Brewery reporter Patrick MacMahon on Chadlington and Renegade and awards success for local brewers
Indian craft beer giant Kati Patang has entered the UK market with a 23% acquisition of Chadlington Brewery and the Tite Inn near Chipping Norton in West Oxfordshire. A new lager making facility, crucial to allow the beer conditioning time to clarify and flavours to round and complete, attracted the shareholders to take the plunge.
Kati Patang is available in every state in India and is the standout of a craft beer scene still emerging and up against the dominance of Kingfisher, which has a 50% market share. The flagship Saffron Lager will be available at a range of pubs and restaurants across the county along with Chadlington’s traditional cask beer range – all of which are vegan and gluten-free to align with the company’s ethos.
The Indian arrival is not the only new creation as 3.59, a 4% lager made in homage to Roger Bannister – first man to run a mile in under four minutes – will hit taps in time for the Christmas rush. A 0.5% lager, Zero Gravity, reflects a booming year for no and low alcohol beers.
Hitting hand pumps this month is seasonal brew Good Elf and a delectable Tiramisu stout at a quaffable 4.5%, which will be available in the local area but also as far away as Davey’s in London in a more national push from the Chipping Norton outfit. In a busy autumn for Chadlington, Anthony Bourade, pictured, joins the brewing team with over 20 years of experience with Vocation brewery, and will help drive the business forward at an exciting time.
There’s more movement over in Berkshire where Renegade (formerly West Berkshire Brewery) has replaced head brewer Will Twomey with Hugo Fullerton, taking up the mantle after seven years of training in the team, from cutting his teeth cleaning casks to operating the 60hL kit. The pride of his work so far is Renegade Master, a key contribution to the Renegade range. The recipe combines a light but prominent malt backbone with Cascade and Nelson Sauvin hops to bring a citrusy twist on a classic Pilsner. This continues the pattern of traditional cask breweries leaning into lagers to diversify their range and maximise opportunities for tap space in an increasingly competitive market, both in the county and regionally.
The first job for the new team will be preparing for the return of a festive favourite Santa Claws, adding to the growing range of seasonal brews. Expect a classic nut-brown colour with notes of molasses, fig and blackcurrant. The brewery team is also working exceptionally hard on a packed 2026 specials calendar, set to bring more unique and interesting cask ales to pubs across Berkshire and Oxfordshire.
Local breweries were well represented at the SIBA Indie Beer Wards 2025-26, with Twisted Tree taking home gold for Overall Champion of Cask and Cask IPA (over 5.6%) with the Bark Side, a 6% Black IPA combining the intense roasty character of a stout with the citrus bite and resinous finish of an American IPA.
Loose Cannon’s Abingdon XB went one further and bagged three medals, collecting the bronze in the same category and two golds in the Cask and Keg Imperial and Strong categories. Loddon Brewery, profiled in this month’s issue, also took home gold for Cask British Dark Beers with Hocus Pocus, a 4.6% old ale. The SIBA Indie Beer Awards, formerly called the SIBA Independent Beer Awards, are run by the Society of Independent Brewers and Associates (SIBA) in the UK and seek to celebrate the very best beers being produced independently.
Dave Richardson adds: Tap Social has promoted Ben Addison to head brewer following the departure of Jason Bolger to set up his own business. Marketing manager Brian Spencer said: “We’re gutted to lose Jason. As the guy leading our beer programme since Day One he has clearly had such a massive role in our growth over the years, and beyond that we’ll just miss having him around. At the same time we’re really happy for him and are excited to see all the great things he’ll do with his new brewpub in Witney.
“As sad as we are to see Jason go, we’re equally thrilled to have Ben stepping up from senior brewer to be our new head brewer. He brings a great deal of experience, ingenuity, and forward thinking to the role. Having worked closely with Jason over the past few years, he also brings seamless continuity to brewery operations at a time when we’re fortunate to be growing.
“I’ve worked with Ben at Tap for several years now and am so stoked for him to have earned this opportunity. He’s a great brewer and even better person, and he really is the right person to build upon everything Jason accomplished and keep us moving in the right direction.”
- Tap Social will open its fifth Oxfordshire community venue, Day Release, in early 2026 at Signal Yard in Milton Park, near Didcot – a purpose-built space on the business park with all new vendors. Bringing together all its brands under one roof, Day Release is a cafe and taproom offering its full range of beer, artisan coffee, sourdough, and Proof Social Bakehouse pastries freshly baked onsite. It will also be the new home of Tap’s Brew School, where it will host hands-on brewing sessions on a 20-litre kit for corporate team building, birthdays, private events and aspiring homebrewers.
