LINCOLNSHIRE BREWERY EXPANDS TO MEET DEMAND FOR CLEETHORPES ALE

We first came into contact with the Axholme Brewing Company through a stall it was running on Brigg market, selling bottled beer. We bought some and enjoyed it. Ever-keen to publicise a decent pint and support Lincolnshire businesses, here we bring  Blog followers up to date. And we ask the question: Can we expect to see some on the pale ale on sale in Brigg?


A cult craft beer made with sea buckthorn foraged from the Cleethorpes coastline has proved such a success that the brewery has had to expand to keep up with demand!
Axholme Brewing Company’s Cleethorpes Pale Ale has proved to be real a hit with ale lovers and is now available in bottles, casks and key kegs. First brewed for Cleethorpes based beer shop message in a bottle, the 4.2% pale ale is quickly becoming a favourite in the pubs and bars of Lincolnshire. 
The North Lincolnshire brewery headed up by brewer Mike Richards and three Grimsby based business partners Charles Lumley, Shahram Shadan and Will Douglas put the beer’s success down to one main factor – its great, unique taste!  
Brewery Founder Richards said "I'm delighted with the success of Cleethorpes Pale Ale. Adding sea buckthorn to a brew was something I had been thinking about for a while as it has a great, tart fruitiness which works perfectly with a crisp pale ale. I’m passionate about using local produce in my ales. We’ve tried adding lots of weird and wonderful local produce like seaweed, beetroot and nettles to our guest beers but this has been the most popular addition by far. At the last count, we had sold around 5000 pints of it which surprised us all! We brew more of it than any other beer and due to its popularity we’ve had to install more equipment in the brewery to cope with demand. We’re already considering further expansion as sales continue to grow." 
Commercial Director Will Douglas added "since joining the business we have changed the branding of our beers, redesigned our website and narrowed the focus of our sales to the Grimsby and Cleethorpes areas. The new look bottles and pump clips better reflect our brewery and we have had some terrific feedback on the picture of Cleethorpes pier we used for this particular beer. It’s a real tribute to Cleethorpes – a place we all love. We felt that the pubs, bars and hotels of our towns were under served by local beers compared to other parts of the UK. The brewery's reputation is growing fast and demand for our beer stretches to pubs in Hull, Gainsborough, Doncaster, Sheffield, Derby and Nottingham". 
Shahram Shadan (Sales Director) explained "As well as established ale pubs like The Number One and Willy’s in Cleethorpes, and places in Grimsby like The Barge and Humber Royal, customers of ‘destination pubs’ further out of town such as the New Inn at Great Limber and The Ship Inn at Barnoldby- Le- Beck love the beer too."  
The latest pub to have Cleethorpes Pale Ale on the bar is Colin McGurran's gastro pub The Hope and Anchor in South Ferriby. 
Shadan says "We’re really proud to be on the bar at a place such as the Hope and Anchor and many more of the region's best pubs". 
Financial Director Charles Lumley (who also owns Cleethorpes based beer shop message in a bottle) added "When I talked with Mike about a Cleethorpes themed beer I had no idea that it would be so popular. It's gone from strength to strength. My shop has sold literally thousands of bottles of it and I’m so pleased that it's been adopted by so many great bars and pubs. We're particularly grateful to Moon on the Water who have been very supportive."
Director of Moon on the Water, Warren Jolly, is a big fan “We’ve been serving Cleethorpes Pale Ale and the other Axholme bottled beers since October. The Cleethorpes beer is our best selling beer and outperforms the other beers every week. Our customers really enjoy it and it’s great to be able to offer them a great tasting, local beer which is vegan friendly.”