10/10/25 – Batemans Brewery Tour

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Batemans Brewery: Five Generations of Good Honest Ales

Batemans Brewery, founded in 1874 by George and Susannah Bateman in Wainfleet, Lincolnshire, began in a converted windmill by the River Steeping. From humble origins — with Susannah brewing in their kitchen and bartering beer for local produce — the family built a legacy of “Good Honest Ales.” Over five generations, Batemans has stayed independent through wars, industrial change, and even a dramatic 1980s buyout to prevent corporate takeover. The brewery’s windmill remains its iconic symbol, now home to the “Theatre of Beers” visitor centre. Today, Batemans continues blending tradition with innovation, celebrating over 150 years of family brewing.

Batemans Brewery

I had the chance to visit Batemans Brewery and tour around with Stuart Bateman. Batemans Brewery has been part of Wainfleet, Lincolnshire, since 1874, when George and Susannah Bateman made the bold decision to swap farming for brewing. They set up in a small 19th-century windmill by the River Steeping, which became both their home and the beating heart of their new venture. The old windmill, built of red Lincolnshire brick, had once ground the grain of local farmers before being repurposed into a brewery — a fitting transformation from milling corn to brewing beer.

In those early days, Susannah brewed in their kitchen while also baking bread to keep the family afloat. The couple’s first brewing equipment was bought second-hand, and their head brewer — a man known for his eccentric precision — famously checked mash temperatures by dipping his elbow into the vessel, even after losing his sight. From such humble beginnings grew one of Britain’s most enduring independent breweries.

The family quickly gained a reputation for “Good Honest Ales,” a motto that still defines them today. In those formative years, they weren’t just supplying pubs — they often bartered beer for local produce, taking meat, potatoes, or grain from nearby farmers in exchange for their ale. That spirit of community and mutual support helped Batemans build not only a business but a legacy.

The windmill, which once towered over the flat Lincolnshire landscape, soon became a symbol of the brewery itself. Though its sails were removed in the mid-20th century, the building remained the proud centrepiece of the site. Its distinctive shape — a solid, round tower crowned with the ghost of its sails — became a defining part of Batemans’ branding and identity, still appearing on their bottle labels, pump clips, and company logo today. Even without its sails, the windmill stands as a reminder of the family’s roots: sturdy, practical, and enduring through time.

Over the generations, the Bateman family turned those same qualities into a philosophy.

• The first generation, George and Susannah, established the brewery with determination and thrift.
• The second generation expanded production, developing a loyal customer base across Lincolnshire and beyond.
• The third generation guided the brewery through wars, rationing, and post-war rebuilding, keeping traditional brewing methods alive even as industrialisation changed the trade.
• The fourth generation, led by Stuart and Jaclyn Bateman, faced the most dramatic challenge in the 1980s. When two family members wanted to sell their shares and move abroad, the remaining Batemans refused to let the brewery fall into corporate hands. The buy-out left them with significant debts and forced them to sell part of their free-trade business to Carlsberg, but their loyalty to independence never wavered. Their fight to preserve the family business became a defining moment — one that secured Batemans’ place among the few remaining true family brewers in Britain.

Under the fourth generation, Batemans also opened a visitor centre in the old windmill, transforming the historic building into the “Theatre of Beers.” This space celebrates both the craft and the culture of brewing — an experience where visitors can step inside the brewery’s living history. Their classic beers like XB and XXXB became pub favourites nationwide, earning awards and cementing the brewery’s reputation for quality and character.

Now, with the fifth generation taking up the reins, Batemans continues to blend heritage with innovation. The launch of 5G Beer marks more than a new product — it’s a celebration of over 150 years of family brewing, a tribute to five generations who have each kept the windmill turning in spirit, if not in motion.

Today, the old mill remains at the heart of the brewery — its sails long gone, yet its image proudly displayed on every bottle and sign. It stands as both a physical landmark and a symbol of continuity, reminding all who visit that the strength of Batemans lies not in machinery or marketing, but in family, integrity, and craft.

More than a century and a half after George and Susannah first brewed their beer by the River Steeping, Batemans remains what it has always been: independent, rooted in its community, and dedicated to brewing “Good Honest Ales” for generations to come.