Founded in 1995, The Grainstore Brewery was formed through the collaboration of two friends: Tony Davis, formally Head Brewer and Production Director of Ruddles Brewery, and Mike Davies, Managing Director of Davro Fabrications.
For several years having driven daily past the derelict Victorian railway building on his way to work, the seed was planted in Tony’s mind that it would make an ideal home for a small brewery and Tap room. The opportunity arose when Tony left Ruddles after a series of take-overs and Mike had returned from an engineering foray into France, for the dream to come to fruition.
The old three storey building offered the potential of becoming and ideal traditional tower brew house with raw materials being taken to the top and finished beer emerging from the bottom, all through the natural gift of gravity. This principle was employed in the design and layout of the brewing equipment.
Following renovation of the building, sourcing, modification and positioning of the brewing plant within the top two floors, the brewery tap on the ground floor was furnished and opened its doors for business in September 1995.
The 15 barrel brew house turned out its first brew of “Cooking” two months later and subsequent beers have gone on to be SIBA Supreme Champion in 2003 (Ten Fifty 5.0abv) and 2023 (Nip 7.3abv) and CAMRA’s Champion Mild (Rutland Panther 3.4abv) in 2005 amongst countless other awards, with the Brewery Tap being named The Good Pub Guide ‘Own Brew Pub of the Year on no less than 5 occasions!
Now passed to Tony’s son William and his business partner Peter Atkinson to echo the past, the brewery continues to build on its strengths brewing traditional English Ales and supplying hundreds of free trade outlets as well as wholesalers and beer festivals nationwide.
