Brewing in Cheshire

Cheshire at one time was an important contributor to the brewing industry, with the epicentre being Warrington. From old photographs, we see that many northern pubs (especially those in Liverpool) bore the words ‘Walkers Warrington Ales’ in large letters, the company later becoming Tetley Walker. Then there was G. & J. Greenall, the famous Warrington distillery with those iconic advertisements spoken in a Russian accent: ‘Vladivar Wodka from Varrington’. Their brewing arm was Greenall Whitley Ltd, which was founded by Thomas Greenall in 1762. The company went from strength to strength, adding surrounding brewing companies to its portfolio. Another well-loved Warrington brewery was Burtonwood, with its famous Burtonwood ales. The large Burtonwood brewery site is now shared by Thomas Hardy Holdings and the Molson Coors Brewing Company. It is the latter that now continues the tradition of brewing at this location. So from 1867 to the present day, the village of Burtonwood has been a byword for excellent ales and stout. In this title, Paul Hurley explores the rise and fall of these brewing companies and others, while highlighting the wealth of excellent small breweries, first-class micro-breweries, and pubs with their own micro-breweries, that Cheshire still has to offer nowadays.