Estrella Damm opens 'state-of-the-art' Eagle Brewery in United Kingdom

Estrella Damm, Catalonia's leading beer brand, has inaugurated Eagle Brewery, a "state-of-the-art" brewery in Bedford, between London and Birmingham, in the United Kingdom.

Spain's largest brewing business has chosen Bedford as it is "strategically located" and "ensures efficient logistics" for the company. 

Damm has invested more than €80 million in a "complete modernization to boost a state-of-the-art canning line and an additional brewstream." The site has doubled its capacity to 1.8 million hectoliters per year.

The modernized facility has doubled packaging capacity and diversified into new formats and beverages, including soft drinks. The idea is to produce soft drinks and "beyond beer" beverages to diversify its portfolio.

The goal is to to consolidate its position as the largest independent beer company in the UK with its first brewery outside of the Iberian Peninsula.

"We are bringing skills, innovation and a vision of how industry must evolve to remain competitive: more digital, more sustainable, more resilient," Jorge Villavecchia, managing director of Damm, said in a written statement.

"This country has shown, time and again, its ability to adapt and emerge stronger from adversity," he added.

Since acquiring the brewery, Damm has tripled its number of direct employees in the UK from 56 to 180 and the investment is planned to "support innovation through a new incubator hub," the UK's minister for investment Jason Stockwood said in the statement.

The company has made an "unprecedented investment" to meet increased UK demand for its flagship Mediterranean lager Estrella Damm, brewed on site since spring 2024 to serve the 150 pints poured every minute across the United Kingdom.

With double-digit growth in the past year, the UK market is on track for a record 2025, with 2026 projected to deliver another record-breaking year backed by new commercial and manufacturing partnerships.

Damm, the company behind Estrella Damm, will celebrate its 150th anniversary in 2026.

Estrella Damm has been investing in the UK market for several years, with former PM Boris Johnson being photographed holding a Damm beer at a party during the Covid-19 lockdown.

Catalonia, land of beer

Estrella Damm, is Catalonia's most recognizable beer internationally but it is far from the only beer in the territory. Craft beer in Catalonia is a flourishing industry rewarding creativity and collaboration.

You can learn more about it on a Filling the Sink Podcast released in 2021.