RINGWOOD Brewery has appointed Maurice Walton as head brewer following the retirement of Jeff Drew.

Maurice got a taste for brewing in the early ’80s when he was offered a holiday job at Ruddles Brewery in Rutland. This inspired him to take a degree in Industrial Biology after which he went back to Ruddles for ten years, working through a number of roles from lab technician to brewing manager and then cellar services manager.

After a brief spell with Morland, when they bought Ruddles in 1997, he moved to Greene King, completing his IBD Master Brewer qualification in 2002.

A move to Ringwood followed in 2004 an from 2013 he worked as Jeff’s second brewer.

Maurice said: “I look forward to looking after this great brewery with the team; producing great beers, meeting customers, and creating some new beers in the future.”

Ringwood Brewery has been producing beers such as Old Thumper, Boondoggle, Forty Niner and Razor Back in Ringwood, Hampshire since 1978. Marston’s Beer Company operates across six breweries and produces an outstanding range of premium ales, world lagers and craft beers. In 2007 Midlands based Marston’s bought the brewery.