Meantime Brewery

Meantime Brewery, also known as Meantime Brewing Company, is a London beer brand founded in 1999 by Alastair Hook. Its origins were in Greenwich, where Hook established a small brewery after training in brewing at Heriot-Watt University and at the Technical University of Munich's Weihenstephan brewing school. The company became associated with the revival of independent and craft-oriented brewing in the United Kingdom, combining traditional beer styles with a modern emphasis on technical quality, style diversity and consumer education. The brewery began in a small industrial-unit premises opposite Charlton Athletic's ground. It subsequently moved to the Greenwich Brewery and, in 2010, transferred its main production operation to a larger site on Blackwall Lane. The Blackwall Lane brewery incorporated a Rolec brewhouse and represented a reported investment of approximately £7 million. By 2013, Meantime was producing about 50,000 hectolitres annually and was growing rapidly, with the company expecting to approach the site's stated capacity of 120,000 hectolitres by 2016. Its range was built around established British and European categories, including lager, pale ale, porter and India pale ale, supplemented by changing seasonal and limited-edition beers. Meantime also developed a visible hospitality and visitor-facing presence in Greenwich. From 2001 it operated the Greenwich Union public house on Royal Hill. In 2010 it opened the Old Brewery Greenwich brewpub in the former 1836 brewhouse at the Old Royal Naval College, within the Maritime Greenwich World Heritage Site. The company later operated the Beer Box outdoor bar near The O2 on the Greenwich Peninsula and opened a taproom, shop and visitor centre at the Blackwall Lane production site in 2015. These venues connected the brand with local tourism, beer education and direct customer experiences, although the Old Brewery was sold after the Asahi acquisition, the Greenwich Union was eventually sold to Young's, and the Beer Box operation ended in 2017. In May 2015, SABMiller announced that it would acquire Meantime for an undisclosed amount. During the same year, Meantime's production activities included the beginning of brewing Thomas Hardy's Ale, and the company attracted industry recognition through awards received by Hook and beer sommelier and brewer Rod Jones. Meantime also disclosed that demand had occasionally required some London Lager production to be outsourced to Grolsch in the Netherlands, another SABMiller brand. The company said that Dutch-produced beer accounted for no more than 10 percent of any bottle and that additional investment was intended to return production fully to London. Following the regulatory arrangements surrounding Anheuser-Busch InBev's acquisition of SABMiller, Meantime was sold to Asahi Breweries in October 2016. Asahi later expanded its United Kingdom brewing portfolio by acquiring Fuller's brewing division and subsidiary Dark Star in 2019. After Asahi closed the Dark Star brewery in Sussex in December 2022, Meantime began producing Dark Star's portfolio. In March 2024, Asahi announced that the Greenwich Meantime brewery site would close and that production of Meantime and Dark Star beers would move to Asahi's Fuller's Brewery site in Chiswick. The physical Greenwich brewery therefore ceased to be the brand's production base, while the Meantime name continued within Asahi's United Kingdom beer operations.

