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SHARE THE LOVE!
Two new names, a crowdfunding campaign, and a plan to expand;
why 2019 is a huge year for Love Lane Brewery.
When Stephen Crawley and his team opened the doors to the new
brewery and bar last December, it was the culmination of a dream
to create a Liverpool venue, home to a strong local drinks brand.
Love Lane Brewery Bar & Kitchen (previously, Tap & Still) marks
its first birthday in 2018 with a name change, pulling together the
company as the maker of a craft beer favourite, Love Lane Pale
Ale. The range extends to Love Lane Lager and Love Lane Limited
Editions and there will also be exciting collaborations. Higson’s
beers and The Ginsmiths of Liverpool gins all made at the Love Lane
Brewery.
“We can create a great events space and will fully open the ‘Tasting
Room’ in 2019 making our Baltic Triangle site really special with a
feeling of West / East coast America”, says Stephen.
“We’re proud of our heritage and the history we’re carrying forward,
but we are about the future and Love Lane is a huge part of that”.
In 2016, Stephen discovered that acquiring The Liverpool Craft
Brewery did not just give a brand with potential in Love Lane, but
a lease on an old rubber factory, just off Jamaica Street in the Baltic
Triangle. The team could see the opportunity, but refurbishing
an old building properly is very expensive and so it proved. The
investors backed the plan and there is now a very smart home and
shiny brewery capable of brewing 18,000 hectolitres (3.2 million
pints).
“Love Lane has real potential. People love the beer and the name.
In Liverpool and its environs we’ve got about two million people on
our doorstep and we’ve got an audience of craft conscious licensed
outlets and drinkers nationwide. Craft beer has really rocked the
drinks market, drinkers are happy to pay a little more for a great
pint. Alongside Love Lane we also have the legend that is Higsons
as well as our popular Ginsmiths of Liverpool gins. We know that
interest in gins, especially different flavours and styles is something
people are really interested in”.
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Another birthday celebration comes in the form of a crowding
campaign with Seedrs which aims to drive more local advocacy and
awareness. Love Lane Brewing want people to proudly hold shares
in the company looking to expand in Liverpool and beyond.
The funds will be spent on three areas; Brand investment to grow
the sales, and distribution, improve the digital platforms, roll out
new packaging, and partnerships; Investing in new infrastructure,
including a new Liverpool warehouse, brewery, packaging and
distilling equipment. Thirdly on enhancing the Love Lane Brewery
Bar and Kitchen, with a shop (actual and online), and building
the experiential offer by expanding both beer tours and Ginsmiths
Experience.
“Here on Bridgewater Street, we’re just a stone’s throw from where
Higson’s was brewed”, says Stephen. “There’s an opportunity
to strengthen the brewing heritage here in the Baltic Triangle.
Liverpool does not have a regional brewery, Manchester has four.
We’ve got the chance to build a brand with a great name in Love
Lane from a home selling both itself and the values of its home city’’.
At Love Lane Brewery tours have been developed so people can see
how the beer, ales and gins are made. Peer through the glass at one
end of the bar, and you can see the fermenting vessels, brewery and
the distillery.
“Beer and brewing has been and is again a major part of the cultural
and industrial heritage of the Baltic Triangle, and we want to help
drive that story. From the Baltic Fleet right up to the old Higsons
brewery signs on the listed building in Stanhope Street (Cains).
It’s a huge draw for locals and visitors who come to the city and
increasingly, people are happy to have a walking tour where they can
learn about the history of the streets they’re walking on and how it
all ties in the modern city”.
If you like what you have read about Love Lane Brewery and the
ambitions for Love Lane Brewing – please visit:
www.lovelanebrewing.com and click on invest.