Blackjack Brew Co

What Blackjack Brew Co does

Blackjack Brew Co is an independent craft brewery founded in 2012 in Manchester, England, operating from Arch 36 Irk Street in the Northern Quarter near Angel Meadows. The company produces over 42 unique beers annually on a 15bbl brewing system (installed 2021) with dual-purpose fermenter and conditioning tanks, organised into clearly defined ranges: the Pub Ale Series (traditional British cask ales), Lager Pursuits (Pilsner, Helles, Noble, Tilda, Squalor), Angel Meadows (West Coast-style pale ales and IPAs), Future of Modern (experimental hazies, nitro stouts), and Hell Upon Earth (limited imperial stout releases). The portfolio emphasises style authenticity, balanced flavour, and a narrative identity rooted in Manchester pub culture and Angel Meadow neighbourhood history, refreshed in June 2024 by Manchester studio Ensemble.

The business operates a multi-channel revenue model combining trade sales to pubs and bars (regional direct delivery across the North of England plus national keg distribution via the Sellar online trade platform) with direct-to-consumer sales through a Shopify webshop offering cans, mini casks, and merchandise, with free local Manchester delivery and APC national shipping. Additional revenue streams include the seasonal Brewtap venue (May–August weekends) and wholly-owned venue operations including Jack In The Box Altrincham, Smithfield Bar, and Sawn Street, which were folded into the brewery structure during a 2020 restructuring.

The company is privately held with approximately 11 employees, founder/management-led (Directors include Rich Fowell, Joe Bird, and Darcey), with Head Brewer Kieren Johnson leading production. There is no disclosed external investment, parent company, or external ownership. The business has demonstrated operational resilience through COVID-19 (pivoting to Cask in a Box and mini kegging during lockdowns) and a 14-month brewery rebuild crisis (2020-2021) that ultimately led to a successful gas-to-electric conversion.

Name

Blackjack Brew Co

Legal name

Blackjack Brewing Co

Website

https://blackjack-beers.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2012

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Manchester-based craft brewery founded in 2012, producing 42+ unique beers annually across multiple ranges including traditional cask ales, lagers, and modern IPAs. Serves UK pubs and bars through trade distribution and direct consumers via Shopify webshop, while operating wholly-owned market bars and a seasonal Brewtap venue.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Craft Beer

NAICS

Breweries (31212), Drinking Places (Alcoholic Beverages) (72241), Beer and Ale Merchant Wholesalers (424810)

SIC

Malt Beverages (2082), Retail-Eating & Drinking Places (5810), Wholesale-Beer, Wine & Distilled Alcoholic Beverages (5180)

akta.pro primary industry

Beer Brewing & Brands (CRADAIAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

Brewpubs & Taprooms (On-site Beer Service) (THAFALAA), Craft Beer Bars & Taprooms (THAFAEAG), Regional & National Breweries (THAFALAD), Taprooms & Brewpubs (CRANACAF)

Keywords

• Craft beer brewing
• Traditional cask ales
• Craft brewery products
• Beer wholesale distribution
• Pub trade beer supply

Headquarters

HQ city

Manchester

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Supply Chain, Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Beer Sales (Trade): Wholesale and direct sales of cask, keg, and canned beer to pubs, bars, and hospitality venues across the North of England and nationally via Sellar trade platform.
2. Direct-to-Consumer Beer Sales: Online sales of canned beer, mini casks, and merchandise through their Shopify e-commerce platform with local Manchester delivery and national shipping.
3. Brewtap Events: On-site tap room events generating revenue through direct beer sales to event attendees.
4. Merchandise: Sale of branded merchandise including apparel and accessories through their webshop.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Blackjack Brew Co is a Manchester-based craft brewery producing over 42 unique beers annually across multiple ranges including traditional British pub ales, lagers, West Coast IPAs, and modern experimental styles. The company sells via direct-to-consumer e-commerce (canned beer, mini casks, merchandise), wholesale trade channels to pubs and bars across the North of England and nationally via the Sellar platform, and on-site Brewtap events. Multiple formats (cask, keg, can, mini cask, bag-in-box) serve different consumption occasions.

