Batemans 2025

BHS visit to Bateman & Son Ltd, Salem Bridge Brewery, Mill Lane, Wainfleet All Saints, Lincolnshire.

Phil Wilson writes:

Visit to Batemans Brewery – 7 October.

BHS last visited Batemans of Wainfleet All Saints in 2019 (see Batemans 2019).

Our host for the day was Stuart Bateman who along with his sister Jaclyn, are the 4th generation custodians of this Lincolnshire brewing family.

Our visit started with a talk from Stuart on the brewery’s history including the ups and downs it had suffered over the years. The mid-80’s where a particularly difficult time when there was a split in the family over its future. Fortunately, George Bateman managed to buy his siblings shares and a move into the free trade market supplying 300-400 pubs across the county helped resolve their financial difficulties. By the early 2000’s, a new brewhouse had been built to sit alongside the original Victorian brewhouse. More recently, COVID had a huge impact on the business resulting in a large financial loss, a reduction in the pub estate and some staff layoffs. Despite these difficulties the brewery survived largely due to a successful long term recovery plan that has seen an expansion of the pub estate, an ambitious pub refurbishment plan and more brewing collaborations.

Today, Batemans produces more than 10,000 HL per year. They have adopted smallpacks with foil liners for about a third of their annual output the rest going to draught. The brewery owns more than 50 pubs spread across Lincolnshire, East Anglia and further afield as far as Yorkshire. In 2024, Batemans celebrated its 150th anniversary.

No visit to Batemans would be complete without a chance to spend time in their “Theatre of Beers” visitors centre in the base of the windmill, purchased by Harry Bateman in the 1920’s. We started in the impressive circular room used to display historical artifacts from the brewery’s past. Next door was their collection of bottled beers from home and abroad. Here we had a chance to meet Batemans recently appointed Head Brewer, Guiseppe D'Oriano who spent time with us during the tours of the brewhouse. Along with generous sampling of their current beer range including XXXB of course, Stuart very kindly treated us all to a traditional Lincolnshire lunch (Pie, sausages, mash and peas!). We then moved on to a tour of the old and new brewhouses followed by a quiz, further tasting and a chance to sample one of their vintage brews.

This was an excellent visit to a brewery that is very keen to preserve its heritage but at the same time is modernising to ensure its survival. Our thanks go to Stuart and Guiseppe for their warm welcome and generosity throughout our time there.

Photographs courtesy Mick Connors

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