Emperor’s Brewery has become one of the most iconic names in modern British imperial stout, building an international reputation through intensely rich dark beer brewed with huge body, heavy adjunct use and uncompromising flavour intensity. Founded by Damian Doherty after years of highly regarded homebrewing, Emperor’s began as a tiny passion project before evolving into one of the UK’s best-known specialist stout breweries.
Unlike most modern craft breweries, Emperor’s focuses almost entirely on imperial stout and porter, producing high-strength dark beer inspired by both classic Russian Imperial Stout tradition and modern American adjunct-heavy brewing. Releases regularly feature ingredients such as cacao, vanilla, coconut, maple syrup, coffee, tonka bean and dark fruit layered onto thick, full-bodied stout bases with huge texture and warming alcohol.
Barrel ageing also plays a major role in the brewery’s identity, with many beers matured in whisky, bourbon, rum and wine casks before release. Emperor’s has become especially respected for balancing sweetness, roast character and spirit influence without losing structure or drinkability, helping the brewery develop a cult following among imperial stout enthusiasts both in the UK and internationally. Collaborations with other major dark beer breweries have further cemented its reputation within the global stout scene.
The brewery’s visual identity and branding heavily reference science fiction and fantasy culture, particularly Star Wars-inspired themes, giving Emperor’s a distinctive identity that matches the scale and theatrical nature of the beers themselves. Despite the playful presentation, the brewing approach is deeply technical, focused on producing some of the richest and most flavour-saturated stout in modern craft beer.
Our Emperor’s Brewery collection focuses on imperial stout, porter and barrel-aged dark beer brewed for slow drinking, sharing and cellaring. Expect flavours of espresso, dark chocolate, coconut, vanilla, maple syrup, oak, dark fruit and warming spirit character alongside some of the boldest beers currently being brewed in the UK.
