Northumberland brewery co-founder named Brewer of the Year at Women in Beer Awards 2026
The co-founder of a Northumberland brewery has won a top honour, celebrating her dedication to the region’s beer community.
Red Kellie, co-founder of The First & Last Brewery, has been named Brewer of the Year at the prestigious Women in Beer® Awards 2026.
The national awards ceremony took place on Tuesday, October 20 at Cloudwater Brewery’s taproom in Manchester, launching the Women in Beer® Festival.
Located in the heart of rural Northumberland in the village of Bellingham, The First & Last Brewery has built a national reputation for its terroir-led brewing, inspired by the county’s wild landscapes and dark skies.
Central to the brewery’s identity is its seasonal beer releases, where every beer features locally-sourced or hand-foraged ingredients - from wild spruce tips to seasonal fruits and blossoms.
The hands-on brewing philosophy not only grounds each beer in the natural climate and soil of Northumberland, but also assists with the brewery’s commitment to sustainability, minimising environmental impact by sourcing ingredients right on the brewery’s doorstep.
Red’s nomination celebrates her work in small-batch craft brewing and her innovative work alongside the rest of the team at the brewery, using hyper-local, foraged Northumberland ingredients, and their current 10th anniversary beer range.
Speaking about the award win, she said: “The Women in Beer Awards are such a wonderful celebration of all of the work going on up and down the country by women in every aspect of the brewing and beer community.
"I met so many inspiring women at the event. It was such a massive surprise to win, and at the same time a really proud moment to celebrate all that is special about what we do at First & Last.”
The Brewer of the Year title complements a landmark year for the family-run brewery, which also took home Silver Overall Champion (Bottle/Can) at the National SIBA Indie Beer Awards earlier this year for its foraged Spruce Saison.
As the brewery continues to mark its 10th anniversary with its innovative ‘10 Beers for 10 Years’ project, Red’s win is putting rural brewing here in the North East firmly in the national spotlight.