A DOCKYARD isn’t much without, well, somewhere to dock, so the third pub from Steve Pilling’s expanding Dockyard beer chain - following openings on MediaCity and Spinningfields Leftbank – is called Gasworks Brew Bar, due to its location on the former Gaythorn Gaswork site, now known as First Street.

Ever since that night in December 2013 we’ve been planning our very own brewery

(Though the new 400-capacity ale house does sit almost directly above the hidden River Tib, which is little more than a dry ditch… Gasworks it is then.)

Aside from Dockyard's typical touches of industrial chic, what does set Dockyard’s brethren apart is its six-barrel on-site microbrewery, which resident (and suitably beardy) brewer Matt Boylan tells us, at a push, could churn out up to 2000 litres of home-brewed ale per week.

That’s a lot of beer… handy then that Auto Trader headquarters is directly next door.

“If you’ve been to our first Dockyard in MediaCity, you’ll have seen our big, glass, cask cellar, which became a real talking point,” says Baz Devine, Gasworks co-general manager. “On the opening night somebody asked if we brewed our own beer in there, which set a light off in Steve’s head.

“Ever since that night in December 2013 we’ve been planning our very own brewery. When this site came along two years ago, it was a no-brainer.”

So Gasworks has been in the offing for some time.

"Two years ago this was all just a building site, there was nothing going on here," says Devine, "but we knew the location here opposite the Hacienda and between Deansgate and Oxford Road was something special.

"Now with the likes of Home, Indian Tiffin Room, Liquor Store and the upcoming Laundrette as neighbours, First Street as established itself as a destination in its own right... it just needed more beer."

Gasworks adds to theGasworks adds to the growing food and booze mix at First Street

Managing Director Steve Pilling said: “The Gasworks Brewbar is an evolution of the Dockyard concept, which is essentially a twenty-first century local pub.

"It is brought to you by passionate beer experts, taking a modern day pub to a new level with the introduction of brewing on site, which is no longer located in the basement and instead installed as a beautiful feature.”

Beer - including locals brew from the likes of Track, Alphabet and Seven Brothers - will be served alongside simple pub fare, from sarnies to pies and Sunday Roasts.

Gasworks Brew Bar at First Street launches on Thursday 27 October and will open fully to the public from Friday 28 October

 
 
 
 

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