Welcome to The Tannery, Ashover Brewery's bold new bar in Derby

It’s a bold move opening a brand new taproom in the centre of Derby in these tricky times but the resurgent Ashover Brewery have done just that.

The Tannery opened at the weekend on Sadler Gate in the former Carnivore restaurant premises – and it looks a treat.

The Tannery staff all ready for last week's opening, from left, Harvey Maddox, Chris Sherratt and Tom Wardle.

It’s also another bold move from the group of friends who bought Ashover out of administration barely a year ago. Much of that year has been spent rebuilding the reputation of the company from a business point of view.

Doing so in terms of the products was never an issue because brewer Janine Shorrock and her beers have had an excellent reputation as long as the company has existed, which will be 20 years next year. They have, of course, kept on Janine, along with long-time helper Brian Exford.

The brewery was originally founded in outbuildings at the Old Poet’s Corner pub in Ashover, moving to Clay Cross in 2015. Things did not work out after entrepreneur David Neale took on the business in 2020 – but then friends Lewis Bassett, Andy Clarke, Richard Walker, Jon Hardwick, Gethin Jones and Richard Crabb stepped in to revive the business.

It’s always a good idea for a small brewery to have their own outlet and now they have. Andy Clarke takes on the role of spokesman for the group and feels they are perhaps arriving in Sadler Gate at a good time.

Your writer enjoying a warm evening outside The Tannery with my daughters Sharon (left) and Molly.

“It was always part of the long-term plan to have a taproom but it’s part of it that we’ve accelerated – it just seemed like the right time and we think it’s essential for a small brewery to have its own outlet. It gives us a bit more certainty,” says Andy.

“Two or three opportunities came up, one in Sheffield, one in Clay Cross and in Derby. The Sheffield one was taken on by Abbeydale Brewery and the Derby one leapfrogged into the lead.

“We’d been looking at it since February, March time. We were actually looking next door to it but then this one came up as well on the day we went to look around. It’s bigger, needed a lot less work doing to it and had a really nice feel to it.”

There are always plenty of people ready to run Derby city centre down but the upcoming move of the Bustler Market to a central location adjacent to Sadler Gate is sure to help and Andy feels they have picked the right moment.

“We think Sadler Gate has a really nice feel,” he says.

“With the Bustler Market reopening nearby, the area is having a bit of a resurgence of late.

“I’ve spent a lot of time there in the last few weeks and seen an awful lot of people around. The area seems pretty busy to me.”

The art of Molly Christodoulou features on the walls inside The Tannery currently. The bar is on three floors.

Apart from six handpulls offering Ashover’s cask beers, The Tannery has an array of craft keg taps. It will suit the discerning drinker and I’m sure they could point the guy ahead of me who looked bemused before asking for “er, any pale ale or lager” in a direction to suit him.

Traditional beer drinkers may like to note that an offer has been launched on Wednesdays... cask ale is £3 a pint from midday to closing time.

Although there was no food available on the opening night, the bar is also billed as a charcuterie and that is available now.

They have made a lovely job of the interior and it comes as a surprise, initially, that seating is available on three floors, up a narrow staircase. It won’t be a surprise after you’ve been to the loo – they are up there too.

There’s outside seating, when the weather allows, and that café-style, watching the world go by, is a big positive. It’s one of the things Sadler Gate should be all about.

Music nights are promised and art will be featured – the paintings of Derby artist Molly Christodoulou adorn the walls currently and are for sale.

It all added up to a nice vibe. Micropub would be the wrong word for it, there’s too much of it. But it’s another example of how licensed premises are evolving to meet the times, which I view as a good thing. High hopes for success. * If you've not yet subscribed, it costs nothing to do so and you simply get an email telling you when I've written something. Go to the home page, wait for it to load and scroll to the bottom. Cheers