ABYSS Brewing is an independent brewery founded in Lewes, Sussex, in 2016 by Andy Bridge and Andrew Mellor. Beginning in the cellar of The Pelham Arms before opening its own brewery and taproom in 2021, ABYSS produces expressive modern beers spanning hop-forward pales and IPAs, lagers, stouts and experimental releases, with art, music, collaboration and community at the heart of its identity.
Brewery story
ABYSS Brewing was founded in Lewes in 2016 by art school friends Andy Bridge and Andrew Mellor. Born from a shared enthusiasm for hop-forward beer, bold visual identity and the culture surrounding independent brewing, ABYSS began producing beer from the cellar beneath The Pelham Arms in Lewes.
From those small beginnings, ABYSS developed an identity built around expressive, modern beers and the intersection of brewing with art, music and culture. Its range now spans established core beers, returning favourites and experimental releases, giving the brewery space to explore different styles, ingredients and techniques while continuing to produce beers including SUPER PALE, GONZO, SUPERFUZZ and DANK MARVIN.
After meeting and building relationships with more of its customers during the pandemic, ABYSS successfully crowdfunded a permanent brewery and taproom in Lewes. The new brewery opened in October 2021 inside a former 18th-century maltings on Davey's Lane, a building with its own connection to the town's long brewing history. Today, every ABYSS beer is brewed there, from hop-forward hazy beers and crisp lagers to imperial stouts, seasonal releases and collaborations.
Collaboration remains central to ABYSS, whether working with other independent breweries, local producers, artists and musicians or supporting community projects. The brewery describes itself as an evolving creative project, rooted in Sussex and driven by curiosity, using beer alongside events and shared spaces to bring people together.
Taproom
ABYSS Brewery + Tap is housed in a former 18th-century maltings in Lewes, once associated with the neighbouring South Downs and Tamplins Brewery. Opened in 2021, the taproom has 12 rotating taps pouring ABYSS beers brewed on site alongside low-intervention wines, cocktails and soft drinks. Food comes from Boho Baja's Southern California-inspired food truck, while the brewery hosts regular quizzes, DJs, creative events and community activities.
Unit 3, The Malthouse, Davey's Lane, Lewes, BN7 2BF
ABYSS Brewery + Tap is housed in a former 18th-century maltings in Lewes, once associated with the neighbouring South Downs and Tamplins Brewery. Opened in 2021, the taproom has 12 rotating taps pouring ABYSS beers brewed on site alongside low-intervention wines, cocktails and soft drinks. Food comes from Boho Baja's Southern California-inspired food truck, while the brewery hosts regular quizzes, DJs, creative events and community activities.
