THE owners of a city pub have joined forces with a successful brewery to take over a former pub and music venue after it closed, giving the place a new lease of life.

The owners of the Oil Basin Brewhouse in Copenhagen Street in Worcester have teamed up with Copper Beech Brewery to take over the former Sociable Beer Company premises in the city.

Business owners Patch Williams, 32, and Sam Teckman, 34,  have signed the lease for the former Sociable Beer Company in the city's Britannia Road which closed its doors on Saturday, September 28 with a 'final fling'.

The new business will be called the Copper Beech Brewery and Tap Room and will serve craft beers including Birdie, the brewery's popular flagship pale ale.

Mr Williams and Mr Teckman have gone into business with founders of the Copper Beech Brew Co, run by husband and wife team Dan and Sam Lawson, as part of the 'exciting' new venture. 

The brewery itself was founded in Kidderminster and even though the brewery is moving to Worcester, customers in Kidderminster will still be supplied with the ales as before.

Copper Beech is described as an 'independent nano brewery' which creates brews 'artisan craft beer brewed with locally sourced ingredients'.

The hope is that more beers will be brewed in future to add to an existing range which includes Family Tree, Dog Days and Common Ground.

Between them the four equal partners will set up a brewery and tap room at the former pub near the junction between Castle Street, The Tything and Foregate Street.

The beer will be both brewed and sold on site and the aim is to open by early December after the lease was signed on Monday.

"Our hope is to get some of the Christmas trade and we want to have beer on site from early to mind November," said Patch Williams.

Mr Williams added: "It's massively exciting. I have never owned a brewery and this is a brand new business.  It's starting up from scratch."

They have already bought four new fermentation vessels to put in at the new premises.

RECOMMENDED READING: Sociable Beer Company: why it had to close by the owner

RECOMMENDED READING: Sociable Beer Company Worcester to close with 'Final Fling'

"We want to be open between Thursday and Sunday. We are going to move the stage around but are going to pay host to live music. We do want to have some gigs here," he said.

The Sociable Beer Company, owned by Keith Duddy, has played host to many live music acts and gigs and is described as 'not just a brewery' but with 'a busy taproom and lounge'.

It closed in September after seven years and around 500 gigs. Owner Keith Duddy cited the rising living costs and fewer people through the doors following the Covid-19 pandemic for the decision to close.