Robinsons is an independent family brewer founded in Stockport in 1838 and now run by the sixth generation of the Robinson family. One of Britain's longstanding family brewing businesses, it produces traditional ales alongside seasonal and collaborative beers and operates around 250 pubs, inns and hotels across the North West and North Wales.
Brewery story
Robinsons traces its history to 1838, when the family's brewing story began in Stockport. Over more than 185 years it developed from the Unicorn public house into a substantial family-owned brewing and hospitality business, with six generations of the Robinson family involved and an estate of around 250 pubs, inns and hotels across the North West and North Wales.
Traditional British ale remains at the heart of Robinsons, alongside seasonal releases and new styles. The brewery has also become known for its collaborations with Iron Maiden's Bruce Dickinson, while continued investment has combined the company's long brewing heritage with modern production technology.
A major change came in 2025 when brewing ceased at the historic Unicorn Brewery in central Stockport and production transferred to Robinsons' new brewhouse in Bredbury. The old Lower Hillgate site remains part of the business as the Old Unicorn Brewery Visitors Centre, with a free museum, bottle shop, event spaces and the brewery's Shire horse stables preserving the story of more than 185 years of Robinsons brewing.
Location
Robinsons is based in Greater Manchester, England.
Unicorn Brewery, Lower Hillgate, Stockport, SK1 1JJ
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Independent
