Skinner’s is to officially welcome the public back to its brewery, in Truro, this month with a weekend of live music.
Steve Skinner pours a beer in the Tap Yard bar. Photographs: Skinner’s Brewery
The Skinner’s September Weekender marks the relaunch of the in-house brewery bar as The Tap Yard Bar & Café — a refurbished outdoor space for meeting, drinking, eating, and socialising, A short walk from Truro city centre. It is open from Monday to Saturday every week.
Following an initial soft launch, the Tap Yard is now set to host its first major event on Saturday, 18th September, a sold-out ‘thank you’ party for Skinner’s Crowdfunder campaign supporters. They helped the brewery get back on track after the initial impact of covid-19.
The following day will see the inaugural Skinner’s Sea Shanty Sunday fill the Tap Yard, with shanty groups including The Oggymen, Bryer Boys, and Exmouth Shanty Men.
Tickets for this event are still available via the brewery’s website, or entrance is £20 on the day, subject to capacity within the venue.
Brewery co-owner, Steve Skinner, said: “We can’t wait to welcome everyone back to the brewery and show them what we’ve been working on these past few months. Our Crowdfunder campaign promised people a great new venue to get together, and I think we’ve achieved that and more.”
The Tap Yard space
The outdoor space features wood cladding and green planting, combined with a semi-industrial feel, to reflect the location within a working brewery.
Bike racks are designed to appeal to cyclists using the nearby cycle paths, and Newham is well connected by footpaths to the rest of Truro.
The inside area — also given a new look as part of the project — is cosy and designed for group tasting events and relaxed socialising. All areas can be made available to businesses, sports clubs, and other organisations for private hire.
The new set-up, described as ‘game-changing’ for the future of Skinner’s, will also see an indoor café area open later in the year, from where visitors will be able to glimpse the inner workings of the brewing operation. The popular brewery tours are also due to restart this autumn.
Co-owner Elaine Skinner said: “The inspiration for this open brewery feel came from visiting similar set-ups in cities like Bristol and Amsterdam, where after-work drinks at the brewery, street-food pop-ups, and live music are part of city life. Skinner’s has always been more than a brewery, and the more buzz we can bring to the post-pandemic city, the better.”
Covid safety
The Tap Yard Bar is an outdoor space, with extra cover provided by an open-sided marquee in case of bad weather. The inside bar will also be open so that people can spread out as much as possible, and all indoor space will be kept well-ventilated.
Skinner’s will be asking all guests to sanitise their hands on arrival, and will be encouraging mask-wearing in indoor/confined areas.
It is highly recommend that you take a covid test before attending the events, and if you have any symptoms you are emphatically asked not to attend.
