Overview: Bedford-based family brewer Wells & Co has introduced a limited-edition 9.5% ABV vintage ale to mark the birthday of its founder Charles Wells. The release coincides with the brewery’s 150th anniversary celebrations, highlighting the brand’s heritage and adaptability across five generations.
The Full Story
Named Old Bedford Ale, the new beer celebrates the heritage of the brewery and reflects the “innovation and adaptability that has helped the independent family business thrive across five generations”. Speaking to the drinks business, Peter Wells, CEO and great-great-grandson of Charles Wells, noted that Bedford’s brewing heritage should be recognised for what it has always stood for: quality. The town was producing fantastic beer long before Charles Wells purchased the brewery at Horne Lane in 1876.
The group has shown a year of steady progress, with its 2025 annual accounts revealing a 5% increase in sales to £66.2 million. The company reported a rise in group EBITDA to £10.3 million and operating profit before exceptional costs increasing 21% to £4.2m. Wells & Co has evolved through generations of change while remaining proudly family owned, today operating more than 160 pubs across the UK and France.
Production & Profile
Brewed at Brewpoint using local aquifer water classified as natural mineral water, the recipe has been revived using 100% British malts and hops. According to the brewing recipe, the vintage ale delivers “rich toffee and burnt sugar notes balanced by a firm bitterness, combining a traditional flavour profile with an approach designed to appeal to today’s ale drinkers”. Wells explained that Charles was the first brewer to access this water, which was later classified as natural mineral water, and more than 150 years later, the brewery is still brewing with it at Brewpoint, its third brewery in the town.
Brand & Industry History
Founded in 1876, Wells & Co. has evolved through generations of change while remaining proudly family owned. The location in the heart of the country, the Great River Ouse running through it and access to exceptional water from the aquifer beneath the town helped establish Bedford as a place capable of brewing great beer. Adaptability has been the defining characteristic of this business since Charles Wells founded it in 1876, with every generation having to respond to new challenges, new opportunities and changing customer expectations.
What This Means
Wells reiterated that “adaptability has been the defining characteristic of this business since Charles Wells founded it in 1876” and pointed out that “every generation has had to respond to new challenges, new opportunities and changing customer expectations”. For Wells & Co, heritage isn’t about preserving the past, it’s about taking the values and lessons that built the business and applying them to a changing world. This combination of heritage and innovation is as important today as it was 150 years ago.
Consumer Takeaway
This limited-edition release offers drinkers access to a 9.5% ABV vintage ale brewed with local aquifer water classified as natural mineral water. The bottle features 100% British malts and hops, delivering rich toffee and burnt sugar notes balanced by a firm bitterness. It stands as a fitting tribute to the founder because it reflects something that has remained constant throughout the history of the brewery.
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