The route I wanted to explore began on Belmont Road, before ending up around Ann Place Car Park and finally finishing by the old Ann Street Brewery. I have walked past this area regularly but very rarely get a chance to see what it actually looks like. I was interested by the modern houses and apartments surrounding an old run-down brewery.

This was my route.

The Ann Street Brewery was founded as a company in 1905, but brewing activities on the site it occupied in Ann Street (formerly Rue es Helles) can be traced back to 1871. The new company brewed ale, and only switched to other beer types in the 1950s. The company acquired the license to manufacture and distribute Coca-Cola in the Channel Islands in 1952. In 1958 the company acquired the distribution license for Bollinger champagne for the islands.

Ann Street remained a modest-sized business into the early 1970s before a turning point in 1971, when Ian Steven took over as the company’s lead. Under Steven, Ann Street began developing its pub estate holdings, which grew to more than 100 across the Channel Islands. The company also entered the French market, acquiring L’Abeille, that country’s leading supplier of private-label soft drinks for the French supermarket sector. Into the 1990s, Ann Street, which was listed on the London Stock Exchange’s main board, began seeking an extension onto the English mainland, building up a pub estate in southern England. In 2000 the company moved bought the Brubeckers restaurant chain.

Ann Street took over the Tipsy Toad brewpub in 1997. Jersey Brewery and Tipsy Toad were relocated to the current site in 2004. In 2008, following a management buyout, the brewery came under the ownership of Liberation Group. Beers are currently branded as either Liberation or Mary Ann. In 2011 the brewery was renamed to Liberation but still use previous brand names.

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