 In May 2000 the Whitbread Beer Company was acquired by the Belgian brewer Interbrew , which owned Stella Artois . At that time one in eight barrels of Boddingtons was exported to some 40 countries worldwide , including China , the United States , Taiwan and the West Indies . The Strangeways Brewery <unk> facility closed in February 2003 with the loss of 50 jobs . In August 2003 , amidst falling sales , Interbrew relaunched the cask product in the North West of England , with an increased strength . The relaunch was unsuccessful and the changes were reversed . 
