NORTH LINCOLNSHIRE, England — The first commercial brewery in Grimsby for 50 years is taking the town’s hard-working heritage to heart, as it is christened Docks Beers.
Axholme Brewing Co is in the final stages of fitting out a deconsecrated Church, having acquired the King Edward Street building last year.
With the installation of the new brewing equipment nearing completion, the team has revealed the new identity, with a new range of craft beers to be brewed under the recently trademarked name. They have also unveiled a logo for the new brand.
Co-owner and Director Will Douglas talked about the thinking behind the name.
“The new brand is a key part of our growth plans. Docks Beers was a no-brainer,” said Douglas. “The new brewery is 250 metres from Great Grimsby’s famous Docks, the epicentre of this Town. Many of the team were born here and we’re as passionate about this Town and its heritage as we are about craft beer. We picked this site for that very reason. When the brewery opens in September we will launch a new core range of three craft beers in cans. The Docks Beers brand will distinguish these three brews from those already produced by Axholme, like Cleethorpes Pale Ale. We believe it’s a brand name which will sell nationally as well as internationally. Our ambition is for Docks Beers to rank alongside star names like Saucy Fish Co, Youngs and Orsted which are putting the Great back into Grimsby.”
Fellow Director Shahram Shadan explained why the name was chosen.
“From Grimsby to Manchester, and London to New York the Docks are a place where hard graft, endurance and a never-say-die attitude are traits of the men and women who work them,” said Shadan. “We bring these qualities to our brewing, as well as our love and joy of beer. The name does pay homage to Grimsby but it’s as much about the Town’s future as the past. Docks Beers celebrates all that is happening around the waterfront of this area – the rebirth of the Docks thanks to the offshore wind industry, the Great Grimsby project around Alexandra Dock, the funding for the Kasbah. It’s all happening yards from our Church just as we are breathing new life into the building. We will be celebrating our own mini renaissance when we open a Grimsby brewery to the public 50 years after Hewitt’s closed its doors.”
Founder and Head Brewer Mike Richards made it clear that the company would retain its roots in Crowle, North Lincolnshire.
“Axholme Brewing Company will remain the parent brand,” said Richards. “The brewery in Crowle will stay open for business as usual. Our core beers will continue to be brewed there under the Axholme label. But I cannot wait to get my hands on the new equipment in Grimsby and get the new Docks Beers under way. The new kit will enable us to do all sorts of new things: new beer styles including lager and canning for the first time. The results are going to be exciting.”
Fellow Brewery Director and owner of Cleethorpes specialist beer shop and weekend bar, Message In A Bottle, Charles Lumley added, “Wearing my Message In A Bottle hat I cannot wait to get Docks Beers on to our shelves. Our customers are going to love the new beers, the branding as well as the story behind it. It’s great that these beers are actually brewed in Grimsby and they will be a welcome addition to our range of Lincolnshire ales.”
Local Design & Branding Agency Source Four were picked by the brewery Directors to come up with the new brand image for Docks Beers, including new beer can designs and supporting marketing materials.
“Developing the new brand with the Axholme team has been exciting,” Source Four MD Rob Pritchard said. “Before we even met them, they knew that Docks Beers was the name they wanted, they knew the story they wanted to tell and they had defined ideas about how the branding should take shape. We are excited to be going on the journey with them through the launch of the new brewery and beyond.”
The brewery has trademarked Docks Beers in the UK and today launches new @DocksBeers social media accounts on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. Will Douglas added “We hope all our Axholme followers will also follow these new accounts. We will be making announcements about the new beers and other exciting developments in the pipeline on these channels.”
The brewery is expected to open in September and more details will follow about their launch events.