The Fat Cat Brewery was opened on 26 September 2005 by Roger Protz, editor of 'The Good Beer Guide', and Beer Drinker of the Year 2004. That moment was the culmination of a long-held ambition of Colin Keatley, Landlord of 'The Fat Cat', CAMRA's Pub of the Year 1998 and 2004. Colin had bought 'The Wherry' on Lawson Road earlier in the year, and transformed it into 'The Shed', a popular pub and music venue run by Ryan Burnard, but Colin's main interest was the space on the premises he had set aside for the Brewery. He had already assembled the team that would be working there, and the brewery had gained a huge boost when Ray Ashworth, formerly of Woodforde's, agreed to

Interview with the Fat Cat Brewery's brewing consultant, Ray Ashworth

take part in the project as the brewery's consultant. Ray was hugely successful at Woodforde's, and won the brewing world's highest accolade, Champion Beer of Britain, with two of his beers, Norfolk Nog and Wherry. The day-to-day brewing was to be done by Mark Winter, son of David Winter, of Winter's Brewery.
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