Bar & Bottleshop on Church Road in Hove, and historically the North Laine bar in Brighton. Venues combine on-site craft beer consumption with bottled/canned takeaway sales, food via partner operators (FIKA, Wood x Coal), and bookable event spaces at the Sea Lanes site (The Clubhouse, The Studio, and four rooftop booths of up to 12 guests each).

The brewing operation produces a small portfolio of proprietary recipes including See Side APA (core brew since 2015), Barry Milk Stout, Little Beast Pale, Dirty Rascal DIPA, Honeycomb Milkshake IPA, and Beast Street IPA, with intermittent seasonal and limited releases. Revenue is generated across four streams: bar and bottleshop retail sales at the Brighton and Hove venues, private event space rentals at Sea Lanes, e-commerce sales through a Shopify online store (merchandise and canned beer), and a Custom Cans B2B service delivering personalised branded craft beer to events and corporate clients at a 240-can minimum order and £2.25+VAT per can with a 6-week lead time. Distribution is direct-to-consumer via walk-in venue traffic, Deliveroo for Hove delivery, national shipping through the online store, and direct enquiry for custom can orders. The company is privately held with no disclosed institutional investors or funding rounds, and operates under the Bison Beer, Bison Beach Bar @ Sea Lanes, and Hove Actually trade names.

Name

Bison Beer

Legal name

Bison Beer

Website

https://bisonbeer.co.uk

Company type

Private

Founded year

2015

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Bison Beer is an independent UK craft brewery operating the Bison Beach Bar at Sea Lanes in Brighton and the Hove Actually Bar & Bottleshop, also offering custom-branded beer cans and event space hire to consumers, brands, and corporate clients in Sussex.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Craft Beer

NAICS

Breweries (31212), Beer, Wine, and Liquor Retailers (445320), Drinking Places (Alcoholic Beverages) (72241)

SIC

Malt Beverages (2082), Beverages (2080)

akta.pro primary industry

Regional & National Breweries (THAFALAD)

akta.pro secondary industries

Craft Beer Bars & Taprooms (THAFAEAG), Brewpubs & Taprooms (On-site Beer Service) (THAFALAA), Craft Beer Retail & Bottle Shops (Off-Premise) (CRANAAAC)

Keywords

• Craft beer brewing
• Independent brewery
• Craft beer bars
• Bottleshop retail
• Event venue hire

Headquarters

HQ city

Brighton

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Personnel, Supply Chain, Operations, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Bar and Bottleshop Sales: Revenue from on-site consumption and retail bottle/can sales at their craft beer bars and bottleshops in Brighton and Hove.
2. Event Space Rentals: Revenue from hosting private events at Sea Lanes beach bar venue, including rooftop booths, The Clubhouse, and The Studio spaces.
3. Custom Cans: Personalized branded craft beer cans sold to brands, festivals, weddings, and corporate events with minimum 240 can orders.
4. Online Store: E-commerce sales through their Shopify store for merchandise and beer products.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

Bison Beer is an independent craft beer company operating bars, bottleshops, and a small batch brewing operation in Brighton and Hove, UK. It produces its own craft beers (including See Side APA, Barry Milk Stout, Little Beast Pale, Dirty Rascal DIPA, and Honeycomb Milkshake IPA), operates physical venues for on-site consumption and takeaway, offers custom branded cans for events and corporate clients, and rents out beachfront event spaces.

Product overview

Bison Beer is an independent craft beer company operating bars, bottle shops, and brewing operations in Brighton and Hove, UK. The business consists of three physical venues: the Beach Bar @ Sea Lanes (beachfront location with rooftop booths and event spaces), Hove Actually Bar & Bottleshop (Church Road location with terrace), and their brewing operation. Their portfolio of craft beers includes six distinct brews: See Side APA (core), Barry Milk Stout (seasonal), Little Beast Pale, Dirty Rascal DIPA (limited), Honeycomb Milkshake IPA (seasonal collab), and Beast Street IPA (hibernation). Supplementary services include Custom Cans (personalised branded beer cans for events and corporate), and event space hire at Sea Lanes (The Clubhouse and The Studio).

