A YORK brewery has more than doubled production to keep up with demand for its award-winning beer.

Rudgate Brewery, in Tockwith, has been enjoying bumper sales since August 2009, when its Ruby Mild was named the Champion Beer of Britain.

It was the first York or North Yorkshire winner of the award in its 31-year history.

Now Rudgate Brewery has taken delivery of new fermentation tanks so that more beer can be brewed and stored throughout the week. Owner Craig Lee said: “We’ve been working flat out since we won the award, and just adapted to demand by increasing capacity to well over double what we were doing pre-award last year.”

Mr Lee, who has worked for the company for 12 years and took it over 18 months ago, said the operation is now producing 30,000 pints a week. “We’ve increased our full-time members of staff from three to five and taken on two more part-time workers as well,” he said. “We’re just doing more of the same, brewing more times a week and working round the clock to make it happen.”