Stones Brewery

Stones Brewery, formally William Stones Ltd, was a historic brewery founded in Sheffield, England, in 1868 by William Stones. Its origins went back to 1847, when Stones began brewing with Joseph Watts at the Cannon Brewery in Sheffield. After Watts died in 1854, Stones continued independently and later acquired the lease of the Neepsend Brewery in 1868, renaming it the Cannon Brewery after his original premises. The business grew from a local Sheffield operation into one of the city’s most substantial brewing companies, supported by a large tied estate of public houses and an expanding regional distribution network. The brewery’s defining product was Stones Bitter, first brewed at the Cannon Brewery in 1948. Developed for the industrial workforce of Sheffield’s Lower Don Valley, the beer became closely associated with the city’s steel industry and working-class pub culture. It was initially sold mainly in South Yorkshire, Derbyshire and Nottinghamshire. Distribution expanded into the wider north of England in 1977 and across the United Kingdom from 1979, when Bass used its national network and substantial advertising resources to turn Stones Bitter into a mass-market ale. The brand reached its commercial high point in 1992, when it was reported to be the country’s best-selling bitter, with annual sales exceeding one million barrels. William Stones expanded through acquisitions and partnerships. By the late nineteenth century, the company had a substantial tied estate in Sheffield and Chesterfield. It acquired additional public houses from Chambers’ Brunswick Brewery in 1911 and expanded into areas including Mansfield and Barnsley. In the 1950s it acquired or partnered with other regional brewing and pub businesses, including the Sheffield Free Brewery, Mappin’s Brewery of Rotherham and Ward & Sons, a bottler based in Swinton. These transactions increased the tied estate to approximately 300 houses and gave Stones greater bottling and distribution capacity. Bass acquired William Stones in 1968 after building a minority stake in the company. The takeover brought Stones into a national brewing group but also led to rationalisation. Several facilities, including the Worksop maltings and Swinton bottling plant, were closed, while Bass increasingly promoted its own national brands alongside Stones Bitter. The Cannon Brewery survived for several decades because of the continuing popularity of Stones Bitter, despite repeated pressure to consolidate production elsewhere. A modern brewhouse had been commissioned in 1962, and the site later included visitor facilities and a brewery tap. Bass closed the Cannon Brewery in April 1999, ending brewing at the historic Sheffield site and eliminating 57 jobs. Production of Stones products was transferred to other breweries. Bass sold its brewing interests to Interbrew in 2000, but competition concerns required the disposal of certain brands. Stones Bitter was subsequently acquired by Coors Brewing Company in 2002; Coors later became part of Molson Coors in 2005. The Stones Brewery company and Cannon Brewery operation are defunct, but the beer brand survives. Molson Coors produces keg Stones Bitter at Tadcaster and canned product at Burton upon Trent. Cask-conditioned production, after periods of contract brewing, ended in 2012. The brand’s identity was built through regional heritage, pub distribution, sports sponsorship and long-running television advertising. From 1983 to 1991, advertisements featuring Tony Barton and Michael Angelis used the line “Wherever you may wander, there’s no taste like Stones.” Stones also sponsored the Rugby Football League Championship from 1986 to 1995 and the Rugby Super League in 1996 and 1997. Although Stones Bitter remains associated with Sheffield and is still sold in the United Kingdom, its sales declined after Bass withdrew much of its marketing support in 1997 and after the Cannon Brewery closed.

