Tollgate Brewery

What Tollgate Brewery does

Tollgate Brewery Limited is a UK private microbrewery that has operated since 2005, currently producing traditional cask, bottled, and keg ales from a six-barrel brewhouse located on the National Trust's Calke Abbey Estate in Derbyshire. The company sells its own portfolio of pale ales, bitters, IPAs, stouts, and porters (e.g., Ashby Pale, Billy's Best Bitter, Duffield Amber, Hackney Blonde, Old Rasputin, Red Star IPA, plus seasonals) through three channels: a direct-to-consumer online shop shipping to mainland UK, four owned retail venues, and trade sales. The owned retail estate comprises the brewery tap (The Milking Parlour, opened July 2020 with a wood-fired pizza kitchen), The Town Street Tap in Duffield (the first pub, acquired in 2016 and slated for a spring 2026 refurbishment), The Tap at No.76 in Ashby-de-la-Zouch (a historic Elizabethan-era building), and The Queens Road Tap in Leicester's Clarendon Park.

The business operates a multi-revenue-stream model combining per-unit beer sales, pub and tap-room beverage and food revenue, paid brewery tours led by Head Brewer Daniel, gift voucher programmes (£10–£100 online, £10–£25 postal), and branded merchandise. Its go-to-market blends product-led differentiation (traditional six-barrel techniques, sustainability loop with a neighbouring farm), event-driven acquisition (Beer Festival, Cider & Sausage Festival, Oktoberfest, live music, tap takeovers), and community-led engagement anchored on the National Forest, National Trust, and a partnership with Coalville Town Football Club. Customers are primarily local visitors, families, walkers, cyclists, and traditional ale enthusiasts in the East Midlands, with no enterprise customer concentration. The company is privately held by multiple shareholders, with Kevin as majority shareholder since 2015 and Jamie (Operations Director) and Daniel (Head Brewer) as operating shareholders.

Name

Tollgate Brewery

Legal name

Tollgate Brewery Limited

Website

https://tollgatebrewery.co.uk

Company type

Private

Founded year

2005

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Tollgate Brewery is a UK microbrewery operating a traditional six-barrel brewhouse on the National Trust's Calke Abbey Estate, producing craft ales sold through an online shop, four owned venues (one brewery tap and three pubs), and trade customers across the East Midlands.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Craft Beer Brewing

NAICS

Breweries (312120), Drinking Places (Alcoholic Beverages) (7224)

SIC

Malt Beverages (2082)

akta.pro primary industry

Microbreweries & Craft Breweries (THAFALAC)

akta.pro secondary industries

Beer Brewing & Brands (CRADAIAA), Taprooms & Brewpubs (CRANACAF)

Keywords

• Craft beer brewing
• Microbrewery operations
• Traditional ale production
• Brewery taproom hospitality
• Guided brewery tours

Headquarters

HQ city

Calke

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices5 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Supply Chain, Operations, Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Beer Sales (Direct to Consumer): Direct sales of bottled, canned, and keg beers through online shop and venue locations. Includes core range (Ashby Pale, Billy's Best Bitter, Duffield Amber, Hackney Blonde, Old Rasputin, Red Star IPA) and seasonal/specialty beers. Bag-in-box options for events and parties.
2. Pub and Tap Room Operations: Revenue from four venue locations serving Tollgate beers alongside guest ales, wines, ciders, gins, and whisky. The Milking Parlour (brewery tap) also offers food (wood-fired pizzas, BBQ).
3. Brewery Tours: Guided tours of the brewery led by Head Brewer Dan, including tastings, Q&A, pint, and pizza. Tour packages sold online.
4. Gift Vouchers: Online gift vouchers (£10-£100) for beer purchases and brewery tours. Postal vouchers (£10-£25) for use at pubs and taps.
5. Merchandise: Branded merchandise including bobble hats (£12) and bar runners (£7.50).

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels7 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

Tollgate Brewery operates a traditional six-barrel microbrewery at the National Trust's Calke Abbey Estate, producing a range of English-style craft ales (Ashby Pale, Billy's Best Bitter, Duffield Amber, Hackney Blonde, Red Star IPA, Old Rasputin, plus seasonal/speciality beers) in bottles, cans, and 35-pint bag-in-box formats. The company sells direct to consumers through an online shop and four owned hospitality venues (one brewery tap and three pubs/taps), and offers brewery tours, gift vouchers, branded merchandise, and a wood-fired sourdough pizza kitchen at its brewery tap.

Product overview

Tollgate Brewery is a microbrewery operating from the National Trust's Calke Abbey Estate in Derbyshire, utilizing a traditional six-barrel brewhouse to produce craft ales since 2006. The company operates as a vertically integrated brewery with four retail venues (one brewery tap and three pubs/taps) alongside direct-to-consumer e-commerce channels. The core product portfolio consists of traditional English-style beers including pale ales, bitters, IPAs, stouts, and porters, available in multiple formats: 500ml bottles, 440ml cans, and 35-pint bag-in-box. Supporting offerings include brewery tours, gift vouchers (online and postal), and branded merchandise. Food service through wood-fired pizza kitchen at The Milking Parlour and seasonal BBQ operations. The retail estate comprises The Milking Parlour (brewery tap), The Town Street Tap (Duffield), The Tap at No. 76 (Ashby-de-la-Zouch), and The Queens Road Tap (Leicester).

