You may have read about the Peak Ales story – in 2003 Robert and Debra Evans had a carefully prepared plan - sell the house, uproot their family, leave secure jobs and set up a microbrewery in the Peak District, simple? Rob knew he only had one chance to get this right, working hard to find premises suitable to fit in with his dream. Chatsworth suggested he took a look at Cunnery Barn on the Chatsworth Estate, the barn buildings were in disrepair but the potential was obvious; the perfect location for a microbrewery had been discovered.

Two years later and after many hurdles including planning, electricity, drainage, renovation, finance and resident barn owls, the first beer had been brewed and the owls had a purpose built nesting box - no other barn owls in Derbyshire have accommodation so grand! It had been an emotional journey.

Mighty oaks grow from little acorns as they say and by 2012 it was becoming clear we'd hit capacity and keeping up with demand became a challenge, at the end of 2014 we upgraded our brewing equipment to a 20 barrel plant and the main brewery moved to a purpose built premise in the picturesque location of Ashford in the Water.

Good things come to those who wait, and our relationship with Cunnery Barn didn’t end there, after another 4 years of hurdles similar to those we faced in the beginning, we complete the 2nd stage of this project by installing a 2.5 barrel pilot brewery, allowing us to experiment with new recipes and beer styles. Peak Ales Visitor Centre consists of our brewery, shop and tasting room. The venue is also available to hire for private functions and events. Keep an eye out for our band nights and other various events. Winter 2018/2019 will see installation of a gin still, where we’ll start a brand new adventure!

We have a core range of National award winning cask and bottled beers, alongside specials throughout the seasons and experimental brews from the pilot brewery. We're proud to be able to consistently supply quality products in and around the Peak District.