How it's made: ingredients & story
Founded in 1876 to provide beer to the local Bedford population, Charles Wells is now the largest independently owned, family run brewery in the country and is in fact the UK's fifth largest.Over five generations of Wells' have worked at the brewery, and there are currently three members of the Wells family involved on a day to day basis here now.
The Ingredients
Water is the most important ingredient in beer, and Wells Eagle IPA has an enviable natural advantage over other bitters. In common with all Wells' bitters, Wells Eagle IPA is uniquely brewed using pure mineral water from an independently accredited source; our own well.
This well was sunk in 1902 by Charles Wells himself, to tap into an underground aquifer, purified through a layer of oolitic limestone. Today all Charles Wells beer is still made with water drawn from the well sunk by Charles all those years ago.
Wells Eagle IPA uses the finest Styrian and English Challenger hops. Sampled by hand, only the most flavoursome part of the ripest hops are used, guaranteeing a consistently delicious citrus fruit taste and tempting aroma of fresh apples.
Our English Ale and Crystal malts are carefully crushed rather than ground. This brings out the rich, nutty flavour and alluring amber hue that is emphasised by a tight, rich head.
The Brewery
The excellence of the beers Charles Wells produces has three foundations. Firstly the long tradition and in-depth expertise we possess in brewing, secondly; the all important quality of the water we use in all our beers and thirdly; the quality of facilities that we possess.
The Expertise
The long list of national and international awards won by Charles Wells Ales stretching back over decades says more about the tradition of excellence that is a company hallmark than any fine words we care to put down here.
The Facilities
The company moved to the current Eagle Brewery in 1976 to meet the rapidly growing demand for Charles Wells beer, a move which gave the company the opportunity to install the most up-to-date brewing equipment.
