Sustainability

Much of what makes Palmers a more sustainable brewery comes from the traditional way we have always worked. The cask-conditioned ale itself, the spring beneath the brewery, the British barley in every brew and the short journey from our cellar to the pub all carry a lower impact, built into the method rather than added on top.

How traditional brewing lowers our impact

Cask ale is a naturally low-impact format

Cask-conditioned real ale is widely regarded as one of the most sustainable formats within the beer industry, largely due to its traditional production methods. Unlike kegged products, it undergoes a natural secondary fermentation in the cask and requires no additional carbon dioxide, energy-intensive pressurisation, or filtration. This significantly reduces its overall carbon footprint. In addition, cask ale is typically served at cellar temperature rather than being heavily chilled, further lowering energy consumption.

Spring water and home-grown barley

Brewing is inherently a water-intensive process. At Palmers, however, the water used in production is sourced from a naturally rising spring in a field adjacent to the brewery. As a result, it requires neither treatment nor pumping to site. While this approach is not entirely unique, it is becoming increasingly uncommon with breweries generally using mains water.

We almost exclusively use Maris Otter malted barley in our ales, and 95% of our hops are English. Maris Otter is widely recognised as the gold standard for brewing, and like the hop gardens we buy from, it is grown here in Great Britain. That means the ingredients doing the work in your glass come from British farms, it keeps money with the growers we depend on, and it keeps the distance between field and mash tun down to a few hundred miles rather than a few thousand.

Reusable casks and local delivery

Cask beer is transported in reusable stainless-steel casks that remain in circulation for decades, dispensing thousands of pints over their lifetime. At Palmers, deliveries are made using our own vehicles, and the majority of our beer is consumed within a 50-mile radius of our brewery in Bridport. Our ales do not travel through multiple distribution hubs; instead, orders are loaded at the brewery and delivered directly to pub cellars.

Palmers Brewery Community Fund

Investing in the Future of West Dorset and East Devon

Our Community Fund supports the local community and charitable organisations that help keep West Dorset one of the best places to live, visit and explore. Not-for-profit organisations local to Palmers will be able to apply via Crowdfunder for up to £2,000 to support their projects.

Find out more about the fund

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