2025 Year Summary
17 December 2025
The 2025 Year Summary
"2025 has certainly been a turbulent year across the brewing
industry. A tough economic climate, tax increases and ongoing
pressure on consumer spending have created challenges for breweries
and pubs everywhere. Sadly, this has led to a record number of
closures across the sector.
Despite all of that, the thirst for Rebellion has continued. Our
overall volumes were only marginally down for the year, and given
the reality of the market, we are very happy with that result.
As always, the heart of Rebellion is our staff. We are
incredibly proud of our retention and the depth of experience
within the business. Our 14 strong management team averages 15
years with Rebellion, with more than half having started in entry
level roles. Our five Board members average 25 years each. This
commitment, experience and loyalty are a huge part of what keeps
the business strong and stable. Thank you, as ever, for your
continued support, it really is appreciated."
Tim Coombes
Awards
It was also another successful year in competition for our
beers. In the SIBA national competition, Lager won silver and Hazy
Pale received a bronze medal. The national finals bring together
the winners from all the regional competitions across the country,
so reaching the final is a real achievement. Placing at the final
is something we are very proud of.
Our bottled Lager also gained a bronze medal at the SIBA
Midlands and West Indie Beer Awards.
The wider brewery team also had recognition this year. We were
voted Best Local Food and Drink Producer in the Bucks and Oxon
Muddy Stilettos awards, and we retained our Best Local Producer
award at the Marlow FM Hidden Gem awards.
Gluten Free Lager
Our lager has been tested and confirmed to fall below the
recognised gluten free threshold (under 20ppm). Brewed with barley,
it's then tested to ensure gluten levels stay safely within gluten
free limits.
Nothing about the recipe has changed, it's the same lager you
already know and love. It's always been gluten free, but now anyone
who needs a gluten free option can enjoy it with confidence.
Oktoberfest
This year we leaned into Oktoberfest for the first time,
transforming the Tap Yard into a beerhall for two weeks and running
themed public and members nights. It was fantastic to see so many
people dressed in lederhosen and dirndls enjoying our Oktoberfest
Festbier.
Marlow Bottom Malt
As a special project, the farmers on our land grew a crop of
barley for us. The malt was processed by Warminster Maltings,
Britain's oldest working maltsters, using traditional floor malting
techniques. The quality was excellent, and we used the malt
primarily in this winter's brew of Winter Royal.
Guided Tours
This year we launched private guided walking tours of the
brewery, running every Thursday and Saturday, and they have been
incredibly popular.
The tours give visitors the chance to explore the production
space, see behind the scenes, and learn more about how our beer is
made, with plenty of samples along the way, of course.
They will be continuing into next year, and we are always
looking at ways to develop and improve the experience.
Tap Yard
The Tap Yard has continued to grow as a place for more than just
great beer.
This year we introduced monthly comedy nights and quiz nights,
both of which have quickly become sell-out firm favourites.
For comedy, we partnered with Honk! Comedy, a local promoter, to
host monthly stand-up events. These have been hugely popular from
the outset and now regularly sell out all 160 seats each month.
We also launched monthly quiz nights, bringing teams together to
test their knowledge while raising money for charity. In November,
we raised around £900 for Scannappeal.
We will continue to improve and develop the bar, making it as
welcoming and inviting as possible. We are really looking forward
to what comes next.
From the Brewhouse - Ed Bates, Head Brewer
"It has been another busy year in production with new equipment,
new releases, new pack formats and some exciting R and D.
A major upgrade was the installation of a new deaerated liquor
tank. Removing free oxygen from the water means we can flush our
pipework with deaerated liquor instead of beer, which cuts oxygen
pickup and reduces transfer losses by 1.5 per cent. That is the
equivalent of saving 10 brews a year with no impact on quality and
a big improvement in sustainability.
We also partnered with a local start-up that turns our spent
grains into insect larvae. These are then used to produce
sustainable fish food, peat free compost and wild bird feed. It is
an exciting circular economy project that we are keen to see
develop.
On the beer front, the big highlight was launching Eclipse, our
new full time Nitro Stout. The response has been fantastic. We also
released Zebedee in 500 ml bottles, which has gone down well with
its dedicated fans, and we added tank fresh lager in 1 litre
bottles over the summer. It was the perfect warm weather treat.
Small batch beers continue to grow in popularity, and some are
now being brewed on the full-size kit. This allows us to offer them
to trade and occasionally on the bar in local pubs. The community
green hop brew was a special moment this year, made possible by
donated hops from gardens and allotments. We will be repeating it
next year and hoping for an even bigger hop harvest.
Our barrel aged programme expanded with an Imperial Stout and a
Baltic Porter, both around 8 per cent. They show two different
expressions of strong dark beer, and we are keen to hear people's
favourites. Both are perfect for Christmas Day. The Baltic Porter
works beautifully with pudding, and the Imperial Stout is ideal for
cheese.
We brewed several new monthly recipes this year after a run of
returning favourites. Tempest was a standout, featuring the hop
Talus for the first time. Expect to see it again next year. A huge
congratulations also goes to Alex, our quality brewer, who passed
his brewing diploma with an A grade. Only a small number of
candidates worldwide achieve this."
Phil
This year we were very saddened to lose our friend and colleague
Phil Maunder Walker, who passed away peacefully after many years
living with cancer. Phil spent 19 years at Rebellion and was known
for his kindness, positivity and the way he lifted those around
him. He is greatly missed, and our thoughts remain with his
family.
Looking to 2026
Mar-Low Pale, Our First Low Alcohol Beer
We have been working hard on R and D for a low alcohol beer and
are excited to release Mar Low Pale Ale at 0.5 per cent in time for
Dry January. We have focused on delivering flavour without
compromise and are really pleased with the results.
New Website
A brand-new brewery website is coming in 2026 with improved
membership features, easier navigation and a better online shopping
experience.
2026 Beer Range, British Folklore
After this year's Greek Mythology theme, next year's monthly
range is inspired by British folklore. Dragons, pixies, spirits and
Arthurian legend will all make an appearance. It is a great chance
for the brewers to experiment with new hop varieties and malts we
have never used before.
Ongoing Improvements
Customer experience remains a priority across the whole
business. We will continue improving and refining every area of the
brewery. As always, feedback, good or bad, is hugely valuable to
us.
As 2025 wraps up, we hope you enjoyed plenty of beers and good
times with us this year. Have a very Merry Christmas, a fantastic
New Year, and we look forward to seeing you in 2026.
Cheers,
All at Rebellion
