Wrexham Lager is born!
In 1882, two German Immigrants, Ivan Levinstein and Otto Isler, set forth to brew lager beer in the UK. Levinstein and Isler sought to engineer a brewery based on traditional Bavarian method, which was to use the naturally cold and stable temperatures as a means to best ferment their beer, followed by the use of ice banks to store their beer cool enough to facilitate lager beer’s smooth flavour and keeping properties.
A successful site in Wrexham was chosen, but this method was compromised by the insufficient cooling the ice banks achieved, which led to early runs of Wrexham Lager being sub-par compared to their European competition.
A chance meeting with a local German-born Industrialist, Robert Graesser, solved this issue by implementing Graesser’s mechanical refrigeration at the cost of relinquishing a share of the business. Initially, the dark lager sales rose, which gave the fledgling brewers the confidence to brew its first pale lager; and so Wrexham Lager was born!
Exported across the globe
Graesser took full ownership of Wrexham Lager Brewing Company and aimed his sights this time at the export market under the Wrexham Lager ‘Ace of Clubs’ brand. Being fully aware of his products' superior keeping qualities and Britain’s dominant naval positions across the world, he forged connections with merchants that carried and sold Wrexham Lager all over the British Empire.
Wrexham Lager now lays claim to being the first lager imported to far off countries, including India, South Africa, the Americas and Australia. It also boasts to being the only lager available on the infamous voyage of the White Star Line’s Titanic.
Changing with the times
The mid-20th century saw a rising demand in the modern lager style (a lower strength, lighter version of traditional lager), so modernisation of the Wrexham brewery as well as a major rebrand saw Wrexham Lager change with the times.
Wrexham Lager became overshadowed by other brands. Sadly, commercial production at its Wrexham birthplace stopped in 2000 and total production in the UK ceased in 2002.
The brewery was demolished and a retail park was built in its place, the only vestige of Wrexham Lager being the original Brewhouse, now a Grade II listed building. All documents and brewery artefacts were razed to the ground save but a few treasured items from fans and collectors alike.
The future of Wrexham Lager
Martin Jones MP (South Clwyd), a local retiring civil servant and ex-employee of Wrexham Lager appreciated what the brewery stood for and strived to keep its memory alive at his own expense, negotiating with Carlsberg for the ownership of Wrexham Lager Brewing Company. He managed to procure the rights for the modest sum of £1 and with that he set his sights on building a brewery.
The Roberts family, who run a number of local businesses in Wrexham, were interested in investing in a microbrewery as a new venture and were considering brewing ale until they came across Martin in the most ironic of places, at the local pub! Soon a deal was struck and the Wrexham Lager brand was revived once again!