Under the Microscope: Stately home brew

Back in the sepia-hued olden days, landed gentry often had a brewery within the grounds of their country mansions. Drinking one's own beer was as much an expected titled privilege as shooting cute fluffy animals for a laugh. But as the number of posh folk dwindled this brewing convention went the way of the dodo.

That is, until two "doo-dahs" (affectionate name given to Sheffield natives) bought Thornbridge Hall, a crumbling, cavernous and charming country house, in 2002.

Jim and Emma Harrison, their respective wealth accumulated from business training and selling gaskets, restored their new home to its former glory.

It's a stunning setting for a brewery amid manicured lawns, stone walls, a gorgeous lake and uplifting views across the Peak District. The mansion houses a ballroom, music hall, marble kitchen, a boardroom, a funky underground bar and swimming pool.

Dream come true

Emma had visited Thornbridge Hall as a young girl and had long dreamt of sweeping down the grand staircase in a red dress. Husband Jim, meanwhile, used to brew beer in his mum's airing cupboard. When Dave Wickett, a friend and owner of Sheffield's Kelham Island Brewery, suggested opening a brewery in their back garden, they did just that.

Dave and Jim went 50/50 on a second-hand 10-barrel brewing system and installed it in a derelict, stonemason's shop yards from the grand Jacobean hall. Then the brewers arrived. Stefano Cossi, a 26 year-old food scientist, was recruited from Udine, Northern Italy, alongside Dave Wickie, a graduate from Herriot-Watt University. They were both young, enthusiastic, unshackled by tradition and brimming with leftfield ideas.

"We were very lucky to find two brewers like this," says Simon Webster, Thornbridge's marketing man.

"They're magicians with a test-tube in one hand, a spanner in the other and a sandwich in their mouths.

"They get in at six in the morning and brew some truly fantastic beers. I don't know what we'd do without them. There's no great masterplan but whatever we say upfront, we know that they'll back it up."

Thornbridge Country House Brewery has had a hugely encouraging start. Lavished in gongs, its beers are more closely related to the craft beers of America than the region's traditional bitters.

"The growth of the micro has been extraordinary and there are some amazing beers being brewed - but we're doing something a little different," explains Simon. "Good beer is not good enough anymore. We're more interested in foreign beers to be honest, but we feel that we can brew speciality British beer.

"There's no regard for the artisan brewer and that's where British beer is going wrong. It shouldn't be the Campaign for Real Ale, we've won that one, it should be the Campaign for Great Beer."

The undeniable jewel in Thornbridge's crown is Jaipur IPA, an authentically hoppy India Pale Ale that achieves the holy trinity of strength (5.9 per cent ABV), drinkability and balance.

"It's strong but it's true to the beer style, unlike some IPAs out there" explains Simon. "Greene King IPA is a perfectly drinkable beer but it's not an IPA is it? There's more chance of a snowman getting to India!"

Other draught beers include Kipling (5.2 per cent), an exceedingly good beer that's described as a South Pacific Pale Ale and brewed using Nelson Sauvin hops from New Zealand. Blackthorn Golden Ale is a superb summer sip, Lord Marples a classic rich and malty bitter and Wild Swan belies its modest 3.5 per cent strength with delicious spice and citrus flavours.

Pushing the boundaries

Under the Thornbridge mantra "A contemporary take on traditional thinking", head brewer Stefano and new brewer Kelly Ryan have been given free rein to wield their magic mash forks to eclectic effect. They experiment on a one-barrel pilot brewery and trial the results as part of an 'Alchemy' range in a select number of local pubs.

Innovations have included a sage beer, an ale made with chestnut, honey and rosemary and a high-octane barley wine matured in oak barrels.

Stefano is eagerly dabbling in wood ageing and the range of earthy Saint Petersburg Imperial Russian Stouts mellowed by maturation in whisky barrels from the Highlands, Speyside and Islay is magnificent.

With production at full throttle (600,000 pints a year), the brewery is currently being expanded with the conversion of several stables and out-buildings. So that Stefano can keep on pushing boundaries, a state-of-the-art lab is being built next to a brewery garden where herbs, spices and hops will be cultivated.

Thornbridge is also teaming up with leading Sheffield restaurateur Richard Smith and opening a number of 'Brewkitchen' pubs, concepts that champion beer and food matching.

"Our spent grain goes to cattle which graze on Thornbridge land and we're going to serve the meat alongside the beer," says Simon.

"We're not weighed down by heritage as we've not got one really, so we're up for anything and everything.

"British beer has been very boring and other countries have stolen a march. It's time we changed that."