Scottish barley farm builds onsite brewery

Necessity is the mother of invention, as the well-worn adage goes, so it stands to reason that there’s plenty of inventing going on in these challenging economic times. To wit: Chesters Estate, a Scottish barley farm that is now in the midst of building its own microbrewery. Chesters has been in the same family for some 200 years, according to a report in the Herald Scotland, and its current owner views the microbrewery as a logical way to make the most of what it has. “We’ll use our own traditional barley product to create the ale, and feed the spent brewing grains back to our cattle,” owner John Henderson told the Herald Scotland. “They, in turn, will do their bit to help fertilize the land. So thrift is at the heart of what we are about. It’s a strategy to counter the financial pressures we are all currently feeling.” Construction on the brewery began last month, with plans for it to be operational by January. At full capacity, the Scottish Borders Brewery — as it will be called — will produce and sell 50 brewers’ barrels, or 200 casks, of ale per week. What’s especially interesting about those plans, however, is the emphasis they place on the local provenance of the product. The names of the beers Scottish Borders produces, for instance, will relate to the different local places where the beers will be brewed: Ancrum Ale, Lanton Light, Minto Mild, Ruberslaw and Fatlips. Aiming to keep food miles to a minimum, the brewery also plans to deliver only to pubs within a 75-mile radius, the newspaper reported. It has the potential, in other words, to offer a winning blend of storytelling fodder with (still) made here appeal. Farmers around the globe: one for inspiration! (Related: Local wines, professionally made from amateurs’ grapes — Local bottling makes for greener wine at Waitrose — Minibars at Ace Hotel stocked with local liquor — Site connects producers and buyers of local food.) Spotted by: Ken Green