Yates' Brewery
We popped over to Jen's house a couple nights ago. There waiting for me, as if on queue, were bottles of Yates' Holy Joe and Yates' Wight Winter. Call it my bad luck, but up until this trip, I had not really experienced any Yates beer. I found both styles really good and both, a little different. Different, that is, in a good way. In a week full of bitters and session beers, it was nice to have something with a little more hop and spice kick. To put it succulently, they were memorable. To me, that's a sign of success.
The next day I promptly reached out to Yates' Brewery and within moments was speaking to owner/brewmaster, David Yates. Upon inquiring about a tour, David suggested we stop out before 11 during the first part of the week. Those are their brew days and although they stay busy, he would be happy to chat.
Yates is a long established Isle of Wight brewery. It is "local" in the truest sense of the word. Situated in a small industrial park in Newchurch, if it had not been for the stacks of kegs outside, we would have completely missed it.
We really didn't know what to expect. It wasn't as if we had to get tickets or sign up for a waiting list. David made it pretty obvious they were working and when it comes to brewing, there is no pause button. The work has to be done.
We made our way through the only open door, which as we stepped inside, spilled immediately into the brewery. From across the floor, I made out the silhouette of David and called out to him. David spun around and at first eyed us a little suspiciously. I can't blame him. Bob looks pretty shifty. I explained who we were and why we had just intruded on his beer operation. Recognition spread across David's face and he immediately thrust out a hand and welcomed us in. Good thing. I was afraid I would have to leave Bob outside.
The brewery was divided into several different areas: the brew floor, the grain loft, a refrigeration room, labeling room, lab and office.
Yates beer is found all across the island and some parts of the mainland. Although he described their operation as "small", I am always impressed anytime I go into a commercial brewer, regardless of their output.
As David indicated in our phone conversation last week, it was a brew day. Working with Ollie, they had a batch boiling in one of their brew kettles.
Ollie was busying taking samples from the kettle and then working on gravity readings in the lab.
David said that because of their size, he does not mill his grain on premises and instead receives it pre-crushed. The ingredient distributor he works with caters to smaller breweries, which allows the brewery to keep costs down.
On the nights before brew days, grain is pre-measured to get a jump on the next morning's brew. Yates can brew two different styles at one time and currently has around eight styles overall.
There are two different brew setups at Yates. One is stainless and completely contained. The other is open and more traditional, or perhaps more like something you might see with our own operation back home.
From the grain loft, there are two large hoppers to get the grain into each of he mashtuns. They are pictured here covered in cardboard.
The traditional setup requires the liquid to be pumped between vessels. The mashtun is next to Bob. The brew kettle or "copper", is to Ollie's left. Behind the kettle is the hot liquor tank.
The grain goes into the mashtun and then heated water from the hot liquor tank is used for the mash and sparge. The collections from the mashtun are then moved to the brew kettle.
When the boil is complete, the wort is moved through a plate chiller, shown here in blue.
I find this part pretty ingenious. According to David, water...even water pressure, are commodities. In order to make things more efficient, they fill large containers with water and stack them. The containers are pictured here behind the stainless fermentor.
The wort is cooled through the chiller by running the water via gravity from the storage container. After passing through the chiller, the water is collected in the hot liquor tank, so that it can be reused for the mash/sparge. The water's dual purpose allows David to run a more efficient and cost effective operation. In comparison, when we chill at home the water just empties into the yard. Perhaps we need to rethink how we do things, too.
The stainless still operation is slick, as it is self contained.
On the left is the mashtun, at the top, and the hot liquor tank, on the bottom. Water is heated down below and then pumped up top.
When ready for collection in the brew kettle, the wort is transferred by gravity from the mashtun on the left, to the brew kettle on the right. Very slick.
Besides the brewing part of the operation, David said they bottle, apply labels and fill firkins too. As I mentioned, Yates brews 8 styles, with a 9th on the way.
Several of David's beers have taken regional CAMRA awards, most recently, their Yule be Sorry took top honors.
David sent us home with bottles of it. I'm dying to try it later. The only "non Yates" beer they brew is for the Isle of Wight Garlic Farm. It's garlic beer.
I'm really curious about it. The garlic is put in at bottling, as David said anywhere else in the brewing process creates too many problems for possible infection in subsequent batches. The beer is only for sale at the Garlic Farm which, funny enough, sent someone into the brewery to pick up more, just as we were talking about it. It must be selling well.
David came to the Isle of Wight in 1979 and after leaving a career in the oil industry, took a job working for a brewery. The rest, as they say, is history. As David worked his way up to brewmaster, he later found himself starting and running Yates' Brewery. Outside of the brewing side of the business, David's son manages the distribution side. Yates is one of the island's largest distributors of beer and wine.
Housed in a sperate warehouse, an army of Yates trucks take all types of different beverages across the island.
David said he never really started out to be a distributor, he just wanted to make beer.
The trucks not only keep local pubs and restaurants stocked, they bring back valuable feedback, especially for Yates' brews. What sells, what doesn't and most importantly, what the customers say.
I cannot begin to say how nice David was to show us around the brewery. He was great to watch. We would start talking and then he would slide over to a kettle, check something, and then slide right back into the conversation. The brewing doesn't stop.
Armed with samples of Yates' beer and a list of pubs with Yates on tap, Bob and I headed out the same nondescript door we walked in. David took a career turn many years ago to follow a passion he has keenly loved and nurtured. It was a honor to have David welcome us in and share it.