Product overview

Blackjack Brew Co is a Manchester-based craft brewery producing over 42 unique beers annually across multiple distinct ranges. Their core portfolio includes: The Pub Ale Series (traditional British styles like Best Bitter, Northern Porter, and ESB celebrating pub culture), Lager Pursuits (classic lagers including Pilsner, Helles, and Noble), Angel Meadows (West Coast-style pale ales and IPAs), The Future of Modern (experimental styles including New England hazies, nitro stouts), and Collaboration beers. Beyond packaged beer, they offer Mini Casks for home dispense, operate a Brewtap events venue, and run Market Bars and the Smithfield Bar. They produce seasonal and charity releases, with recent notable launches including the 2024 full rebrand with Ensemble and limited edition Caminada Imperial Stout.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• The Pub Ale Series A range of traditional British beer styles celebrating pub culture, featuring Jack In The Box (Blonde Ale 4%), Best Bitter (4.2%), Early Days (Northern Porter 4.6%), and Little Extra (Extra Special Bitter 5.6%). Targeted at UK pubs, bars, and craft beer drinkers seeking traditional cask ale.
• Lager Pursuits A range of traditional and modern lager styles including Pilsner, Helles, Noble, Tilda, and Squalor, focused on truth to classic style. Targeted at craft beer drinkers and trade customers seeking authentic lager offerings.
• Angel Meadows Range West Coast-style beers inspired by American IPAs, including Irk Street Pale (3.8%), Salvation! Session IPA (4.5%), Ruff Times, All Angels, and Lowry Steps. Targeted at craft beer enthusiasts seeking hop-forward modern styles.
• The Future of Modern Experimental and modern beer styles including Hazy Meadows (3.8%), Dancing Saloon (5.2%), Fruition (4.2%), Irwell Depths (Nitro Stout 4.8%), Brace, Summer's Porter, and Hurdles. Targeted at adventurous craft beer consumers seeking new flavours.
• Collaboration Beers Collaborative beers brewed with partner breweries including Pail, Cyril, and Five Alive. Targeted at craft beer enthusiasts interested in limited collaborative releases.
• Hell Upon Earth Caminada Imperial Stout limited releases within the Hell Upon Earth range, with 2024 edition available. Targeted at craft beer enthusiasts seeking high-strength, limited-edition dark beers.
• Mini Casks Home-brewable mini cask ale (approximately 5 litres) sold via the webshop that customers chill, store, vent, tap, and pour at home. Contains live yeast and is not fined for brightest results. Targeted at home craft beer consumers seeking pub-style cask ale at home.
• Brewtap An events venue at Arch 36 Irk St, Manchester, hosting music and beer events during summer months with on-site beer sales, food vendors, and live music. Targeted at Manchester craft beer consumers and event attendees.
• Cask in a Box Beer sold in bag-in-box format developed during COVID-19 lockdown to save cask beer from drainage when pubs closed and enable home consumption. Targeted at consumers during the pandemic period.
• Smithfield Bar Bar venue located on Swan Street, Manchester, part of Blackjack's wholly-owned bar fleet serving on-premise beer sales. Targeted at Manchester consumers and visitors.
• Jack In The Box (Market Bar) Wholly-owned brewpub and market bar venue at Altrincham Market serving Blackjack beers on-premise. Targeted at Manchester-area craft beer consumers.
• Branded Merchandise Branded apparel and accessories sold via the Shopify webshop alongside beer. Targeted at brand enthusiasts and gift purchasers.

Named customers2 records

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration3 records

Partnerships

Eight partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• EnsemblecoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 June 2024Manchester-based creative studio that redesigned Blackjack's complete visual identity in June 2024. Developed new logo referencing Knave of Coins folklore character, created custom typeface 'Blackjack Meadows' from historic Manchester signage, and established a cohesive can/pumpclip design system across all beer ranges.
• Crisp MaltingscoreOthersSole malt supplier for base malt at Blackjack. Donated malt for The Curly Hetchins charity beer and provided Heritage Malts (Chevalier, Plumage Archer) at 50% discount for IPA for India collaborative brew.
• Loughran Brewing StorescoreOthersHop supplier that donated hop varieties (Cashmere, Idaho 7, Meridian) for The Curly Hetchins charity beer. Founded by Rob, Blackjack's original company director who departed in 2020.
• LallemandminorOthersYeast supplier that donated Nottingham Ale yeast pitch for IPA for India collaborative brew and The Curly Hetchins charity beer.
• Gravity SystemscoreTechnology or IntegrationBrewery design and installation company that installed Blackjack's new 15bbl brewing system in 2021. Assisted with emergency electric conversion when gas infrastructure was delayed. Ongoing technical support and onboarding assistance.
• IPA for India Collaborative GroupminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCoalition of 14+ UK breweries (Alphabet Brewing, Bang The Elephant, Brass Castle, Bunnyhop Brewing, Goffs Brewery, and others) coordinated by Libby from Goffs Brewery to brew collaborative Heritage IPA for COVID-19 relief in India, raising funds for Sewa UK charity.
• SellarcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorOnline trade platform enabling national keg sales to trade customers. Blackjack's trade store accessible at app.sellar.io/suppliers/blackjackbrewing/order for ordering kegs nationwide.
• APC (Courier)minorOthersNational courier service used for shipping webshop orders direct from brewery to customer doors, operating Monday-Thursday to avoid weekend warehouse storage.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Northern Monk: Leeds-based craft brewery with a similar multi-channel model (DTC, trade, on-premise) and comparable headcount/scale, serving the same Northern England craft market.
• Cloudwater Brew Co: Manchester-based craft brewery of comparable scale, producing modern, style-focused beers across multiple ranges with strong DTC and on-premise presence in the same Northern Quarter geography as Blackjack.
• Marble Beers: Manchester craft brewery producing cask ales and modern craft beers; notably, Blackjack acquired its original brewing system from Marble, indicating deep operational and stylistic lineage.
• Five Points Brewing: East London craft brewery with comparable headcount, multi-channel distribution, and traditional-meets-modern beer portfolio philosophy.
• Verdant Brewing Co: Cornwall-based craft brewery specializing in hop-forward hazy and West Coast IPAs, overlapping significantly with Blackjack's Angel Meadows and Future of Modern ranges.
• Thornbridge Brewery: Derbyshire-based craft brewery producing traditional and modern styles across multiple ranges; comparable portfolio breadth and UK regional craft positioning.
• Beatnikz Republic Brewing Co: Manchester-based independent craft brewery of similar size, operating in the same Manchester/Northern England craft market with overlapping on-premise and DTC channels.
• Brew By Numbers (BBNo): London craft brewery known for diverse, style-driven experimental ranges similar in philosophy to Blackjack's Future of Modern and collaboration-led releases.

Broad incumbents

• Camden Town Brewery: London craft brewery now owned by AB InBev; operates at significantly larger scale and competes for the same UK craft consumer, representing the well-capitalized competitive set.
• Magic Rock Brewing: Yorkshire craft brewery with broader national distribution; now owned by Lion, illustrating the consolidation trajectory and competitive backdrop independent UK craft brewers face.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Instagraminstagram.com/blackjackbrewco
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/blackjack-beers

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles6 records

Subsidiaries2 records

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 Blackjack Brew Co