Ossett and Salt to invest £500k into Yorkshire pub
Riverhead has been a cask ale producer since 1995, with an on-site brewery producing a wide range of ales, including the popular Butterley Bitter.
The involvement of Salt will see craft IPA favourites such as Jute and Huckaback line up alongside nine cask ales and the brewery tap will reopen on 1 March following several weeks of extensive renovation and refurbishment.
The work will involve the brewery being moved up to the ground floor and the overall footprint of the site will more than double in size and the site will interconnect into the adjacent bank building next door.
Ossett took Riverhead into its fold of brew pubs in 2009 and has signalled its strong commitment to the local community with this investment.
Restoration project
Last year, Salt also joined with Ossett in the successful restoration of the historic Bingley pub, in Horbury Bridge near Wakefield.
Sitting in the centre of Marsden in Peel Street, with views across the River Colne, Riverhead Brewery Tap was voted Huddersfield CAMRA (Campaign for Real Ale) Pub of the Season Summer 2023 and has been included in the Good Beer Guide for the past 10 years.
The new five-barrel brewhouse will take pride of place on the ground floor, surrounded by a spacious interior decor that combines the modern design of Salt and the original traditional features of the pub.
Alongside Riverhead and Ossett’s cask ales, Salt’s craft beers will be on the bar together with a wide range of spirits, wines from the Barrique Fine Wines (the group’s own wine wholesaler) and on-tap cocktails.
West Yorkshire street food vendor Baobros23, which makes Chinese steamed buns, will continue to supply food.
Heart of the community
Ossett Brewery and Pub Company co-owner Jamie Lawson said: “Riverhead Brewery Tap has played an important role in the Marsden hospitality scene for many years.
“This investment ensures its place at the heart of the community long into the future. We are also delighted to join forces with Salt after the huge success of the Bingley in Horbury Bridge.”
Ossett, which was established more than 25 years ago, serves a pub estate of 36 outlets, free trade customers and national customers across the UK.
Salt Beer Factory was launched in 2018 in a former Edwardian tram shed in the Unesco World Heritage village of Saltaire, Shipley.