The Old Brewery, Brains’ brand-new pub and immersive beer experience in Cardiff’s Brewery Quarter, is officially open to the public today following its VIP launch event last night.
The evening brought together a host of Welsh talent, including former Welsh international rugby players Alun Wyn Jones andJosh Navidi, comedian and actor Mike Bubbins and BBC Morning Live star Justine Jones, who gathered to celebrate the opening of Cardiff’s newest beer destination.
Based in the city’s historic Brewery Quarter and aptly named The Old Brewery, the venue is a collaboration between Brains Brewery, global brewing giant Heineken and Breaking Brands’ director Steve Lewis.
The venue marks a return to the site where Brains Brewery was based on St Mary’s Street from 1882 until 1999, before the site was redeveloped into a leisure complex in the early 2000s.
The Old Brewery brings sport to life beyond the pitch, with sports simulation bays covering rugby, football, cricket, golf, and more across more than 3,500 real-world venues, powered by smart-net and motion-tracking technology.
Inspired by some of Cardiff’s greatest sporting moments, customers can test their kicking skills and attempt to land a match-winning penalty or all-important conversion, recreating the anticipation and exhilaration of match day.
As well as this, The Old Brewery is home to Bayside Flavour Fusion, a first-of-its-kind triple-beer font which allows customers to enjoy three distinctive Bayside lagers – Original, Cherry and Grapefruit – from a single three-tap font.
The Old Brewery champions the best of Wales, with Brains cask ales and beers, Welsh spirits, and a Welsh BBQ menu, all under one roof.
Nick Payne, CEO of Brains, said: “The Old Brewery is a fantastic celebration of everything that makes Cardiff and Wales special, bringing together our proud brewing heritage with a fresh and exciting vision for the future.
“It’s brilliant to see the doors open and people enjoying the space, and there’s something particularly special about being back home on the site where Brains brewed beer for more than a century. We can’t wait to welcome people through the doors and see The Old Brewery become part of the fabric of Cardiff once again.”
He added: “It’s also great that The Old Brewery is home to the first Bayside triple-serve system of its kind. The new serving system represents the latest innovation from Bayside, combining our award-winning lager with a fresh approach to how it can be served and enjoyed.
“We wanted to give lager lovers more choice and create something that would really bring Bayside to life in a new way. With Original, Cherry and Grapefruit all available from the same bar, customers can discover the different flavours and find their favourite.”
Steve Lewis, Director at Breaking Brands Management, said: “Opening a venue like this is hard graft, and it takes a proper team to pull it off. The Old Brewery has been a labour of love, taking a site with this much history and giving it a reason to matter to Cardiff all over again.”
He added: “We wanted to build somewhere that felt like it belonged to the city, where you can feel the history in the walls but everything around you is built for now.
“Whether that’s watching the rugby with a pint in hand, having a go on the sports simulators with your mates, or just finding somewhere decent to eat after work, we wanted it to work for all of it. That balance was the whole challenge, and I think we’ve nailed it.
“Seeing the doors open and the place full last night, that’s the whole reason we do this. Big thanks to the whole team who’s worked to get us here. This is just the start for us in this space.”
