Hollywood stars expand their empire to include a brewery

Hollywood stars Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney are not content with owning a fast-rising soccer team.

Now they have snapped up their own brewery so they can toast the success of the Wrexham football club.

The pair has now acquired a majority stake in local brewery Wrexham Lager, drinks business reports. And as of December the beers are available in Australia. 

Reynolds and McElhenney purchased Wrexham AFC, now in EFL League One, in 2020, with the high-profile investment in the Welsh football club becoming the subject of FX documentary Welcome to Wrexham.

During their time owning the club, the duo has seen Wrexham AFC enjoy two successive promotions and a huge boost in publicity and crowd numbers.

Founded in 1882 by German Immigrants Ivan Levinstein and Otto Isle, Wrexham Lager was previously under the ownership of Carlsberg before then being acquired by Martin Jones, who worked at the brewery until 1987, when he became MP for Clwyd South. 

Jones revived the brewery, which had ceased operations in 2000, in 2011, procuring its rights for £1.

In a media statement, Reynolds and McElhenney said: “As co-chairmen of Wrexham AFC, we have learned a lot. The connection between club and community, the intricacies of the offside rule and the occasional need for beer — especially after finance meetings.”

“Wrexham Lager has a 140-year-old recipe and a storied history and we’re excited to help write its next chapter.”

The full financial terms of the deal have not been disclosed, but it is understood that the duo has acquired a majority stake.