We have introduced a business of the week article, highlighting a local, independent business featured on our local list.

This week it is Copper Street Brewery.

The brewery in Brewery Square is the brainchild of Ann and Anthony Buckton after they found themselves both fed up with their jobs with their children off at university.

"It was a 'what shall we do next?'", said Ann.

"So, we looked at lots of different areas; Devon, Cornwall and we looked at Dorchester and it just seemed like a busy place and like the right move - tourists but lots of local support.

"We thought we would give it a year and that was three years ago.

"The local support has been amazing, we have so many regulars and everybody wants to get involved - we've got some residents upstairs that grow hops for us and they are always popping in. it seems to be the place for people to come and meet.

"We opened a tap room so we could serve our own drinks and we got our licence the week we went into lockdown and it was really frustrating, so it's nice the restrictions have been lifted."

The couple chose a brewery as their 'what next?' as it was something Anthony really enjoyed doing.

He said: "I had been home brewing for a while and my work had been in pharmaceuticals, so I understood the chemical process and I just loved brewing.

"We started up in our garage, just making a couple of casks and selling to the local pub and it was popular. I enjoyed it."

Since opening, it has grown in popularity and Anthony and Ann are looking to expand as they struggle to keep up with demand.

Ann added: "It's just the two of us at the moment but we need to expand as it's been so popular. As fast as we're putting it on shelves, it's going. We can't keep up.

"We need to take the next step so we need to find a bigger premises. We want to stay in Dorchester, or as close to here as possible, as Brewery Square has been so supportive."

Copper Street Brewery currently brews 13 ales, covering a wide range and all varying in strength, from 3.8 per cent to 8.5 per cent, such as Egbert's Stone and Dorchester Imperial Stout.

It supplies pubs, restaurants, village shops and campsites, including the Kings Arms and Tom Brown's as well as a number in Bridport - The Woodman, Pursuit of Hoppiness, Red Brick Café and Pineapple campsite.

It also sells from its shop at the brewery.

Ann said: "The nice thing about the shop is that we can support local breweries as we can sell their beers, like Cerne Abbas, as tourists often come in and want local beers and ciders, so it's nice to support those local ones as well as sell their beer."

The shop is open from 10am to 5pm on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Saturdays and 10am to 6pm on Thursdays and Fridays.

To be in with a chance of being featured, make sure you add your business details to our Local List.

To find out more, follow Copper Street Brewery on Facebook or visit copperstreetbrewery.co.uk

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