New taproom could be on its way to Kettering village

A Braybrooke brewer will have a five day wait before it finds out if it can open a taproom in the quiet village.

The Braybrooke Beer Company wants to sell its specialist German lager range from a small taproom next to where it brews its craft beverages at the Braybrooke Farm on Harborough Road.

The plan is to have a small taproom to fit ten people plus an outside area where up to 48 people can sample the lagers.

The company, which is co-owned by Luke Wilson, whose family have run the farm for the past four decades, applied for a premises and alcohol licence to Kettering Council on Tuesday (June 30) and will now wait to hear the verdict.

It has applied for a licence to sell alcohol every day from 8am to 11pm (apart from Friday and Saturday when it wants to open until midnight) . The application has also asked for permission to run indoor sporting events, show films and have live and recorded music. Small wedding receptions could also be on the cards.

The company’s solicitor Graham Hopkins said the taproom is is not intended to be a night club or late night venue.

He said: “The new tap room is going to be ancillary to the current operation of the brewery. It is somewhere for people to have a drink and sample the larger after they have visited the brewer. Or to have a drink before customers buy to take away.”

Mr Hopkins said the intention was not to open the taproom until late on a regular basis and said on most occasions it would close by 8pm. He said having grown up in the village and now living at the farm with his family, Mr Wilson would not want to upset any other locals with the taproom operation.

The application has not had any objections to it from nearby residents, although Braybrooke Parish Council put in an objection based on the impact the noise of outdoor music could have on nearby homes which are largely owned by older people. The village, which is close to the Market Harborough border, already has one popular drinking venue, The Swan.

Chairman of the parish council Cllr George Normund told the hearing why they had lodged the objection.

He said: “The idea that old people could be forced to hear amplified music from less than half a mile away over open land until 11pm or midnight on a regular basis is quite intolerable we thought.”

However in the hearing Luke Wilson, who has run successful restaurants in London, offered a concession to the parish council and said he would remove the request for outside amplified music from the application.

The licensing committee, made up of three Kettering councillors, discussed the application in private after the hearing and will let the company know the verdict next week.

The company was formed by Luke and two friends after they were inspired by travels around Germany.

They import their malt and hops from the European country and say the special ingredient is the Midlands water.

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