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First look: The Hop Kettle Brewery Tap Room at Gloucester Food Dock

The Hop Kettle Brewery Tap Room, the first bar at the highly anticipated £3.5 million Gloucester Food Dock, has now opened. SoGlos took a first look inside.

By Emma Luther | Published Friday 13 October 2023

The Hop Kettle Brewery Tap Room is the first opening at Gloucester Food Dock, this October 2023.

Popular brewer Hop Kettle is the first unit to open at Gloucester Food Dock on Friday 13 October 2023, bringing live music, comedy nights, pop-up kitchens and a host of independent beers, spirits and wines to the hotly anticipated foodie development.

Offering beers in a variety of styles from traditional best bitters to milkshake IPAs and a number of gluten-free and vegan beers, it marks the fourth UK opening for the brewer.

The Hop Kettle Brewing Company was founded by Tom Gee in 2008, just south of the Gloucestershire border in Cricklade.

Its three other bars — Tap & Brew in Swindon, The Hop Kettle in Cirencester and The Eternal Optimist in Swindon — are meccas for fans of one-of-a-kind brews.

The latest opening, which overlooks Victoria Dock, has created more than 10 new jobs for Gloucester.

Gee said: 'Having wanted to be a part of the Gloucester beer scene for a few years, we are very pleased to now be a part of this stunning new development at Gloucester Docks.

'Our aim is to bring something unique, exciting and complimentary to the area with our stunning fit-out of the Hop Kettle Brewery Tap Room. 'We will be showcasing a huge range of our beers with six cask lines, 10 keg lines and a wide range of our bottles.

'These will be available alongside a wide variety of spirits and wines from small dynamic producers.'

Gee went on to explain: 'For food, we're planning to work with a diverse range of pop up kitchens who will use our kitchen space to produce and serve their delicious food to our customers. We cannot wait to show people around in October.'

It sets excitement soaring for the next few openings at the £3.5 million waterside development, with a host of restaurant fit-outs unfolding over coming weeks.

Following the launch of the Hop Kettle Brewery Tap Room, a series of staggered openings will be revealed from November 2023 onwards.

All 14 units are expected to be snapped up by January 2024. Once full, the development by Ladybellegate Estates is estimated to create 120 new jobs.

The stable of exciting independent food and drink businesses that'll be opening over coming months include Sibling Gin, Wholly Gelato, Strip Steak Bar, Smashing Plates, artisan pizza business Bella Mia, burger specialists Chuck, Hetty’s Place and Maneki Ramen.