Wharfedale Brewery
 | |
| Industry | Alcoholic beverage |
|---|---|
| Predecessor | 1840, 2003 |
| Founded | 2012 |
| Founder | Wharfedale Brewery Ltd Shareholders |
| Headquarters | , England |
| Products | Beer |
| Owner | Wharfedale Brewery Ltd |
| Website | http://www.wharfedalebrewery.com/ |
Wharfedale Brewery is a brewery situated in Ilkley in Wharfedale, West Yorkshire, England, on the edge of the Yorkshire Dales National Park. Two, now defunct, breweries in Yorkshire have previously used the Wharfedale name; first in Wetherby in the 1840's and again in Grassington in 2003. The name was resurrected for a third time, further down the River Wharfe, in 2012 by a group of 16 real ale enthusiasts, many of whom are former chairmen of Ilkley & District Round Table.
History
Wharfedale Brewery began life as Wetherby Brewery [1] in the 1840s and was owned by Quentin Rhodes,[2] an important local businessman who made his fortune selling beer to many of the town's 15 pubs. His portrait still hangs in Wetherby Town Hall. In 1892 the brewery was sold by Rhodes' nephew Mr. Coates, solicitor and clerk to the Board of Guardians, and became known as Braime's Brewery before a further name change to Wharfedale Brewery. The brewery closed during the First World War and later became Oxley's Mineral Water factory in the inter-war years. In the 1950s the building, located in the town's market square, was demolished and replaced by a new bus station and depot.
In 2003 the Wharfedale Brewery name was brought back to life in Hetton near Grassington and opened by the Duke of Kent. [3]. Owners Steve Blizzard and David Aynesworth (star of Yorkshire Television's "Yorkshire's Perfect Pint"),[4] produced a number of award winning beers [5] under the "Folly Ales" brand name and their most famous customer was Madonna [6] who bought quantities of the beer for a Weekend Of Folly event. In 2007 the company was dissolved for personal reasons as Blizzard returned to his native U.S.A. Aynesworth continues to own and run the Craven Arms public house in Appletreewick in North Yorkshire.
2012 saw the third incarnation of Wharfedale Brewery as an integral part of Ilkley's first brew pub. [7] A consortium of local businessmen set up a company called Wharfedale Brewery Limited and invested a six figure sum [8] in redeveloping the former Albert Inn on Church street, a the Grade II listed property built in 1709. The pub, which is one of Ilkley's oldest buildings and is mentioned in Sir Nikolaus Pevsner’s “Buildings of England” chronicles for its architectural importance, was renamed the Flying Duck and a microbrewery was incorporated into a barn at the back.
In December 2012 award winning brewer Stewart Ross resigned as a director of Ilkley Brewery, [9] a company he founded in 2008, to become a brewing consultant to Wharfedale Brewery and advisor to head brewer Michael Allan.
Beers
The new brewery, currently produced three cask ales and pasteurised bottled ales, Wharfedale cask ales are sold predominantly in the Flying Duck, the brewery's brewery tap and in local hostelries throughout Wharfedale. The bottled beers are currently only available for purchase via the brewery's website.
- Wharfedale Blonde (3.9% ABV)
- Wharfedale Best (4.0% ABV). Launched as a "festival ale" for the Wheatley Beer Festival in Ben Rhydding in May 2013. [10]
- Wharfedale Black (3.7% ABV)
References
- ^ Wetherby Brewery in the 1840s, Leodis Photographic Archive Of Leeds. Retrieved 3 July 2013
- ^ A man of great importance in our town, Ripon Gazette. 25 April 2006. Retrieved 3 July 2013
- ^ Duke of Kent opens Wharfedale Brewery, Morning Advertiser. 15 December 2003. Retrieved 3 July 2013
- ^ On the trail of Yorkshire's Perfect Pint, Craven Herald. 5 October 2008. Retrieved 3 July 2013
- ^ Folly Ale is best beer at festival, Telegraph & Argus. 20 October 2003. Retrieved 3 July 2013
- ^ Folly and Madonna lead way to brewing success, Daily Telegraph. 4 March 2006. Retrieved 3 July 2013
- ^ Ambitious plans for Ilkley's first ‘brew pub, Ilkley Gazette. 21 March 2013. Retrieved 3 July 2013
- ^ Let’s hope that the town is big enough for two breweries, Yorkshire Post. 12 February 2013. Retrieved 3 July 2013
- ^ Ilkley director quits to launch Flying Duck, Yorkshire Post. 7 February 2013. Retrieved 3 July 2013
- ^ Wharfedale brewery taps into the appeal of beer festival, Ilkley Gazette. 21 March 2013. Retrieved 3 July 2013