Cheers, cheers! The microbrewery in the heart of the community
Eighteen years ago Andy Dukes walked into Walsall’s historic Highgate Brewery hoping to secure a job as a delivery driver.
Little did he know it was the start of a journey into the world of real ale that would one day lead him to opening his own micro-brewery.
He launched AJ’s Ales with wife Charlotte in 2014 and since then it’s gone from strength-to-strength, offering a range of regular and guest ales that have been well received by drinkers around the region.
Father of four Andy, aged 36, spent eight years learning the trade at Highgate before it closed its doors for good in 2010.
He then moved on to Blue Bear Brewery in Worcester where his duties included responsibility for the day to day brewing giving him further opportunity to hone his skills.
But it was a spell working with a good friend at the Worcestershire Brewing Company that gave him a taste for developing new recipes as well as the confidence to branch out on his own.
“I realised it was something I wanted to do myself. I hadn’t been sure before but working here made me really passionate about traditional real ales,” says Andy.
AJ’s Ales brewery is based on Ashmore Industrial Estate in Long Acre Street, Walsall, where the couple also run a tap room, which they open to the public on the last Saturday of every month.
Andy said it had been tough trying to build a business from scratch and it took a while for them to find their feet.
