Dark Star Brewing Co.
A Sussex craft brewery established in Brighton and later associated with the Hophead pale ale.
Last updated August 31, 2026
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Overview
Dark Star Brewing Co. was an English craft brewery whose history began in 1994 in the cellar of the Evening Star public house in Brighton, Sussex. The brewery emerged around the beer Dark Star, which had originally been produced by Pitfield Brewery in north London. When brewer Rob Jones moved to the Evening Star, production of the beer became part of the new Brighton brewing operation. This origin connected Dark Star to the developing British craft-beer movement and to the pub-brewery model, in which beer was brewed close to the point of sale and served through an associated public house. The company expanded beyond its original cellar and moved production to Ansty, West Sussex, in 2001. In 2010 it moved again, this time to Partridge Green, where it operated a substantially larger brewery. The Partridge Green site had a brew length of 45 barrels and an annual capacity of approximately 20,000 barrels. The relocation enabled Dark Star to produce beer at a scale greater than that of its original pub-based operation while retaining an identity associated with independent and regional brewing. Its best-known product was Hophead, a pale ale that became one of the brewery's flagship beers. Dark Star's ownership changed significantly in February 2018, when London-based brewer Fuller Smith & Turner acquired the company. James Cuthbertson remained as managing director after the transaction. The acquisition was presented in the context of Fuller's interest in strengthening its position in the craft-beer segment. Later that year, Dark Star confirmed that some Hophead production was taking place at Fuller's brewery in London, indicating that the brand's brewing footprint was already becoming more distributed across the acquiring company's facilities. In January 2019, Fuller Smith & Turner announced plans to sell its entire drinks business, including Dark Star, to the Japanese brewing group Asahi. The transaction placed Dark Star within a much larger international brewing portfolio. Although the brand retained its own identity and product range, subsequent production decisions increasingly reflected the manufacturing network of its parent group rather than the original independent brewery structure. In November 2022, Asahi announced that it would close the Partridge Green brewery and move the Dark Star portfolio to its Meantime Brewery in Greenwich, London. This ended brewing at the site that had served as Dark Star's production base since 2010. In March 2024, Asahi announced the closure of Meantime Brewery as well. Production of Dark Star beers was then moved to Fuller's Brewery in Chiswick. The available reference material documents this sequence of ownership and production changes but does not establish whether Dark Star continues as a separately operated company or only as a brand within Asahi's United Kingdom brewing business.
History
Dark Star Brewing Company was established in 1994 in Brighton, Sussex, with brewing carried out in the cellar of the Evening Star public house. The company's founding beer, Dark Star, had previously been made by Pitfield Brewery in north London. Brewer Rob Jones moved to the Evening Star, where the beer became part of the new brewery's identity and helped establish the business within Britain's emerging craft-brewing culture. The original operation was based on a pub-brewery model, but the company later needed premises capable of supporting larger production. In 2001, Dark Star moved to Ansty in West Sussex. In 2010, production moved again to Partridge Green. The Partridge Green brewery had a 45-barrel brew length and an annual production capacity of about 20,000 barrels. The move gave Dark Star a larger regional manufacturing base while preserving its Sussex association. Hophead became a particularly prominent beer in the portfolio and was identified as one of the company's flagship pale ales. A major structural change occurred in February 2018, when Fuller Smith & Turner acquired Dark Star. James Cuthbertson stayed on as managing director. The acquisition brought Dark Star into the portfolio of a larger London brewer and affected the way the brand was produced. In August 2018, Dark Star confirmed that some Hophead was being brewed at Fuller's London facility, an early indication that production was no longer confined to the Dark Star site. In January 2019, Fuller Smith & Turner announced an agreement to sell its entire drinks business, including Dark Star, to Asahi Breweries. The proposed sale transferred Dark Star from a British regional brewer to a Japanese-owned international brewing group. The brand's name and beer portfolio continued, but its production became increasingly dependent on Asahi's network of breweries in the United Kingdom. Asahi announced in November 2022 that it would close the Partridge Green brewery. The Dark Star portfolio was scheduled to move to Meantime Brewery in Greenwich, London. This decision brought the company's long-standing Partridge Green brewing operation to an end. In March 2024, Asahi also announced the closure of Meantime Brewery, after which Dark Star beers were moved to Fuller's Brewery in Chiswick. The documented history therefore traces Dark Star from a Brighton pub cellar, through two Sussex production sites, into ownership by Fuller Smith & Turner and then Asahi, followed by the relocation of production away from its historic brewery. The available sources do not clearly establish the current legal status of Dark Star Brewing Company as a standalone operating entity.
