Growing York Brewery bolsters board with appointment of Chairman

Brew York, the growing York-based craft beer brewery, is pleased to announce the appointment of Geoff Hodgson as Chairman – underlining their ambitions to expand the geographical reach of their beers and extend their physical portfolio.

The company, which has recently announced several major UK supermarket listings including Asda, Morrisons and Co-op, has a portfolio of nine locations in Yorkshire, representing both their Brew York and Brew+ brands.  Brewing since 2016, they are known for their exciting and innovative beers including; Coney, Time Travelling Taxi, Juice Forsyth and Maris the Otter.

Geoff brings decades of executive and non-executive level experience including The Inn

Collection, Federation Brewery, Newcastle Breweries, Northumbria Taverns and Wear Inns. He will work closely with Brew York founders Wayne Smith and Lee Grabham, as well as the senior management team, as they approach their 10-year anniversary.

In addition to his drinks industry experience, Geoff has worked across a number of sectors. In recent times he has served as chairman of Trustack, Port of Blythe and Nigel Wright Group. 

Speaking of the appointment, co-founder and Managing Director, Wayne Smith commented;

“To have someone of Geoff’s calibre on the Brew York team – with the years of experience and success he brings – is immense. We’re really excited to welcome him and are already enjoying the new dynamic we have.”

Geoff Hodgson, Chairman, Brew York, added;

“Brew York are in a great position in the market due to the hard work and dedication of Lee and Wayne and I’m relishing the challenge of helping them maximise the opportunities they’ve created as they move into their next phase of growth. It’s a very exciting period for the company, and I am very pleased to be part of its story.”

The company has already opened four new venues in 2025; the Old Grey Mare in Clifton, York, Brew+Bao in Chapel Allerton as well as Brew+Bao in Scarborough and Towers Tap Room in Carlton - with a few more venues to launch early 2026.

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About 

Brew York was founded in 2016 by friends Wayne Smith and Lee Grabham. Starting in 2016, as many other craft breweries were beginning their journey, creating Brew York was the realisation of a long-lived dream to build a brewery in York’s bustling centre with a popular on-site Tap Room, creating a destination where it felt welcoming and inviting to enjoy the beer (and other drinks) right next to the tanks they were brewed in.

All Brew York’s beer is brewed in York, some in their original city centre brewhouse, and now a lot of the beer is brewed 10 minutes up the road in their state-of-the-art production facility in Osbaldwick. 

www.brewyork.co.uk 

For further information, in the first instance please contact;

Andrew Stark, Head of Marketing; andrewstark@brewyork.co.uk 

Pete English, Marketing and Social Media Manager; pete@brewyork.co.uk

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