Oxford brewery and taproom has successful opening weekend

One-man operation BMAN Brewery opened its doors at its new taproom at Salters Boatyard by Donnington Bridge to a warm reception on Saturday, April 11.

Alex Berryman, the owner and head brewer of the business, said the event went even better than he’d hoped.

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“It was honestly a lot busier than I was expecting,” he said. “We were run off our feet.”

The opening of BMAN Brewery’s riverside taproom was a success at the weekend (Image: Alex Berryman)

First-time customers were queueing up to half an hour before its noon opening to secure a spot, with a limited capacity inside the taproom but plenty of space on the green riverbank of the Thames and in the outdoor yard.

The new site is bigger than the original, with a 1,000sq ft brewery roughly doubling BMAN’s beer-making potential, and giving space to keep nine BMAN beers on tap at the bar.

Transforming the empty unit into a thriving taproom and fully kitted-out brewery was a huge task for the brewer, and Mr Berryman said: “It was a rush to get everything ready in time.

“We were up until 3am the night before just to get the space ready.

The opening of BMAN Brewery’s riverside taproom was a success at the weekend (Image: Alex Berryman)

“Everyone was just so delighted to be there – it really made all of the hard work worth it.”

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But it’s ‘just the beginning’ for BMAN Brewery, the brewer said.

He added: “There is definitely more I want to do to make the space even better for people.”

More staff will help with beer service, and Mexican food van La Cookaracha will be serving up food even earlier from next weekend.

BMAN Brewery taproom will now open every week on Friday from 5pm to 10pm and Saturday from noon to 9pm.