Tour of Hepworth Brewery 11.11.25
BFBi Tour of Hepworth Brewery: Brewing Tradition with a Sustainable Future
The recent BFBi tour of Hepworth Brewery offered an inspiring look into how traditional brewing craftsmanship can coexist with forward-thinking sustainability. Our host, Andy Hepworth, founded the brewery on 28th February 2001 alongside two brewers and two engineers, all from King & Barnes Brewery. From the very beginning, Hepworth Brewery has combined a passion for quality beer with a commitment to doing business responsibly — sourcing locally, designing sustainably, and brewing with care.
From Local Roots to Sustainable Growth
Hepworth Brewery began as a mostly contract brewing operation, sourcing local barley and hops to support the majority of the UK’s organic brewers. This philosophy of local sourcing extends beyond ingredients — even packaging and engineering materials are procured as locally as possible.
In 2016, Hepworth moved to a new site, once again built with strong local collaboration. The brewery was designed in-house and constructed in Scotland, resulting in a unique setup of three independent 100hl brewhouses. Each brewhouse runs separately, feeding into shared conditioning and packaging areas. True to the brewery’s “keep it simple, keep it flexible” philosophy, the systems remain non-automated, with one skilled brewer overseeing each brewhouse.
Brewing Tradition, the Hepworth Way
Hepworth Brewery produces both ales and lagers using a single infusion mash and follows traditional “slow beer” methods. Their beers include gluten-free varieties (less than 15ppm gluten) and organic brews made with barley sourced from the Goodwood Estate. Around 20% of total production is non-alcoholic, brewed through a natural fermentable process rather than dealcoholisation.
Spent brewers’ grains are supplied to three local farms — a circular solution that helps reduce methane emissions from dairy herds. Even in transport, the brewery takes a responsible stance: all vehicles are electric, with hydrogen or gas-powered options being explored for larger delivery trucks.
Built for Sustainability
The new brewery was designed from the ground up with sustainability in mind — LED lighting, an A+ energy-rated building, and no mains gas or sewage. Wastewater is treated through a reed bed system, with low-grade effluent cleaned on site and high-grade effluent taken off site.
Recently, Hepworth installed a WASE biogas production system, a modular solution that allows for future expansion while cutting carbon emissions. Methane collected from microbial treatment is used to fuel the boiler and delivery area — turning waste into energy.
Andy Hepworth emphasised throughout the tour that “every sustainability step must make good business sense.” This pragmatic approach has enabled the brewery to continuously reinvest in greener technologies, ensuring long-term resilience.
Innovation Meets Efficiency
One standout innovation is the kettle heat and water recovery system installed by Futraheat — the first prototype in the UK. Using novel compressor technology, it achieves major energy savings while balancing capital investment against operating costs.
Other current and planned initiatives include:
Flexibility and Quality at Every Stage
The brewery’s storage vessels are mostly second-hand, sourced from various other breweries — another nod to resource efficiency. Filtration uses the kieselguhr horizontal method, chosen for its flexibility across beer styles.
With an in-house microbiology laboratory, every batch undergoes rigorous testing throughout production, ensuring a “right first time” approach.
In terms of packaging, Hepworth’s output is roughly:
Their setup includes two keg rackers, a bottling and canning line, and two membrane filtration systems on the bottling line from different suppliers — a combination that has ensured 25 years without a packaging specification issue. The PSL labeller enables high-speed, flexible changeovers, while waste packaging is compacted and sold on for recycling.
The extended warehouse now houses a 124-tonne mobile racking system powered by an efficient 0.75kW motor.
Looking Ahead
Hepworth Brewery’s latest sustainability milestone — the WASE modular effluent treatment plant — allows for 24/7 monitoring and robust water management. Treating 17–20,000 litres of wastewater per day, it reduces BOD (biochemical oxygen demand) levels to under 30mg before discharge, ensuring minimal environmental impact. The methane captured from this process further contributes to the brewery’s internal energy supply.
A Model for Sustainable Brewing
The BFBi visit to Hepworth Brewery was a masterclass in how sustainability can be integrated into every aspect of a traditional brewing business — from barley to boiler, and grain to glass.
Andy Hepworth and his team have shown that sustainability and profitability are not mutually exclusive, but rather two sides of the same coin when approached with creativity, pragmatism, and local collaboration.
Hepworth Brewery stands as a shining example of what it means to brew responsibly, think locally, and act globally.
