West Country-based Butcombe Brewing Company has said it plans to support double-digit growth in its keg range, create new jobs and also bring packaging in-house thanks to a new £4m investment.

The major spend will comprise a new production unit, newly-installed bottling and kegging lines, alongside a beer storage and delivery facility in Bridgwater, which creates 12 local jobs.

In addition, there will be investment at the existing Butcombe brewery to increase capacity with new fermentation and conditioning vessels

The improvements to the brewery will allow Butcombe to produce up to an additional 40,000 barrels of beer per year enabling their continued growth.

Steve Wilkinson, managing director of brewing and brands at Butcombe Brewery said: “This significant investment will provide us with a new platform to better service our loyal Butcombe customers more effectively at a lower cost which we intend to reinvest in our Butcombe beer brands to secure our future growth, and keep pace with the increasing demand for all of our new beers.

“Bringing our packaging “in-house” will give us better quality control over our brands and enhance our capability.

“The investment in specialist bottling and kegging equipment is a rare opportunity for a regional brewer of our size to really gear up and satisfy the rapidly changing market, to redouble our efforts in our heartland with Butcombe Cask beers at the centre of what we do supported by the same consistent quality beers in bottle and keg.

“These improvements will allow us to ensure we retain and enhance our quality reputation while stepping up production to move closer to our long-term goal of becoming the number one regional brewer.”