In 1781, William Fairhurst formed The Stag Brewery in Weatherfield. Fairhurst had trained as a maltster in a few London breweries and was very experienced. He moved to Manchester, looking for a place to start his own business. In less than a decade, Manchester's population had grown largely and the favourite drink of every man, woman and even the children was beer. The average family spent more on beef than on any household item. Fairhurst had fascinated local businessman Fairley Oakes in his plans to introduce high quality ale to working men. They built the brewery on Bridgegate Street, (now Albert Road). Whilst working in London, Fairhurst had worked with something called saccharometers, the latest technology at the time for measuring the strength of beer, and he introduced this machine