Wells & Young's set for strong start
The newly formed Wells & Young's is looking to be the country's foremost brewer of specialty beers, according to its new managing director.
Nigel McNally believes the company, which was formed out of a merger between the brewing concerns of Charles Wells and Young's in May this year, will have a portfolio of cask ales and premium lagers to rival that of anyone else in the UK.
"We think it is important to have a very strong portfolio of cask ales," he said. "You have to show licensees that you have a credible range."
Wells & Young's now sits as the third biggest regional brewer in the UK, with the combined capacities of the two brewers hitting 480,000 barrels a year, seeing it leapfrog Thwaites into the top three, behind Greene King and Wolverhampton & Dudley Breweries (W&DB).
Mr McNally told thepublican.com he was looking for further growth. "We are looking to operate at 500,000 barrels a year. But we can increase this - there is capacity here for 1m barrels."
Matching of Young's beers has been taking place at the Eagle brewery in Bedford since the announcement of the merger in May. Brewers from both Charles Wells and Young's have been working round the clock to get a huge range of Young's beers ready to roll out across the country from the day Well's and Young's opens for business, on October 2.
The company has also announced a major level of investment, including £6m in the brewery, £10m on a new distribution centre to be built outside Bedford and £2m on a new cask racking line.
