A NEW community brewery has been launched in Northallerton with the backing of local MP Rishi Sunak.
The Richmond MP performed the opening honours for the Northallerton Brewery which has been established in the premises of the former Walls Brewery.
The new enterprise is community-owned with 21 local beer enthusiasts backing the project with their investment.
Brewing in the Standard Way Industrial Estate premises began at the turn of the year and three months on the brewery is supplying over 60 pubs direct across the Northallerton area, Teesside and Darlington, the East Coast and into West Yorkshire and Lancashire.
Working with other breweries across the Midlands and North of England the beers are now widely available and will be available nationally by the summer of this year.
Mr Sunak cut a ribbon in the brewhouse to officially declare the brewery open. Addressing a launch gathering of shareholders, supporters and staff, he said: “This is a heartening project. It is great that we have community pubs and now we have a community brewery too.
“I wish the staff and the shareholders the best of luck with their new enterprise.”
Brewery manager Grace Aird, who works with two trainee brewers, two part-time sales and delivery staff and an apprentice administrator, said sales had exceeded £40,000 for the first three months.
It is hoped sales will reach £300,000 in the first full year with 290,000 pints of beer being sold.
Initially, a small number of core beers were brewed - Gun Dog, a bitter very popular among local pubs, three pale/golden beers, Northallerton Dark and, in January, the brewery’s first stout called Lizzie D.
The inspiration for the re-birth of the county town’s longstanding brewing tradition was Steve Knight, landlord of the White Swan pub at nearby Danby Wiske.
He was instrumental in purchasing equipment the old brewery’s equipment and attracting the community investment needed to get production started again.
He said: “I felt something should be done to keep brewing alive in Northallerton. The beers were popular – I knew that from the way they sold in my pub – so I was very happy to help make this happen.”