UK brewing business Powder Monkey Group rounded off 2025 by acquiring County Durham-based Maxim Brewery. 

The company did not reveal the value of the deal. 

Powder Monkey said the purchase “reinforces” its “capability and capacity” in the region, following its acquisition of Castle Eden Brewery in May last year. 

Maxim Brewery was established after the closure of Vaux Breweries in 1999 and has since operated as a regional brewer in the north-east.  

The brewer’s portfolio includes Double Maxim, Samson and Lambtons, which are produced from its Houghton Le Spring brewery. 

With Maxim now under its umbrella, Powder Monkey said it has grown to five “key brands” in the UK, with operations spanning the south, the Midlands and the north-east. 

Andy Burdon, group CEO of Powder Monkey, said: "We are proud to have added the Maxim Brewery and established brands to the Powder Monkey portfolio. It has a fiercely loyal customer base and we will continue in this tradition.

"The business has a strong customer base in the north-east but also has some National presence, we will be adding it to our portfolio across the UK."

Mark Anderson, the managing director of Maxim, added the deal will “ensure that our well-loved brands continue to be brewed in the north-east for many years to come”.

Founded in Gosport in 2021, Powder Monkey has been building scale through acquisitions. Maxim was its sixth acquisition in 2025.

The group already owns four breweries in Australia, including two purchased in July and distributes to Hong Kong and Gibraltar. 

It also plans to bring online an “impressive significant” new brewing facility in Sydney’s inner western suburbs this year. 

The Maxim transaction came shortly after the appointment of Jon Radford as managing director of Powder Monkey’s UK operations.  

Radford was previously managing director of Windsor and Eton Brewery. 

In a statement released alongside Radford’s appointment on 19 December, Mike McGeever, the chairman of Powder Monkey, said Radford was a “tremendous addition” As the UK is currently the “largest part of the business”, he added, “bringing in somebody of Jon's calibre and experience is a strong signal that Powder Monkey intends to both continue its growth and identify further opportunities”.