Wells & Co has brewed beer in Bedford since 1876. A bastion of the family-owned British brewing tradition, the company is synonymous with brewing great cask ales. With 140 years’ experience reliably abstracting water from boreholes in Bedford, Wells & Co was keen to establish a new borehole to provide water for a new generation of brewing, so they turned to Envireau Water.
Before the introduction of towns mains, a reliable groundwater supply was vital for brewers and traditional brewhouses, like Wells & Co, developed around a good source of water.
The main benefit of a groundwater supply in comparison to water from rivers and lakes is that it is more consistent in quality and temperature – and that’s what brewers need.
Wells & Co’s first foray into shallow groundwater supplies close to the Great Ouse that runs through Bedford was soon substituted with deeper boreholes located further away, that provided a more consistent supply.
Whilst most parts of the UK are blessed with plenty of rainfall, the abundance of groundwater is dependent on geology, which can vary at a local scale.
There is a good groundwater supply in Bedford but this isn’t the case everywhere in the UK.
The variability of UK geology means that the chemistry of groundwater varies too. The majority of groundwater abstracted comes from bedrock aquifers and is naturally mineralised as a result of interactions with the rock.
Such groundwater lends itself to the style of ‘English bitters’, with regional brewing variations historically exploiting the subtle differences in the groundwater chemistry.
Take for example the groundwater from the Chalk aquifer in London, with its elevated levels of chloride, that provided a useful base for porters and stouts.
The sandstone aquifer that dominates the West Midlands is rich in sulphate and was exploited to great effect by the large brewhouses around Burton-on-Trent.
Lager, with a much lower mineral content, was only introduced to the UK from mainland Europe in the late 19th century, when production established around soft, young water that was abundantly available in shallow sand and gravel aquifers close to the river in Wrexham.
The new brewhouse at Wells & Co is a state-of-the-art facility with the flexibility to produce the styles of beer that consumers are demanding, equipped with the technology and brewing expertise to guarantee consistently excellent beer.
With a history of abstracting groundwater, Wells & Co. knew the importance of developing a reliable supply. Whilst the raw water is manipulated to achieve the required liquor, the key requisites for consistency in terms of yield, chemistry and temperature still apply.
Constructing a borehole is a specialist activity and the new borehole at Wells & Co was carefully sited and designed, taking account of the known geology and hydrogeology of the area.
The borehole itself needed to be constructed to target an ~8m layer of Jurassic limestone – the same geology targeted by the wells at the original Eagle Brewery.
Before drilling could take place, it was necessary to engage with the Environment Agency to ensure that an abstraction licence could be obtained for the new hole.
With existing abstractors, including an Anglian Water public water supply, and other sensitive water features in the local area, securing a licence was not straightforward and required a high level of regulatory engagement before and after the construction of the borehole.
The borehole itself was constructed with quality in mind, using materials approved for use in the water industry.
It was completed with a grouted steel casing, that provides a sanitary seal to prevent the ingress of poor-quality shallow groundwater from formations above the limestone aquifer.
A stainless steel screen was installed below the casing to ensure that the borehole would remain open through the formation, and a fully sealed, stainless steel above ground headworks was fitted at surface to prevent the ingress of surface water.
Finally, the borehole was sanitised and equipped with an inverter-controlled pumping system, that allows abstraction rates to be paired against demand.
Ian Jones, Head Brewer at Wells & Co, commented: “The borehole project has been a great success. It builds on our local heritage and contributes significantly to the sustainable objectives of the new brewing facility now and in the future.”
Envireau Water has been developing and licensing boreholes for more than 25 years. Dr. Phil Ham, managing director, said: “Groundwater supplies provide an opportunity for brewers to abstract a consistent quality of water at a fraction of the price of abstracting it from the mains.”
Borehole supplies are not suitable everywhere, and anyone looking to develop one must first understand the local geology, water availability, licensing restrictions and costs in order to de-risk a project.
Yes, there is an interesting historical narrative regarding the source of water and different types of beer, but it is developing a consistent and reliable supply that is key.
