The new Bradford Brewery and Brewfactory pub has opened, unveiling the first beer brewed in the city centre for more than 50 years.
Civic leaders, members of the Bradford business community, beer aficionados, press and investors packed out the bar for a preview night, and the Lord Mayor of Bradford, Councillor Mike Gibbons, and the Lady Mayoress Mrs Elizabeth Sharp ceremonially pulled the first pint of The Origin, a 4.2% dry-hopped Pale Ale.
First ever Pieminister Pie Pub in Yorkshire
Guests were also given chance to sample the first Pieminister pies ever served in Bradford, under a partnership deal which is also a business first for Yorkshire – making The Brewfactory the county’s first ever Pieminister Pie Pub.
Bradford’s own brewery once again
The development is one of the high-profile venues opening as part of the Bradford City Centre Growth Zone scheme – Bradford Council’s £35m initiative to attract businesses back into the city centre. Creating 11 new jobs, the venue, off Westgate, Bradford, is at the heart of the increasingly vibrant leisure scene being dubbed Bradford’s Independent Quarter by locals and visitors.
It sees the restoration of a historic factory building which was once the headquarters of Shaw Moisture Meters, a prominent local company, and the Brewfactory has been designed in a minimalism urban style with nods to its industrial past.
Councillor Gibbons said: “This is a great day for Bradford, to see beer being brewed here in the city centre for the first time in more than 50 years. It’s superb – Bradford is moving forward and on the up and it’s wonderful to have our own brewery once again.
“It’s going to be enjoyed by a lot of people – and having now sampled the beer I can highly recommend it! It’s also good to see an old disused building being brought alive. The atmosphere is exciting and vibrant and, with all the new development being planned, the brewery will fit very well into the new commercial scene”.
The start of big changes for Bradford
Bradford Brewery’s Managing Director, Matthew Halliday, thanked all the people who had supported the project, in particular: Bradford Council; the investors – Colin Glass, Mark Lister, Philip Ogg and Fred Brown; the brewery building owners – Shaw Moisture Meters; the project’s designer David Craig of David Craig Design Consultancy in Saltaire; and ‘loyal Bradfordians’ in general.
He said: “I’d had a dream of opening a brewery for some time which just grew out of a casual conversation in a bar. Then the Bradford City Centre Growth Zone scheme gave us the vision to bring brewing back to the heart of the city.
“The Sparrow Bier Café landed three years ago and some people thought they were crazy opening in Bradford – but their foresight and subsequent success had been a catalyst for the whole Independent Quarter scene. I hope and believe that this is the start of big changes, not just for Bradford Brewery but for Bradford in general”.
Photography: John Sargent
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