North West entrepreneur invests six-figures in new Wigan brewery

North West housebuilder and hotel developer Paul Bolton has launched his own brewery business to tap into the nation’s growing appreciation for craft beers.

Launched with a six-figure investment, Windmill Brewery is located at Standish Hall Farm near Wigan. The company, which has created two jobs and expects to create five more in the coming months, takes its name from the Parbold-based Windmill pub, which Paul owns.

Windmill Brewery’s equipment was specially manufactured and transported by low-loader across the 302 miles from Fort William in north west Scotland. The investment includes two vats enabling the company to make two different beers simultaneously, with capacity for the production of up to 18k pints per week.

If the enterprise is successful, Paul said there is room to expand production further and introduce additional beer styles.

Windmill Brewery has so far brought a pale ale and dark bitter to market, with two more in the pipeline.

Paul, who also owns West Tower in Aughton, a hill-top wedding venue overlooking Liverpool, said: “Nobody knows a decent pint like my regulars. They’ll be supping a lot of this stuff once it’s in full production so it makes perfect sense for them to have a say in which way we go with flavours, strength and so on.”

While Paul is yet to reveal the brand names of his inaugural brews, he said they will have a regional flavour.

He continued: “The beer market has been transformed over the last couple of years, with consumers seeking authenticity and distinctiveness.

“The big brewers are struggling to keep up, which leaves room for nimble breweries like Windmill to come up on the inside rail.”

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