Brew York is about to open its fourth venue, a taproom at its new £2m Handley Park state-of-the-art production facility.
Brew York founders Lee Grabham and Wayne Smith at the Handley Tap
Brewing commenced at the Osbaldwick site just over a year ago, as part of a significant growth strategy to gradually increase production capacity to 5 million pints a year. The 65,000 sq ft complex at Handley Park — just ten minutes drive up the road from the original site at Walmgate — will now house a new taproom, which opens to the public at 4pm on Friday, 15th July, and which will be open every weekend thereafter on Fridays and Saturdays.
The weekend taproom — named the Handley Tap — will offer fresh beer, including some exclusive special releases, plus changing weekly street food and Brew York merchandise.
For the opening weekend, the popular Tonkoko milk stout will be pouring on cask, alongside Calmer Chameleon — an American pale with very juicy and resinous hops Columbus, Mosaic, Simcoe, and Idaho 7. In addition, there will be eight keg beers, Portuguese street food from Frango Eduardo, and a selection of Brew York cans to drink in or take away.
Alongside the opening of the main taproom bar, the Brew York monthly YouTube livestream will take place on the Handley Tap mezzanine at 7pm on 15th July as a special, optional event. Founders Wayne and Lee will be joined by Tom and Ol Fozard from Roosters Brewing Co for beer tasting and discussions on brewing, business, and the beer industry in general.
With the new bar being nestled within a business park and surrounding villages, close to the University of York campus and student accommodation, and within easy reach of popular local cycle routes, it’s expected to appeal to a wide range of visitors.
‘Freshest possible beer’
Brew York co-founder and managing director, Wayne Smith, said: “With venues already in York city centre, Leeds, and Pocklington, we’re really excited to add this new taproom to the list.
“There’s a sizable community around us out at Handley Park, and the hope is many will become regulars as we settle in and evolve based upon what they tell us they want.
“The key for us at Brew York is getting the freshest possible beer out to as many people as possible, and this is another way we can do that. We’re really looking forward to becoming a more active part of our local area and further enhancing York as a popular craft beer destination.”
The vision for Handley Tap is to offer exclusive beer previews and tastings, as well as brewery tours, and to develop a programme of live music and special events, including adding more facilities geared towards families and young children.
The main Handley taproom is on the ground floor with level access. It will welcome under-18s until 8pm, when accompanied by an adult, and will be very dog friendly.
