Hawkstone has gone from a farm-shop beer idea to a serious presence in British pubs at remarkable speed. It is easy to assume the story begins and ends with Jeremy Clarkson’s name, but a closer look at the Gloucestershire operation reveals something more interesting: a fast-expanding brewery built around British ingredients, patient lagering and an ambitious keg business.

Hawkstone Lager arrived in mid-2021, initially using barley connected with Clarkson’s farm. The product took off rapidly, prompting Clarkson to invest in the business. That investment helped transform a brewery that had supplied roughly 50 pubs into one supplying more than 4,000.

That is an extraordinary leap in a crowded beer market, and it explains why the larger brewers are paying attention. A brand that gains pub taps, bottle-shop space and loyal customers at this pace is competing for the same market share.

From a Relaxed Tap Room to 4,000 Pubs

The Hawkstone Arms has a deliberately unfussy feel. There are concrete floors, old timber tables, Chesterfield-style lounges and a busy bar rather than the polished formality of a traditional hotel pub. It suits the brand: practical, rural and a little rough around the edges.

Behind the bar is a broad range, with 7 beers and 4 ciders available. But the lager remains the focal point. It was the first beer created for Clarkson by Rick and Emma, and its reception gave the company the momentum to expand its site and capacity.

The scale of growth is not just about a familiar face attached to the label. Hawkstone is focused on keg supply to pubs and restaurants. That is strategically important because a pint enjoyed in a pub can create repeat demand elsewhere, whether in bottles or cans.

There is also a clear commitment to British farming. The brewery says it is working exclusively with British hop farmers, and that its hop usage in 1 year increased activity in that farming sector by 15%. For a growing independent brewer, that connection between the farm, the brewery and the pub is a compelling part of the proposition.

Beer Made From 4 Ingredients

The recipe is reassuringly straightforward. Hawkstone lagers use just:

• Water
• Malted barley
• Hops
• Yeast

Water makes up about 90% of beer, so it is adjusted before brewing rather than used straight from the tap. Malted barley supplies the fermentable sugars and much of the colour. Hops bring flavour, while yeast does the hard work of converting sugars into alcohol and naturally occurring carbonation.

The difference between a pale lager and a darker beer is largely about how far the barley has been roasted. Lightly roasted malt gives lager its straw-like colour. Roast the grain further and it becomes darker, crunchier and less sweet, producing flavours reminiscent of coffee, chocolate and burnt toast. That is the route to a darker beer such as Hawkstone Black.

The brewer’s explanation is wonderfully simple: chew the malt and, after an initially plain taste, the natural sweetness starts to emerge. Those sugars are what later become alcohol during fermentation.

Why Dark Bottles and Natural Carbonation Matter

Packaging is not just a design decision. Hawkstone uses dark glass because it protects beer from light and heat without relying on added protection. It is the same basic principle behind dark champagne bottles and dark jars used for light-sensitive foods.

Then there is the carbonation. During fermentation, yeast consumes the barley sugars. It produces carbon dioxide, which forms the beer’s bubbles, before moving into the stage that produces ethanol. The brewery describes its carbonation as naturally generated, giving smaller and more delicate bubbles than a heavily force-carbonated drink.

That attention to production detail is part of what gives the beer a premium, proper-brewed identity. It is not complicated for the sake of it. The entire operation is built around getting simple ingredients right, then giving the beer enough time to mature.

The Cider Range: Apples First, Fruit Second

The cider range follows a similarly direct approach. The base cider is made with British apples, including apples sourced from the surrounding area, and is described as pure apple juice rather than juice from concentrate. Champagne yeast is used to create a finer bubble and a lighter, easier-drinking mouthfeel.

There are a few distinct directions in the range:

• Apple cider: a clean, pale cider made from British apple juice.
• Strawberry cider: the apple base with fresh British strawberries, kept subtle rather than overly sweet.
• Hedgerow cider: apple cider with blackberries and blackcurrants associated with unfarmed land.

The strawberry cider is fruit-forward without becoming sticky, while the Hedgerow cider has a deeper crimson colour and a sweeter, cordial-like character. They are clearly designed to broaden the appeal beyond lager without losing the emphasis on recognisable ingredients.

How Hawkstone Beer Is Brewed

The brewing process moves through a series of large stainless-steel vessels, but the logic is easy to follow.

1. Heat and prepare the water. Modified brewing water is heated in a kettle.
2. Mash the grain. The hot water moves to a mash tun, where malted barley releases sugars and colour. After about 1 hour, the brewery has a sweet liquid called wort.
3. Reuse the spent grain. The leftover grain is not thrown away. It goes to local farmers as cattle feed, with milk and cheese from those cows returning to the tap-room supply chain.
4. Add hops. Hops are introduced to the wort and infused for about 1 hour to provide flavour.
5. Ferment with lager yeast. The yeast converts the sugars into carbon dioxide and alcohol.
6. Clarify and lager. Solids settle in conical tanks, then the beer is transferred for longer conditioning and maturation.
7. Brighten the beer. A high-speed centrifuge removes remaining malt, hop and yeast particles to create the bright appearance expected of lager.

The lagering stage is where patience becomes central. The brewery’s approach is to give beer additional conditioning time, rather than chasing the quickest possible route to sale. Longer maturation is presented as a route to a tastier finished lager.

One brew can produce approximately 5,000 litres, or about 10,000 pints. Multiple brews take place each week, illustrating why new vessels and expanded floor space have become necessary.

Expansion Is the Real Test of the Hawkstone Model

Rapid growth is impressive, but it creates its own challenge: capacity. Hawkstone has purchased the land on which it operates and is expanding the brewery with new tanks, upgraded floors and additional equipment to increase production volume.

Kegs are filled on site in 50-litre format, while bottles and cans are handled off site, adding time to that part of the process. The clear priority is pub and restaurant distribution, where draft beer can put the brand directly in front of customers across Britain.

The brand’s rise has been helped enormously by Clarkson’s profile and his ability to bring attention to farming, rural business and the beer itself. Yet recognition alone does not fill 4,000 pub accounts. The brewery still needs consistent supply, a product pubs want to pour and enough production capacity to sustain demand.

That combination is what makes Hawkstone a credible concern for larger brewers. It has a recognisable name, a fast-growing distribution network, a strong British-farming message and a product positioned as more carefully made than mass-market alternatives. Whether it continues to grow at the same pace remains to be seen, but it has already shown that a small operation can become a significant player very quickly.

FAQ