Crafting
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FOLLOWING STRICT MANX PURITY LAWS
Heritage Collection
Our famous cask beers which have stood the test of time.
Falcon Collection
Stunning craft beers for all tastes and occasions.
A history to savour
One of the most dominant names in Manx brewing history, Okell’s is celebrating its 175th anniversary this year.
Okell’s can trace its roots back to 1850 when Dr William Okell, a Lancashire surgeon and apothecary, took over the role of brewery manager at Dutton’s Brewery at Castle Hill.
History
Dr. William Okell, a Cheshire surgeon, founded Okell’s Brewery in Castle Hill, Douglas, Isle of Man in 1850. He was a man of singular drive and ambition: by 1874 Dr. Okell owned many of the pubs on the Island, had convinced Tynwald (the Isle of Man’s parliament) to create an act ensuring the purity of beer brewed on the Isle of Man, and had also built The Falcon Steam Brewery just outside Douglas
Adulterated beer was a widespread problem in the 1800s so the Manx Pure Brewing Act was warmly welcomed. But the clean taste of Okell’s beer also raised suspicion at the time and Dr Okell felt forced to take out an advertisement in a local newspaper to explain how his steam patent design improved on traditional furnace techniques, ensuring the “cleanliness and total absence of burnt flavour and acrid bitter so often complained of by the public”.
Good beer was not the only legacy of Dr Okell. He built a house for himself and his family in Douglas with a beautiful walled garden where water from a stream would be used by the brewery when it was relocated nearby. After Dr Okell’s death, his widow kindly donated the garden to the Manx people as a public amenity. It was dedicated to the Manx National Poet T E Brown and remains a public park to this day.
Okell’s Brewery, with its patented new steam-powered design, was originally built at Falcon Cliff, just outside Douglas. It was later moved to Castle Hill, above the site of the modern-day Villa Marina. After Dr Okell’s death in 1892, the brewery was taken over by his son William and in 1946 it became part of Heron & Brearley. Today Okell’s beer is brewed at a purpose-built modern brewery at Kewaigue, on the outskirts of the city.
The Manx Brewing Purity Law
No brewer shall use in the brewing, making, mixing width, recovering or colouring, any beer or any liquid made to resemble beer, or have in his possession any copper as, Coculus Indicus, Nux Vomica, Grains of Paradise, Guinea Pepper, or Opium or any article, ingredient, or preparation whatever for, or as a substitute for malt, sugar or hops.
Insights
PURE BREWING TODAY… IT’S A CONTINUING TRADITION.
Brewery Tours
Discover how our Master Brewer and his team carefully craft both our signature and special edition beers… And taste the end result for yourself in our Brewery Bar!
This is a chance not just to see how our brews are made but also to learn more about Dr Okell and how he took the Manx brewing industry by storm and find out about the Manx Pure Beer Act and the important part it plays in ensuring quality beers on the Isle of Man.
The tours last between 1hr 30mins and 2hrs and will finish in our very own Okell’s in-house bar where you will have the opportunity to sample a few of our brews available on the day!
(You must be 18 or over to participate in a tour experience)
Click HERE to book your tour experience!
For group bookings, please contact our head brewer brewerytours@okells.co.uk