Rutland has always been a county passionate for tweed, pork pies, our pets, and the local community. However we can't forget the long and enduring local love for a good pint of beer. While we now have The Grainstore Brewery and Oakham Ales (actually based in Peterborough), Rutland's history of producing good beers goes back much further.

One of the earliest commercial breweries was established in 1858 just up the road from Oakham in Langham.

The Brewery was bought in 1912 by George Ruddle, when it became Ruddles Brewery. This is where our intrigue with the local brew house begins, with many locals still mourning the loss of this local brand to brewing giant Greene King.

From 1912 until 1999, Ruddles Brewery produced a collection of classics, including:

Ruddles County

Ruddles Best

Ruddles Organic

Ruddles Rhubarb …to name but a few! The brewery was briefly owned by Watneys and Morland & Coin between 1986 and 1999, but Greene King has been the constant owner of the brand since then, and sadly have not adhered to the original recipes that made these beers iconic. Many claimed that it was the Langham water that made Ruddles beers so good, but that is a secret long lost now that most of the Ruddles beers are produced in Suffolk. The only thing that remains of Ruddles Brewery in Rutland now is the time capsule that was planted in the ground of the Rutland County Council offices on the 6th of October 1995, 'preserving aspects of Rutland & The Campaign for Independence.' Do you have any fond memories of enjoying Ruddles in Rutland? Or any memories of Rutland that you would like to share for our 'Oakham in history' feature? You can email [email protected] or click the black 'Nub It' button to share your stories with us. We look forward to hearing from you!