Nene Valley Brewery

Nene Valley Brewery (often abbreviated NVB) is an independent British brewery based at Oundle Wharf in Oundle, Northamptonshire. It began as a small experimental operation, brewing on a 400-litre setup in an outbuilding, before moving in September 2012 to its current site at Oundle Wharf with a new 2,500-litre brewhouse supplied by DME of Canada. The move allowed the brewery to open its own Brewery Shop and to begin supplying the local area with take-away packaged beer, while also building a following among Friday evening drinkers at the wharf. The brewery produces a wide range of cask, keg, bottled and canned beers, and states that almost all of its beers are gluten free. Its core range includes Egyptian Cream, Simple Pleasures, Manhattan Project, Blond Session Ale and Release The Chimps, alongside a steady stream of one-off and collaboration brews. Since around the end of 2015 it has aimed for all of its beers to be gluten free, and it began canning Big Bang Theory and Release the Chimps around the same time. The company has been careful not to market itself purely as a gluten-free brewery, but has noted strong interest from the gluten-free community. NVB operates a Brewery Shop and taproom at Oundle Wharf, open on Fridays and Saturdays, and sells beer online through its webshop with free delivery on orders over £75. It also sells merchandise and operates a tap and kitchen. The brewery is a small independent business that regularly attends festivals, tap takeovers and meet-the-brewer events, including an event in Cambridge where 15 different NVB beers were on the bar and a London event where 800 litres of a single beer were sold. As a small independent brewery, Nene Valley Brewery is privately held and does not have publicly listed shares. Its identity is closely tied to its Northamptonshire home and to a range strategy that balances a dependable core line-up with frequent new, experimental and collaborative releases.

Nene Valley Brewery began with a trial period of brewing on a 400-litre experimental setup in an outbuilding. In September 2012 the brewery moved to its site at Oundle Wharf in Oundle, Northamptonshire, installing a brand new 2,500-litre brewery from DME in Canada. The new site allowed the company to open its Brewery Shop and to begin supplying the local area with take-away packaged beer, while also attracting a small following of Friday night after-work drinkers. From that base the brewery steadily expanded its reach and its range. Its stated aim for the range is to offer a steady supply of new and interesting beers, many of them one-offs or collaborations. Some of these one-off brews proved too popular to produce only once, so the offering expanded, and the brewery has had to work to keep the variety of beers to a manageable number without disappointing too many customers. Around the end of 2015 the brewery set a goal of making all of its beers gluten free, and about the same time it began canning Big Bang Theory and Release the Chimps. While it has not wanted to market itself as a gluten-free brewery, it has been surprised by the level of interest from the gluten-free community and hopes more breweries will follow suit. Despite being a small team, NVB has maintained an active presence at festivals and events. It has run a brewery bar at various festivals and attended numerous tap takeovers and meet-the-brewer events. One notable event in Cambridge saw 15 different NVB beers on the bar, and at another event in London the brewery sold 800 litres of a single beer. The brewery continues to operate from Oundle Wharf, where it runs its Brewery Shop and taproom, sells beer online through its webshop, and offers merchandise. Its core range has included Egyptian Cream, Simple Pleasures, Manhattan Project, Blond Session Ale and Release The Chimps, supported by rotating specials and collaborations.

• 2015

  Began aiming for all beers to be gluten free and started canning Big Bang Theory and Release the Chimps.

• 2012

  Moved to Oundle Wharf site with a new 2,500-litre DME brewery and opened the Brewery Shop.

Small independent craft brewery focused on a wide, rotating range of cask, keg, bottled and canned beers, with almost all beers gluten free.

• Egyptian Cream

• Simple Pleasures

• Manhattan Project

• Blond Session Ale

• Release The Chimps

• Big Bang Theory

• Business Time

1. 1Nene Valley Brewery – Independent Brewery producing a wide range of cask, keg, bottled and canned beersnenevalleybrewery.com
2. 2About – Nene Valley Brewerynenevalleybrewery.com
3. 3Nene Valley Brewerywikidata.org