Meantime Brewery was established in 1999 by Alastair Hook in Greenwich, London. Hook had studied brewing at Heriot-Watt University and at the Technical University of Munich's Weihenstephan brewing school. The first operation occupied a small lock-up unit on an industrial estate opposite Charlton Athletic's ground. As the business expanded, it moved to the Greenwich Brewery and then, in 2010, to a production site on nearby Blackwall Lane. The Blackwall Lane facility was built around a Rolec brewhouse and represented an investment reported at approximately £7 million. By 2013, annual production had reached roughly 50,000 hectolitres. The brewery was experiencing growth of about 60 percent per year and expected to reach its nominal capacity of 120,000 hectolitres by 2016. Meantime's range concentrated on established British and European beer families, including lager, pale ale, porter and India pale ale, alongside seasonal and limited-edition releases. This combination of traditional styles and a modern craft-brewery identity helped establish the company as one of the visible pioneers of the United Kingdom's craft beer movement. The business also built a local hospitality network. It owned and operated the Greenwich Union public house from 2001. In 2010, it opened the Old Brewery Greenwich brewpub in the former 1836 brewhouse at the Old Royal Naval College. The site formed part of the Maritime Greenwich World Heritage Site and provided a prominent setting for the brand's brewing and tourism activities. Meantime later opened the Beer Box outdoor bar near The O2 on the Greenwich Peninsula, operating it from August 2014 until the end of 2017. In 2015, it added a taproom, shop and visitor centre at the main production brewery. In May 2015, SABMiller announced that it had agreed to acquire Meantime. The purchase price was not publicly disclosed in the cited reference material. The period also brought recognition for members of the brewery: Hook was named Brewer of the Year by the All-Party Parliamentary Beer Group, while Rod Jones, described as Meantime's beer sommelier and brewer, received The Beer Academy's Beer Sommelier of the Year award. Meantime also began producing Thomas Hardy's Ale in 2015. Demand-management issues emerged during the same year. Meantime acknowledged that some London Lager production had occasionally been carried out by Grolsch in the Netherlands, another SABMiller brand. It said that the imported component made up no more than 10 percent of any bottle and announced that further investment was intended to remove the need for this arrangement and keep production in London. Meantime became part of Asahi Breweries in October 2016. The transfer followed the regulatory requirements connected with Anheuser-Busch InBev's acquisition of SABMiller. After the acquisition, the Old Brewery Greenwich was sold to Young's and brewing there ended. The Greenwich Union was eventually closed after the first COVID-19 lockdown in 2020 and sold to Young's, which incorporated it into the neighboring Richard I pub. The Beer Box had already ceased operations in 2017. Asahi acquired Fuller's brewing division and its subsidiary Dark Star in 2019. When the Dark Star brewery in Sussex closed in December 2022, Meantime took on production of Dark Star's beer portfolio. In March 2024, Asahi announced the closure of the Meantime brewery site in Greenwich. Production of both Meantime and Dark Star beers was transferred to Fuller's Brewery in Chiswick, another Asahi-owned site. The change ended Meantime's role as a production brewery in Greenwich but did not, on the available evidence, indicate the discontinuation of the Meantime brand itself.

1. 2024Greenwich brewery closure announced

   Asahi announced that production would leave the Greenwich site and move to Fuller's Brewery in Chiswick.

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2. 2022Dark Star production transfers to Meantime

   Following the closure of the Dark Star brewery in Sussex, Meantime began producing Dark Star beers.

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3. 2020Greenwich Union closes after lockdown

   The Greenwich Union was formally closed following the first COVID-19 lockdown and subsequently sold to Young's.

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4. 2019Asahi acquires Fuller's brewing division

   Asahi acquired Fuller's brewing division and its Dark Star subsidiary, expanding the wider brewing group in which Meantime operated.

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5. 2017Beer Box operation ends

   Meantime's Beer Box outdoor bar operation ended after running near The O2 since 2014.

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6. 2016Meantime joins Asahi

   Asahi Breweries acquired Meantime in October following the regulatory restructuring associated with the SABMiller transaction.

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7. 2015SABMiller acquisition announced

   SABMiller announced an agreement to acquire Meantime for an undisclosed amount.

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8. 2015Taproom and visitor centre open

   Meantime opened a taproom, shop and visitor centre at its main production site.

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9. 2015Thomas Hardy's Ale production begins

   Meantime began producing Thomas Hardy's Ale.

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10. 2014Beer Box launches near The O2

    Meantime opened the Beer Box outdoor bar on the Greenwich Peninsula near The O2.

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11. 2013Production reaches approximately 50,000 hectolitres

    The brewery was reported to be producing about 50,000 hectolitres annually while expanding rapidly toward a stated capacity of 120,000 hectolitres.

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12. 2010Production moves to Blackwall Lane

    The main brewery moved to a larger Blackwall Lane site, while Meantime also opened the Old Brewery Greenwich brewpub in the former 1836 brewhouse at the Old Royal Naval College.

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13. 2001Greenwich Union pub opens

    Meantime began operating the Greenwich Union public house on Royal Hill in Greenwich.

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14. 1999Meantime Brewery founded

    Alastair Hook founded the brewery in Greenwich, London, initially operating from a small industrial-unit site.

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Premium, craft-oriented London beer brand focused on traditional British and European styles, brewing quality, style diversity and consumer-facing beer experiences.

• London LagerLager

  A core Meantime lager associated with the brand's London identity. In 2015, demand occasionally required a limited portion of production to be outsourced to Grolsch in the Netherlands; Meantime said the Dutch component represented no more than 10 percent of any bottle and intended to return production fully to London after investment.

