Creative Juices Brewing Company

Creative Juices began, appropriately enough, over a few beers in the pub. Three old friends who had known one another since school shared an enthusiasm for beer and home brewing, but each had established a separate career. Conversations about what might happen if they worked together and began brewing commercially kept returning until one of the friends finally decided to leave his day job and become a full-time brewer. In 2018, Creative Juices Brewing Company was born.

Finding the right home was particularly important. Having grown up in Croxley, lived in Watford and worked around Rickmansworth, the founders wanted the brewery to contribute something to the community they knew rather than simply locating wherever space was available. Their search eventually led to Woodoaks Farm in Maple Cross, an ancient farm whose recorded history stretches back to Saxon times. A former dairy building provided the unusual setting in which they could start putting their plans into practice.

The brewery opened in 2019, producing unpasteurised beer for keg and can rather than cask-conditioned ale. Creative Juices approaches brewing as an opportunity to explore and experiment, often taking recognisable beer styles and giving them its own creative edge. The philosophy is less about beer snobbery and more about discovery: whether someone wants something unusual or simply a well-made lager, the brewery wants craft beer to feel approachable.

Creativity extends beyond what goes into the fermenters. The founders have longstanding connections with and interests in the creative arts, and the brewery has sought to support artists through exhibitions, beer artwork and limited-edition charity prints. That combination of brewing and art is part of a wider ambition to build a business that does things differently while remaining rooted in the community around it.

The social side of that idea is most visible in the brewery taproom. Opened in October 2019 inside the farm's old grain store and milking parlour, it was joined by an outdoor hop garden in 2020. An extensive refurbishment followed in 2026, creating a renewed space filled with upcycled furnishings, comfortable seating and a log burner, with 20 temperature-controlled beer lines pouring Creative Juices beers alongside a changing selection from guest breweries.

The taproom is deliberately designed as somewhere to spend time rather than simply somewhere to buy a pint. Street-food traders visit on Friday and Saturday evenings, a monthly pub quiz brings regulars together, and the Taproom Sessions provide live music twice a month. Art, a crowd-sourced soundtrack and a television-free approach all reinforce the founders' preference for conversation and community over the distractions of a conventional bar.

Inclusivity is equally central to the venue. Families are welcomed with baby-changing facilities and games, adaptations have been made for wheelchair users despite the limitations of the old dairy building, and dogs receive an enthusiastic welcome of their own. The brewery sums the approach up as a warm welcome for everyone — regulars and newcomers, locals and visitors alike.

What started as a recurring conversation between three school friends has therefore become much more than a production brewery. Creative Juices has turned part of a historic Hertfordshire farm into a place where beer, food, music and art meet, while keeping the original motivation intact: great beer is at its best when it is discovered and shared with other people.