Trafford and Hulme CAMRA have been fortunate to have Hydes Brewery in their Branch Area. Hydes a dedicated brewer of high quality Cask Ales.
But Hydes is not merely surviving: they are thriving and are one of the top 10 regional breweries in the UK.Alfred and Ralph Hyde acquired a small brewing concern from their grandfather Thomas Shaw in 1863, and began the Hydes brewing dynasty.
As the business developed it was managed by a variety of family members from different generations, and by virtue of its increasing fortunes it outgrew its premises several times. Hydes beers proved to be very popular with the people of Manchester and the Crown Brewery at Audenshaw, the Mayfield Brewery, Ardwick and a site in Rusholme were all home to the Hydes family business during this period of phenomenal growth.
In 1899, with William Hyde now in control, the business came to rest at the Queens Brewery site in Brooks Bar, Manchester which it still occupies today. It was also under William’s leadership that the company began acquiring an estate of public houses through which to distribute more of Hydes’ products. Hydes Ales acquired an excellent reputation throughout the North West, and in 1944 the company was re-named Hydes Anvil Brewery to incorporate the family trademark.
William Hyde’s sister Annie was a dominant force in the family, and she took over the business after William died in 1916, going on to run it successfully for a total of 56 years.
With more than 80 tied houses in the North West of England and North Wales and a growing collection of quality pub restaurants and cafe bars, the company is embracing the future with enthusiasm and a confident sense of style.
In March 2012, Hydes announced that they were to move out of the historic Queens Brewery to a new purpose built modern brewery concentrating solely on cask ales. They also sold their free-trade interests (sales to non-Hydes pubs) to Thwaites brewery. A new site near MediaCity in Salford has been identified and subject to planning permission, they expect the new brewery to be operational by September 2012.
