Nigel
Dray Driver
About Us
Established in 2017, Ampersand Brew Co is a family brewery with roots in the East region's rich agricultural heritage.
Born from a love of good beer, the brewery was started on the family farm in the heart of the Waveney Valley.
Our philosophy is to showcase the best ingredients across the wide range of styles we produce, alongside championing quality cask ales, traditionally brewed lagers, and modern hop forward beers.
With Norfolk being considered one of the best places to grow malting barley, our connection to the local people who grow and produce this incredible ingredient is something we always look to showcase.
Our philosophy is to showcase the best ingredients across the wide range of styles we produce, alongside championing quality cask ales, traditionally brewed lagers, and modern hop forward beers.
With Norfolk being considered one of the best places to grow malting barley, our connection to the local people who grow and produce this incredible ingredient is something we always look to showcase.
The business is a true family operation with both Amy and Andy running the day to day operations, with support from Adrain and the wider family.
With our growth over the years we now have a fantastic team of staff, many with connections to the local area, and all who share our passion for great beer and hospitality.
Producing beer to the best possible quality is always at the heart of Ampersand as is operating responsibly and as sustainable as possible.
With our growth over the years we now have a fantastic team of staff, many with connections to the local area, and all who share our passion for great beer and hospitality.
Producing beer to the best possible quality is always at the heart of Ampersand as is operating responsibly and as sustainable as possible.
The brewery
In 2021 Ampersand Brew Co moved from the family farm to a new 7,000 sq ft site further up the Waveney Valley in Diss.
This new site had the space to allow the brewery to grow and meet demand and was carefully designed to make future expansions as effortless as possible. The site has filled up with more tanks over the years, and whilst space is harder to find we keep finding ways to make more delicious beer.
When looking for a new site to move the brewery into it was important for us a business to remain in the Waveney Valley and our location at 27-31 Sawmills Road in Diss is perfect. With the new larger space we have been able to install a dedicated Taproom area that is open 6 days a week. This is the perfect space to come and enjoy our fresh beers right where they are made sitting around the tanks. We are also a short 5 minutes walk away from Diss train station meaning we are easy to get to from both Norwich and also from Ipswich and Colchester.
This new site had the space to allow the brewery to grow and meet demand and was carefully designed to make future expansions as effortless as possible. The site has filled up with more tanks over the years, and whilst space is harder to find we keep finding ways to make more delicious beer.
When looking for a new site to move the brewery into it was important for us a business to remain in the Waveney Valley and our location at 27-31 Sawmills Road in Diss is perfect. With the new larger space we have been able to install a dedicated Taproom area that is open 6 days a week. This is the perfect space to come and enjoy our fresh beers right where they are made sitting around the tanks. We are also a short 5 minutes walk away from Diss train station meaning we are easy to get to from both Norwich and also from Ipswich and Colchester.
The brewing space at Sawmills road has allowed us to naturally grow to meet the increasing demand for our beer.
Housing our bespoke designed 20 hectolitre brew kit alongside 320 hectolitre of fermentation volume and our modern top of the range canning line, the setup is designed to ensure the high quality of our beers is maintained.
With the brewery from day one always storing 100% of our beers cold we have installed a bespoke 1,000 sq ft cold storage unit as further commitment to focussing on quality. Investment has also been made ensuring that as we grow our beer volumes we also reduce our energy consumption and operate in a sustainable way.
Housing our bespoke designed 20 hectolitre brew kit alongside 320 hectolitre of fermentation volume and our modern top of the range canning line, the setup is designed to ensure the high quality of our beers is maintained.
With the brewery from day one always storing 100% of our beers cold we have installed a bespoke 1,000 sq ft cold storage unit as further commitment to focussing on quality. Investment has also been made ensuring that as we grow our beer volumes we also reduce our energy consumption and operate in a sustainable way.
Sustainability and the ethical operation of the business has become a core part of Ampersand Brew Co and how we grow.
With the move to our bigger site in Diss we took the opportunity to invest in making the business more sustainable so that as we grow our environmental impact is minimised. We also choose to work with suppliers who have a similar mindset to ours and where possible buy local. Our malt supplier; Simpsons Malt, is a great example of this, with much of their malt grown on farms in the local area and malted just 6 miles away from the brewery.
With the support of South Norfolk District Council we have invested in solar panels and now these generate nearly 100% of our total electrical usage throughout the year. This combined with using efficient gas heating systems, above industry standard tank insulation and heat recovery has made a big difference in reducing our total energy consumption.
With the support of South Norfolk District Council we have invested in solar panels and now these generate nearly 100% of our total electrical usage throughout the year. This combined with using efficient gas heating systems, above industry standard tank insulation and heat recovery has made a big difference in reducing our total energy consumption.
Brewing is inherently heavy on water usage and we work hard to reduce any waste. We operate a grey water system on site and ensure that this also collects any waste water from our water filters, all of which is used for flushing toilets and rinsing casks. Water used for cooling is reused the next day for brewing with the added bonus that it has been pre heated.
Sustainability is not just about the big wins and as a team we always look at ways to make a difference however small. Re-use is a big part of this and our bespoke designed postage dividers means that nearly all the cans of beer we post out go in second use can boxes.
Sustainability is not just about the big wins and as a team we always look at ways to make a difference however small. Re-use is a big part of this and our bespoke designed postage dividers means that nearly all the cans of beer we post out go in second use can boxes.
We wash and re-use keg caps, and we manage our own fleet of casks and kegs which are all washed on site before being refilled.
Making sure the business operates in a way that ensures it will still be here for future generations is key. By combining the production of quality beers with a sustainable approach our aim is for Ampersand Brew Co to be here for a while.
Making sure the business operates in a way that ensures it will still be here for future generations is key. By combining the production of quality beers with a sustainable approach our aim is for Ampersand Brew Co to be here for a while.
Book a Brewery Tour
Come and find out how we produce our award winning beers on one of our monthly Brewery Tour & Tasting sessions.
