New brewery and taproom set to open in Oxford next week

The BMAN Brewery taproom at Salters Boatyard by Donnington Bridge will open next Saturday, April 11, with food, fun and delicious BMAN beer.

Alex Berryman, the owner, head brewer and one-man operator of the enterprise has been working hard to get everything ready for the new opening, including transporting his equipment from the industrial unit at Monument Business Park where he first set up five years ago.

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“There are so many details and I have agonised over them all,” Mr Berryman said. “Moving 850kg brewing equipment is no small feat.

The one-man operation undergone a major move to Salters Boatyard in Oxford (Image: Alex Berryman)

“It all needed to get craned out of the old site overhead and onto a large flat bed truck, and I remember driving behind the truck of towering equipment strapped down – there’s nothing like watching your whole livelihood coasting around the Oxford ring road.”

The new site is bigger than the original, with a 1,000sqft brewery roughly doubling BMAN’s beer-making potential, plus the outfit’s first ever taproom with a capacity for 100 heads.

The new taproom will have nine BMAN Beers on tap (Image: Alex Berryman)

Turning the shell unit at Salters Boatyard into the inviting new venue Mr Berryman is aiming for has been a huge undertaking.

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He said: “I’ve had a hand in everything, like roller painting the 1,000sq ft, 3.5m high ceiling for days straight until my neck feels like I can only look up from now on.

“To get the best beer and draft service possible, I’ve taken the big step of drilling holes in the cold store to have the taps directly through the wall.

The new site is an extension of the brewery and will include its first taproom (Image: Alex Berryman)

“This means I could construct the 12 tap line draft system to ensure the drinks are served at a chilly two degrees, with the shortest draft lines possible, to guarantee the cleanliness and coldness of all the drinks on tap.”

A full drinks menu will have something on offer for every taste, with nine BMAN Beers on tap including lagers, IPAs and Saisons – all crafted by the brewer – plus an alcohol-free guest beer, draft cider and Frizzante prosecco on tap.

The brewer and owner has worked hard to transform the unit into a taproom (Image: Alex Berryman)

The venue is fully kitted out to be as accessible as possible, too, with a ramp into the taproom and onsite baby changing and accessible facilities.

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Mr Berryman said he was “recently stopped in the street and told how excited people in the area are” as locals take note of the changes.

The grand opening will be hosted at the new taproom in Salters Boatyard next to Donnington Bridge from midday until 9pm on Saturday, April 11.

As well as the drinks, Mexican street food vendor La Cookaracha will be serving visitors, with spacious seating in the taproom and on the riverbank grass available up to the 100-person capacity.