West Berkshire Brewery extends £1.5m crowdfunding campaign

The beer maker said it had seen 'exceptionally high' levels of interest in its campaign after it announced plans to launch its first London pub Shillibeer’s​ and open a £3m custom-built brewery in Yattendon in 2017.

At the time of writing the Seedrs page has raised over £1.7m, though the team expects the total to continue to rise.

Simon Lewis, CEO of West Berkshire Brewery, said: “We have huge plans for West Berkshire Brewery and we want to give as many people as possible the chance to join us on our journey, so we have decided to extend our fundraising campaign for a limited time.”

Shillibeer’s is set to launch in Islington with a specially created beer and food pairing menu and an on-site deli.

It follows a wider effort to raise £4m to expand West Berkshire Brewery’s estate. The firm received £2.95m in EIS funding last year, and has since secured £1m through Asset Match.

West Berkshire Brewery was founded in 1995 by husband-and-wife duo Dave and Helen Maggs, who used their life savings to begin making beer in a converted barn behind a pub.

The company's beers, including Good Old Boy, Mister Swift’s Pale Ale and Dr Hexter’s Healer, are now available in pubs nationwide and bottled at Fortnum & Mason and Waitrose.