The History Of Jennings

The Company was originally established as a true family concern, way back in 1828, when John Jennings Snr, a local farmer whose father William Jennings was a malster by trade, started brewing in the pretty Lake District village of Lorton, between Keswick and Cockermouth.

By 1874, the Company had moved to its present idyllic location, in the historic market town of Cockermouth, in the shadow of Cockermouth Castle, at the point where the rivers Cocker and Derwent merge.

Today, pure Lakeland water is still used for brewing, drawn from the brewery’s own well, and only the finest ingredients are added, including malt made from Maris Otter barley grown in Norfolk, Golding hops from Kent and Fuggles hops from Herefordshire.

The real art is in the brewing itself, where the Head Brewer and his team use their years of experience and traditional brewing methods to create a range of superb Lakeland ales.

The traditional values which the Jennings family instilled in the business are still respected, and combined with a modern commercial approach, they have undoubtedly contributed to the success of Jennings ales today.

As the only long standing independent brewer in Cumbria, June 2005 saw the acquisition of Jennings Brewery by Marston's PLC – a move which saw great benefits for the Cockermouth site. Plans were very quickly put in place to further invest in the brewery, which was very much linked to the potential volume growth of the beers; the already extensive range of beers could only compliment the Marston's Beer Company portfolio.