The Real Ale Shop

Selling the finest real ales made from the best malting barley

Branthill Farm is a 1,000 acre tenanted farm on the Holkham Hall estate, growing wheat, award winning malting barley and sugar beet. In 2004 the farm diversified and set up The Real Ale Shop, selling over 60 bottle conditioned ales and mini-cask beers from local brewers, many produced with the farm’s own malt.

The Real Ale Shop is located on a family farm situated 2 miles outside town on the Wells to Fakenham B1105. Farmer Teddy Maufe is an award-winning grower of Maris Otter barley, regarded by many specialist and craft brewers as the best malting barley in the world.

Teddy and Sally Maufe set up The Real Ale Shop in 2004 with the simple mission of joining up their malting barley with the local brewers, and selling the ale on the farm where the barley was grown.

North Norfolk is steeped in a rich malting and brewing heritage and for the last fifteen years Teddy and Sally have forged an unparalleled bond with the brewers that supply the shop, ensuring the strongest connection between the best malting barley and the finest real ales.

North Norfolk has long been recognized as one of the most favoured locations in the world to produce top quality malt for real ales due to its winning combination of soil type and distinctive coastal climate, which helps extend the natural ripening process. This malting barley now also supplies the family’s own craft brewery, Malt Coast, located on the farm.

Adjacent to the shop is the ‘Barley to Beer’ Micro-Maltings, showing the malting process on a small scale. The grain’s journey from barley field to beer glass can be followed each step of the way, ending with heat from solar panels being used to sustainably ‘finish off’ the malt.

The shop carries a range of over 60 bottled ales including seasonal, limited edition and other unusual ales throughout the year, and provides a shop window for the region’s craft brewers. This is real ale with provenance, made from quality local ingredients, and no visit to Wells is complete until you’ve stopped by and stocked up.

The Real Ale Shop
Branthill Farm
Wells-Next-The-Sea
Norfolk
NR23 1SB

Tel: 01328 710810
Email: info@therealaleshop.co.uk
Web: www.therealaleshop.co.uk