#154 | 40 years young – Wye Valley Brewery

Reaching an important milestone in any business is a real achievement. It’s the culmination of hard work, commitment and the result of providing a quality product or service. Probably both…. And in 2025, today’s guests will toast their 40th year in the world of beer. And as we all know, that simply doesn’t happen by accident.

Since starting out in 1985, Herefordshire-based Wye Valley Brewery has been producing a wealth of excellent cask, keg and small pack beers.

They’ve earned a reputation for consistency and product quality, seeing their beers served in more than 1,200 pubs and bars throughout the West Midlands and South Wales.

As a result, they’ve gone from a humble beginning of producing approximately 10 brewers’ barrels a week to an average of 1000 barrels per week, with further growth to come.

Rewind back and the brewery’s story started nearly 40 years ago. After brewing for years for Guinness, Wye Valley Brewery founder, Peter Amor decided to branch out on his own. He began brewing from the back of a pub in Canon Pyon in Herefordshire but soon moved to the old stable block of The Barrels in Hereford – Wye Valley Brewery’s very first pub.

After studying at Young’s brewery in London, Peter’s son, Vernon Amor, joined the brewery to help with the demands of the growing business. And some 17 years later, the business would signal its latest growth by moving into a 9-acre former cider mill in Stoke Lacy.

But the journey doesn’t stop there – far from it. Ongoing expansion has included the installation of an impressive bottling and canning setup from Bedford-based Enterprise Tondelli, as well as investment in its warehousing and solar PV infrastructure, with a new brewhouse part of the brewery’s future, too.

While beers such as it’s super successful Nightjar, a kegged stout based on an original Wye Valley Brewery cask recipe, have helped put the brewery in front of eager new audiences.

In this episode of The Brewers Journal Podcast, we spoke with head of sales and marketing Abbie Gadd and head brewer Gareth Batemen, to discover the secret of the brewery’s longevity, the importance of moving with the times and why its 40th year will be the start of a new period of growth and evolution for the much-loved business.