- The Berkshire-based brewery will open its first town centre location at Station Hill, Reading
- The craft taproom and restaurant will open in May 2024, coinciding with the completion of the final phase of Ebb & Flow, the first residential phase of the Station Hill
The landmark Station Hill mixed-used development in Reading, which is being delivered by a joint venture between Lincoln Property Company (‘Lincoln’) and MGT Investment Management, has announced that local brewery, Siren Craft Brew, will become its first occupier when it opens its doors in May this year.
Station Hill will be home to the Berkshire-based brewery’s first taproom and restaurant with Siren signing a 15-year lease for a 3,800 sq ft space on Friars Walk. Siren Craft Brew will bring its excellent range of locally produced ales, porters, and lagers to the centre of Reading, serving the residential, business and mixed-use communities at Station Hill.
Siren Craft Brew becomes the first food and beverage brand to commit to Station Hill, which will provide a diverse mix of cafés, bars and restaurants to those living and working in the centre of Reading, as well as those visiting the area. The opening of the taproom and restaurant – which also features outdoor seating – will coincide with the completion of the final phase of Ebb & Flow, the first Build-to-Rent residential element of Station Hill, providing almost 600 private and affordable homes.
With more than 30 lines of beer, including guest options from both local and international contributors, Siren Craft Brew aims to make its Station Hill taproom and restaurant a destination for beer lovers, but also to create an exceptional space that anyone can enjoy. In addition, it will be a showcase for independent drinks producers of all kinds, offering exceptional wines, cocktails and low/no options. The business is investing in a highly-specced kitchen and building a talented team to serve up exciting, street-food-inspired dishes and creating jobs at all levels of hospitality experience.
Customers will be invited to get involved in the project through crowdfunder which will offer generous pre-paid bar tab opportunities along with other exclusive rewards.
The team at Station Hill are now working towards securing further ground-floor retail/food and beverage leisure operators to complement the mixed-use scheme and are in talks with several occupiers looking to benefit from the site’s prime location and unique offering in the heart of Reading.
Alex Aitchison, UK Managing Director for Lincoln, said: “We are delighted to welcome Siren Craft Brew as one of our first amenity offers at Station Hill. Their commitment to Reading mirrors our own and we are delighted to support a local hero as they look to grow their presence across Reading and the UK.
“2024 is an exciting year at Station Hill with the first phase of the Ebb & Flow Build-to-Rent residential community now open. We are also looking forward to the completion of the adjoining ONE Station Hill office workspace adjacent to the Station, which includes the new town square and two acres of public realm activated by further food, beverage and leisure amenity, creating a new, best-in-class destination for Reading.”
Darron Anley, Founder, Siren Craft Brew, said: “One of our all-time ambitions has been to open a flagship tap room in our home town of Reading, so it’s incredible to finally announce that we’re doing it. We’re committed to building something new and unique, while supporting the great work that other like-minded independent businesses have been doing for many years. Station Hill is the right venue, in the right place, at the right time, and we align with its ambition to bring a diverse and exciting offering to the town centre. We cannot wait to be pouring brewery-fresh pints from the new site this spring.”
Michael Webb, Director, Distrkt, said: “We are delighted that Siren Craft Brew is the first operator to sign up at Station Hill. This demonstrates the developer’s commitment to bring the best-in-class, independent local heroes to Reading town centre. Siren will help establish Station Hill as one of the most exciting places in Berkshire to work, live and play and the first of many exciting new names which are expected to be announced over the coming months that will provide a unique and interesting mix of innovative brands to complement the wider development.”
-ENDS-
Notes to Editors
For media enquiries please contact: Paul Stelmaszczyk, Redwood Consulting: stel@redwoodconsulting.co.uk or +44 (0)20 7828 5553
Or: Andy Nowlan, Head of Marketing, Siren Craft Brew: andy@sirencraftbrew.com or +44 (0)7728270306
About Station Hill
Lincoln MGT, a joint venture between Lincoln Property Company (‘Lincoln’) and MGT Investment Management, is bringing forward Station Hill, the landmark, market-leading £850 million mixed-use development with sustainability and community at its heart, creating a new focal point in Reading and setting a new benchmark for regional regeneration.
Station Hill is transformational for the city and will create a new thriving hub for businesses, residents, and the wider community in the centre of town, within walking distance of Reading’s new Elizabeth Line station.
Once complete Station Hill will comprise up to 625,000 sq ft of best-in-class office space, which will cater to over 8,000 employees, 1,300 private and affordable homes, a 600-unit Build-to-Rent community, 100,000 sq ft of new lifestyle-led retail and leisure space, including potential for a 200-bed hotel, later living accommodation and two acres of new public realm designed to be accessible to all users offering a variety of experiences.
ONE Station Hill the office element of the development which is currently under construction and will be ready for occupation in 2024. A strong commitment to sustainability and the highest levels of energy efficiency are at the core of this ambitious project, which will achieve a net zero carbon footprint. To find out more, please visit www.stationhill.co.uk
About Siren Craft Brew
Headquartered in Berkshire, Siren Craft Brew is a passionately independent brewery that truly believes there is a beer for everyone. Brewed and packed in Finchampstead since 2013, the multi award-winning brewery is proud of its quality, unfiltered, modern, flavour-forward beers using only the best ingredients.
The Siren Craft Brew range is firmly rooted in Greek mythology. It is said the sirens’ voices entwine into a complex, layered melody, and so do the ingredients that go into making great beer. Its most popular beers are Lumina, a 4.2% Session IPA which is gluten free, Soundwave, a bold flavoured 5.6% IPA, and Broken Dream, 6.5% Breakfast Stout and former Supreme Champion Beer of Britain winner.
Starting 10 years ago as a team of three, Siren Craft Brew has blossomed into a team of over 60 people, brewing the equivalent of more than four million pints in 2023. Founded by Darron Anley, the modern brewery now exports to 25 countries worldwide, has distribution throughout the UK and is now stocked by the likes of Sainsbury’s, Waitrose, Morrisons and Asda, along with leading on-trade groups and independent pubs, shops, and restaurants.
Siren Craft Brew also sells direct to the consumer through its website and on-site tap room. The company has a prolific brewing schedule, on average releasing an experimental beer every week. A drinks industry trailblazer, Siren is a leader in barrel ageing and the interplay between wood and beer.
For more information, visit: www.sirencraftbrew.com
There are some visuals here: Visuals
For media enquiries please contact: Paul Stelmaszczyk, Redwood Consulting: stel@redwoodconsulting.co.uk or +44 (0)20 7828 5553
Or: Andy Nowlan, Head of Marketing, Siren Craft Brew: andy@sirencraftbrew.com or +44 (0)7728270306
Third-party news items that are posted on the Guild website’s news section come from press releases received by the Guild. These press releases are posted as they have been received and their publication on the Guild website is intended as an informational service provided to our members and website visitors. As such, the publication of a story from a third-party source is neither an endorsement of the content, nor its sender, by the Guild. For enquiries on any news item, please use the contact details that can be found at the bottom of each post.