Head brewer Chris Radford realised a life-long ambition when the first beers rolled out of the new Brampton Brewery, at Chatsworth Business Park.

Former Spireites manager John Duncan and players Ernie Moss and Bob Newton gave them the thumbs up at the official launch on Sunday.

The new micro-brewing site is just a stone's throw away from what is thought to be the original brewery's first home at Brewery Yard, where ales were first produced in the 1820s.

The company's four brews – called Golden Bud, Brampton Best, Impy Dark and Wasp Nest – are now available at a number of free houses across the area.

Chris said: "We are very proud to see the name Brampton Brewery up and running again. When you first walk into a pub and see the pump clip on the bar displaying the brewery's name it is a really proud moment."

Chris took voluntary redundancy after working in IT at the Post Office's Chesterfield base for over 20 years — deciding on a complete career change.

He added: "Starting Brampton Brewery was something that I had thought about for many years.

"At family get-togethers, I used to talk to my brother-in-law, John, about the old Brampton Brewery and how someone ought to get it going again — then one morning I woke up and thought that if anyone was going to do it, why not us?"

Once the Chatsworth Road premises had been identified, about a year ago, Chris started test brews at his Walton home.

He said: "It's all my own recipes. I've spent about 12 months getting them right — first on a small scale at home then, once the plant was installed at the brewery in October, on a larger scale there.

"It is brewed in a day, takes four days to ferment, then about a week to condition. All-in-all, it takes about a fortnight to be ready to taste."

Brampton's four ales have already won rave reviews at beer festivals across the region and are now available from the pumps in The Devonshire, at Middle Handley; the Parkhouse Tavern, at Danesmoor; and The Shoulder, at Clay Cross.

Once licensing is in place, the brewery site will operate as an
off-licence, with visitors able to buy the brews after sampling them.

Chris added: "Everybody who has come into the brewery so far has been very positive about the beers we are producing.

"At the end of the day it is about people enjoying our beers. We want them to taste them then go back for more and be proud of their local brewery."