Good honest tales of brewery based in Wainfleet celebrating 150th anniversary

Good Honest Tales – 150 Years of Batemans Brewery is written by Adam Cartwright and available to order now.

For those who love attention to detail, it’s the perfect read to delve into while sitting back and enjoying a bottle of the new anniversary Five Generations (5G) brew.

Richly illustrated, the 128-page book gives a detailed account of the history and growth of the determinedly independent family-run Lincolnshire brewing firm based near the coast in Wainfleet.

The cover sets the scene of the home of the brewery: ‘Nestling beside the Steeping river in the little town of Wainfleet, Batemans’ Salem Bridge Brewery is a quintessential English scene - including an ivy-covered old windmill whose image is Batemans’ symbol to this day’.

Batemans have grown from small beginnings to become justly famous for their award-winning ‘Good Honest Ales’, which can be found in most parts of England, especially the East Midlands, Yorkshire and East Anglia. Along the way they have met and overcome many obstacles.

It’s not surprising that even when there’s a storm brewing it can inspire a bottle of ‘Beast from the East’.

This thoroughly researched book begins before 1874, when Wainfleet’s first link with brewing came with William Crow establishing a brewery around 1810 on a site in Church Lane, Wainfleet,Following a conversation with Edwin Crow early in 1875, George Bateman advertised the lease of his farm, and the sale of his animals and farm equipment and made the leap into the unknown in the brewing industry.

George agreed to rent Edwin Crow’s South End brewery in late 1874 and bought the brewing equipment outright for £505 and 10s.From there the book documents overcoming the stresses and strains of two world wars followed by expansion with the purchase of more pubs.

Stuart Bateman took over as managing director from his father, George, in 2002, supported then and now by his sister, Jaclyn.

Today Batemans’ independence remains as important as ever in the early 21st century.

Good honest tales : 150 years of Batemans Brewery is available in paperback from Amberley Books for £12.74. Visit amberley-books.com/good-honest-tales.html