Lincolnshire brewery celebrates its 150th anniversary

‘Tradition with Ambition’ has been the theme of celebrations at Batemans Brewery this year as the independent family firm marks its 150th anniversary.

Former farmer George Bateman began brewing beer in Wainfleet, near Skegness, in 1874, to supply other farmers, who used it to part pay their land workers.

Now, 150 years on the award-winning business is thriving under George’s great-grandson, managing director Stuart Bateman, and his sister Jaclyn, who lead a team of almost 80 staff.

They produce a range of beers using only the best ingredients and traditional brewing methods and own more than 50 pubs across Lincolnshire, Norfolk, Cambridgeshire, Derbyshire, Leicestershire, Humberside and Yorkshire.

“I’m so incredibly proud that Batemans is celebrating its 150th anniversary, but it’s very much a team effort,” says Stuart. “The focus of this whole year has been to celebrate with our staff, our tenants and our customers.

“The strapline to our celebrations is ‘Batemans 150th anniversary – Ambition with Tradition’.

“It’s extremely important. Some people say heritage is stuffy and old fashioned; yes, we have lots of traditions here, but we’re also using our experience, knowhow and traditions to create an exciting future and our ambition to take things forward. It’s been a really hectic, but wonderful year.”

Stuart’s great-grandparents, George and Susannah, took over the brewery from another family to make it a commercial enterprise. They moved the business to Salem House, on the bank of the River Steeping, in 1880, where it’s still based today.

It expanded and began buying pubs when Stuart’s grandfather Harry joined. He built the County Hotel, in Skegness, and also obtained a special licence during World War I, to make more beer than was officially allowed because it was helping to maintain morale during the war effort.

In 1953 Stuart’s father George, the third generation of the family joined, overseeing the expansion of the pub estate with the purchase of 29 more.

During the 1970s Batemans’ future was thrown into question by the growing popularity of keg beer. It was unable to afford to buy a modern keg line, but Stuart says thanks to CAMRA (Campaign for Real Ale), which encouraged more support for traditional beers with more flavour and character, it continued to flourish.

The business was thrown into jeopardy again in the mid-1980s when George’s siblings decided to sell their shares. His side of the family eventually borrowed the money from the bank at a very high interest rate and sold their free trade division to Carlsberg to pay off the debt and develop the company further.

“This meant we had to stop delivering into free trade for five years, but after that period we returned to it and it’s now proving more successful than ever,” explains Stuart, who is preparing for his three children to follow in his footsteps and join the business as generation number five.

Batemans has continued to grow, despite further setbacks caused by the Covid-19 pandemic in 2020, when Stuart had to send his workforce home. Things were kept ticking over by just five people, including himself.

Today, the brewery continues to use the same traditional methods and recipes it’s always used, although its equipment is more modern. Like everything else, Stuart says beer follows trends; 50 years ago, bitter, mild and a light dinner ale were popular while today’s drinkers are more adventurous, which in turn makes brewers more adventurous.

“We use different hops which give different characters to the beer, they come from all over the world, we’re currently working on one with the Paoro hop from New Zealand,” he says.

“Beers have a lot more of a hoppy character than they used to, with the emphasis on hops that give slight citrus character to the beer. Beers have also got a lot lighter in colour too.”

Popular Batemans’ brews include Triple Hop, an IPA made from 100 per cent American hops, golden beer Yella Belly Gold and Salem Porter, infused with fruits, nuts and spices, while many others are available seasonally.

Celebrations for the company’s landmark anniversary began in January with a party at the brewery followed by the launch of a new beer - Five Generations (5G). A 4.2 % ABV Session IPA, brewed with English malt and hops. Stuart describes it as a mid-strength bitter, light amber in colour, which has been well received.

Other festivities included two golf days, each attended by 150 guests, the launch of new contemporary branding and a midsummer party for staff, where all current employees were presented with a limited-edition commemorative plate. Stuart also commissioned a special staff portrait featuring head and shoulders photos of all 78 employees, their names and their length of service, which totalled an impressive 1,000 years in all.

An industry lunch for brewers from across the country was hosted by Kris Akabusi, while other events were held for tenants and club and CAMRA members. Batemans took part in beer festivals and ran competitions for customers. Things are set to be rounded off later this month with the company’s annual beer and Carols night.

“150 years is a long time, so we needed to make a big thing of it. It’s been wonderful, full on – but so worthwhile,” adds Stuart. “All the events have been held to support the charities LIVES and Derbyshire Children’s Holiday Centre, in Skegness. We’ve raised around £10,000 which is fantastic.

“The beer we launched earlier this year was called 5G and now I’m delighted to say that we’ll soon be welcoming the fifth generation at Batemans too, so while we’re celebrating the past, we’re very much looking to the future too.”

* To find out more visit batemansbrewery.co.uk