Independent Nottinghamshire brewery founded by husband-and-wife team Ken and Fran Munro after more than 20 years in the pub trade. Brewing from a 12-barrel plant beside the A1 at Cromwell, Milestone produces a wide range of traditional and speciality beers and has become a distribution hub for pubs across the region.
Brewery story
Milestone Brewery grew out of Ken and Fran Munro's long-standing connection with the pub trade. After more than 20 years running pubs, where real ale had always been an important part of what they did, the husband-and-wife team decided to make the move from serving beer to brewing it themselves. They bought a small Nottinghamshire brewery business in 2004 and quickly began looking for a way to expand.
Their ambitions soon outgrew the original operation. Ken and Fran sourced a much larger brewing kit from Ireland and found a new home for it at Cromwell, just off the A1 near Newark. A vacant garage was converted into a brewery and the imported equipment became the heart of a 12-barrel plant. Commercial sales began in 2005, with the brewery taking its name from the milestone standing on the road opposite.
Its position alongside the A1, close to the Nottinghamshire, Lincolnshire and South Yorkshire borders, proved particularly useful as the business expanded. Milestone developed into both a brewery and a distribution hub, supplying more than 150 outlets directly with its own beers while also exchanging and distributing beers from other independent breweries.
Milestone has since produced more than a million pints and built a considerable collection of brewing awards. Raspberry Wheat has been particularly successful, including being named overall champion of the cask competition at the 2019 SIBA Independent Beer Awards and collecting further gold medals in subsequent competitions. Other recognised beers include Black Pearl, Little John, Maid Marian, Fletchers, Helles Lager and Lock, Prop and Barrel.
The Cromwell site has also developed into a destination in its own right. The brewery's adjoining taproom and private beer garden serve Milestone beers close to where they are made, alongside guest beers, cider, wines and spirits. Regular food vendors, quiz nights, bike nights and other events have turned the taproom into a busy social side of the brewery, completing the journey from Ken and Fran's years behind the bar to running a brewery with a bar of their own.
Taproom
An onsite brewery tap and private beer garden at Milestone's Cromwell brewery, serving the brewery's own craft beers, Helles Lager and award-winning Raspberry Wheat alongside guest beers, ciders, wines and spirits. Heated and sheltered garden seating is available, with regular street-food vendors and events including bike nights, cocktail nights and a weekly quiz.
Great North Road, Cromwell, Newark, NG23 6JE
An onsite brewery tap and private beer garden at Milestone's Cromwell brewery, serving the brewery's own craft beers, Helles Lager and award-winning Raspberry Wheat alongside guest beers, ciders, wines and spirits. Heated and sheltered garden seating is available, with regular street-food vendors and events including bike nights, cocktail nights and a weekly quiz.
