Marches Brewery

Tel (01584) 878999; Website not yet available

Following the breakup of the Solstice Brewery partnership, Paul Harris set up the Marches Brewery on an industrial estate in Leominster. A range of beers was produced, including the house beer for the nearby Black Horse and the excellent Jenny Pipes Summer Ale. The beers were sold into the free trade over a wide area. Paul ceased brewing in 2000 in order to transfer the equipment to a new site at Dormington, in conjunction with a proposed Food and Frink Centre. The Foot and Mouth epidemic put a stop to all activity and subsequently, although the full Dormington project is still in delay following change of ownership of the main site, the brewery is now operational.

Initially, the beers were only available via festivals and at Paul's own Little Beer Shoppe in Ludlow. Recently, some local pubs have been supplied, notably the Black Horse in Leominster, but no regular pub outlet has been established. Beers brewed so far include Dormington Gold, and Bodiceas Gold (both 4.5%) which use new hop varieties and more recently Forever Autumn and Mediaeval Ale.