Eden Brewery, based in Brougham Hall, near Penrith, Cumbria, saw a 12.5% rise in turnover and a doubling in profits in the year 2015/16.

Jason Hill Eden BreweryBut managing director, Jason Hill (pictured), said the effects of Storm Desmond on the tourist trade had a knock-on effect on the area’s breweries.

Jason said: “The flow of visitors to pubs in the towns and villages in the area is a big driver for the amount of beer that we breweries sell. The flooding over the winter damaged lots of businesses in the area, closed the A591 through the central Lakes for a long time and has had a knock-on effect on bookings.

“Taking all this into account, we are really glad to see these financial results. We have grown every year since we started production in March 2012 and it is nice to see that, even in tough times like those following the flooding, small businesses in the area can still perform well.”

Jason said he thought part of the brewery’s success was due to the fact it supplied its beers — which range from experimental high-strength brews to its range of traditional English ales — to high-end retailers and distributors across the country.

The brewery has also been investigating exporting its beer to Japan, as well as potentially supplying European markets in France and Sweden.

Jason added: “I think one of the important things for us is that we produce beers in a wide range of styles to appeal to different markets, and we also have an interest in spreading our brand far beyond Cumbria.

“Making a range of quality products to appeal to different types of people all over the country and the world is a good way of protecting us from local economic shocks such as Storm Desmond.”