The pubs make up most of the pubs that SA Brain has owned and operated in England and bring the total of pubs owned by The Liberation Group now across South West England and the Channel Islands to 115.

The eight pubs include six managed sites - Smoking Dog in Malmesbury, Bear in Cirencester, Bowl in Almondsbury, Ostrich in Bristol, Jubilee in Flax Bourton and White Horse in Buckover - and two tenanted pubs - Langford in Lower Langford and Old Station in Hallatrow. 

Butcombe has been busy building its business in the West Country, having more than doubled its pub estate over the last year. In addition to purchasing pubs, Butcombe is also investing in the Butcombe Brewery. They're expanding their range of beers to include new beers such as Pioneer, as well as upgrading their distribution depot and kegging and bottling line.

Pictured: Liberation Group-owned Butcombe are expanding their range of beers.

The Butcombe pub estate has now hit 43 with this latest acquisition, which they hope will set them on the road to becoming the West Country's leading brewer and pub owner.

Mark Crowther (pictured), CEO of Liberation Group, commented: “The addition of these eight high quality pubs to our portfolio further accelerates the growth of our rapidly expanding pub estate, strengthening our presence in our heartland around Bath and Bristol. These pubs are a perfect fit with our existing portfolio and will benefit from ownership by our fast growing, market leading regional brewery with its well-known brands. We welcome all those who work in those pubs and look forward to building a successful future together.”

Scott Waddington, CEO of SA Brain added that, while the Welsh brewer and hospitality company is proud of its period of ownership, it was pleased with the new pubs' new managers. "[We] believe the team, with their West Country heartland, are well placed to take these businesses forward," he said.