Frome Brewing Company

Frome Brewing Company's story began in 1999, long before the brewery carried its current name. Originally established as Milk Street Brewery, it started life behind the Griffin pub in Frome, giving the business the kind of beginnings closely associated with Britain's small independent brewing revival: beer made on a modest scale with a direct connection to the local pub trade.

Over the following years the brewery grew well beyond its original home. By 2016, the operation had outgrown the space behind the pub and moved to Commerce Park on the edge of Frome. The move provided considerably more room for brewing and allowed capacity to increase to around 60 barrels, transforming what had begun as a small pub-based brewery into a much larger production operation.

Another important change followed in 2018 when Milk Street Brewery became Frome Brewing Company. The new identity placed the brewery's home town firmly at the centre of its name while continuing a brewing history that was already approaching two decades. From its expanded brewery, beer could be supplied directly to outlets around the area while wholesalers helped carry the range further afield.

Despite that growth, the brewery describes its priorities in uncomplicated terms: 'it's all about the beer'. Its brewers focus on quality and balance, experimenting with different ideas without allowing novelty to overwhelm drinkability. The result is a varied range covering different colours, strengths and flavour profiles, but with easy drinking beer remaining an important thread running through the portfolio.

Ingredients are another important part of that approach. Brewing can take place as often as five times a week, using malt from Warminster, hops supplied by Charles Faram and the brewery's own house yeast. Its yeast is described as similar to a Young's strain and valued for its versatility across the brewery's different styles. The entire beer range is vegan, although the brewery notes that its beers are not gluten free.

More than a quarter of a century after brewing first began behind a Frome pub, the brewery is considerably larger than the original Milk Street operation, but its stated philosophy remains refreshingly straightforward. Frome Brewing Company combines the capacity of its modern Commerce Park brewery with an independent approach centred on making balanced beer that its own team genuinely wants to drink.