Story

Peter Amor takes the leap after years of brewing for Guinness, setting up his own brewery in the summer of 1985. He starts small, brewing from the back of a pub called the Nag's Head in Canon Pyon, Herefordshire, laying the foundations for what would become Wye Valley Brewery.

Just a year later, the brewery moves into the old stable block at The Barrels in Hereford, which remains our flagship pub. It’s here that the brewery begins to gather real momentum, shaped by the people and the place that remain at the heart of who we are today.

After studying at Young’s Brewery in London, Peter’s son, Vernon Amor, returned home to join the family business. With the brewery growing fast, his arrival helped drive Wye Valley Brewery into its next chapter.

We mashed our first brew of Butty Bach in October 1998. It was intended as a one‑off special for the Cardiff Beer Festival at Splott Leisure Centre... something we expected to brew just once. But it went on to win Beer of the Festival… not just that year, but for three years running. It was clear 'Butty' had a life well beyond a single brew and is now, along with HPA, our flagship beer. 

By 2002 the brewery had outgrown the stable block at The Barrels, and Peter and Vernon began searching for a site that could give as the capacity for further growth. They soon found it: a former cider mill on a 9-acre site in Stoke Lacy, 10 miles north of Hereford. 

Installing our own bottling line marked another major step forward for the brewery. After an official opening attended by local dignitaries and loyal Wye Valley Brewery supporters, the line was up and running. For the first time, we were able to brew and bottle under one roof.

In October 2013, work was completed on a brand‑new Brewhouse. The new setup doubled our capacity, with every brew now producing around 23,000 pints. Much of the cleaning process became automated, improving efficiency and creating a modernised working environment. It marked a significant step forward in both scale and sustainability.

As a specialist cask‑ale brewer of over 30 years at the time, introducing a lager felt like a natural next step for our range. Named after the year Wye Valley Brewery was founded, 1985 is a cool, crisp and refreshing lager, and with a pale straw colour. 

Nightjar launched in September 2022. A smooth, creamy nitrogenated stout, brewed with local hops and British malt. It is an evolution of Peter Amor’s original Dorothy Goodbody's Wholesome Stout cask recipe.

After installing our first bottling line in 2009, demand for our bottled beers steadily grew until the line was operating at full capacity. Rather than simply upgrade it, we invested in a brand‑new packaging line and a new canning line too. This major step supports long-term growth in our bottling operation, and enables us to produce our first ever canned beers.