Croydon is about to get a new brewery.

Craft ale brewers Anspach and Hobday, currently based under a Bermondsey railway arch and with a bar in Camberwell, have a £500,000 expansion plan and they are looking to set up a production base in the Valley Park industrial estate, off the Purley Way, with a taproom for people to sample the beers coming early in 2020.

The company was founded in 2014 by Paul Anspach and John Hobday. They are funding the expansion through crowdfunding.

They aim to triple production volumes and move on from bottling their beers by hand to creating a canning production line.

“We started in Bermondsey in 2014 and it was a great platform for us to grow, but now we need the kind of space that can match the production we’re attempting to achieve,” a spokesman said.

“We’re looking to get the brewery operational this side of the new year, and there will be a taproom on site for those that wish to come to the brewery and sample our beers.

The two brewers: Jack Hobday and Paul Anspach (right)

“The taproom will likely be ready early 2020 – as soon as we can serve beer there we definitely will.”

The company intends to continue operating from the Bermondsey base. “We’re going to keep it and do a small amount of brewing here – mostly likely our experimental stuff. Bermondsey will become more of a fully-fledged taproom which makes a lot of sense for the area.”

The brewers are looking at creating possibly three full-time and four part-time jobs through things like the taproom, extra production and sales staff, though this will be a steady process, over the course of three years.

“Of course, we’re keen to hire locally where possible,” they said.

• Inside Croydon: the only local news source based in the borough. Help to support our journalism, and get money-off offers, exclusive content and priority booking for special events. Click here to find out more
• Inside Croydon Events: click here for details of hundreds of events in and around Croydon

• Inside Croydon is a member of the Independent Community News Network
• Inside Croydon works together with the Bureau of Investigative Journalism and BBC London News
• Inside Croydon named Journalist of the Year at 2018 Anna Kennedy Online Autism Heroes Awards
• ROTTEN BOROUGH AWARDS: For two consecutive years, 2017 and 2018, Inside Croydon has been the source for two award-winning nominations in Private Eye magazine’s annual celebration of civic cock-ups
  
• In 2018, Inside Croydon had 1.6million pages viewed by more than half a million unique visitors
• If you have a news story about life in or around Croydon, or what to publicise your residents’ association or business, or if you have a local event to promote, please email us with full details at inside.croydon@btinternet.com