Castle Rock Brewery opens its first micropub

The Barley Twist, which opened on Carrington Street, Nottingham, has been named after a sweet shop that previously occupied the city centre site.

It will offer a broad range of keg, craft and bottled beers, real ale and an extensive wine list. Though it won’t house a food operation, space has been left for an off-licence, displays of beer and brewing memorabilia, and the sale of branded merchandise from Castle Rock.

The Barley Twist was developed following the allocation of a grant as part of Nottingham city council’s Carrington Street Area Townscape Heritage Scheme to restore and repair the Edwardian building in which the pub is located.

Geoff Newton, chairman of the Beer Consortium – an Enterprise Investment Scheme company that has leased the Barley Twist – said: “We aim to give the Barley Twist the air of a graceful bygone age but well able to serve the busy traveller on the way to Nottingham station, local residents and guests at the nearby hotels.”

City councillor Jane Urquhart added: “We’re really proud of Nottingham’s heritage and pleased to help Castle Rock Brewery restore and preserve this unit sympathetically.

“This is part of the ongoing transformation of Carrington Street back to the impressive gateway it once was. It’s the entry point to the city for millions of visitors every year, and so improving the look and feel of the street, with the help of the Heritage Lottery Fund, is an important part of the wider plans to regenerate the southern side of the city centre and build a better Nottingham.”

The Barley Twist will be managed by Yvette Marshall, who has managed the nearby Canalhouse for more than a decade.