Brewery opening date pushed back by groundworks

New visitor attraction will open a month later

A town centre brewery scheduled to open next month has had its opening date pushed back due to a groundworks issue.

The Curious Brewery was set to open its doors on Friday, March 29 but it will now be welcoming the public a month later on Friday, April 26.

The facility is being built by Chapel Down - the Tenterden-based wine company which has enjoyed success with its first range of beers, titled Curious Brew.

Once built, the Victoria Road site will boast a restaurant, shop and brewing tours, with the final touches already being put in place.

By coincidence, the brewery’s planned opening date on March 29 had fallen on the day Britain is due to leave the European Union, but bosses say moving the opening back is not because of Brexit.

Chapel Down’s chief executive Frazer Thompson said: “It’s abso- lutely nothing to do with Brexit, we’ve found a problem in the groundwork so we’re working to resolve it.

“We’re scheduling completion of the repairs for mid-April so around April 18, but that’s of course dependent on the weather and supply lines.”

Company bosses are hoping the new date will enable the facility to be up to the high standard they expect.

Gareth Bath, managing director of Curious Brew, said: “We are so nearly there.

“As anyone who lives in Ashford will have seen, we’ve had a really busy start to the year and have made huge strides in the Brewery’s construction.

“To ensure we give everyone the best possible experience and get all the final details exactly as we want them, we’re moving the opening date to the end of April.

“At that point we’ll open the doors of the Curious Brewery and welcome people to taste the freshest, most premium, British beer imaginable, enjoy a delicious menu of modern British cuisine, tour the Brewhouse itself and much more besides.”

To find out more about the brewery, visit www.curiousbrewery.com

What do you think about the new brewery? Write to Kentish Express, Unit 4, Park Mall shopping centre, Ashford, TN24 8RY or email kentishexpress@thekmgroup.co.uk

Work is progressing at the brewery, which is next to Aldi in Victoria Road

Chapel Down chief executive Frazer Thompson