A few weeks ago we quietly celebrated our 2 year anniversary, a huge milestone for our little brewery. We want to say a massive thank you to all our customers and everyone who has helped us along the way.
2 years has flown past while we’ve been constantly learning, improving and growing. Speaking of growing, as most of you who visit the brewery already know, we’ve been struggling for space in our little room in the Castle. Because of this we’ve been on the lookout for extra space for while now, and what started as a search for storage space has evolved into something even better.
We are now in a position where we can announce what we’re planning – we are opening Portsmouth’s first* MICROPUB!
We have secured a fantastic location on Eastney road in Milton which has huge potential. Over the next few months, a former newsagent notorious for selling out of date crisps, will be transformed into….. The Brewer’s Tap – a Micropub serving all the beers we brew at the Castle, as well as showcasing a diverse range of craft beers that we love from other small brewers. We are super excited to get to work on this location, there’s loads of potential for the local community to use the space, which includes a large upstairs area which will be made available for groups, workshops, classes or whatever is needed.
We will be keeping the brewery at the Castle, and will continue to brew there and open up at the weekends. The Brewer’s Tap will be a venue where we can serve beers to drink on and off-site, hold beer tastings, educational events and loads of other things which the Castle is just not set up for. On top of this there’s a large, easy-access cold storage space which we so desperately need! Exciting times.
While reading this, you might have noticed I’ve been using the term ‘‘we’’ a lot, I’m using that term a lot recently because another person joined the business earlier in the year. Our regular customers have probably seen Dan serving beers in the brewery at the weekends, but he’s also been helping out behind the scenes, brewing and being involved with all aspects of the business. His involvement has helped us be more focussed and given us more options when planning the future of the business. Getting the business this far has been a challenge for me in many ways and even though Lorna has been a huge help**, she’s been busy running her own business and looking after our son Jack. To add to that, Lorna’s brewing up another little one – due in December. Who needs sleep anyway!
For some reason Portsmouth has (until now) been left behind by the micro-pub revolution. Quite a few have opened recently in the surrounding towns and cities, yet none in Portsmouth. There are many hoops to jump through to get a new licensed premises and it’s not something which we are expecting to be easy. We have done everything we can to mitigate any concerns the council and local residents might have, but it only takes a few apprehensive people to block anything new and interesting ever happening.
This is where we need your help. Our planning application is now live on the Portsmouth council’s planning portal and has all the details of what we are looking to do. If you want to find out more, please follow this link and check it out. If you like the sound of it and want to see this become a reality, please leave a comment. Every positive comment will really help get this granted. I would offer a beer for every person who comments but that might be classed as bribery!
Email planning.reps@portsmouthcc.gov.uk
quoting reference number: 18/01152/FUL
Check out the full application here:
http://publicaccess.portsmouth.gov.uk/online-applications/applicationDetails.do?activeTab=summary&keyVal=PB8KRTMOGWT00
We will keep the updates on this coming regularly. If you don’t already, follow our journey on instagram: @southseabrewing and @thebrewerstap
Cheers everyone!
*I’m amazed there aren’t any micropubs here already, so I wouldn’t be surprised if someone already has plans to open one. The nearest one has recently opened in Gosport, the Four Ale taproom.
** I really can’t emphasise enough how much Lorna’s enthusiasm, patience and hard work, has helped. It’s sometimes lonely building a business on your own, so sharing that journey with someone makes it a lot more fun and that’s what keeps us going.