Abbey Bells Brewery was established by Jules Dolan early in 2002 after
a second Planning Application was approved.
The original budget came from the sale of Jules’ motorcycle ( a
Yahama Virago ) and unfortunately ran out long before the project was
completed.
Jules scoured Northern England for parts to make up his micro-brewery;
cellar tanks from now defunct Brigg Brewery, heating element and casks from
Advanced Bottling UK, heat exchanger, pump, pipework and valves from a Dairy
fabricator in Congleton, and the gantry on which the mash tun stands came from
the Timms flour mill in Goole when it closed down. The budget was so tight that
even the pumpclips had to be made on the woodturning lathe which Jules inherited
from his late father.
Jules’ brother Richard put the whole thing together—Richard himself is
now considering fabricating microbreweries for a living.
Jules says ‘I intend to maintain the “micro” feel even if the brewery
grows, which I hope it will. There is a point at which the product of any
industry becomes “mass produced” and is in danger of losing its original
qualities. Quite where this point is with breweries I don’t yet know’
I intend to maintain the “micro” feel even if