William Stones began brewing in Sheffield in 1847 with Joseph Watts. Following Watts’s death in 1854, Stones continued the business alone and acquired the lease of the Neepsend Brewery in 1868. He renamed the premises the Cannon Brewery, creating the operation later known as William Stones Ltd. The company developed a tied-house network and became an important local brewer. When Stones died in 1894, the brewery passed to James Haynes and Richard Wigfull, and it was incorporated as a limited company in 1895. By that time it had 84 tied houses, principally in Sheffield and Chesterfield, and was among the city’s larger businesses. The company consolidated its regional position during the first half of the twentieth century. It acquired the tied houses of Chambers’ Brunswick Brewery in 1911 and later expanded into Mansfield and Barnsley. In 1954, Stones partnered with Tennant Brothers in acquiring the Sheffield Free Brewery and separately purchased Mappin’s Brewery of Rotherham. Both acquired breweries were subsequently closed, while their estates strengthened Stones’ presence in the region. A further acquisition, Ward & Sons of Swinton, improved bottling capacity in 1959. By the early 1960s, Stones had around 300 public houses and had become one of Sheffield’s largest tied-house operators. Stones also entered distribution arrangements involving other brewers’ products. It supplied draught bitter to former Scarsdale Brewing Company houses while stocking Whitbread’s Mackeson Stout, bottled Ringnes lager for the region and reached an arrangement involving Carling Black Label. These activities reflected the increasingly interconnected nature of Britain’s brewing industry before large-scale consolidation. Stones Bitter became the company’s central brand. First brewed in 1948, it was designed for the local steelworking community and initially distributed across South Yorkshire, Derbyshire and Nottinghamshire. The beer gained a strong regional following, leading Bass to extend its distribution northward in 1977 and nationwide in 1979. Stones Bitter was supported by extensive advertising and sports sponsorship, and by 1992 it was reportedly the United Kingdom’s highest-selling bitter. Its strength was reduced during the 1990s, from 4.1 per cent alcohol by volume in 1992 to 3.7 per cent in 1999, while the brewery increasingly produced other Bass-related or small-volume products as Stones volumes weakened. Bass acquired William Stones in 1968 for approximately £9 million. The acquisition brought the brand into a national distribution system but also began a long process of rationalisation. The Worksop maltings and Swinton bottling operation were closed, and Bass substituted some former Stones sales with brands such as Worthington E. The Cannon Brewery remained open because Stones Bitter continued to sell strongly, but Bass eventually closed it in April 1999, citing falling cask-beer sales and operational savings. The closure ended commercial brewing at the Sheffield site and resulted in 57 job losses. Contemporary criticism from the Campaign for Real Ale argued that Bass had failed to support its cask-conditioned products adequately. After the closure, Stones production moved to Bass facilities in Burton upon Trent and Tadcaster. Bass sold its brewing interests to Interbrew in 2000. Competition authorities required Interbrew to dispose of certain brands, and Coors Brewing Company acquired Stones Bitter in 2002. Coors later merged with another brewing business to form Molson Coors in 2005. Molson Coors continues to produce keg Stones Bitter at Tadcaster and canned beer at Burton upon Trent. Contract-brewed cask Stones was later produced by other breweries, but the cask version ended in 2012. The Cannon Brewery site has retained historical significance in Sheffield. Its offices were completed in 1958, a new brewhouse began operating in 1962, and a brewery visitor centre opened in 1992. The premises were used as a filming location for the 1996 film When Saturday Comes. Much of the former site later became unused or derelict, although part of the office building was occupied by another business. Stones’ brand heritage survives primarily through Stones Bitter, its association with Sheffield and its legacy of beer advertising and rugby sponsorship.

1. 2012Cask-conditioned product is discontinued

   The cask-conditioned version of Stones Bitter ceased production.

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2. 2002Coors acquires Stones Bitter

   Coors purchased Stones Bitter following competition-related brand disposals from Interbrew.

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3. 2000Bass brewing operations sold to Interbrew

   The Stones brand entered Interbrew’s portfolio as part of Bass’s brewing-operations sale.

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4. 1999Cannon Brewery closes

   Bass shut the Sheffield brewery, ending local production of Stones products.

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5. 1997Bass reduces marketing support

   Bass shifted much of its marketing emphasis toward Worthington, after which Stones sales volumes declined markedly.

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6. 1992Stones Bitter reaches reported sales peak

   The beer was reported to be the United Kingdom’s best-selling bitter, with annual sales above one million barrels.

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7. 1986Rugby league sponsorship begins

   Stones began sponsoring the Rugby Football League Championship.

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8. 1983Long-running television campaign begins

   A national Stones Bitter advertising campaign featuring Tony Barton and Michael Angelis began and continued through 1991.

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9. 1979Stones Bitter receives nationwide distribution

   Bass used its national network to make Stones Bitter available throughout the United Kingdom.

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10. 1977Stones Bitter expands across northern England

    Distribution moved beyond the original South Yorkshire, Derbyshire and Nottinghamshire heartland into the wider north of England.

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11. 1968Bass acquires William Stones

    Bass purchased the Sheffield brewer and its tied estate.

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12. 1966Stones Imperial is introduced

    William Stones launched its first brewery-conditioned beer, Stones Imperial.

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13. 1962New Cannon brewhouse opens

    A new five-storey brewhouse became operational at the Cannon Brewery.

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14. 1959Ward & Sons is acquired

    The purchase of Ward & Sons strengthened the company’s bottling capabilities and distribution infrastructure.

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15. 1948Stones Bitter is launched

    The brewery introduced Stones Bitter, a beer developed for Sheffield’s steelworking communities.

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16. 1911Chambers’ Brunswick estate acquired

    Stones purchased fourteen tied houses from Chambers’ Brunswick Brewery after that company entered liquidation.

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17. 1895William Stones becomes a limited company

    The company was incorporated with a substantial tied estate concentrated in Sheffield and Chesterfield.