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• See Side APA A Juicy American Pale Ale at 5% ABV, this is Bison Beer's core craft beer and fan favourite since 2015, available at their bars, bottleshops, and online store.
• Barry Milk Stout A Creamy Nitro Stout at 4.8% ABV, a seasonal craft beer release from Bison Beer's brewing lineup.
• Little Beast Pale A Tropical Session Pale at 3.5% ABV, a low-alcohol sessionable craft beer from Bison Beer's lineup.
• Dirty Rascal DIPA A Foraged Fruit Citrus Double IPA at 7.5% ABV, a limited release craft beer from Bison Beer's lineup.
• Honeycomb Milkshake IPA A Silky Smooth Honey Infused IPA at 6% ABV, a seasonal collaboration craft beer release.
• Beast Street IPA A Hop Heavy Orangey IPA at 5% ABV, currently in hibernation as part of Bison Beer's craft beer lineup.
• Bison Beer Beach Bar @ Sea Lanes Beach bar venue located at Sea Lanes, 300 Madeira Drive, Brighton BN2 1BX, offering rooftop booths, inside areas, and event spaces with sea views for on-site craft beer consumption.
• Hove Actually Bar & Bottleshop Independent craft beer bar and bottle shop at 57 Church Road, Hove BN3 2BD, featuring a terrace, rotating lineup of UK craft breweries, and weekly guest kitchens from Brighton independent chefs.
• The Clubhouse Event Space Private room event space at Sea Lanes with TV screen, sea views, and sound system. Capacity up to 56 seated or 80 standing, with flexible seating arrangements and rooftop access, available for private hire.
• The Studio Event Space Fully private terrace event space at Sea Lanes with sea views and optional rooftop space. Capacity up to 60 people (30 indoor seated, 30 outdoor standing) with private balcony overlooking the sea and Brighton Palace Pier, available for private hire.
• Rooftop Booths Four themed and covered rooftop booths at the Beach Bar, each accommodating up to 12 people. Booths are heated for year-round use: Beach House and Bird House (South), Game House and Tree House (North).
• Custom Cans Service Personalised craft beer can service offering premium quality 4% Hazy Pale Ale with custom branding for weddings, festivals, corporate events, and brand marketing. Minimum order 240 cans, prices from £2.25+VAT per can, 6-week lead time.

Named customers1 record

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration2 records

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Sea LanescoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2019Partnership formed in Spring/Summer 2019 to operate a beach bar and street food joint at Sea Lanes on the East Brighton coastline. Bison operates their beach bar venue at this redeveloped beachfront location, including event spaces and rooftop booths.
• DeliveroominorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorHove location available via Deliveroo for food delivery, extending reach to customers who prefer delivery over dine-in.
• Lucky SaintminorGTM or Marketing PartnerLucky Saint beer featured at Bison Beach Bar through events like Lucky Saint Quiz Nights on Sundays.
• FIKAminorOthersFood operator on site at Sea Lanes providing food service at Bison Beach Bar location.
• Wood x CoalminorOthersFood operator on site at Sea Lanes providing BBQ and roast services, with pre-order sharing platters available for events.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves12 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Camden Town Brewery: London-based craft brewery operating a taproom and brewhouse. Comparable on small-batch brewing and on-site hospitality, though now backed by AB InBev, illustrating both the brand and consolidation risk for independents like Bison.
• BrewDog: Scottish-headquartered craft brewery that has scaled a multi-venue bar and brewing model across the UK and internationally. Closest analogue to Bison's bar-plus-brewery-plus-experiential concept, but at vastly larger scale.
• Anspach & Hobday: London-based craft brewery operating a taproom alongside brewing, with branded cans across UK distribution. Comparable in bar-and-brewery hybrid model and packaged can product line.
• Beavertown Brewery: London craft brewery combining brewery operations with a core taproom and large-scale retail distribution. Direct peer on craft production, branded venues, and packaged can formats similar to Bison's custom cans.
• Verdant Brewing Co: Cornwall-headquartered craft brewery operating brewery and taproom facilities with a strong packaged-cans distribution. Comparable on small-batch craft product mix and branded can offerings.
• Pressure Drop Brewing: East London craft brewery running a taproom/bar alongside its brewing operation. Comparable on craft beer + on-premise hospitality model and packaged canned product format.
• Dark Star Brewing Co: Sussex craft brewery with a long heritage in the local market. Overlaps with Bison on small-batch brewing and Sussex brand position, making it a direct regional peer.
• Burning Sky Brewery: Sussex-based craft brewery operating its own taproom and small-batch production. Direct regional peer sharing Bison's Sussex craft beer positioning and brewery-plus-taproom model.
• Laines Brew Co: Brighton-based craft brewery operating brewing and taproom/bottleshop operations in the same local market as Bison. Most direct local competitive peer given shared Sussex geography and similar scale.

Regional players

• Harbour Brewing Co: Cornwall-based independent craft brewery with regional taproom presence. Comparable on small-batch craft brewing and venue-led model, though operating in a different UK region than Bison.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UClx8ci0gClodAurC79_1vyA
• Instagraminstagram.com/bisonbeer
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/bison-beer-crafthouse

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Bison Beer