- 2024
Production moves to Chiswick
[1]After Asahi announces the closure of Meantime Brewery, Dark Star production is moved to Fuller's Brewery in Chiswick.
- 2022
Partridge Green brewery closure announced
[1]Asahi announces that the Partridge Green site will close and that Dark Star production will move to Meantime Brewery in Greenwich.
- 2019
Planned sale to Asahi
[1]Fuller Smith & Turner announces plans to sell its drinks business, including Dark Star, to Asahi Breweries.
- 2018
Acquisition by Fuller Smith & Turner
[1]Fuller Smith & Turner acquires Dark Star, while James Cuthbertson remains managing director.
- 2018
Hophead production is partly transferred
[1]Some production of Hophead is confirmed at Fuller's London brewery.
- 2010
Partridge Green brewery opens
[1]Dark Star moves production to Partridge Green, where it operates a 45-barrel brewery with an annual capacity of about 20,000 barrels.
- 2001
Production moves to Ansty
[1]The brewery leaves its original Brighton cellar and moves production to Ansty, West Sussex.
- 1994
Brewing begins at the Evening Star
[1]Dark Star Brewing Company is established and begins brewing in the cellar of the Evening Star public house in Brighton.
Products and positioning
A Sussex-origin craft-beer brand with roots in pub brewing and regional independent brewing, later integrated into the production and distribution networks of Fuller Smith & Turner and Asahi.
Pale ale
Hophead
Hophead is Dark Star's best-known flagship pale ale in the available reference material. It was associated with the brewery's Sussex craft-beer identity and remained part of the portfolio after the company was acquired by Fuller Smith & Turner and later by Asahi. In 2018, Dark Star confirmed that some Hophead production had moved to Fuller's London brewery, demonstrating that the beer continued to be produced across a wider brewing network rather than solely at the Partridge Green site.
Beer
Dark Star
Dark Star was the beer around which the brewery's early identity developed. It had originally been brewed by Pitfield Brewery in north London before brewer Rob Jones moved to the Evening Star in Brighton. The beer subsequently became part of the output of Dark Star Brewing Company and gave the company its name. The supplied sources do not provide a complete technical specification or current production status.
Brand decisions
2024
Relocation of Dark Star production to ChiswickStrategyBackground
Asahi announced the closure of Meantime Brewery in Greenwich, where the Dark Star portfolio had been moved after the Partridge Green closure.
Action taken
Production of Dark Star beers was moved to Fuller's Brewery in Chiswick.
Aftermath
The brand's documented production locations shifted from Sussex to London facilities within the broader Asahi and Fuller brewing network.
2022
Closure of the Partridge Green breweryStrategyBackground
The Partridge Green site had been Dark Star's production base since 2010.
Action taken
Asahi announced that the brewery would close and that the Dark Star portfolio would move to Meantime Brewery in Greenwich.
Aftermath
Brewing ceased at Dark Star's historic Partridge Green facility.
2019
Planned sale of the drinks business to AsahiM&ABackground
Fuller Smith & Turner announced plans to dispose of its entire drinks business, which included Dark Star.
Action taken
The company announced the planned sale of the drinks business to Asahi Breweries.
Aftermath
Dark Star entered Asahi's international brewing portfolio, although the supplied material does not provide transaction completion details.
2018
Fuller Smith & Turner acquires Dark StarM&ABackground
Dark Star had developed from a Brighton pub brewery into a Sussex regional brewery with a larger production site at Partridge Green.
Action taken
Fuller Smith & Turner acquired the brewery and retained James Cuthbertson as managing director.
Aftermath
Dark Star became part of Fuller's drinks business, and some Hophead production was carried out at Fuller's London brewery.
2018
Partial transfer of Hophead productionStrategyBackground
Following the Fuller Smith & Turner acquisition, the brand's production requirements were supported by the acquiring brewer's London facilities.
Action taken
Dark Star confirmed that some Hophead pale ale was being produced at Fuller's London brewery.
Aftermath
Hophead production was no longer limited to the Dark Star brewery in Sussex.
Sources2 sources
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