It all began in the 1980s when then amateur brewer Philip Wilks fell in love with making his own beer using a small barrel in the cellar. Brewing took a back seat to life for a while, but whenever he did make a brew for family parties the results were often praised and always enjoyed. In 2011 Phil's eldest son, Tom, was getting married and asked for two pins of homemade beer for the wedding. The beer (and the wedding) was a huge success and the first of Brigstock Brewhouse's hand crafted artisan ales, Potter's Ruin, was born.