Back in November it was revealed that an award-winning Manchester brewery was upping sticks and moving to Stockport town centre. Now, just five months after the news dropped, Runaway Brewery is almost ready to open the doors to its brand new brewery, taproom and beer garden overlooking the River Mersey.
Swapping Dantzic Street in Manchester for Astley Street in Stockport, the brewery’s new premises at Crossley House - a former metal works - will open to the public next Thursday and follows a year of planning and refurbishment with landlord Orbit Developments. The ground floor features a brewery and taproom divided by a glass partition, so visitors can see the beer-making process in action, while outside the courtyard has been transformed into a beer garden.
Speaking ahead of next week’s launch, Runaway Brewery’s founder, Mark Welsby said: “We wanted to be part of a community, and while Manchester City Centre has a dynamic and exciting energy, it also changes so quickly, which means it’s a bit difficult for a business to become part of the place and you have to keep reinventing yourself.
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“We wanted to be something that was more relevant to an existing community where we know they enjoyed beer. Stockport also has this DIY feel to it, and there’s already several businesses there reflecting that spirit. There are lots of like-minded people who are invested in Stockport as a place.
“It’s not just big brands going in, so it’s not some generic, homogeneous experience. To us it feels like Stockport has a real soul."
The move is also part of the independent brewery’s long-term plan to invest in both the building and their wider community. “It’s an old industrial building right in the middle of Stockport, and was used as a metal fabricators by a family called the Crossley family who were there for decades,” explains Mark.
“The building needed a lot of care and attention because it wasn’t made functional for public use, so we signed a 20-year lease and over that period we’re hopefully going to turn it into somewhere where people are happy to be and hang out. Hopefully through the design of the ground-floor space people will be able to connect what they’re drinking in their glasses with where it’s made and the people who are making it.
“Physically the location is also great for us, we love the fact it has all these windows because in Manchester we were used to working in an railway arch, which was an interesting and unique space, but after nine winters of staring at dark walls and going out and it being dark outside, it’s lovely to be a place with lovely windows.
“And upstairs, there’s a temporary event space for private hire and long-term we’re looking for a restaurant or food partner, so there’s a possibility that one of the food vendors will take over that space.”
When the doors open next week, visitors will be able to enjoy a range of freshly brewed beers which includes ten keg lines of rotating Runaway beers as well as occasional guest beers from brewery friends, plus two new cask lines - the latter is something the brewery hasn’t done before. There will also be ciders, spirits and soft drinks from Steep Soda Co.
Following a successful pre-opening, pop-up taproom at the end of last year, Honest Crust Pizza will also be serving up their wood-fired pizzas again. For those who want to take a pint away, the brewery will also have its own bottle stop.
The announcement of the brewery's arrival in Stockport, followed the news that Robinsons Brewery would be leaving the town centre after nearly 200 years. Mark adds: "I'm hopeful that our move can help retain the tradition of brewing in the heart of the town, albeit on a much smaller scale.
"But we also want to create something contemporary, relevant, and valuable at the same time, keeping one eye on the future of Stockport too. I t feels like a fantastic opportunity for us to offer something new in the town and hopefully, like those who are already here, we can have a positive influence on what comes next."
The taproom will be open on Thursdays, 1-10 pm and Friday and Saturday, 1-10.30pm. Brewery tours will be held every Friday at 4pm and the first Saturday of every month at 12.30pm.
Runaway Brewery is located at Crossley House, 9-11 Astley Street, Stockport, SK4 1AW, and is scheduled to open on Thursday, April 13.
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