On top of the Wold
Emma Shipley meets the Yorkshire  farmers who have struck gold with their brewery

GILL Mellor has lost count of the number of awards she and her husband, Tom, have won for their special brews. Some of their beers have earned cult status among real ale enthusiasts in Yorkshire – not bad for a couple who only seven years ago had no experience of the drinks industry. In that time their small brewery has grown to encompass seven all year round beers and seven limited edition ones.

Seasonal beers from Wold Top Brewery are just the head on the top of a perfect pint. The limited edition ales are available for just a month or so at a time, providing drinkers with more variety and something a bit special for the time of year. Farm shops, delicatessens, hotels, pubs and off licences across Yorkshire and Lincolnshire provide this treat for anyone who wants tradition and originality.

Tom and Gill live on a 600 acre arable farm at Hunmanby Grange on the east coast, growing malting barley wheat for animal feed and bread and producing free range eggs from their 20,000 hens. However, as the price of barley decreased they looked at options for diversification.
‘A consultant in York was helping people to set up new breweries in the area so Tom went along to see him,’ Gill explains. ‘He said there was a good possibility we could do it from our farm.’

After 12 months of research the Mellors brewed their first real ale in May 2003 in a converted outbuilding which houses the brewery.
‘Wold Top Bitter was the ale that launched the brewery and remains our flagship beer,’ said Gill. ‘It is brewed to a traditional recipe and it is very hoppy ale whose depth and full flavour belie its low alcohol content. This is testament to the quality of the raw materials.’

The brewery uses traditional methods and recipes to brew real ales with a distinctive character. ‘The pure, chalk filtered water travels only metres from a borehole to the brewery, the barley is exclusively home grown and malted by family maltsters in Castleford and selected British grown hops impart a distinctive flavour. The brewing process is a ten day cycle with precise timings but it is three weeks between being brewed to the bottle,’  said Gill.
‘As well as Wold Top bitter our range includes Wold Gold, Wolds Way, Falling Stone and Mars Magic. We also offer the '600 Acre' beer to celebrate our 600th brew and as a tribute to our 600 acre farm. Our limited edition ales also include 5 Wold Rings, Keeper's Light and Big Sky Bitter.’

Conserving the environment is a priority for the Mellors and not only because it results in better crops and tastier ales. ‘We have installed a bottling plant so that we can guarantee superior quality and taste and can reduce our carbon footprint,’ said Gill. ‘We are committed to conserving the environment that serves us so well and have an ongoing programme of tree and hedge planting. We also surround our crops with two metre margins to maintain wildlife biodiversity and maintain 35 acres of species rich chalk grassland that is home to varied flora and fauna.’

She added: ‘We support music and the arts locally by sponsoring them and we sell our produce at the events. We part sponsor the Scarborough Jazz Festival and do a lot of work with the Beverley Folk Festival.’ For last year's Musicport festival at the newly refurbished Bridlington Spa the Mellors created the Musicporter, a guest premium ale, especially for the event.

Although they are still farming, the last few years has seen a distinct change for the Mellors. ‘The brewery business has been a new challenge for us. We talk to the people who buy the beers, but with farming we are more removed from people when we sell our barley wheat for animal feed and bread – we don't talk to the people who use it. This is very much a people business and we talk to those who drink our beer. It is very different but it is a challenge we really enjoy,’ said Gill.

To find out more click here: www.woldtopbrewery.co.uk

Pictures of Tom and Gill Mellor by Simon Kench Photography; beers by Quayside Graphics