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18. 1868Cannon Brewery is established under Stones

    Stones took over the lease of the Neepsend Brewery and renamed it the Cannon Brewery.

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19. 1854Stones continues independently

    After Watts died, Stones continued brewing alone and later acquired his former partner’s share.

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20. 1847William Stones begins brewing with Joseph Watts

    William Stones and Joseph Watts began brewing together in Sheffield, establishing the business background from which the later Stones brewery developed.

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A Sheffield-rooted bitter brand associated with industrial heritage, regional pub culture, rugby sponsorship and traditional northern English ale.

• Stones BitterBitter beer1948

  The brewery’s signature beer, first brewed in 1948 for Sheffield’s steelworking communities. It began as a regional ale and expanded throughout northern England before receiving nationwide distribution from 1979. The product reached reported peak popularity in 1992. Its alcohol strength changed over time, and Molson Coors now produces keg and canned versions, while the cask-conditioned form was discontinued in 2012.

• Stones ImperialBrewery-conditioned beer1966

  Introduced in 1966 as William Stones’ first brewery-conditioned beer. It represented an expansion beyond the company’s established draught bitter range, although the available reference material does not establish its later production history.

• Stones Super League BitterSpecial cask-conditioned bitter1996

  A 4.8 per cent alcohol-by-volume commemorative beer produced in 1996 to mark Stones’ sponsorship of the Super League.

• Stones Pure GoldGolden ale2007

  A one-off 4.1 per cent cask-conditioned golden ale brewed by Everards in summer 2007 under the Stones name.

• 1996Rugby Super League sponsorship

  United Kingdom

  Following the restructuring of the competition, Stones sponsored the Rugby Super League in 1996 and 1997.

  Outcome. The sponsorship extended Stones’ rugby association into the new competition, although wider brand marketing support was subsequently reduced.

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• 1986Rugby Football League Championship sponsorship

  United Kingdom

  Stones sponsored the Rugby Football League Championship from 1986 through 1995, associating the brand with one of Britain’s major professional rugby competitions.

  Outcome. The sponsorship increased the brand’s visibility among rugby audiences and reinforced its northern English cultural positioning.

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• 1983Stones Bitter television advertising campaign

  United Kingdom

  A national television campaign starring Tony Barton and Michael Angelis ran from 1983 to 1991 and used the line “Wherever you may wander, there’s no taste like Stones.” It became one of the longest-running bitter-beer advertising campaigns in Britain.

  Outcome. The campaign strengthened Stones Bitter’s national identity and linked the beer’s regional heritage with a broad UK audience.

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• 2002Coors acquires Stones BitterM&A

  Interbrew’s acquisition of Bass’s brewing interests was subject to competition-related brand disposals.

  What changed. Coors Brewing Company acquired Stones Bitter and transferred its production to group and contract facilities.

  Aftermath. The brand continued under successive Coors and Molson Coors ownership, but cask production ultimately ended in 2012.

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• 1999Closure of the Cannon BreweryStrategy

  Bass cited falling sales of cask-conditioned beer and the opportunity to achieve operational savings through production consolidation.

  What changed. Bass closed the Sheffield brewery and moved Stones production to facilities in Burton upon Trent and Tadcaster.

  Aftermath. The closure eliminated 57 jobs, ended local brewing and was later criticised as a strategic mistake because of renewed interest in regional provenance and golden ales.

  Efficiency savings. £1 million (1999 closure)

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• 1968Bass acquires William StonesM&A

  William Stones had grown into a major Sheffield brewer with a large tied estate, while Bass was expanding its national brewing portfolio.

  What changed. Bass acquired the company through a stock-financed transaction and retained Stones Bitter as the principal continuing brand.

  Aftermath. The brand gained national distribution, but non-core facilities and some former Stones products were progressively rationalised.

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• 2012Cask-conditioned Stones Bitter production ends

  After production moved among contract and group breweries, the cask-conditioned version of Stones Bitter was discontinued.

  Product generation
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• 2002Stones Bitter is sold to Coors

  Following competition-related disposals from Interbrew, Stones Bitter was acquired by Coors Brewing Company, which later became part of Molson Coors.

  M&ARegulation
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• 2000Bass sells brewing interests to Interbrew

  Bass sold its brewing operations, including the Stones brand and associated breweries, to Belgian brewer Interbrew.

  M&A
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• 1999Cannon Brewery closes in Sheffield

  Bass closed the Cannon Brewery in April 1999, citing declining demand for cask-conditioned beer and efficiency benefits from consolidating production elsewhere.

  Other
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• 1968Bass acquires William Stones

  Bass acquired William Stones after building a stake in the Sheffield brewer, bringing the Stones business and its tied estate into a national brewing group.

  M&A
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1. Stones Brewery