Ex-sea captain and IT manager son open brewery and micropub in Carnforth

A retired sea captain and his IT manager son have partnered up to open a brewery and micropub in Carnforth.
Peter and Iain Quinn at Taps on the Green.Peter and Iain Quinn at Taps on the Green.
Peter and Iain Quinn at Taps on the Green.

Peter and Iain Quinn, originally from Hest Bank, decided to start brewing after becoming “tired of the same old real ale in the pubs”.

The duo started brewing from beer kits in Peter’s garage, and then bought a Grainfather which allowed them to experiment with new recipes.

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Realising their passion for beer making, they took the plunge and bought an old car garage in Lower North Road, converting it into a brewery and function space called Q Brew.

Peter and Iain at Q Brew in Carnforth.Peter and Iain at Q Brew in Carnforth.
Peter and Iain at Q Brew in Carnforth.

Just a few months later, the chance arose to take over Taps on the Green in Kellet Road, and Peter, 66, and Iain, 39, now have an outlet for their beer range.

Peter is a retired sea captain and former senior master of the Ulysses, a car ferry which sails from Dublin to Holyhead.

Sailing the world in the merchant navy since 1980, Peter “retired” in 2006.

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Iain was manager at the Carphone Warehouse IT division in Preston for 13 years, prior to becoming director of Q Brew.

Taps on The Green in Carnforth.Taps on The Green in Carnforth.
Taps on The Green in Carnforth.

He attended Hornby High School, while Peter went to Carnforth High School.

They said: “We were tired of the same old real ales in the pubs, so decided to do our own.

“We got a lot of support from Greg at The Snug in Carnforth, and also from The Crossing, and we both just thought, this is what we want to do. The old garage in Carnforth came up, we went down and saw it and thought it would work.

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“We bought the place in October 2018, and the brewery itself arrived a few weeks later. It’s a six barrel plant, making 1,000 litres, and we’ve got two fermenters. Dean Dixon of Securitec had bought Taps on the Green and converted part of it into holiday rentals.

“The chance arose to take over the pub part and we opened on July 26 2019.”

The duo have already brewed several beers, with their staple being Carnforth Old Gold.

They also have Red Ken, named after Iain’s former boss, Dave’s Beer, named after all the customers called Daves who go in to Taps on the Green, and Jennie Wren, named after bar manager Jennie.

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Peter and Iain also run monthly charity nights from the brewery, the next one being in aid of the RNLI on February 17.

“Iain added: “We’ve got a really great bunch of locals, and a lot of people have made friends here.

“We’re also on the Number 5 bus route which goes from Carnforth to Heysham, taking in all the new micropubs on the way.”

Q Brew has already been featured on the bar at The Royal in Morecambe, The Crossing in Hest Bank, Brewery Arts Centre in Kendal, the Cornerhouse, the Bobbin and The Merchants in Lancaster and at pubs in Appleby and Chorley.

Taps on the Green is open from 5pm until 9pm Tuesday to Friday, 2pm until 9pm on Saturdays, and 2pm until 7pm on Sundays.

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