What have we been up to?

The new Welbeck Brewery has been going from strength to strength, now supplying around 60 pubs as a regular guest beer. We’re now on the SIBA DDS scheme which has opened the doors to many more pubs and we hope to step up production to supply to those pubs in our area which can use the SIBA list.

The Welbeck Farm Shop are now a superb destination for real ale drinkers, selling around 80 bottles of our bottle conditioned beers every week. They also have a cask on at the weekend which visitors can fill their 4-pint carry kegs with. There are always at least 4 different bottle conditioned ales available, giving you a great variety to choose from. Also available in the Farm Shop is a *NEW* Welbeck Abbey Brewery Real Ale Chutney. This is produced by ‘Poachers Preserves’ using seasonal apples and ‘Ernest George’ (4.2%), our deep ruby ale.

Now that we’re in full swing, brewery tours will be available for groups of 8 or more.

· When: Tues/Fri evenings 7:30pm – 9:00pm

· How much: £5/head (includes a free pint)

· How: Call Claire 01909 512539/email: Claire.monk@Welbeck.co.uk (pre-booking is essential)

October sees not only the superb Steel City Festival, but also the Robin Hood beer festival in Nottingham. We’ve brewed ‘Spyke’s Gold’ especially for the week of the festival - a 4.0% English Pale Ale brewed with all English ingredients for a refreshingly British pint. Thanks to those CAMRA members who helped us brew it, and I hope it’s enjoyed at the festival.

Forthcoming events:

November: 26^th-27^th Christmas market at Welbeck where you’ll be able to buy some crafty Christmas gifts as well as sample the ware of Welbeck’s team of brewer, baker, cheesemaker, and chocolatier!

December: 4^th 2-4pm Cheese and Beer tasting at the School of Artisan Food with Claire (brewer) and Lee-Anna (cheesemaker) To book, call the School of Artisan Food on 01909 523171.

Beers galore

It's been a very long time since I updated you with a blog, so here's whats been happening.

I've been experimenting a little with new beers, having 4 regulars is one too many, but the feedback has been good about them all. I have tried brewing one called 'St. James' 4.0% lighter ruby ale which was potentially to replace both Ernest George and Red Feather. It's brewed with a mixture of black and roasted malts and crystal malt for sweetness (I'm a fan of the crystal, incase you'd not noticed). I've used English hops to make this a really very English beer. It's an easy drinking, slightly nutty, roasted bitter which has received very positive feedback, so look out for a repeat performance.

In a totally different fashion, the monthly special for August was a highly hopped 4.7% pale ale which used New Zealand Moteuka and American Cascade hops which give it a really citrussy hit. The major flavour notes are lemons limes and grapefruits. I called it 'Fruit Arcade', which was a giant greenhouse type affair on the Welbeck Estate which they grew tropical fruits in.
The general feedback was that hoppy pale ale fans absolutely loved it, but those darker or more subtle session beer fans thought it was a bit too much. Let me know what you think if you had any.

Portland Black

The newest beer at Welbeck Abbey Brewery is Portland Black. This is a 4.5%ABV black beer, pitched somewhere between and dark mild and a porter. I don't really do the whole 'beer styles' thing, I just enjoy brewing tasty beer which people like.

A rich and smooth black beer - all the flavour of a porter without the weight. This beer is all about the malt character, brewed with a good dose of black malt, balanced with smooth chocolate malt and a hint of roasted barley for a bite.

Henrietta

Our fourth beer to be brewed is Henrietta - named after one of the Portland family. Henrietta is a 3.6%ABV light golden ale. She's low in strength but absolutely crammed full of wonderful hop character. There's a good bitter note from Challenger hops which balances the citrus and grassy nose from Willamette and Hallertaur Brewers Gold.

After perhaps a little recipe tweak, something like this may become one of our core beers. If you've tried it, let me know what you think please.

The beers of Welbeck Abbey Brewery

It's been a while since I updated you, so here's what's been going on...

After several teething problems we managed to produce a cracking first beer. This is a summery golden ale brewed with Willamette, Cascade and Chinook hops from North America. It's got a zingy punch and is incredibly moreish!









The second beer we have got out into your local is a deep amber bitter. 'Red Feather' is brewed with all English ingredients, with plenty of crystal malt to give it a sweet caramel flavour balanced with English hops.

