Cloudwater celebrates a decade of brewing in Manchester

Cloudwater Brew Co has become one of the best-known names in British craft beer, and it all started in Manchester. The company was founded in 2014 by Paul Jones and James Campbell. Jones had no previous experience in the brewing industry, while Campbell had been head brewer at Marble, one of the city's most respected breweries.

The pair found premises on the Piccadilly Trading Estate and fitted them out with a brewing kit imported from the United States. Cloudwater brewed its first beers on 14 February 2015, and the date has been a cause for celebration ever since.

In February 2025 the brewery marked its tenth birthday with a set of six special beers, released under the banner Making Waves / Endless Horizons. The line-up was designed as a look back at the first decade, moving from the styles of the early years towards what comes next.

The set opened with Repose, an alcohol-free pale, and included It Is And So It Was, a pale ale. Pale ale was Cloudwater's very first style and the one it has brewed more than any other since 2015, and the team says pales are the best sellers in its taproom.

Alongside those came an amber lager, a juicy IPA called Beyond The Mirage, a double hopfenweisse and a 10 per cent triple IPA named A New Beginning. Bars around the country joined in, with Bailey Head hosting a birthday event with all six on tap.

Taprooms have always been part of the Cloudwater experience. The brewery's first taproom was the Barrel Store on Sheffield Street, before a new taproom opened next to the brewery in 2018. The company now runs taprooms in Manchester and London, and its team has grown to more than 45 people, with Jones still owning and directing the business.

The celebrations have kept rolling too, with the brewery marking its eleventh birthday in February 2026.

Visitors can find taproom details, new releases and the online shop on Cloudwater's website, which is the best place to check what is pouring before heading over.