• London Pale AlePale ale

  A flagship pale ale representing Meantime's focus on recognizable British beer styles and modern craft presentation. It is part of the brand's regularly available range.

• London PorterPorter

  A porter in Meantime's regular portfolio, reflecting the brewery's use of historic British styles as a foundation for its London-focused product identity.

• India Pale AleIndia pale ale

  An India pale ale included in Meantime's core stylistic range. The beer illustrates the brewery's broader approach of combining established beer categories with a craft-oriented brand proposition.

• Thomas Hardy's AleStrong ale2015

  A beer whose production began at Meantime in 2015. The available reference identifies the start of production but does not provide further formulation, packaging or current availability details.

• Dark Star portfolioBeer portfolio2022

  A group of beers from Asahi's Dark Star portfolio that Meantime began producing after the Dark Star brewery in Sussex closed in December 2022.

• Seasonal and limited-edition alesSeasonal beer

  Meantime supplements its regularly available beers with annual seasonal and limited-edition ales. The specific beers vary from year to year.

• 2024Close Greenwich brewery and transfer productionStrategy

  Asahi reviewed its United Kingdom brewing footprint after Meantime had also taken on production of Dark Star beers.

  What changed. Asahi announced the closure of the Greenwich Meantime brewery and the transfer of Meantime and Dark Star production to Fuller's Brewery in Chiswick.

  Aftermath. The Greenwich site ceased to be Meantime's production base. The available reference indicates that the brand continued under Asahi, with manufacturing moved to Chiswick.

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• 2022Consolidate Dark Star production at MeantimeStrategy

  Asahi closed the Dark Star brewery in Sussex in December 2022 after acquiring Fuller's brewing division and Dark Star in 2019.

  What changed. Meantime began producing beers from the Dark Star portfolio.

  Aftermath. The Greenwich brewery assumed an expanded role within Asahi's United Kingdom beer production network.

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• 2016Transfer ownership to AsahiM&A

  Regulatory agreements associated with Anheuser-Busch InBev's acquisition of SABMiller required changes to SABMiller's assets.

  What changed. Asahi Breweries acquired Meantime in October 2016.

  Aftermath. Meantime became part of Asahi's United Kingdom brewing operations. The Old Brewery Greenwich was sold to Young's and brewing there ended.

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• 2015Accept SABMiller acquisitionM&A

  Meantime had expanded rapidly and was operating a larger Blackwall Lane brewery when SABMiller announced plans to acquire the company.

  What changed. SABMiller bought Meantime for an undisclosed amount.

  Aftermath. Meantime became part of the SABMiller portfolio before being transferred to Asahi in 2016 as part of the regulatory restructuring linked to Anheuser-Busch InBev's acquisition of SABMiller.

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• 2015Increase London production capacityStrategy

  Strong demand for London Lager had occasionally required limited production by Grolsch in the Netherlands.

  What changed. Meantime disclosed the temporary arrangement and said that additional investment would remove the need for Dutch production, with the goal of keeping manufacture entirely in London.

  Aftermath. The company stated that the outsourced beer represented no more than 10 percent of any bottle and that the arrangement would no longer be necessary after the investment.

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• 2024Asahi announces closure of Meantime's Greenwich brewery

  Asahi announced that the Meantime brewery site in Greenwich would close and that production of Meantime and Dark Star beers would transfer to the Asahi-owned Fuller's Brewery site in Chiswick.

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• 2022Meantime begins producing Dark Star beers

  After Asahi closed the Dark Star brewery in Sussex, Meantime began producing beers from the Dark Star portfolio.

  Product generationOther
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• 2016Asahi acquires Meantime following SABMiller transaction

  Asahi Breweries acquired Meantime in October 2016 as part of the regulatory arrangements associated with Anheuser-Busch InBev's acquisition of SABMiller.

  M&A
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• 2015SABMiller announces acquisition of Meantime Brewery

  SABMiller announced that it would buy Meantime for an undisclosed amount, bringing the London craft-oriented brewery into its brand portfolio.

  M&A
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• 2015Meantime discloses temporary use of Grolsch production capacity

  Meantime said that demand had occasionally led it to outsource part of London Lager production to Grolsch's brewery in the Netherlands. It stated that Dutch beer represented no more than 10 percent of any bottle and that investment would allow production to return entirely to London.

  Other
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1. Meantime Brewery
2. Meantime Brewing Company official website