Major blow to Guy Ritchie after film director pulls plug on microbrewery despite his beer gaining ‘cult following’
FILM director Guy Ritchie has stopped making beer after pulling the plug on his microbrewery.
He founded the Gritchie Brewing Company in 2017 in a bid to recreate classic cask ales.
But tough trading conditions are believed to have led Madonna’s ex-husband Ritchie, 56, to focus on other business ventures instead.
The brewery, based on a farm on his Ashcombe Estate near Shaftesbury, Dorset, is understood to have ceased production in May.
A source told The Sun: “Guy is extremely passionate about beer and has invested a lot of time, energy and money into this project.
“Gritchie built a great cult following but this proves how hard it is for small-scale breweries to become financially viable.
“Everyone involved is gutted they won’t be carrying on — none more so than Guy — but it doesn’t make business sense to continue.”
The source added: “Guy now hopes to concentrate on other projects after the success of The Gentlemen.”
A-list actor Matthew McConaughey famously drank a pint of Gritchie’s English Lore in the 2019 film, which inspired a hit Netflix spin-off series earlier this year.
And former Top Gear presenter James May revealed the “really nice quaffing beer” was the house ale at his Royal Oak pub, based just eight miles from the brewery in Swallowcliffe, Wiltshire.
But Gritchie’s website offers hope that the brewery may not be gone forever.
An online message reads: “Gritchie Brewing Co. Closed (for now).