Mitchells & Butlers Brewery

Mitchells & Butlers Brewery

Company type	Brewery (defunct)
Industry	Brewing
Predecessor	Henry Mitchell's Crown Brewery, William Butler's Brewery
Founded	1898
Founder	Henry Mitchell, William Butler
Defunct	1961
Fate	Merged with Bass
Successor	Bass
Headquarters	Birmingham , England, United Kingdom
Area served	United Kingdom
Key people	Herbert Glendilling Bainbridge (partner from 1888)
Products	Beer (notably Brew XI)

Mitchells & Butlers Brewery originated in 1898 following the combination of Henry Mitchell's Crown Brewery, which began operations in Smethwick in 1866 and partnered with Herbert Glendilling Bainbridge from 1888, and William Butler's Brewery, also established in Smethwick in the same year.

Mitchells

In 1879, Henry Mitchell moved production to the Cape Hill location, which became the main brewing site for the company. This facility included a dedicated railway system that connected to the national rail network via the Harborne line between 1907 and 1962. Additionally, the brewery was known for sponsoring Birmingham St George's F.C., a football club competing in the Football Alliance and twice winners of the Staffordshire Senior Cup before folding in 1892.

Butlers

William Butler founded a separate brewery in Springfield, Wolverhampton, in 1874. This establishment was incorporated into Mitchells & Butlers in 1960. Brewing activities at this site ended in 1990, with the facility closing a year later. Following fire damage in 2004, the premises were redeveloped into a University of Wolverhampton campus, retaining some original structures such as the entrance arch.

Mitchells & Butlers grew further by acquiring other breweries, including Holder's Brewers, owner of Birmingham's Midland Brewery, in 1919, and Highgate & Walsall Brewery in 1939.

Merger with Bass

In 1961, the company merged with Bass. Under the ownership of Coors Brewers, the Cape Hill brewery was shut down in 2002, with production transferred to Burton upon Trent. The original brewery buildings were demolished in 2005 to make way for residential development; however, the Mitchell & Butler war memorial from 1920 was preserved and restored.

Their signature beer, Brew XI (spoken as Brew Eleven), was promoted as "for the men of the Midlands." Currently, it is brewed under license for Coors by Brains located in Cardiff.

A successor company responsible for operating pubs, bars, and restaurants throughout the UK continues to operate under the name Mitchells & Butlers, with its headquarters based in Birmingham.

See also

• List of breweries in Birmingham