HYDES Brewery is moving to a new production centre in Salford this autumn which begs the question what to do with the existing Moss Road West site?

“Each bedroom could have its own mashing vessel,” suggests Tasker getting into the spirit of the whole thing.

The original Queens Brewery building dates back to 1863 and now has Grade II listed status which means any new development will have to work round it as demolition is unlikely.

It’s a big old Victorian brick built building with a cobblestone yard and a gated entrance off Moss Lane East.

There is a suggestion that the listed building be converted to residential with some new build slotted in around it.

But surely something more interesting could be done with a site that has been home to independent brewing for more than a century.

Maybe there is.

Steven Tasker, an associate director with Jones Lang La Salle who are jointly marketing the site says he has already shown round a couple of people interested in running a micro brewery.

He is associate director for licensed leisure and hotels and said: “There is an extraction licence to take water from a bore hole on the site and that will stay in place and there has been some interest from people who fancy running a real ale brewery here.

“But so far the premises have been too large for what a micro brewery would need. We are open to all suggestions though.”

Maybe it could be a community brewery and pub/restaurant coupled with a school to train bar and waiting on staff?

Oh no hang on we are getting one of those in Oldham.

What it needs is a maverick like Joel Wilkinson of Trof to take it on. He could turn the listed building into a hotel and serve beer made on the premises and have some sort of events space on the yard.

“Each bedroom could have its own mashing vessel,” suggests Tasker getting into the spirit of the whole thing.

He had apparently been recently talking to a developer who wants to install old caravans into hotel rooms in Liverpool to form the bed so individual bedroom brew is not that high on the scale of madness.

How much the 2.6acres site will go for depends on the interest and the offers.

It would be a shame though if went to say a plant hire firm just looking for a lock-up close to the city centre. Surely we can come up with something more imaginative and inspiring than that.

Meanwhile Hydes has submitted an application to Salford council for planning permission to change the use of an industrial unit, in Kansas Avenue, Weaste, close to MediaCityUk for a brewery and distribution unit. 

Thanks to the Flickr person with lots of numbers as his title here for the picture.