The Curious Brewery in Ashford is set to double in size after it acquired craft beer and pale ale firm the Wild Beer Company.

Wild Beer, based in Somerset, had gone into administration last month. Its beer range included Wild IPA and Pogo. It even made a beer, Enso, made from wasps' yeast.

But it came unstuck after ten years due to a myriad of factors among them, according to its bosses, "Covid, loss of export sales, spiralling production costs, damaging inflation and an increase in interest rates".

Administrators were appointed on December 2.

But a deal has now been struck with the Curious Brewery.

The Kent firm will take over production of the Wild Beer Co's range of drinks at its brewery. It currently has the capacity to create five million pints a year - and hopes to expand that to 15m.

Curious Brewery chairman Mark Crowther explained: "The acquisition brings a lot of positives including high-quality beers and distinctive brands, impressive distribution in both the on and off-trade, as well as a significant direct-to-consumer e-commerce operation.

"This new chapter for Wild Beer Co will bring some stability, placing the business on a sure footing. For Curious, this is an important step in our journey to become one of the UK's leading brewers of specialist, premium beer and ciders."

As part of the deal, Curious Brewery intends to honour the perks available to current members of Wild Beer Co's Secret Cellar Club and previous shareholders.

Curious Brewery was originally set up by Tenterden wine-maker Chapel Down. However, after being hit by the enforced closure of pubs and hotels during the pandemic, it announced it was ditching the brand in February 2021.

It came less than two years after it unveiled a multi-million brewery and visitor centre close to Ashford International Station

Buyer of the brand was the private equity firm Risk Capital Partners (RCP) - led by entrepreneur Luke Johnson.

Vowing to build the brand, it appointed a string of senior figures in the drinks trade to help it progress as a standalone venture.

Wild Beer Co - which had sold its beers in the likes of Waitrose and M&S - had halted all trading after appointing administrators while talks started with potential suitors for the business.

It came in for criticism after it slumped into administration after it emerged a 2017 crowdfunding campaign for a state-of-the-art brewery and restaurant failed to materialise - despite almost £1.8m being raised.

The terms of the Curious deal have not been revealed but does not include the brewery and production facilities in Somerset.