Webster's Brewery
Webster's Brewery (Samuel Webster & Sons Ltd) was a brewery that was founded in 1838 by Samuel Webster and operated at the Fountain Head Brewery in Halifax, West Riding of Yorkshire, England. Webster's Green Label, a light mild, and Yorkshire Bitter gained national distribution after the company was taken over by Watney Mann in 1972. Throughout the 1970s it was known for the advertising slogan: "Drives out the northern thirst".
| Company type | Brewery |
|---|---|
| Industry | Brewing |
| Founded | 1838 |
| Founder | Samuel Webster |
| Defunct | 1996 (brewery) Brands ongoing |
| Headquarters | , England |
Area served | United Kingdom |
| Products | Pale ale, stout, lager |
Production output | 1.3 million barrel brewery capacity (included lager and Wilsons production (1990)); 40,000 barrels (2007) |
| Revenue | £100 million (1990) |
| Owner | Silvan Brands Ltd |
Number of employees | ~600 (1982) |
The brewery was closed with the loss of 400 jobs in 1996. Following its acquisition by Courage Brewery in 1990, Courage moved operations to Berkshire brewery as they bought the brewery to obtain the Budweiser and Holsten pils packaging contracts. After the brewery's closure, Webster's beers were initially brewed at the John Smith's Brewery in Tadcaster before moving to the Thomas Hardy Brewery at Burtonwood in 2004. Silvan Brands have owned the company since 2003 when they acquired it from Scottish & Newcastle.