Since 1985 we’ve been brewing exceptional beers, with a focus on quality in everything we do while championing the Great British pub at every step.
Thanks to the passion of our team and the loyalty of our customers, our beers are now enjoyed in more than 1,200 pubs and bars across the West Midlands and South Wales. Today, more than 15 million pints of our beer are enjoyed per year.
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1985 Wye Valley Brewery is founded
Peter Amor takes the leap after years of brewing for Guinness, setting up his own brewery in the summer of 1985. He starts small, brewing from the back of a pub called the Nag's Head in Canon Pyon, Herefordshire, laying the foundations for what would become Wye Valley Brewery.
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1986 A new home at The Barrels
Just a year later, the brewery moves into the old stable block at The Barrels in Hereford, our very first pub and still regarded as our spiritual home. It’s here that the brewery begins to gather real momentum, shaped by the people and the place that remain at the heart of who we are today
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1997 KEEPING IT IN THE FAMILY
After studying at Young’s Brewery in London, Peter’s son, Vernon Amor, returned home to join the family business. With the brewery growing fast, his arrival helped to drive Wye Valley Brewery into its next chapter.
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1998 Butty Bach first brewed
We mashed our first brew of Butty Bach in October 1998. It was intended as a one‑off special for the Cardiff Beer Festival at Splott Leisure Centre... something we expected to brew just once. But it went on to win Beer of the Festival… not just that year, but for three years running. It was clear Butty Bach had a life well beyond a single brew day.
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2002 THE BIG MOVE
By 2002 the brewery had outgrown its home at The Barrels, and Peter and Vernon began searching for a site that could support the next stage of our growth. They soon found it: a nine‑acre former cider mill in Stoke Lacy, which would go on to become the new home of Wye Valley Brewery.
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2009 BOTTLING IT UP
Installing our own bottling line marked another major step forward for the brewery. After an official opening attended by local dignitaries and loyal Wye Valley Brewery supporters, the line was up and running. For the first time, we were able to brew and bottle under one roof.
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2013 GOING GREEN
In October 2013, work was completed on a brand‑new Brewhouse. The new setup doubled our capacity, with every brew now producing around 23,000 pints. Much of the cleaning process became automated, improving efficiency and creating far better working conditions for the team. It marked a significant step forward in both scale and sustainability, setting us up for the years ahead.
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2016 OUR FIRST EVER LAGER!
As a specialist cask‑ale brewer of over 30 years at the time, introducing a lager felt like a natural next step for our range.
Named after the year Wye Valley Brewery was founded, 1985 is a cool, crisp lager with a pale straw colour and refreshing flavour. It’s a beer that reflects our roots while bringing something new to the bar.
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2022 Introducing Nightjar
Nightjar launched in September 2022. A smooth, creamy nitrogenated stout brewed with local hops and British malt, Nightjar is an evolution of one of Peter Amor’s original Dorothy Goodbody's Wholesome Stout cask recipe from 1985.
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2023 Installing a New Bottling & Canning Line
After installing our first bottling line in 2009, demand for our bottled beers steadily grew until the line was operating at full capacity. Rather than simply upgrade it, we invested in a brand‑new packaging line and a new canning line too. This major step future‑proofs our bottling operation and enables us to produce our first ever canned beers.
