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| Photo credit: Scott Choucino |
Craft
beer fans in Leicester are in for a treat after the Obar in Braunstone Gate was
given a revamp to become a specialist craft beer
venue.
The
bar now has one of the most extensive craft beer selections in the city, with
over 20 different bottles, 14 beers on draught and two ales. The range includes
beers brewed by local breweries, as well as craft ales and beers from as far
away as Iceland and the USA.
At
the same time, the trendy bar has been given a facelift and begun offering a new
bar menu created by the Smokehouse restaurant above the Obar, which opened
permanently earlier this year having initially launched as a pop-up
venue.
General manager at the Obar, Phil Hewitt, said: “The
craft beer we’ve been offering upstairs in the Smokehouse has been going down a
treat, and in general terms craft beer has been rising in popularity, so we
decided to give the Obar a fresh look and introduce a wider range of craft
beers.
“We
believe we’ve created something different – not just for Braunstone Gate but for
the city of Leicester too. We plan to rotate the beer we offer, as well as
feature guest craft beers, so that we can serve a dynamic range and appeal to
all tastes.”
Phil
has been working with chef Liam Watson to source beers that complement the food
being served at the Obar, as well as beers that are likely to be popular with
punters.
The
venue has introduced four house beers from London-based brewery Meantime, a
rotating selection of up to three local cask ales, a range of imported American
keg beers, and will serve a wide selection of imported and home-brewed bottled
craft beers from Europe and the US, including items from breweries such as
Camden Town Brewery, BrewDog, Crafty Dan, Innis & Gunn, Blue Moon Brewing
Co, Goose Island, Brooklyn Brewery, Anchor, Founders and Sly Fox.
It
will also serve Orchard Pig Explorer Cider, produced in the West
Country.
The
Obar, which is part of the East Midlands-based Orange tree group of pubs, bars
and venues, was opened in 2001 as the group’s third venue. It also operates the
Orange tree in High Street, Leicester, the Lansdowne in London Road, Leicester,
late-night venue the Basement in Wellington Street, Leicester, as well as the
Orange tree and the Kelso in Loughborough, and the Orange tree in
Nottingham.
Director Ben Hings, who runs the group with Gareth
Smith, said: “Innovative flavours of beer developed by breweries have become
very popular with beer connoisseurs and bar-goers in general, and we’ve worked
hard to create a range that we hope will appeal to drinkers in the Braunstone
Gate area, and will also encourage people to come from other areas of the city
to try the craft beers.
“After getting fantastic feedback last year when we
opened the Smokehouse as a pop-up venue above the Obar, we launched the
restaurant permanently earlier this year and it’s now become a popular place to
eat in the city. As a natural extension, we’ve recently begun offering lighter,
smaller meals from the Smokehouse menu downstairs at the Obar and the new range
of craft beers we’ve introduced fits very well with these
dishes.”The
Obar is open from 4.30pm to 2am daily, and is based at 59-61 Braunstone Gate.
For more information visit www.orangetree.co.uk/obar
Press release issued by Nottingham PR company Perfect 10 PR www.perfect10pr.co.uk