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Tollgate Beers (Core Range) Range of traditional English-style ales including pale ales, bitters, IPAs, stouts, and porters (e.g. Ashby Pale, Billy's Best Bitter, Duffield Amber, Hackney Blonde, Red Star IPA, Old Rasputin), brewed on a six-barrel brewhouse at the National Trust's Calke Abbey Estate. For craft ale enthusiasts and on-trade customers.
• Bag in Box (Tollgate Box)

Quantifiable outcome

• Named in The Daily Telegraph's Weekend supplement as one of UK's top brewery taps to visit
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers1 record

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• National Trust (Calke Abbey Estate)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2012Tollgate Brewery relocated to National Trust's Calke Abbey Estate in 2012 as part of the Estate's initiative to bring brewing back to the site. The restored nineteenth-century farm building serves as the brewery location. Brewing has historical tradition on this estate dating back several centuries. The partnership is integral to the company's identity and location.
• National ForestcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2012Tollgate Brewery brews 4 beers to celebrate the National Forest and their ongoing effort in environmental regeneration. Every time a pack of National Forest beers is purchased, a donation is made to the National Forest. The National Forest is a 200 square mile regeneration project spanning Derbyshire, Leicestershire, and Staffordshire.
• Coalville Town Football Club (The Ravens)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerTollgate Brewery brews three classic ales in collaboration with and to celebrate their sporting neighbours, Coalville Town Football Club (The Ravens). CTFC established 1926, play home games at Mander Cruickshank Solicitors Stadium, Owen Street, Coalville.
• Melbourne Footpaths GroupminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaborated with Melbourne Footpaths Group to produce walking routes from nearby towns and villages (Melbourne & Ticknall, Ashby-de-la-Zouch, Hartshorne) to The Milking Parlour, improving pedestrian accessibility.
• Julia's BakeryminorOthersPizza dough sourced from Ashby's own Julia's Bakery for wood-fired sourdough pizzas at The Milking Parlour.
• Standley's Barn FarmminorOthersLocal farm supplies pork products (jerk spiced minced lamb, seasoned minced steak for beef kofta, sausage meat) for pizza toppings. Farm is located less than half a mile from brewery. Barley remnants from brewing are transported to this farm for pig feed.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves9 records

Expansion highlights3 records

Direct peers

• Thornbridge Brewery: Derbyshire-based craft brewery featured in Tollgate's tap takeovers. Closest geographic and product comparable — a UK craft brewer with a similar traditional/craft positioning, on-premise tied houses, and overlapping East Midlands footprint.
• Marble Beers: Manchester-based independent craft brewery with comparable brewery-and-taproom model. Similar product breadth across traditional and modern craft styles, regional distribution, and independent ownership profile.
• Siren Craft Brew: Berkshire-based modern craft brewery featured in Tollgate's tap takeovers. Comparable in scale, product innovation velocity, and direct-to-trade plus own-taproom distribution strategy.
• Abbeydale Brewery: Sheffield-based craft brewery named in Tollgate's tap takeovers. Comparable scale and business model: microbrewery with strong cask/craft ale portfolio, Good Beer Guide presence, and similar regional distribution and tap operations.
• Buxton Brewery: Derbyshire Peak District craft brewery operating at similar scale and traditional/craft positioning. Direct geographic peer serving overlapping on-premise and trade customers in the same East Midlands and adjacent regional markets.

Others

• CAMRA (Campaign for Real Ale): Not a commercial peer but the dominant industry body, awards program, and consumer-facing publication (Good Beer Guide) that legitimizes and promotes UK traditional real ale venues including Tollgate's own pubs. Influences customer acquisition within Tollgate's core real-ale enthusiast segment.

Broad incumbents

• Cloudwater Brew Co. Manchester-based modern craft brewery with broader national distribution and contemporary craft positioning. Larger scale operation with deeper keg and can distribution, overlapping with Tollgate on the craft beer occasions served.
• Adnams: Established UK brewer and pub operator with owned brewery plus regional tied pubs/hotels. Demonstrates the integrated brewery-and-pubs model at larger scale, broadly comparable venue-driven growth strategy.
• Marston's: Major UK pub and brewing group with both brewing operations and a large managed/tenanted pub estate. Relevant as the broad incumbent showing the end-state shape of an integrated brewery-pub business at national scale.

Emerging players

• Triple Point Brewing: Smaller UK craft brewery named in Tollgate's tap takeovers. Overlaps in taproom-led business model and craft product portfolio, but at a smaller scale.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Instagraminstagram.com/tollgatebrewery
• Xx.com/tollgatebrewery
• Facebookfacebook.com/Tollgate.Brewery
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/tollgate-brewery-limited

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles5 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Tollgate Brewery