Since 1870 we’ve lived and breathed malting. With this passion and expertise, and by combining traditional and modern techniques, we create an impressive range of malted and non-malted products, including several unique and exclusive barley malts.
There is nothing more we love than talking to brewers and distillers so if you have any questions, or would like to arrange a call with a member of our team, please feel free to get in touch – we would love to hear from you!
Location, location, location.
That is what defines many a small, independent brewery. None more so than Welbeck Abbey Brewery.
The brewery is in a heritage barn situated on the Welbeck Abbey Estate in rural Nottinghamshire – and a short distance from the ancient Sherwood Forest.
It all began in 2010, with Claire Monk, a graduate in microbiology and biochemistry from Sheffield University, on a mission to explore the science of beer. She started shadowing, then brewing for, the legendary Dave Wickett of Sheffield’s Fat Cat Pub and Kelham Island Brewery fame.
An economist by trade, Dave was best known for the superb beers he produced, for his tireless championing of real ale, and for the role he played in building the British micro-brewing movement. That same year, he was diagnosed with bone cancer. As the Guardian put it, he then, “threw himself into a whirlwind of activity, opening a new brewery at Welbeck Abbey in Nottinghamshire.”
The brewery opened in 2011, and when, shortly afterwards, Dave died, Claire took on the role of head brewer and general manager. One of the youngest head brewers in the country at the time, and one of the very few female head brewers, she has been at the helm ever since.
Six months in, James Gladman came on board and ultimately became head brewer. Tom Roe joined later as fellow brewer and packaging manager, followed by James Baddams more recently.
Welbeck Abbey Brewery produces around 17,000 pints (59 barrels) of award-winning ales a week.
Crisp Malt is the sole malt supplier to Welbeck Abbey Brewery and most of their ales are made with our extra pale malt. Not that we’re biased, but they’re very tasty beers.
The brewers also use whole-flower hops from around the world, the estate’s own natural spring water and a unique variety of nurtured yeast.
Asked why they use a single brewing malt supplier, James says,
“It’s the consistency of Crisp’s malts and the results we get from them. Also, we’ve really benefitted from the technical brewing support from Sarah Marshall and Mike Benson. And the customer service is great.”
A monastery was established at Welbeck in 1153 and handed to the Crown some 400 years later. The estate of the former monastery was rented out for some decades, then acquired by Sir Charles Cavendish in 1607. This marked the beginning of Welbeck Abbey ownership by generations of the same family featuring some interesting characters, including an eccentric recluse, and a Prime Minister.
The brewery often uses the history of the estate for inspiration. “An enjoyable element of creating a new beer is coming up with a name and beer story to inform the design,” says Claire, General Manager.
Take Cavendish, a 5.0% abv blonde ale with the grapefruit zing of Cascade hops and balanced with Extra Pale Ale Malt. This fantastic beer pays tribute to the House of Cavendish, a family lineage that spans from the 1600s through to the current household at the Welbeck Estate.
The Duchesses, as a collective of women, have been highly influential philanthropists, avid collectors, and naturalists. Welbeck Abbey’s beer is a homage to all the celebrated women of Welbeck “and those that are yet to be discovered,” says Claire.
The good news is, Crisp had just the malt for this celebratory ale.
It was, of course, our Chevallier heritage brewing malt
“This was the first time we’d used one of Crisp’s Heritage Malts, and what a pleasure it was to brew with Chevallier,” says James. “We picked this malt for its history – and to produce an English version of a Belgian-style beer. It helped us achieve that, and it’s been very successful. The heritage variety suits the beer style perfectly, bringing caramel biscuit tones. These are supported by the subtle herbal flavours from Phoenix hops.”
The ‘success’ includes The Duchess being named Beer of the Week by award-winning beer and travel writer Adrian Tierney-Jones. Adrian wrote, “this Belgian-style strong ale is still rather divine… Rich fruity notes rise from the glass, alongside a sweetish hint of caramel which is reminiscent of a Daim bar (a bar of chocolate with caramel pieces)… A beautifully made beer that it pays for you to take your time with on a cold winter’s night.”
