February 11, 2016 1.24 pm This story is over 97 months old

First look: New shop brewing up a real ale storm in Lincoln

Take a tour: A new shop specialising in real ales has officially opened its doors on The Strait in Lincoln.

A new shop specialising in real ales has officially opened its doors on The Strait in Lincoln, offering lovers of a tipple the chance to browse exclusive brands.

The Crafty Bottle, owned by the Lincolnshire Brewing Company, was born and brewed by Lincoln husband and wife duo Claire and Karl Brown, who have been in the licensed venue and bars business together for 13 years.

The Lincolnshire Brewing Company was set up in 2014 as the company ventured into production and now they hope taking the leap to open their own shop will fill a tasty gap in the market.

The new shop, in the building formerly occupied by Mono Boutique, will sell bespoke, hand crafted ales in cask and bottle form including home brews as well as local, national and international suppliers.

Photo: Steve Smailes for The Lincolnite

Claire Brown. Photo: Steve Smailes for The Lincolnite

Claire said: “We’ll be selling speciality real ales from around the world as well as a small cider section and home brew area.

“We will be running the shop ourselves initially but we hope to take on two or three part time staff in time.

“We have given the shop front a substantial refit as it was a boutique before in bright pink and blue, and we wanted a more rustic vintage feel to the shop.

“Lincoln currently doesn’t offer much for people looking for real ales and we are hoping to fill the gap.

“Our ales will be sourced locally, nationally and internationally and over time we home to be able to provide an extensive selection.

“This will take a little time to build as there are so many microbreweries in existence now each offering their own brand.

“The majority of our ales will be ones that cannot be bought from the large supermarkets and are specific to our shop. As we are brewers ourselves we have an vested interest in Beer!

“By having this sort of shop off Steep Hill we are adding to the diversity of shoppers’ experience when they visit the area which will in turn help Lincoln’s economy.”