The name comes from the Welbeck logo, a pair of red feathers which are used on everything Welbeck, including our pump clips.



Currently fermenting and due to finish soon is 'Ernest George' at 4.2%ABV. This is a very deep brown ale is packed full of chocolate malt, black malt, and roasted barley to give it incredibly intense rich flavours. These flavours a cut through with a good rounded bitterness from English hops, and an undertone of sweetness from crystal malt. It's not heavy drinking like a porter, but a more than satisfying pint.

Sir Ernest George was an architect during the early 20th century. He repaired much of the abbey after a fire in one of the wings, and designed several of the other small buildings on the estate. We think it's an appropriate name for a good, traditional English bitter with lots of dark and smokey character!

The launch of Welbeck Abbey Brewery

Welbeck Abbey Brewery Launches!

Tuesday 24^th May saw the new Welbeck Abbey Brewery officially opened for real ale production. Bryan Jackson, Chairman of the East Midlands Development Agency, cut the red ribbon on the day. EMDA kindly provided a grant for the purpose-built building under the Rural Development Programme for England which has enabled the joint owners, The Welbeck Estates Company and Kelham Island Brewery, to design and build this state of the art micro-brewery.

(Above: Bryan Jackson, Chairman of EMDA, cutting the red ribbon)

Directors Robin Brown and David Wickett both spoke of their enthusiasm for the new venture, particularly as the real ale industry is booming. This is the newest addition to the rapidly growing ‘Welbeck Project’ which aims to establish a sustainable community in this historic rural estate, centred around the Arts, creative business, rural diversification and education.

We welcomed almost 100 people on the day, including a 50’s double decker bus full of guests from Sheffield which added a great sense of atmosphere and excitement to the day. After the official opening of the brewery, we headed to the Harley Gallery to sample the very first beer – ‘First Brew’ at 4.3%ABV, accompanied by fresh sandwiches from the Farm Shop. It was also Mr Wickett’s birthday, so we shared a very appropriate beer-related cake which was thoroughly enjoyed by all. Claire ran two tours of the brewery to explain just what happens to make that delicious amber drink, both of which were well attended by the interested guests.

The beers which are brewed at Welbeck are made purely with Welbeck water, malted barley, hops, and our own fresh yeast. We do not use any refined sugars or artificial preservatives. The recipes are unique to this micro-brewery and are designed by head brewer Claire Monk, who was taught to brew at the award winning Kelham Island Brewery after studying Microbiology at The University of Sheffield. All the recipes and names are inspired by the deep and fascinating history of Welbeck Abbey.

Now that the Welbeck Abbey Brewery is fully up and running, the ales will be available in pubs between Sheffield, Lincoln, and Nottingham from the start of June. If you would like to try some at home, Claire will be hand bottling a small number for the Welbeck Farm Shop each week.

To get in touch and follow the progress of the brewery, you can contact Claire through Twitter: WelbeckAbbeyBry, Facebook: search for ‘Welbeck Abbey Brewery’, Email:Claire.monk@welbeckestates.com or Phone: 01909 512539. (Thats me on the right!)

Impending Brew Day

It seems as though this project has been going on for a very long time indeed, which is true, but I think we’re getting there.

Most of the vessels are in, we’re going to put in the conditioning tank today but once it’s in the right place that’s pretty much it done.

All the stainless pipework is finished and welded, it looks like a maze of pipes and I think it will take a couple of brews to get used to which line connects what to where!

The plastic pipework for the cooling system is being finished today. This will make sure we control the temperature of the beer accurately so that your pint is perfectly clear.

I’ve ordered the pump clips so I’ll put up the picture for you to see soon, and the bottling materials are here too. I’m only going to hand bottle a few a week for the farm shop at Welbeck, so if you want to drink it at home this will be the only place you can buy it. For now anyway!

I’m working in my new office by the way. I had commandeered and set up camp in one of the meeting rooms on the Welbeck Estate, but as I now have a desk/chair/kettle, I’ve moved into the brewery. It’s much better, and it means we’re getting closer to brew day.

Still very busy ringing pubs to get customers, I’m calling Nottingham today which is a brilliant real ale area. Any suggestions, as always, just let me know.