Great Newsome Brewery

Great Newsome Brewery began in 2007 at Great Newsome Farm in the Holderness countryside, where Matthew started brewing as a diversification project alongside the family's arable farm. Initially he ran the entire brewery himself, working from renovated farm buildings and building the business around research that had identified a strong demand for classic British beer. The brewery's rural setting has remained fundamental to its identity as the operation has grown.

The connection between farming and brewing is particularly important at Great Newsome. Malting barley grown on the farm provides a direct link between the surrounding fields and the beer produced in the brewery, while the team has also developed its own yeast strains and experimented with growing hops. The brewery describes its approach as traditional craft beer with a modern twist, favouring good natural ingredients and accessible beers rather than trying to reinvent established styles.

Growth has gradually transformed the original farm brewery into a considerably larger operation. Great Newsome expanded into additional farm buildings in 2018 and again in 2019, increasing brewing capacity to 20 barrels. Alongside producing its own expanding range, the brewery also undertakes contract brewing for other local breweries, with Great Newsome beer now distributed around the UK and overseas.

The changing agricultural year provides much of the character behind Great Newsome's beers and its story. Summer sees the farm's barley ripening around the brewery, followed by harvest and the movement of hundreds of tonnes of barley for malting. The beer range similarly moves through the seasons, from golden ales and bitters to harvest and winter specials, alongside established beers such as Sleck Dust and Frothingham Best.

Great Newsome broadened its brewing further in 2024 after obtaining organic certification and purchasing the Little Valley brand, adding organic and vegan beers to its portfolio. This diversification sits alongside its established approach to British beer, allowing the brewery to develop new parts of its range while continuing to make the traditional styles around which the business was originally built.

The farm remains a place customers can visit as well as the brewery's production base. Great Newsome operates a brewery shop, and brewing can be viewed from a dedicated viewing area, while its annual charitable Festivale forms a focal point for the brewery's involvement with the local community. The brewery's English Springer Spaniels are another longstanding part of its character, continuing a tradition associated with the late Jem, the brewery's much-loved original mascot who remains commemorated on labels and bar tags.