Burton Bridge Brewery Expands – and There’s Lager at the End of the Tunnel

Here’s some news to raise a glass to – one of Burton’s beloved breweries is levelling up, thanks to a welcome boost of funding.

Burton Bridge Brewery, in partnership with Heritage Brewing, has secured a grant from the People, Innovation and Place Programme (PIPP) – a mouthful, yes, but one that’s helping to fill actual pint glasses.

The grant, awarded via East Staffordshire Borough Council and the Staffordshire Chamber of Commerce, will fund new equipment to expand production – most excitingly, a brand-new fermentation and conditioning tank built specifically for keg beer.

This shiny bit of kit means the brewery can finally fulfil a long-held ambition: brewing lager. Yes, lager. The kind that’s cold, crisp, and often cruelly underestimated in beer snob circles. Until now, Burton Bridge simply didn’t have the equipment or space to make it happen.

But it’s not all about lager. The new tank gives the brewing team more flexibility to get creative with experimental cask ales – think dry hopping, fruit infusions, spices, and all manner of innovations, without sacrificing that classic Burton clarity.

The tank will arrive (on a lorry, not a magic beer float) from Spey Valley Brewery up in Scotland, with local firm H. Young Transport making sure it gets here safe and sound. It will then be installed and prepared for its first batch of beer – which, fittingly, will be a cask ale to break it in gently before the lager trials begin.

For those keeping score, Burton Bridge Brewery – founded back in 1982 – merged with Heritage Brewing last year, creating a brewing partnership that bridges the gap between tradition and innovation.

Together, they produce two distinctive ranges of proper Burton beer, staying true to the town’s world-famous brewing roots while still pushing the boundaries.

The team says this is just the start of the next chapter, and it means beer-lovers at the Burton Bridge Inn can look forward to even more variety on the pumps – with everything made just down the road.

So if you needed another reason to be proud of living in Britain’s brewing capital, consider this your invitation to raise a pint (or maybe a new Burton-brewed lager) to local growth, innovation, and very good beer.