A YORK brewery is expanding out of its old premises into a purpose-built new facility.

Rudgate Brewery, based on Marston Business Park, said the expansion will enable the growing brewery to increase its brewing capacity with a new brew house and fermenting room, as well as more office space.

The brewery’s current 2,500 sq ft premises includes a 20- barrel brew plant, capable of producing 100 barrels per week. The new facility will be about 6,000 sq ft.

Owner Craig Lee said: “We are doubling the size of the building, which will double the potential capacity, and putting in a whole new brewery, which will last us for the foreseeable future.”

Marston Business Park is putting up the new building, for which Rudgate Brewery has signed a 15-year lease, and then the brewery is investing about £200,000 in fitting out the new facility.

It will then knock down its existing brewery and build storage and office space in one half of the new premises.

Craig said he hoped the development would be finished by Christmas, with the possibility of being able to use the new brewery from September. He said the business, which employs ten people, is looking to create more jobs as it grows.

“We just took on a new full- time member of staff last week because we’re getting busier and busier. If we make more beer, we will need more drivers, more brewers and all the rest of it.”

Craig took over the business in 2008 after working there for 14 years. Since then it has increased turnover from £350,000 to almost £1 million last year, after employing more sales people and driving business growth, as well as developing good relationships with pub companies such as Mitchells & Butlers. “Everyone’s buying more beer from us,” he said.

“We offer customers good beer at a sensible price and once you’ve got that right, you’ve got longevity of service of these customers. The cask trade is a growing market and ours has grown slightly quicker. We’re at capacity now.”

Craig said the brewery would focus on producing more of its six regular brands, which include Viking, Ruby Mild, Battle Axe, Jorvik, Special and Well Blathered, and it also produces three seasonal ales a month, based on a Viking theme.