An award-winning Bristol brewery is opening a huge new headquarters that will see the company double its brewing capacity. Wiper and True is currently based in St Werburghs but next month it moves its main operation to City Business Park between Old Market and Easton.
Alice Howells of Wiper and True says the move to larger premises marks an exciting new phase for the brewery best known for beers such as Kaleidoscope Pale Ale, In The Pines Amber Ale and Milk Shake Milk Stout. The new site will also see Wiper and True move closer to other Bristol breweries including Left Handed Giant and Newtown Park in St Philips.
“We're really excited to be based in this part of town, close to amazing music and cultural venues like Trinity Centre and Old Market Assembly, and a little more accessible from the city centre than our current site in St Werburghs.
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“Our new site is also just off the Bristol to Bath cycle path and with so many keen cyclists in our team, this was a huge plus for this location.”
The new headquarters is also across the road from the site where Garton Brewery was in the 19th-century. Wiper and True’s owners didn’t realise this unless they signed contracts for the new building, but it’s particularly poignant as Garton Brewery was run by Charles Garton, the great-great-grandfather of Wiper and True co-founder Cesca Garton.
Alice says: “Cesca had always known that her family had been involved in the Bristol beer scene, but only recently found out the extent of these brewing roots - and their proximity to our future site. When this all came to light, we were even more certain that Old Market was the rightful next home of Wiper and True.”
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The huge new site for Wiper and True was previously occupied by IMI Engineering, a precision engineering company that manufactures valves and other pieces of technical equipment. Wiper and True is taking on five units on the industrial estate, a 28,000 square foot space which will house the main beer production facility, the warehouse, offices, and a new taproom.
“The majority of our brewing will take place at Old Market, with beers served just metres from where they’ve been brewed. In our new home, we will more than double our current brewing capacity, with the installation of a spanking new, custom-made, top-of-the-range 4,000 litre brew kit built to our exact specifications by German experts.
“Our new canning line will fill 5,000 cans an hour. For context, our current canning line has two filling heads, and just about manages 1,200 cans an hour, if we ask really nicely!
“The bigger footprint of our new premises means more than just brewing capacity and shiny new kit though. It also means that we can increase the quality of our beer, and continue our mission to constantly tweak, refine and improve our beers.”
Alice says Wiper and True will continue to focus on sustainability at the new site. They’ve installed as many solar panels as they could afford on the roof of the units, and they have already been providing energy to fuel the build of the new headquarters.
“We continue to explore new ways to decrease our footprint on the earth. We’re exploring carbon capture technology, and applying for our B Corp certification, too - our sustainability manager, Joe, is busy getting stuck into all sorts of exciting projects.”
And for Wiper and True fans in St Werburghs, the good news is that the brewery will still retain a presence there.
“We’re very pleased to say that we’re also keeping our roots in St Werburghs, with our original taproom on York Street remaining open to the public. We'll still be brewing in St Werburghs, too.
“Our barrel-aged beers will continue maturing and evolving in the original St Werburghs site, and we’ll be making and serving limited edition releases of new and existing fan favourite beers.”
The taproom at the new site will open in July.
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