A north Suffolk brewery launched during lockdown is ramping up production as its owners look to expand.

Bruha was launched by Rob Breakwell and Marc Medland in September 2020 with the aim of producing “clean, clear and crisp” beers.

But it faced a difficult birth as it struggled through the pandemic, explained the brewery’s managing director Rob, who has previously been a national sales manager for Southwold pubs and brewery group Adnams and later another group based in the North East.

“It was a bit like trying to start a water supply company in the desert,” he admitted. “It was incredibly tough and we would definitely not be here now without some very generous investors who believed in what we were doing.”

After Rob was made redundant from his top sales job at the start of the pandemic, he joined forces with Marc – who had started out making beer with friends. The pair met through Marc’s wife, who also worked at Adnams.

Marc – who does the brewing – grew up in Southwold and previously ran a restaurant and a wine merchants in Aldeburgh. Rob is originally from Great Hockham in Norfolk.

The brewery is based at Eye in north Suffolk and has increased production to 20,000 litres of beer a month.

“There are some brilliant brands in East Anglia – Aspall’s, Stokes, for example,” said Rob.

“We want to join them and become a known name in the region for creating consistently good beer.

“We’ve got the products, the equipment and the skill – now we just need to get out to the trade.”

The new brewery is producing three beers in the Bruha range – alongside seasonal beers launched throughout the year – all made using East Anglian malted barley.

It makes a Bruha Session Pale, a 3.9% session strength pale ale, Bruha Lager, a 4% pilsner-style lager, and Bruha IPA 5.6%.

“Bruha is aimed at the modern drinker. Someone who loves a good pint, but isn’t interested in fads or trying ‘the next big thing’,” explained Rob.

“We want to become the essential East Anglian beer brand that’s known for creating aspirational beers that are consistently delicious.”

The range comes in 330ml cans as well as casks and kegs. The beer is already sold in a number of East Anglia pubs including the Oaksmere at Eye, the Burston Crown near Diss and Arcade Street Tavern in Ipswich.