THE Wig and Pen’s master brewer Richard Watkins is leaving the pub where he learned his trade, but plans to open his own microbrewery.

Three years later he was the new master brewer and since then, has turned out more than 2,500 batches of beer of 150 different varieties.

Over that time, the Wig and Pen’s popular craft brews have been successful in national and international competition and their maker has earned the respect of beer aficionados around the country.

The successful brewer has also become a regular judge at major contests in Australia and overseas, including the World Beer Cup and  Australian International Beer Awards.

“I think when you put 17 years into something, it’s not easy to walk away,” says Watkins, in a press release he sent out this morning. “I want to have my own brewery. I want to do something for myself before I get too old.”

According to the master brewer, “uncertainty” about whether the Wig and Pen could remain in the building where it is currently housed contributed to his decision.

“There is a lot of uncertainty with the building,” he says. “Nobody knows what’s going to happen so I figured it is the right time for me, difficult as it is to leave the place, to embark on something for myself.”