This September, one of the most famous stories in history will be toasted with a beer brewed just a few miles from where its defining battle took place. Battle Brewery and The British Museum are launching Bayeux Lager, a limited-edition beer created exclusively for the British Museum to mark the unveiling of the Bayeux Tapestry Exhibition at one of the world’s most celebrated cultural institutions on 10th September 2026.
The launch brings together two places intrinsically linked by the events of 1066. The Bayeux Tapestry tells the story of the Norman Conquest and the Battle of Hastings; Battle Brewery makes its beer in the East Sussex town of Battle that grew around the battlefield itself. More than 950 years after the events depicted in the tapestry changed the course of British history, visitors will be able to raise a glass to the story with a beer inspired by and made where history happened.
Launching at the British Museum in September, the co-branded Bayeux Lager will be the museum’s leading beer, along with other Battle Brewery beers, and will be available to savour in all of its food and beverage outlets as well as in the retail shops for those who want to take a bespoke souvenir gift box home. Created for exhibition visits, long lunches and a celebratory drink after encountering one of history’s greatest surviving works of storytelling, it offers visitors a direct and delicious connection between the tapestry and the landscape it depicts.
BATTLE BREWERY x THE BRITISH MUSEUM BAYEUX LAGER
Clean, crisp and refreshing, Bayeux Lager is a classic Pilsner-style beer brewed with Saaz, Tettnang and Mittelfrüh hops. The combination brings the elegant, aromatic character associated with traditional noble hops, balanced by low bitterness and a smooth Pilsner malt finish.
Pilsner and dextrin malts give the beer body and balance, creating an accessible, easy-drinking lager that remains full of character and quality. In other words, it is a beer designed to make history go down particularly well.
For Battle Brewery, the collaboration represents far more than placing a historical name on a label. Based in the heart of East Sussex’s 1066 Country, the independent brewery is surrounded by the landscapes, landmarks and stories immortalised in the Bayeux Tapestry.
Battle Abbey, the battlefield and the town that grew around them remain part of everyday life in Battle. They have shaped the brewery’s identity since its beginning and continue to inspire the beers it makes, the stories it tells and the community it supports.
The Bayeux Lager label brings that connection to life with an original illustration inspired by the visual language and storytelling of the tapestry, reimagined through Battle Brewery’s own distinctive world. Historical references are joined by playful and unexpected modern details, creating a design that rewards a closer look and makes the events of 1066 feel alive rather than confined to the past.
Darren Edmonstone, owner and managing director of Battle Brewery, commented: “To create the exclusive beer for the British Museum at the moment the Bayeux Tapestry Exhibition is unveiled is enormously exciting for us. This is one of the most important surviving accounts of the events that shaped Battle, Britain and the town our brewery calls home.
“Our brewery was born from a love of Battle, its history and the people who make the town what it is, so this collaboration feels like a genuine coming together of place, story and craftsmanship. There could not be a more fitting beer to accompany this moment. We hope visitors to The British Museum will enjoy discovering the Bayeux Tapestry in all its detail and then raise a glass of Bayeux Lager to the extraordinary story behind it.”
Ben Warner, founder of Benugo, which operates all of the cafés and restaurants at the British Museum, said: “Benugo is delighted to be partnering with Battle Brewery on this special creation for the British Museum. The Bayeux Tapestry is one of the world’s great cultural treasures, and we’re excited to bring its story to life in a different way through Bayeux Lager. It’s a wonderful coming together of history, craftsmanship and hospitality, giving visitors the chance to discover the tapestry and raise a glass to the extraordinary story behind it.
Visitors to the Great Court Restaurant can enjoy Bayeux Lager alongside a selection of French and Norman-inspired dishes, or indulge in the British Museum’s iconic afternoon tea, with its selection of freshly baked scones, sandwiches and delicate cakes.”
Today, Battle Brewery produces a growing collection of award-winning traditional English cask ales and modern craft keg beers. Its approach is hands-on, sincere and rooted in place, using locally sourced ingredients wherever possible and drawing constant inspiration from the history, character and community surrounding the brewery. Its ambition is simple: to create beers the people of Battle are proud to call their own, while giving drinkers farther afield a genuine taste of where they come from.
The Bayeux Lager marks the brewery’s most significant chapter yet, carrying the story of Battle beyond East Sussex and into one of the world’s most iconic museums at an extraordinary moment in British cultural history.
A beer inspired by history, brewed where history happened.
Bayeux Lager launches exclusively at the British Museum in September 2026, coinciding with the unveiling of the Bayeux Tapestry Exhibition.
