Jobs hope as Brownhills brewery to expand

A £200,000 expansion of a Brownhills brewery is under way, allowing the firm to increase its beer production by 150 per cent, with the aim of creating new jobs.

Bosses at the Backyard Brewhouse say they have lined up contracts with major pub companies JD Wetherspoon and Punch Taverns and are also negotiating deals with other firms.

The building at the Gatehouse Trading Estate is undergoing a massive transformation and new equipment will be installed next month, temporarily interrupting production.

Production will be stopped for a time at the end of July but the brewery is expected to be running at full capacity again in August.

Director Austen Morgan said: "We're two thirds the way through building the new chill room. There is going to be a full restructuring of the inside of the building."

New offices and toilets will be built and the expansion will see the Lichfield Road brewery grow from 1,400 sq ft to 2,500 sq ft.

Equipment, including fermentation vessels and hot and cold liquor vessels, will be installed towards the end of next month.

Mr Morgan said: "Our current capacity is 20 barrels of beer a week, with 288 pints to each barrel.

"This expansion will allow us to increase capacity to 50 barrels a week. The expansion has allowed us to approach pub companies."

He said there would be no change to the variety of beers which the four-year-old brewery offers, which includes The Hoard, a beer inspired by the Staffordshire Hoard.

But Mr Morgan revealed new roles could be created to add to the firm's workforce of two. The company also wants to take over a pub in the future.

By Lisa O'Brien