Watsons Brewery

Microbrewery in Colchester, Essex, England 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿

Established in 2016

Closed in 2025

Contact
54 Old Heath Road, Colchester, CO1 2HD, England
Description
I’m a one-man, small batch brewery, now (post-Covid/Brexit/Truss/Ukraine) producing just two casks each brewday which go to beer festivals and pubs mostly in Colchester and north Essex. I’ve been brewing commercially since 2016. I brew a lot of different beers rather than having a small range of regular beers.

I brew using top quality, fresh, ingredients, and don’t use pumps or chemicals or finings. I have been producing vegan-friendly beers for a couple of years now.

Ceased commercial brewing late 2025 and reverted to being a home brewer in 2026.

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6.4/10 Appearance 6 Aroma 6 Flavor 7 Texture 6 Overall 6.5
Cask @ The Hop Beer Shop, Chelmsford. Nice head with good duration. Color is golden. Aroma and taste are fruits, flowers, malt and hops. Nice fruity finish.
Tried from Cask on 14 Oct 2017 at 08:36

7.5/10 Appearance 6 Aroma 9 Flavor 7 Texture 6 Overall 8
Bottle from Two Brews, Colchester. Pours very slightly hazy deep amber colour with a big frothy off-white head. Aroma of hop, apricot, citrus and tropical fruit, toffee, biscuit and banana. The rye is very subtle. Moderate sweetness and bitterness. Medium body, slight oily texture, soft carbonation. Finish it sticky, toffee and fruity. Good work!
Tried from Bottle on 26 Sep 2017 at 08:12

6.6/10 Appearance 8 Aroma 7 Flavor 6 Texture 6 Overall 6.5
25th June 2017
Hazy gold beer, thin pale cream colour head. Palate is light and mildly dry, reasonable carbonation. Light malts, mildly sweet. Mellow mango dominates, a little sweet. Touch of floral orange provides some dimension. Light semi dry finish. Tidy fruit beer, could perhaps be a little more intense.
Tried on 27 Jun 2017 at 09:12

7/10
Easy-drinking. Subtle. Nice use of Simcoe. Good.
Tried at The Ale House on 04 Apr 2017 at 19:32

Tried on 07 Mar 2017 at 21:37

7.8/10 Appearance 8 Aroma 8 Flavor 8 Texture 8 Overall 7
Cask at the 8th Chappel Winter Beer Festival. Pours very dark brown with a lasting bubbly off-white head. Aroma of light chocolate, roasted malt, dark fruits, vanilla, liquorice and nut. Moderate sweetness and medium bitterness. Medium body and slight oily texture, carbonation is soft. Finish is nutty with developing sweetness and liquorice coming through. Good brew.
Tried from Cask on 03 Mar 2017 at 17:17

7.1/10 Appearance 8 Aroma 7 Flavor 7 Texture 8 Overall 6.5
Cask at the 8th Chappel Winter Beer Festival. Pours mahogany brown with a bubbly off-white head. Aroma of sweet malt, chocolate, light roasting, vanilla. Medium sweetness and light roasted bitterness. Medium body, carbonation is soft. Finish is dry.
Tried from Cask on 03 Mar 2017 at 17:15

9/10
#sxshare Lots of chocolate malt. Nice dry-hoppin'. Super soft malts. Really clean amd well-made. Ace.
Tried at The Ale House on 03 Jan 2017 at 19:53