Rebellion Beer

Rebellion Beer, also known as the Rebellion Beer Company, is an independent brewery based in Marlow, England. Founded in 1993 by friends Tim Coombes and Mark Gloyens, it was established to revive the town’s brewing tradition after the closure of the Wethered Brewery in 1987. The company began in a small industrial unit in Marlow Bottom and later developed its operations at Bencombe Farm. The brewery makes a broad range of beers. Its current website lists full-time ales such as Rebellion IPA, Smuggler, Overthrow, Roasted Nuts, and several bottled beers, alongside lager, stout, craft beer, low-alcohol beer, barrel-aged offerings, and limited-edition small batches. The range includes both draught and packaged products, with mixed cases and other groupings available through its shop. The company describes its approach as combining traditional brewing methods with a modern focus on flavour, freshness, and service. Rebellion serves customers through its Brewery Shop in Marlow, its online shop, and the on-site Tap Yard. Its website advertises nationwide home delivery in the UK. During the Covid-19 pandemic, when pubs closed, the shop introduced home delivery and an on-site drive-through; the company says both services continued as full-time offerings. The Tap Yard opened in 2021. The company presents itself as independently owned and places emphasis on local heritage, community, quality, responsible brewing, and practical sustainability measures. It says that independence gives it control over the brewing process and lets it focus on its own principles and customers. Its stated sustainability work includes attention to water and energy use, packaging, and sourcing; the supplied information also says a 50-metre borehole supplies all of its brewing water. Specific current corporate ownership, financial information, and named leadership beyond the founders are not provided in the available evidence.

Marlow’s brewing history predates Rebellion Beer by centuries. The company’s account traces the town’s brewing tradition to the Wethered Brewery, which began in 1758 and operated in the town centre for more than two centuries. Wethered’s closure in 1987 left Marlow without a local brewing tradition, a gap that friends Tim Coombes and Mark Gloyens set out to address. They launched Rebellion Brewery in 1993 from a small industrial unit in Marlow Bottom, explicitly connecting the new brewery with the town’s brewing heritage. In 1999, Rebellion established a permanent home at Bencombe Farm, converting former farm buildings and grain stores into the centre of its brewing operations. The company later extended its local presence beyond production: in 2003 it acquired The Three Horseshoes, a pub in Marlow. In 2006, it left the lease of that pub and refocused on the brewery. The brewery expanded its production and packaging capabilities during 2014–2017, adding tanks and kegging lines and upgrading production and packaging areas. Its brewery shop moved to a larger on-site space, which opened in July, and Rebellion released its draught lager during this period. In 2018, two 75-barrel tanks were installed in the lower yard, adding brewing capacity. A new bottling line followed in 2019, bringing bottling back in-house and, according to the company, improving bottled beer quality and consistency. The Covid-19 pandemic disrupted pub access in 2020. In response, the Rebellion Shop set up home delivery and an on-site drive-through. The company describes both as successful and says they remain full-time services. In July 2021, it opened the on-site Rebellion Tap Yard. That year it also introduced a returnable one-litre bottle in its retail shop, which it says significantly reduced packaging waste. Today, Rebellion presents itself as an independent brewery serving a varied range of beers from Marlow. Its sales and customer-facing channels include the brewery shop, online shop with UK-wide delivery, and Tap Yard. Its stated mission and values link brewing quality with local community, independence, innovation, and responsible operation. The company describes sustainability as practical work across water and energy use, packaging, and sourcing, and says its 50-metre borehole supplies all of its brewing water. The supplied evidence does not establish further ownership changes, later dated corporate events, or named current executives.

• 2021

  Tap Yard opens; returnable one-litre bottle introduced

• 2020

  Home delivery and on-site drive-through introduced during the Covid-19 pandemic

• 2019

  New in-house bottling line installed

• 2018

  Two 75-barrel tanks installed

• 2017

  Expanded brewery shop opens; draught lager released

• 2014

  Production and packaging development period begins

• 2006

  Leaves the pub lease and focuses on the brewery

• 2003

  Acquires The Three Horseshoes pub in Marlow

• 1999

  Rebellion moves to Bencombe Farm

• 1993

  Tim Coombes and Mark Gloyens launch Rebellion Brewery in Marlow Bottom

• 1987

  Wethered Brewery closes

• 1758

  Wethered Brewery establishes Marlow’s brewing tradition

An independently owned local brewery rooted in Marlow’s brewing heritage, emphasizing quality, freshness, community, and a combination of traditional brewing and modern flavour-led experimentation.

• Rebellion IPA

  A listed full-time ale offering.

• Smuggler

  A listed full-time ale offering.

• Overthrow

  A listed full-time ale offering.

• Roasted Nuts

  A listed full-time ale, also offered in a bottled version.

• Rebellion Lager

  A full-time lager offered on draught and in bottles.

• Hazy Pale

  A listed full-time craft beer.

• Eclipse

  A listed full-time nitro stout.

• Mar-Low Pale

  A listed full-time 0.5% ale.

• Belgian Quad and Baltic Porter

  Barrel-aged beers offered in 750 ml bottles.

1. 1Rebellion Beer | Brewery Shop, Tap Yard & Free Home Deliveryrebellionbeer.co.uk
2. 2Rebellion Beer Historyrebellionbeer.co.uk
3. 3Mission / Values / Sustainabilityrebellionbeer.co.uk