HIS company has brewed more than 24,500 barrels of beer so far - and - if you thought that figure is high - it will only continue to soar.

Alexis Jones, of Croesyceiliog, Cwmbran, is the brainchild behind the successful Mad Dog Brewing Co.

The brewery was established in 2014 and in the following five years has transmogrified. Originally housed in Mr Jones' kitchen, it is now based in a sizeable unit in the Park Farm Industrial Estate in Penperlleni, which has enabled it to become a sought-after brewery in the South Wales region.

But before relishing in his richly-deserved success, Mr Jones had previously faced seemingly insurmountable pressures.

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He fretted because these pressures not only prevented his company from evolving into its true potential but also questioned its survival.

"I went through the banks but they did not want to know," admitted the Worcestershire native.

"It was demeaning.

"But I knew I would not be put down. The banks kept letting me down.

"So I built my own brewing kit and made one barrel of beer at a time in my kitchen.

"Within six months I moved the brewery into a small unit on Park Farm.

"I went back to the banks to see if i could expand. They rejected me again.

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Alexis Jones outside the brewery

"I ended up having to turn away customers because demands were too high. I was working 14 hours every day.

"I was starting to think whether the business could carry on."

Throwing in the towel is not in the tenacious business owner's DNA, though.

He was determined to find a solution to grow his business.

"Then I came across the Cooperative Bank of Wales in December 2015," he said.

"They went through a business plan and said I needed money. We got that sorted.

"That meant we could move into this current unit."

The investment saw Mr Jones trade his 700m² unit for his current 2,300m².

He added: "It has been a great success so far.

"We came up with the name Mad Dog Brewing because we once had a Golden Labrador called Lacey."

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Despite brewing for the first time at the tender age of seven, Mr Jones had not originally thought of pursuing a career in the industry.

His decision to do so came about after watching a chance video on Youtube when he had "nothing to do".

"I have done a lot of things before this, including creating ceramic figurines for a pottery," he said.

"My father did home brewing.

"I had nothing to watch one evening and could remember my father home brewing so thought I would look it up on Youtube.

"I then thought: 'I'm going to have a bash at this.' It started from then.

"I started brewing 25 litres of beers in my kitchen

"I then went up to Sunderland University and did a course in Microbiology in Beer. I came back and did some work with other breweries."

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However, little did he know that he was about to be faced with the most difficult crisis of his life.

"I had a massive break down," he said.

"I had depression and other things.

"If it was not for my wife and South Wales Police I would not be here now.

"I managed to get through it. I have made sure that our business promotes mental health awareness. We are currently looking for a charity in Wales to support."

He coyly added: "We have lots of plans for the next five years and they are pretty spectacular. I cannot go into at the moment know."

Some of the company's many drinks include Now In A Minute and Dirty Dog.

For more information, visit the website www.maddogbrew.co.uk