Two-year-old Lincoln Green Brewing Co, in Hucknall, Nottinghamshire, now has a new tap for its beers — the Robin Hood and Little John pub, six miles down the road in Arnold.
The opening has come about as part of Everards Brewery’s Project William, in which it teams up with small, local brewers to run a suitable pub.
With 15 cask ales and eight ciders, plus snacks such as pork pies and sandwiches, with one-pot meals on Thursday and Fridays, this is a bright new era for a pub which had been closed for 18 months. Was it closed because of lack of support? Clearly not, judging by the queues on opening night.
Lincoln Brewing Co owner Anthony Hughes came to the world of beer after a 30-year retail career, although he had been an enthusiastic home brewer in his younger days.
He said: “I knew that Dave Hemstock, from Raw Brewing in Chesterfield, had recently opened The Brown Cow in Mansfield as an Everards Project William pub, so I gave him a call. He told me his only regret was he hadn’t teamed up with Everards earlier.
“When I spoke to Everards I couldn’t quite believe the Project William business model at first – it seemed too good to be true. But Everards explained that the model doesn’t work for them if it doesn’t work for us. It’s a very enlightened way of doing business; it’s a true partnership and works well for both parties.”
