Curious Brewery has started to see the fruits of a £400,000 investment to boost its production line.

Bosses at the Ashford-based brewer installed new state-of-the-art bottling facilities at the site with the first of its ciders and beers now emerging from the enhanced production line and it has launched a new premium lager brewed with Champagne yeast.

And in May, a new canning line will be added.

Previously owned by Tenterden winemaker Chapel Down, it sold Curious Brewery last February - just two years after unveiling a multi-million pound brewery and visitor centre devoted to it in Victoria Road, Ashford.

It was acquired by a management team led by Simon George and Mark Crowther and backed by private equity firm Risk Capital Partners which have vowed to "build the business".

The investments in production facilities mean all processes, from brewing through to the finished packaged product can be completed at the site.

In addition, the brewery has launched a new premium lager brewed with Champagne yeast. Curious Pilsner used a trio of locally-grown Kent hop varieties

Simon George, MD of Curious Brewery said “This year has got off to a fantastic start with our latest product launch, which is already proving a hit with our customers. The considerable investment in our SALSA-accredited packaging facilities, also demonstrates our further commitment to the future of the Curious Brewery as we continue to grow this business.”

SALSA accreditation enables the brewery to supply major on and off-trade retailers.