Most of the beers coming from the Brewery allude to the colourful characters connected to the Welbeck estate. The 5th Duke of Portland (1800 – 1879), known as Lord John Bentinck, must be a contender for the title of most colourful. Although, admittedly, his penchant for pink made things somewhat monochrome.
The misaligned double letter box in his bedroom door allowed him to send and receive letters and notes without having to converse with people.
Misaligned Milk Stout is named after the letterbox and is a 4.5% English Milk Stout that has Crisp’s Naked Oat Malt, Torrefied Wheat as well as lactose. It is, Tom says, “silky smooth and sweet.”
Another beer referencing the estate is Skylight Continental Pale. Lord John built an elaborate network of underground chambers (all painted pink) and tunnels below the estate. The 15 miles of passages, many substantial in width and height, included one that was over a mile long and that had domed skylights which could be seen from above ground.
Skylight Continental Pale, which derives its name from these innovative structures, is brewed with Crisp’s Extra Pale Ale Malt; is 4.1% abv; is pale, as the name suggests; and is crisp and lightly floral.
There is something about being located on a site with such a wealth of history which dates back hundreds of years, that makes sustainability feel the natural way of things, rather than some add-on activity.
When asked about sustainable practices in the brewery, James reaction was: “Where do I even start?”
He went on to say, “It runs throughout our whole business. It’s the way we think and the way we work. We believe in efficiency to keep costs low and are aways looking for ways to be better and to reduce impact on the environment. Claire’s always been a massive champion of sustainability.”
In a recent article, Claire wrote:
“We consider ourselves heritage guardians of the Welbeck Estate and as such we endeavour to help maintain its longevity by working sustainably. And, just as importantly, our craft beer customers are conscientious consumers with a keen interest in sustainability and therefore selective about who they buy their beer from.”
Tom continues, “We have a self-conditioning bottling process. The move to in-house bottling has enabled us to realise a reduction in beer transportation mileage, together with moving away from filtered and force-carbonated bottled beers to the more natural process of bottle-conditioning.
Sustainability in brewing informs all areas of the process; the refrigeration chiller has been relocated to use the heat by-product to help with natural beer fermentation. The main office is heated this way, too, reducing energy costs and carbon footprint. Water usage is kept to a minimum, with around 3.5 – 4 pints of water per pint of beer.
The estate’s gardeners use the brewery waste and turn it into compost, which helps to fertilise the soil.
As well as the Brewery, Welbeck’s thriving community of artisan producers includes Welbeck Farm Shop, Welbeck Bakehouse, The School of Artisan Food, Dropworks Distillery, – the largest rum distillery in Europe, Harley Gallery, Harley Café and The Portland Collection Museum.
James and Tom have had fun working with The School of Artisan Food. “Surplus bread donated by the School of Artisan Food was shredded and used instead of malt to brew two beers ‘Breaking Bread’ and ‘Raising the Dough’ – which help raise money for charity. The brewery picks a local cause each year, the most recent being ‘In Sam’s Name’, a peer support group focussing on men’s mental health.
The Welbeck Bakehouse uses Red Feather Ale in one of its cakes. The ale is made with Crisp’s Light Crystal Malt 150 and Dark Crystal Malt 400 and a touch of Roast and Black Malt, giving the cake its delicious walnut and bitter-sweet caramel notes.
The community naturally stretches well beyond the estate. The drivers deliver to pubs, farm shops, restaurants and specialist bottle beer shops within a 35-mile radius. They are met with a familiar face each time the beer is delivered. The brewery has a no-supermarket policy to confirm the commitment to supporting local.
Claire stated, “Our sustainable model helps with keeping everything high quality, locally sourced, and puts back in what we take out of the estate.”
Back to top
