MAC'S HERITAGE

The McMullen family have brewed in Hertford since 1827, albeit for the first three years somewhat bootleg before the introduction of the Beerhouse Act in 1830.

The original Mill Bridge brewery was behind the current Woolpack pub and production has remained broadly in the same area with several different brewhouses including the Victorian tower brewery on Hartham Lane. The liquor (the Brewers’ name for water) has been consistently drawn from the chalk aquifer 140 ft below the Brewery since 1891.

Today the wafting of brewing hops into our offices reminds us that beer is still at the centre of our Old Cross site. Here, our small modern brewhouse, designed by Chris Evans, our Head Brewer, ensures that we consistently produce a range of cask and kegged beers that meet stringent high standards and the changing demands of our guests.

Hertford used to be a great centre for maltsters and brewers, by virtue of its four rivers and canal into London, and at the time of Macs’ founding there were over 10 other breweries in the town. Remaining true to the town in which the family first settled is part of our brewing culture, as is retaining links with local suppliers.

We continue to source malt from our local maltster, French & Jupps, who are just 5 miles down the river and with whom we have traded for as long as their records suggest – at least 100 years.