Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney Unveil Ambitious Wrexham Lager Brewery Plans Because Why Stop at Football?

Just when you thought Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney were done playing real-life Monopoly with Welsh assets, the Hollywood duo has decided to expand their Wrexham empire once again. This time, they’re not content with just owning a football club—they want to brew your beer too.

Reynolds and McElhenney’s Latest Welsh Adventure Takes Shape

The dynamic duo has submitted planning applications for what can only be described as a “super brewery” complete with a taproom, museum, restaurant, and new public spaces. Because apparently, owning Wrexham FC wasn’t ambitious enough for these two overachievers. The proposed development would sit conveniently close to the STōK Racecourse, making it easier for fans to drown their sorrows or celebrate victories, depending on how the Championship season goes.

According to planning documents submitted by Wrexham Council, this isn’t just some vanity project (though let’s be honest, it kind of is). The brewery development is part of the wider Wrexham Gateway regeneration masterplan, which sounds fancy enough to justify spending millions on what essentially amounts to a very expensive hobby that happens to employ locals.

From Deadpool to Beer Pool: Reynolds’ Business Strategy

The planning application details how this new venture will “provide an attractive welcome to the city of Wrexham.” Translation: they want to create another tourist trap, and honestly, good for them. After all, Ryan Reynolds and McElhenney have already managed to boost tourism in Wrexham to the tune of £179 million, so clearly they know what they’re doing when it comes to turning Welsh culture into entertainment gold.

The proposed site will utilize existing buildings, specifically the former Jewson warehouse that sits on what used to be the Cambrian Ironworks. This location has quite the history—it hosted an ammunition factory during World War I and later produced motorcycles. Now it’s going to produce beer and Instagram-worthy moments for tourists who discovered Wrexham exists thanks to a documentary series.

Wrexham Lager: More Historic Than You’d Expect

Here’s where things get genuinely interesting (and slightly less cynical): Wrexham Lager isn’t just some random Welsh brewery that Reynolds stumbled upon during a particularly enthusiastic Google search. This is actually one of the oldest lager brands in the world, dating back to 1882. The beer was even served on the Titanic, which means it has a better maritime pedigree than most cruise ship entertainers.

Reynolds and McElhenney became joint owners of the brewery alongside the Roberts family in 2024, bringing their total Welsh acquisitions to… well, let’s just say they’re really committed to this whole “saving Wrexham” narrative. Their stated aim is to “modernize the business while celebrating its heritage,” which in Hollywood speak probably means adding LED lighting and social media integration to a 140-year-old recipe.

The Tourist Trail Gets Another Stop

Anyone who’s watched “Welcome to Wrexham” knows that The Turf pub has become a pilgrimage site for fans of the show. Owner Wayne Jones probably never imagined he’d be hosting celebrities and international tourists in his small Welsh establishment, but here we are. Reynolds has even been spotted pulling pints behind the bar, because nothing says “authentic Welsh pub experience” like having Deadpool serve your beer.

The success of The Turf demonstrates that Reynolds and McElhenney understand something crucial about modern tourism: people don’t just want to visit places, they want to experience stories. By creating a brewery that connects to both the football club and the broader Wrexham narrative, they’re essentially building a theme park where the theme is “small Welsh town makes good.”

Championship Reality Check

Of course, while Reynolds and McElhenney are busy planning their brewing empire, their football team is currently sitting in 18th place in the Championship after 10 games. Life in England’s second tier has proven significantly more challenging than their meteoric rise through League Two and League One, which is probably why having a brewery nearby might come in handy for fans.

The timing of this announcement is interesting, coming just as Wrexham faces Oxford United in what could be described as a “fellow strugglers” matchup. Nothing says confidence in your football project quite like diversifying into the alcohol business when your team is flirting with relegation battles.

The Bigger Picture: Wrexham as Entertainment Product

What Reynolds and McElhenney have accomplished in Wrexham goes far beyond football or beer. They’ve essentially turned an entire Welsh city into a multimedia entertainment franchise. The football club provides the sports drama, the documentary series delivers the behind-the-scenes content, and now the brewery will offer the experiential tourism component.

It’s cynical, it’s calculated, and it’s probably exactly what Wrexham needed. The city has benefited enormously from this Hollywood intervention, with millions of pounds in tourism revenue and international recognition that no amount of traditional marketing could have achieved.

The brewery development represents the logical next step in this transformation. After all, why stop at making Wrexham famous when you can make it profitable too? And if that means turning a 140-year-old lager recipe into part of the Reynolds-McElhenney entertainment empire, well, stranger things have happened in Hollywood.