In Alloa, once known as Scotland’s brewing capital, Williams Bros. Brewing Co. stands as one of the few remaining breweries still proudly producing beer in the town. But their story reaches back further, beginning not in a brewhouse, but in a small home-brew shop in Glasgow in the late 1980s.
The business started with an unexpected encounter. A woman of Gaelic heritage walked into the shop carrying a handwritten family recipe for Leanne Fraoch, a historic heather ale said to date back thousands of years. She hoped to recreate it for her family. In exchange for learning how to brew it, she offered the recipe to the Williams family.
“It felt like being handed a piece of history,” recalls Scott Williams. “We weren’t just trying a new beer. We were reviving something ancient.”
That revived ale became the template for the brewery’s ‘Fraoch’ Heather Ale, inspiring their original company name, Heather Ale, and setting the course for everything that followed.
With the first small batch selling out quickly, brothers Scott and Bruce realised they had uncovered something unique. Over the following years, they continued to explore Scotland’s early brewing traditions, experimenting with bog myrtle, heather and sweet gale; ingredients that shaped Scotland’s beer long before hops arrived here.
But the moment that solidified their future came in 2004, when the family took over the former Forth Brewery site at Kelliebank in Alloa. The move gave them space to grow and marked the moment Heather Ale Ltd became Williams Bros. Brewing Co.
“It was the right time to bring the old and the new together,” says Bruce’s son Chris Williams. “We wanted to honour the heritage beers but also brew the kind of modern styles people were excited about.”
Since then, the brewery has produced more than fifty modern recipes alongside their historic range. Among them is Joker IPA, now one of Scotland’s best-selling IPAs in the off-trade and the beer many people know them best for.
Williams Bros is a family-owned business, but it’s also a major employer in the area, with more than fifty staff working across brewing, packaging, logistics and sales. Keeping jobs in Alloa has always been central to their approach.
“Alloa gave us a home,” Scott explains. “It matters to us that we give something back. Through jobs, through partnerships and by keeping production right here.”
That commitment extends beyond their own beers. The brewery provides brewing and packaging services for other Scottish brewers and drinks brands, helping smaller producers scale up without leaving the local supply chain.
The company has become an important part of the region’s collaborative food and drink community: sustainable, practical and rooted in the belief that Forth Valley’s producers are stronger when they support one another.
While the brewery has grown considerably since its early days, sustainability remains a core consideration. The team uses 100% UK-sourced barley, 95% of it grown in Scotland, ensuring traceability and reducing transport emissions. Spent grain is sent to local farms as animal feed and around twenty tonnes of brewing byproducts each year are delivered to a nearby processor who converts them into renewable electricity.
“It’s not about big statements,” says Chris. “It’s about making good choices every day. Choices that support local farmers, reduce waste and keep the whole operation moving in the right direction.”
Several of the brewery’s beers are also gluten-free, alcohol free or vegan-friendly, to support customers who are looking for those options.
Across their heritage ales, modern craft beers and expanding alcohol-free range, Williams Bros have consistently earned recognition. Recent awards include multiple Golds at the 2025 Scottish Beer Awards, as well as success across SIBA competitions for classics like Williams Black, Birds & Bees and Caesar Augustus.
For the team, the awards are appreciated, but they’re not what drives the brewery.
“At the end of the day, we want to make good beer that people enjoy,” Scott says. “If awards come from that, great; but it all starts with the beer.”
The brewery’s presence continues to grow across the UK, led by the ongoing popularity of Joker IPA. With demand rising, expansion remains part of the family’s long-term plan, but always with the intention to keep production and jobs rooted in Alloa.
Chris reveals: “We’re preparing to launch a new Scottish Premium Lager in early 2026, created in response to the growing interest in world lagers. Using techniques honed over decades, it represents our next chapter balancing heritage and innovation.”
Williams Bros. Brewing Co.
New Alloa Brewery
Kelliebank
Alloa
01259 725 511
