Wilson Potter Brewery is owned and run by friends Kathryn Harrison and Amanda Seddon. It is a six barrel microbrewery in Middleton, North Manchester, producing a range of handcrafted real ales with a variety of styles and strengths. The friends met many years ago whilst working in the same school in Amanda's home town of St Helens. They discovered they both liked real ale which made them unusual amongst their friends who were mainly lager drinkers. Amanda's husband, Gary, introduced them to beer festivals by taking them to Wigan Beer Festival in its old home of Wigan Pier. As they discovered new beers and breweries their interest in the brewing process developed and one Friday night Amanda turned up at Kathryn's home in Middleton with a boot full of brewing equipment. Kathryn's kitchen then became the prototype for Wilson Potter and experimenting began. Having attended a brewing course at PBC Installations, Bury, to learn more about commercial brewing, and after visiting Patsy Slevin at Prospect Brewery, Wigan, and Tara and Elaine at Mallinson's Brewing Company in Huddersfield, they were convinced that they wanted to run their own brewery and produce beers that they would enjoy drinking. Kathryn and Amanda produced their first commercial beers in October 2011. These were Making Progress a 4.1% fruity, malty caramel amber beer and Cascale, a 3.7% pale golden beer with a citrus flavours. Since then they have produced a wide range of beers which can be seen on the Beers page of the website. There is a core range of seven beers which are supplemented with a range of occasional beers and one-off specials brewed throughout the year. In 2012 they won the first of their awards at Oldham Beer Festival. Tandle Hill was voted Beer of the Festival and Harcles Hill won a bronze award. This was followed by a Joint Winner award for In Shreds at Chorlton Beer Festival in 2013. Bon Don Doon was voted Beer of the Festival at Prestwich Beer Festival in February 2014 and Don't Fall was voted Beer of the Festival at Stockport Beer Festival 2014. The beers are available in cask and bottle-conditioned (500ml) and are delivered direct across the North West from Preston to Crewe and from Liverpool to Leeds and further afield via wholesale distributors.