A BREWERY which opened only months before the first coronavirus lockdown is celebrating its success with an event over the bank holiday.

Escape Brewery, now based in Westhoughton after being founded in Horwich in August 2019, will be doing a ‘tap takeover’ at Tails and Ale in Horwich from August 27 to 30.

The brewery, run by brewers Philip Wray, Dave Cross, and Adam Smith, has seen its business boom despite the challenges of the coronavirus pandemic.

Escape did its first tap takeover at Tales and Ale on March 13 last year, just days before the first lockdown.

The company had to move its production from Philip’s garage to a warehouse in the business park in Dodd Lane, Westhoughton, due to the popularity of home deliveries for much of the past year when production was outstripping demand.

Philip and Dave have now made brewing for Escape their full-time job with the business continuing to boom after pubs reopened.

Adam said: “The first time we did the tap takeover we had been drunk dry by 3pm on the Saturday.

“This was just before the first lockdown when we started doing the ales in boxes, delivering them to people’s homes, which has been really popular.

“The demand for the beers was definitely outstripping what we could make from Phil’s garage which is why we moved into the larger premises so we can make so much more.

“The bags in the boxes we have always been doing are still flying out the door but we’ve also been doing really well being on the bar at pubs across the region recently.

“Pubs across Greater Manchester have been asking if they can sell our beer and we’re doing particularly well in Chorley at the moment. People are going from pub to pub to drink our beer at the moment and the feedback has been great.

“Our next step is to get our beer in bottles and launch our website with merchandise as well. We’ll be at the Bolton Beer festival at the UniBol in October too.

“It was great to collaborate with Rivington Brewery and others over lockdown and we’re really excited for the future.

“Our ultimate goal is to open our own bar selling all of our beers.”

The tap takeover will feature Escape’s new beers, including ‘Avoid Detection’, ‘Breakout Session’, ‘Clocked Off’ and ‘Virgil Hilts’, at Tails and Ale in Horwich this bank holiday from August 27 to 30.

Visit escapebrewery.co.uk.