About us
A hundred and thirty-four years
Five generations, one site, and a stubborn refusal to move the brewery somewhere cheaper.
From the brewer
We have been offered a lot of money to brew this somewhere else
Every few years somebody explains that the site is worth more as flats and the beer could be made under licence in a modern plant for a third of the cost. They are right about the money.
They are wrong about the beer. The water is here. The cellars are here. The people who know when the mash is running thin are here, and most of them learned it from somebody who is now retired and still drinks in the taproom on a Friday.
They are wrong about the beer. The water is here. The cellars are here. The people who know when the mash is running thin are here, and most of them learned it from somebody who is now retired and still drinks in the taproom on a Friday.
How we got here
Five generations
- 1891
The borehole
Josiah Vance sinks a well, finds hard water, and builds around it.
- 1922
The copper floor
Three vessels installed. Two of them are still in use.
- 1958
The yeast
A single strain isolated and kept. Propagated in-house ever since.
- 1974
The Pale
Brewed for the pub next door. Never stopped.
- 2003
The cellars
Extended under the yard so the lager could have its full thirty-eight days.
- 2019
The taproom
The old bottling hall, opened to anybody who wants to walk in.
The people
Who makes it
E. Vance
Head Brewer
Fifth generation. Learned it from her father, who learned it from his.
D. Okoro
Cellar Master
Decides when the lager is ready. Nobody argues.
M. Lindqvist
Head of Malt
Buys the barley and walks the fields before he does.
The tour is free
Thursday to Sunday, two o'clock, ninety minutes and a glass at the end.