Beartown Brewery is situated in the historic Cheshire market town of Congleton which is mentioned in the Domesday Book and acquired the nickname of "Beartown" from an infamous incident in its history. After being granted Borough status in 1272, the three most senior positions within the borough were those of the Mayor, the Ale Taster and the Bear Warden whose job was to oversee the bear baiting which unfortunately took place at the fairs within the town. The town's love of ale and brewing would also have kept the Ale Taster busy. In 1584 records show that there were 45 inns and ale houses in the town which at that time had a population of just 1000! In 1632 the serving Bear Warden had insufficient funds to purchase a bear for the local festivities. Rather than face the wrath of the local merrymakers he decided to buy a bear with money that had been put aside to buy a new bible for the town hall. The rhyme recounting the event was then popularised and the Towns nickname of Beartown was born - "Congleton rare, Congleton rare, sold the bible to buy a bear", this still appears on all of our labels and pump clips. Not only did the Bear Warden and Ale Taster play a part in the town's rich history, the Mayor of Congleton in 1637 was one John Bradshaw, who as one of Oliver Cromwell's judges was the first signature on the death warrant of King Charles I. A blue plaque on one of the town's pubs commemorates the event. A bear, a Cheshire wheat-sheaf and an ale cask feature on both the borough coat of arms and an adapted version on the brewery logo.Our world award winning beers are brewed to reflect regional taste and bear names to continue the heritage. Animals Asia In contrast to the events in the towns history, the brewery today is proud to support the Animals Asia Foundation. For More information please visit www.animalsasia.org