The brewer of Barnsley Bitter has been sold to an investment group as it goes for expansion.

Acorn brewery directors Dave and Christy Hughes (pictured) have decided new ownership is needed to grow the brewery and have sold to Sonas Capital – a Greater Manchester-based company specialising in developing successful small businesses (SMEs).

Launched in 2003 on an ex-Firkin 10-brewers-barrel plant, Acorn’s cask ales quickly gained sufficient populalrity to enable expansion to a 25-barrel brewery in Wombwell. Today there is the capacity to produce 170 brewers-barrels (278 hectolitres) a week with annual turnover of some £1m.

Over the years, Acorn has been celebrated for its traditional Barnsley Bitter (3.8 per cent) and Old Moor Porter (4.4 per cent). Most recently Barnsley Bitter was overall champion at the SIBA (Society of Independent Brewers) North Beer Competition.

With the sale, the employment of the seven-strong brewery team has been secured and a general manager will be recruited.

Founder Dave Hughes will continue in a consultancy role while Christy will take retirement due to  recent ill health.

Dave Hughes said: “We have enjoyed 20 successful years since launching in Barnsley with just my late first wife Judy and our current brewer Steve Bunting.

“In recent years, with Christy heading marketing and sales, we have continued to drive the brewery forward, despite being badly hit by the Covid pandemic.

“Throughout lockdowns we continually brewed, pouring the beer away, to regularly refresh our unique original Barnsley brewery yeast strain from the 1800s, so we recovered quickly.

“Now we feel we have taken the business as far as we can and we are handing it on in very good shape to Sonas.

“We wish to thank the team for its loyal support across the years. I look forward to continuing to work with it in my consultancy role. We must also thank our valued suppliers, loyal trade customers and, of course, our ever-faithful fans for their ongoing support for our beers.

“This is a very exciting time for Acorn and we would like to reassure those suppliers, licensees and beer fans that the brewery is going into good hands. We are confident that Sonas will continue to reflect our passion with the energy and impetus to take the business forward, maintaining our highest standards of products and service under our banner of tradition and innovation.”

Acorn directly supplies outlets across the North of England and further afield through wholesalers and pub companies. The core of the business remains cask-conditioned ale but bottled and keg beers are also produced. Barnsley Bitter and Old Moor Porter are exported to Italy in keg and bottle in the summer with some supplied in cask for the winter months.