Northumberland's Red Kellie Crowned ‘Brewer of the Year’ at National Women in Beer® Awards
Co-founder of Bellingham’s The First & Last Brewery wins top honour in Manchester, celebrating her foraged beers and dedication to North East brewing and beer community.
Red Kellie, co-founder and brewer at The First & Last Brewery, has been named Brewer of the Year at the prestigious Women in Beer® Awards 2026. The national awards ceremony took place on Tuesday night at Cloudwater Brewery’s taproom in Manchester, launching the Women in Beer® Festival - a five-day celebration dedicated to highlighting diversity, talent, and leadership across the UK beer community.
For the Brewer of the Year award, there was tough competition from nominees across the UK - Laura Gillott (Thornbridge Brewery), Kate Hyde (Hand Brew Co.), and Georgina Young (St Austell Brewery). Red’s nomination celebrates her work in small-batch craft brewing and her innovative work alongside the rest of the team at The First & Last Brewery, using hyper-local, foraged Northumberland ingredients, and their current 10th anniversary beer range, ‘10B410Y’ working with local small businesses and beer community members to acknowledge the importance of the people and places that have been a part of the brewery’s journey during its first decade.
The 2026 Women in Beer® Awards were judged by a panel of industry leaders, including beer broadcaster and journalist Melissa Cole, Cloudwater Brew Co owner Paul Jones, Burnt Mill head brewer Sophie de Ronde, Moonwake co-founder Vinny Rosario, Burum Collective founder Helen Anne Smith, and The Dodo Micropub founder Lucy Do.
Celebrating Local Heritage
Located in the heart of rural Northumberland in the village of Bellingham, The First & Last Brewery has built a national reputation for its terroir-led brewing, inspired by the county’s wild landscapes and dark skies.
Central to the brewery’s identity is its seasonal beer releases, where every beer features locally-sourced or hand-foraged ingredients - from wild spruce tips to seasonal fruits and blossoms. The hands-on brewing philosophy not only grounds each beer in the natural climate and soil of Northumberland, but also assists with the brewery’s commitment to sustainability, minimising environmental impact by sourcing ingredients right on the brewery’s doorstep.
Speaking about the award win, Red Kellie said: “The Women in Beer Awards are such a wonderful celebration of all of the work going on up and down the country by women in every aspect of the brewing and beer community. I met so many inspiring women at the event! It was such a massive surprise to win, and at the same time a really proud moment to celebrate all that is special about what we do at First & Last.”
An Award-Winning Year for North East Beer
The Brewer of the Year title complements a landmark year for the family-run brewery, which also took home Silver Overall Champion (Bottle/Can) at the National SIBA Indie Beer Awards earlier this year for its foraged Spruce Saison.
As the brewery continues to mark its 10th anniversary with its innovative ‘10 Beers for 10 Years’ project, Red’s win puts rural brewing here in the North East firmly in the national spotlight.
To discover the range of foraged Made with Northumberland beers currently available, and the latest ‘10B410Y’ releases, please visit the First & Last webshop.
Notes to Editors
Photo credit: Matt Curtis
About The First & Last Brewery:
Located in Bellingham, in the heart of rural Northumberland, The First & Last Brewery is a family-owned champion of independent craft beer. Since 2016, owners Red and Sam Kellie have brewed small-batch beers inspired by the wild, untamed landscape and dark skies of their North East home.
Winners of the National SIBA Indie Beer Awards 2026 Silver Overall Champion (Bottle/Can) for their foraged Spruce Saison, the microbrewery produces a wide range of beer styles in cask, keg, bottle, and can. They also support terroir-led brewing with their seasonal specials that use locally sourced, foraged ingredients. Whether in their village taproom or through their innovative ‘10 Beers for 10 Years’ project for 2026, First & Last remains committed to quality, community, and a true taste of Northumberland.
Website: www.firstandlastbrewery.co.uk
Socials: @firstandlastbrewery
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