CLOUD? Water? Not things we associate with the rain-free Summer of ’18. Drinking, yes, and when it’s this hot sometimes even bland, cold fizzy beer will do. Not something you associate with Cloudwater, second best brewery in the world according to RateBeer website.
We’ve been enjoying their outstanding, innovative beers throughout the cooler months in their Sheffield Street Barrel Sstore, which has doubled up as a brewery tap, but that’s now shut.
Why? Because they’ve just launched a shiny new taproom, Unit 9, alongside their brewing plant on the Piccadilly Trading Estate. This definitely looks a step-up with 20 draft taps pouring fresh releases and aged beers, as well as a shop offering cans, bottles and marketing merchandise. There is the original artwork Cloudwater has commissioned to reflect the ever-changing seasonal nature of their beer and the promise food might venture beyond basic snacks.
It is open from 3pm to 10pm on Wednesday, Thursday, Friday and Sunday, and 10am to 10pm on Saturday..
Cloudwater boss Paul Jones said: “This takes us a step closer to the tap room of our dreams and allows our customers to enjoy our beer direct from the source, in greater comfort than before.
“We make a huge effort to champion freshness in beer and emphasise the need for beer to be cold stored at every step of the journey between brewery and customer. So it’s really exciting to be able to serve our beer from the same cold store it was moved to immediately after being packaged."
Cloudwater tap room, Unit 9, 9 Piccadilly Trading Estate, M1 2NP. Having made the pilgrimage, if you fancy fitting in a brewery tour too book here.