Good George opens Cook Street Social

Punters in Hamilton East can now return to their former haunt. But, it’s had a bit of a facelift.

Cook Street Social is the latest venue to join the Good George family.

The Hamilton brewer opened the doors on its latest Brew Bar and Taphouse recently, expanding its neighbourhood pub network in a burst of growth that will also see the brewery push into Auckland and add to its warehousing space.

CEO Race Louden said he was excited to finally have a home in Hamilton East.

‘‘We wanted to bring back the look and feel of the original place,’’ Louden said.

‘‘Hamilton East has its own special character and we wanted the design to be unique to that building and area.

‘‘We’ve left as much as possible and fitted ourselves in and around the building, as it’s the star.’’

Check tiling features extensively throughout the building and an old school cinema sign sits across the top of the bar.

One of the key features of this place is the incorporation of the brewery, Louden said.

‘‘We have stainless steel beer tanks in the bar, which will be dispense beer and cider delivered straight from the brewery via the old fire truck.

‘‘I think the look and feel will appeal to a wide range of people, hopefully it becomes a hub for the Hamilton East community.’’

Cook Street Social is the result of four years of work, Louden said.

‘‘It almost didn’t happen because the former owner of the Cook Cafe and Bar had an agreement with Lion that blocked the sale, which only expired this month.

‘‘Being blocked from doing something like that just made us more determined to get there.

‘‘We have always liked Ham East and the timing is now pretty good with a lot of other cool places set up there.’’

Cook Street Social is the latest to join the Good George group, which has six neighbourhood pubs around the Waikato.

Louden said the company is eyeing several new sites and cities for further expansion in 2018 and will also purchase a new 1500 square metre warehousing and packaging space adjoining its current brewery premises in Frankton.

Auckland is the next city on the list, as there’s a real love for the Good George brand in Auckland, Louden said.