Joule’s launches craft beer format

30-Jun-2014 - Last updated on 30-Jun-2014 at 15:55 GMT

Joule's will trial its new craft beer bar concept in five sites

Joule’s, the Shropshire brewer and pub operator, is developing a new craft beer bar concept that it wants to roll out into five sites initially.

The company expects to shortly complete on two pub acquisitions for the new Blue Sack Craft Beer Bars concept. The first outlet to operate under the format will be an existing Joule’s pub, the Lower Chequer in Sandbach, which will begin trading as a craft beer bar in about six weeks.

Managing director Steve Nuttall told the Publican's Morning Advertiser's sister title M&C Report that mainstream brands will be removed from the bars, replaced by “boutique” craft beers and ciders. There will be a choice of 35 draught
and bottled ales.

The food offer will be a simple English tapas-style, featuring options such as pork pies and cheese platters. “It’s about making beer the hero,” he said.

Nuttall described Blue Sack as a “slightly younger Bohemian cousin” of its current beer pubs.

He said: “We want to do all five together. We’ve got the first three earmarked, but it depends how well they go — we might potentially move some of our cask-ale pubs into that broader format.”

Joule’s will target town-centre pubs with a good circuit trade for the concept, Nuttall said.

The move follows Joules’ steps into the craft category with the release of its first craft lager, Green Monkey.