1 March 2010
Former Caledonian Sales Director to Open Brewery in Leeds

In the beautiful Wharfedale region, just north of Leeds, plans are a-brewing! Martin Kellaway, formerly a director at the Caledonian Brewing Company is finalising the plans to open the WharfeBank Brewery which is set to start production in April.

Situated in a converted paper mill on the bank of the river Wharfe in Pool-in-Wharfedale, close to Otley, the 20-barrel brew plant will have a capacity of 100 barrels per week.

Since leaving the Scottish brewery, Martin has set about creating his vision to build a handcrafted, premium cask brand along with a range that is not only innovative, but demand a permanent place on the bar, as well as in the beer drinkers repertoire.

The core range of WharfeBank Brewery, brewed by the recently retired Head Brewer of Tetley Cask, Ian Smith are made up of three core beers; Slingers Gold, Tether Blond and CamFell Flame.

The beers are currently brewed at Kellaway’s cask brew pub, the Fox and Newt in Leeds, alongside the Fox Beer Company own range of ales, and have been trialled on many an eager customer within the pub and at a number of Yorkshire beer festivals this winter.

• Slingers Gold is a wonderful golden coloured very refreshing and yet full beer brewed with Maris Otter ale malt and crystal malt and hopped with Chinook, Cascade and Celeia hops. This combination of hops gives a complex floral aroma with pronounced citrus. At 3.9%abv, it’s a great session beer and highly quaffable!

• At 4.1%abv Tether Blond is pale, drinkable American style beer brewed with Maris Otter ale malt and a pinch of crystal malt and hopped with Cascade and Simcoe hops. The hops give the beer a resinous/citrus character with a very distinctive Passion fruit top note.

• CamFell Flame this 4.4%abv beer is a ruby coloured full drinking premium ale brewed with Maris Otter ale malt, Crystal malt, Amber malt, Torrefied wheat and unusually Demerara sugar. Hopped with Pilgrim and Challenger English hops with Celeia aroma late hops – a complex beer bursting with flavour!

“This project has always been a vision of mine and to see the brewery almost complete is just great,” said Kellaway. “With Ian on board, we believe that we’ve created some really special beers and he is itching to be hands-on and get back in the brew house. He’s got some amazing recipes up his sleeve and by using the very best hops and ingredients, it’s reflected in the beer we’re producing. Rather than retire completely, Ian really wants to show beer lovers what a great brewer he is!

“We’ve got such a rich brewing heritage here in Yorkshire and we’ve tried to convey that. We want to offer the beer drinker everything that is good and great about beer with a slight modern twist, even pushing the boundaries in some cases. We’ve thought about every aspect of the beers from how they taste to down to the look of the pump clips and we’re really happy with the results.

“We want the range to become a must stock for licensees and draw customers in time after time. So, if they know that their pub of choice stocks WharfeBank Brewery beers, then they’ll make the effort to visit the pub on a more regular basis.

As well as the core range, we’ve also developed a range of monthly guest and seasonal ales which will be available in May starting with a traditional premium dark mild, for the ‘Mild Month of May’ called Black Tom.

“We’ve tried to be a little bit different and create beers that are seen as an everyday treat and we’re quietly confident that those who sample our beers will feel the same!”

-ends-
Issued: 26/02/10

For further information please contact:-

Emma Currin Martin Kellaway
Leisure PR & Communications WharfeBank Brewery
(M) 07753 838 490 (M) 07795 695 675
Email: emmacurrin@leisurepr.co.uk Email:martin@wharfebankbrewery.co.uk

Images:-

Please find attached pump clip images of Slingers Gold, Tether Blond and CamFell Flame