Ampersand Brewery in Diss opens its doors with tours of family-run firm
A popular brewery is once again letting the public see behind the scenes.
Ampersand Brewery, in Sawmills Road, Diss, has been holding this season’s tours since September, with two more dates set for November and December.
But the story of how the brewery began with husband-and-wife founders Andy and Amy Hipwell goes back to the former’s university days.
The 39-year-old said: “I was heavily into home brewing for about eight or nine years before all this.
“It had started with my dad as he home brewed and when I was at Loughborough I would research recipes and give him them so I had beer to drink at uni.”
And when his father, Adrian, was looking for something to take on some of the buildings at the family’s home on Camphill Farm in Earsham, the brewery took shape.
“Dad came to us in 2015, but we thought the time was not right and he set up a vineyard on the farm instead,” said Andy.
“He then came back to me and Amy in 2016. We set it up, doing it part-time and sharing some of the farm’s resources.”
After getting fully up and running in 2017, the business organically grew and the pair went full time in 2018.
At the start of 2020, they bought The Cap pub in Harleston and the following year they took on the former Cue Club building in Diss which is now the brewery’s home.
“It felt too good to be true. It had an alcohol licence, was in Diss as we live in Dickleburgh and the premises were just the right size,” said Andy.
The site now holds a 2,000-litre steam-powered brew kit, which can be seen as soon as you go in the door.
Andy said: “It gives people transparency and gives them some sort of ownership to the beer.
“That is why we like to do the tours as well as this give the community, who are so important to us, a chance to see what we do.”
The next tour is on November 2 and the last of the year is on December 7.
To find out more about the brewery, go to www.ampersandbrew.co/home.