Tollgate Brewery is an independent six-barrel brewery based at Southwood House Farm on the National Trust's Calke Abbey Estate in Derbyshire. Founded in 2005, it combines traditional brewing methods with modern beer styles, producing cask, keg and bottled beers for its own pubs, onsite brewery tap and trade customers across the Midlands.
Brewery story
Tollgate Brewery was founded in 2005 on the historic Woodville site of Brunt, Bucknall & Co., formerly known as the Wooden Box Brewery. Its name comes from the toll booth that once stood between Ashby-de-la-Zouch and Burton-upon-Trent.
In 2012, the brewery moved to Southwood House Farm on the National Trust's Calke Abbey Estate. The move formed part of an initiative to bring brewing back to an estate with a brewing tradition stretching back several centuries.
Tollgate operates a traditional six-barrel brewhouse from a restored nineteenth-century farm building. Its beers combine traditional brewing methods with contemporary styles and are produced in cask, bottle and keg.
The brewery changed ownership in the middle of the decade. After Pat and Quentin had moved Tollgate to Calke in 2012, a new group of shareholders became involved, with further investment and development taking place from 2016 onwards.
Tollgate has developed its own network of pubs and bars alongside its brewery operation. These include The Tap at No. 76 in Ashby-de-la-Zouch, Town Street Tap in Duffield and Queens Road Tap in Leicester, as well as The Milking Parlour at the brewery itself.
The brewery also has a close relationship with the National Forest, producing a range of beers celebrating the regeneration project and making a donation to the National Forest when packs from the range are purchased.
Sustainability forms part of the brewery's operation at Calke. Spent grain is supplied to a nearby farm for animal feed, while used hops are repurposed for compost on the Calke Abbey Estate.
Taproom & tours
The Milking Parlour is Tollgate Brewery's onsite brewery tap at Southwood House Farm on the Calke Abbey Estate. It offers the opportunity to drink Tollgate beers at the brewery where they are produced.
Brewery tours available
See behind the scenes and discover how the beer is made.
Southwood House Farm, Staunton Lane, Calke, Derbyshire, LE65 1RG
The Milking Parlour is Tollgate Brewery's onsite brewery tap at Southwood House Farm on the Calke Abbey Estate. It offers the opportunity to drink Tollgate beers at the brewery where they are produced.
