SINCE Danny McColl opened his micro-brewery in Evenwood just under a year and a half ago, it has gone from strength to strength.
And for the past few months he has been offering real ale fans an added treat by opening the Tap Room.
The Tap Room, which opens the last Friday and Saturday in the month, gives visitors and customers a chance to try out the ales inside the brewery itself.
Tables and chairs are dotted between the brewing tanks and there is a real party atmosphere, Mr McColl said.
He said: “We opened the Tap Room on our one-year anniversary and I was a bit anxious as to how it would be received when we came up with the idea, but it’s been fantastic. Each time we open we get new faces coming in and it’s great.
“The locals in Evenwood have been wonderful.Although we don’t get many people from further afield, the word is spreading. Getting to talk to our customers is one of the biggest reasons I wanted to open the Tap Room. And it’s been great to answer questions about each of the ales and the brewing process.
“It gets really buzzing here with all the conversations.
“We normally have seating inside and out, but last month it was a bit chilly and we ended up with about 30 people inside.”
Mr McColl started his range of beers with four staples – a golden ale, a best bitter, a pale ale and an IPA – but has since added to the range with fruity flavouring.
He added: “The great thing about the Tap Room is visitors can get to taste the one-off drinks and can even purchase special bottles to be filled direct from the tap to take home.”
The only alcoholic drinks available at the Tap Room are the ale he has brewed but there are a range of soft drinks available. Mr McColl is hoping to expand the number of days the Tap Room will be open to the public.
He said: “At the moment the real focus is the beer, but it’s definitely in the plans to make more of the tap room and have it open more regularly but it’s going to take a little bit of time. At the moment we only open on the last Friday of the month between 3pm and 9pm and the last Saturday between noon and 5pm.”
The Tap Room will be open on Friday, November 30, and Saturday, December 1. Mr McColl is also planning an extra special festive event with a difference on Saturday, December 15.
He said: “We’re doing something a bit different with our Caribbean Christmas.
“I’m brewing up a special ale for the night and we’ll
have genuine Caribbean street food as well and a rum bar.”
