WINCHESTER brewers have toasted “bottoms up” celebrating 12 months in business.

Andy Mansell and Iain McIntosh opened Red Cat Brewing on April 11 last year and have gone on to create a range of cask and bottled ales.

Now producing 6,300 pints per week and taking on worker Ben Jackson full time, it is fast becoming one of Hampshire’s busiest breweries, supplying over 120 pubs across the south with its seven ales.

It is has even gone on to win two awards for Mr M’s Porter which saw them take home Beer of the Festival at the Salisbury Winterfest in January.

The tipple also awarded them with runner-up at Hampshire Octoberfest last year.

Based at Winnall, ales can also be bought bottled on site or consumed at the licensed bar.

Head brewer Mr Mansell said: “Craft ale has come a long way in the past 50 years, but with so many beers on the market it’s still a rare treat to find that perfect pint.

“When we launched a year ago, our defining mantra was that ‘we don’t do boring,’ and whilst we’re hugely proud of the range of beers that we have developed, we’ll never pussy-foot around as we continue our work to create a fabulous range of beers.”