TATTON Brewery fans will soon be able to savour favourite cask beers they feared they had lost forever.
The Knutsford company is about to start production after closing six months ago.
Award-winning Wantsum Brewery in Kent has taken over the site on Longridge Trading Estate and plans to brew again in the coming weeks.
New owner James Sandy spoke exclusively to the Chester Standard's sister title the Knutsford Guardian about his exciting plans to revive the well-respected craft beers.
From left, Will McConchie, assistant brewer, Steve McConchie, director, James Sandy, owner and director, Gazza Prescott, head brewer (Image: Tatton Brewery)
Managing director James said: “It is very exciting.
“I had a couple of their beers at Knutsford Beer Festival and I thought they were really impressive.
Gaz Prescott, head brewer at Tatton Brewery (Image: Tatton Brewery)
“They produce really good beers, they know what they’re doing.
“We’re bringing something that had gone under back to customers.”
Tatton Brewery had announced ‘with a heavy heart’ that it was closing in February after 14 years.
Gazza Prescott, head brewer (Image: Tatton Brewery)
The firm said it was ‘truly saddened’ to shut down to due to unprecedented increases in the cost of living, fuel prices and raw materials.
Former owner and founder Gregg Sawyer decided to step away from the business due to family responsibilities and the team said it was ‘no longer viable’ for them to carry on.
However, Wantsum Brewery has now given the business a new lease of life.
Tatton Brewery hopes to have beer ready to drink in the coming weeks (Image: Tatton Brewery)
Sandy said: “We are currently working with head brewer Gaz Prescott and Nicky Arnell, who will be supporting customers and operations.
“She has already contacted old customers and they are really excited about us coming back on stream.
“They have committed to buying beer off us.
“Locals are really excited too.”
Sandy used to work in the pharmaceutical industry and started his own brewery in 2009 – after friends set him a challenge.
“I’ve always been an avid home brewer,” he said.
“Brewing with traditional malts, barley and hops and a member of CAMRA for a long time, and everything it stood for.
“Real ale sold through hand pumps as it should be.
“I used to complain to my friends about how poor quality some of the beers were in pubs.
“They said: ‘Stop complaining, do something about it. Why don’t you start your own brewery?’.”
When his employer moved to America, Sandy invested his redundancy in his dream business.
Sandy said: “I’m so glad my friends gave me that challenge.
“It takes a lot of time and effort to get established and trading.
“It was just me at the start but over the years it has grown to become a significant brewery.
“We employ quite a few people.
“The reason why we went with Tatton is that we had reached maximum capacity.
“We’ve looked to expand our footprint and sadly, Tatton came on our radar as a brewery in trouble likely to go bankrupt.
“At the beer festival I bumped into Gaz and Nicky. All the stars were aligned, it felt right.
“I knew they brewed good beer so we decided to buy it.
“Tatton is a very well structured brewery with very nice equipment.
“It will fit very well into our portfolio.”
To begin with, the brewery will focus on reviving Tatton favourites – Tatton Best, Tatton Blonde, Lazy Haze, Tatton Black and Tatton Gold.
Sandy acknowledges that breweries still face challenges but he is confident about the future.
Sandy said: “It is really tough trading out there. Breweries have been put through the ringer since Covid with rising prices of electricity and raw materials.
“It is not easy but we fell this is a good time for us.
“This was too good an opportunity to turn down.
“There is a resurgence in micro breweries.
“It is a unique product and thankfully there is a very big movement in this country that can support it.
“I don’t intend to be tinkering with the day to day production.
“We will allow Tatton the freedom to do what Tatton does very well.
“We are very good at cost control, sales and marketing.
“We will be able to get better rates for things like malt through economies of scale.
“We will do everything we possibly can to make it a success.”
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules here