Established in 2011 by General Manager and Brewster Claire Monk, Welbeck Abbey Brewery is situated on the Welbeck Abbey Estate. Founded as a Premonstratensian monastery in 1153, after the Dissolution, the Abbey was bought by Bess of Hardwick’s youngest son, Sir Charles Cavendish.
As with many country estates, over time, the house and grounds have become a popular tourist attraction, pulling in crowds of people for a quintessentially English spot of afternoon tea and a gentle potter around. Situated to the rear of the sprawling buildings, you’ll find Welbeck Abbey Brewery, set in the heart of an artisan estate-village that produces specialist foods and crafts in a beautiful rural setting.
Producing hand crafted ales using the estate’s own spring water and a unique strain of nurtured yeast, the brewery now produces over 17,000 pints of award-winning ales each week, which they supply to local pubs, restaurants, and specialist bottle shops across the region and beyond.
In this episode of the Hop Forward Podcast, we talk about the power of place with Claire and how they’ve built the brewery brand and marketing around the story of the abbey estate, while remaining relevant to drinkers in both the beer and pub space, as well as tourists who don’t know the difference between an ale and a lager.
We also chat about how swathes of people leaving the hospitality industry are leading to pub closures and how breweries finding it difficult to attract new talent onto their teams.
Also on this episode, Nick catches up with David Griggs, Technical Director from Crisp Malt, to discuss malt consistency and the steps brewers can take in the brewhouse before blaming their barley!
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