Taphouse Brewpub to open in Hull's flourishing Fruit Market

A contemporary 'brewpub' is being planned for Hull’s Fruit Market area.

The Taphouse Brewpub is to combine a working brewery with a high-quality bar with a changing choice of draught ales, craft lagers and ciders.

The venue is due to open in December, creating up to 12 full and part-time jobs.

An innovative approach to its food menu is being promised, with a focus on platters during the week and street food operators at the weekend.

Drinks festivals are also being planned, while regular entertainment, including music and spoken word performances, is to put an emphasis on local artists.

The new business has grown out of the Yorkshire Brewing Company micro-brewery, which has been hand-crafting quality beers in Humber Street for more than six years. Owner Guy Falkingham has joined forces with licensee Lee Kirman to develop the concept, with the pair investing more than £150,000 to turn their exciting vision into reality.

How The Taphouse Brewpub could look.

The Taphouse Brewpub will have a stripped-back industrial look and feel, with original features conserved, revealed and restored, including exposed beams.

The concept is inspired by destination brewpubs in major UK cities and abroad such as Howling Hops and The Bohemia in London, The Gas Works Brew Bar in Manchester, and Warpigs brewpub in Copenhagen, Denmark.

Mr Falkingham said: “It’s been a long-held ambition to create a venue like this and I’ve been talking with Lee about it for more than a year. Now it’s all coming together.

“People love being where products they enjoy are made. Our customers will be able to come here and taste the beer that we’ve brewed, while watching the brewers at work, in a relaxed, welcoming environment. It will be an all-round, authentic experience.”

Mr Kirman co-owns the successful Minerva pub and Humber Street Distillery Co gin bar in the Fruit Market with his partner Charlotte Bailey.

He said: “My expertise is on the retail side and Guy’s is in brewing, so we think it works really well to bring the two together.

“We’re already part of the Fruit Market community, so we know how special it is and we want to create a place that reflects its unique character and complements the other venues in the area.”

The new venue will have 4,000 sq ft of space, including a mezzanine level, with the floorspace split between the bar and the production area. It will have a welcoming, glazed bi-fold entrance on Humber Street, with the brewery illuminated and on view from Pier Street, making it a feature of the Fruit Market.

The new business has grown out of the Yorkshire Brewing Company micro-brewery.

The reinvention of the Fruit Market is being driven by Wykeland Beal, the regeneration company formed by commercial developer Wykeland Group and housebuilder Beal Homes, as part of the Fruit Market LLP joint venture with Hull City Council.

The Fruit Market LLP has invested £140,000 to refurbish, restore and expand the building prior to works to fit out of the Taphouse Brewpub.

Tom Watson, development surveyor for Wykeland, said: “We’re delighted to see another Humber Street building saved for future generations. We’ve worked very closely with Guy and Lee to support their vision to create a venue unlike anything else in the region.

“We’re especially pleased to have been able to help one of the Fruit Market’s long-established business to grow and evolve into an exciting, high-quality new venue while remaining true to its roots as an independent craft brewery.”

Councillor Daren Hale, Hull City Council’s Portfolio Holder for Economic Investment and Regeneration, said: “This exciting venture adds to the eclectic mix and vibrant offer of Humber Street.

“The £80m regeneration of the Fruit Market, through the council’s partnership with Wykeland Beal, has revitalised the area. It is a fantastic example of the progress we are making in turning Hull into a world-class visitor destination.”

Get more information about Taphouse Brewpub here or follow the venue on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram at @TaphouseHull.