Theakston BHS AGM, 16th May 2024

The BHS members at the Wensleydale Brewery

Simon Theakston receives our Visits Certificate, presented by our Chairman, Jeff Sechiari. Courtesy John Glover

Wednesday 15th May - Afternoon Visit to Wensleydale Brewery Ltd in Leyburn

A brief History of Wensleydale Brewery by Jeff Sechiari

Our 2024 BHS AGM gathering followed the usual pattern of a three day event to give those members travelling long distances a worthwhile and varied experience. On this occasion our first day was a visit to the Wensleydale Brewery in Leyburn. Although not far from our base in Masham limited public transport meant we decided to lay on a minibus for the visit.

As part of the gathering long standing BHS member and brewer, Don Jeffrey, gave a presentation on the history of the brewery and this is summarised here. Wensleydale Brewery started life in 1998 a couple of hundred miles away in Suffolk, south of Newmarket in the small village of Wickhambrook, where Peter Fairhall and his sister Jane started up the Lidstone Brewery. Brewing was on a 2bbl kit at their home - Pump Cottage in Coltsfoot Green, Wickhambrook. The brewing of some 47 beers were recorded at the time, many with names that reflected the area’s close association with the horse racing industry.

In 2000 they took over the Kingston Arms in Cambridge and, with ten hand pumps and a policy of no keg lager or stout, this rapidly won the local CAMRA Pub of the Year title.

In the early 2000s all was to change when Peter moved to Yorkshire and then, with financial partner Richard Thompson, acquired the Foresters Arms in Carlton in Coverdale. By this time, Peter had completed a Brewlab brewing course and recommenced brewing on the small Lidstone Brewery kit in very cramped conditions. In 2003 Richard Thompson and Peter Fairhall were appointed directors of Wensleydale Brewery and the same year saw Lidstone’s Rowley Mild became the CBOB 2003.

Meanwhile, fourteen year old Geoff Southgate was at the Wensleydale School and had always had an interest in beer and brewing, getting himself a job as as a potwasher in the Foresters in his spare time, giving him the opportunity to see the brewing operations at first hand. At this time a new beer, Semer Water (4.1%), was created and is now the company’s flagship product – indeed we were able to enjoy it on our visit.

By 2005 the success of the brewery meant it needed to expand into a barn at Manor Farm in Bellerby, about a mile north of Leyburn, where a 2.5bbl plant was installed, later upgraded to 5bbl. By now in the 6th form, Geoff continued odd jobbing at the brewery and then managed to gain experience at Black Sheep for about six months. Eventually, in 2007, Geoff was taken on full time at Wensleydale. The plant was very limited - a 5bbl HLT had to double up as a copper for example. In due course two 2.5 bbl FVs followed.

Carl Gehrman was a year younger than Geoff at school, but they knew each other very well and he also had an interest in beer and brewing so Geoff persuaded him to join the business in 2008. Partner Richard Thompson then moved on leaving Peter Fairhall and Len Scott (the land owner at Bellerby) as operating partners with 50/50 shareholdings. Large pack was all cask but they also did small volumes of bottled beer having acquired a small sheet filter and a two head Moravec filler with manual capping, rinsing and label application.

In 2013 both Peter and Len eventually pulled out and sold the business to Geoff and Carl. At that time they were selling into Leeds and Newcastle but couldn’t access local trade for a long time. Once they did get into the local heartland they ended up brewing four 5bbl brews a week and this continued for five years until they took the plunge and moved to Leyburn in 2018, finding an empty shed that was to become the current site. With the help of long standing brewery developer and BHS member, Dave Smith, and Vince Johnson of Johnson Brewing and Engineering Design Ltd the new brewhouse was created including all of the essential infrastructure - drains, electrics, a mezzanine floor and cold store, etc. This work took six months while still brewing out of the old site at Bellerby.

Nothing is ever easy, one problem being the small matter of drainage. After some confusion with the water company all of this had to be re-routed to the rear of the property to a 30,000 litre tank. This had to be lifted over the building to be installed and Yorkshire Water still arrive twice a week to empty this via an upstand at the front of the brewery.

Our host on the day, Miles Lapprell, had owned a pub – the Hinchcliffe in Mythelmroyd, and then ran an outlet called the Sound Bar in Skipton, a successful pub that also sold records (what an idyllic way to earn a living). He asked Wenslydale to supply beers there and was selling ten firkins a week. Miles then sold the business, moved to Leyburn and became part of Wensleydale brewery as sales, marketing and cold call person. This proved to be very effective as sales increased from around 70 firkins a week in 2018 to about 290 per week in 2024.

Having recognised that bottling wasn’t for them they approached Hambleton Ales to bottle for them, the beer being transferred in a 100 litre IBC. They also started canning at the time of lockdown in 2021, using Can It of Bolton.

The plant comprised the mash tun, capacity 500kg, a 2000 litre (12 bbl) copper, four 12 bbl open top Fvs and five 10 bbl CTs, limiting their capacity to four brews a week. A closed top FV was added in 2022 and another CT in 2023 with another due for installation this year, allowing five brews a week and occasionally six.

Malt is typically from Fawcetts, Muntons and Simpsons. They use a great variety of hops but predominantly T90s from Farams, Loughran Brewers Select and sometimes Barth Haas. Their is predominantly Nottingham yeast, but others have been tried.

Following Don’s talk, which took place in the bar area set on a mezzanine floor above the brewing plant, we toured brewery downstairs and enjoyed a range of their excellent beers in the bar. There seemed to be a large number of pump clips on display and Miles explained that they liked to constantly create new beers, in fact they seemed to have produced around 80 in the past year and are targeting even more for this year – coming up with new recipes, new artwork designs and even new names must see off a lot of the working week!

We were each given a can from their extensive range to take away at the end of a most enjoyable day and we thank our hosts for such an excellent visit.

Photographs courtesy Jeff Sechiari

Thursday 16th May - AGM to be held in Theakston Ltd’s White Bear Inn followed by lunch and a Brewery Tour

Our host, Simon Theakston, will join us to explain the history of Theakston’s in Masham and around 14:30 he will accompany us on the brewery and cooperage tour, followed by a visit to their tasting room.

Weather-permitting, Simon has also agreed to take us on a short historical walk around Masham.