A new York gastro pub with ‘amazing private views’ of the river will boast its own brewery, it was revealed today (Friday).
It would serve beer brewed on the property alongside a ‘new showcase restaurant’ with a menu including oysters, rotisserie pork and chicken.
And the whole thing will mean an investment of more than £1.6 million.
YorkMix revealed yesterday that York-based brewery and pub group Pivovar Ltd were applying for a licence for a craft beer bar and restaurant at the Guildhall complex.
Now director of Pivovar Jamie Hawskworth has told us more details about the highly ambitious project.
It came about due to the company’s frustration at not being able to expand its brewery.
“We have been brewing Mittel Pils & Lager on our £2 million bespoke BrauKon German Brewhouse in Elvington for the last four years,” Jamie told us.
“In this time we have won the most prestigious awards including Supreme Champion at ‘Oscars of Brewing’ which is the International Brewing Awards and only last month were awarded Gold at the SIBA Awards in the lager category.”
The brewery is at capacity. Last February, they applied to increase its capacity from 4,500 to 12,000 hectolitres and install a large Italian bottling line – “but this relatively simple planning application is frustratingly still stuck in the system and remains undetermined,” Jamie said.
The idea then emerged to create a bar and restaurant with its own brewhouse at the centre of York, to be called Mittel River Terrace.
Jamie said: “Having met with the City of York Council property team, we realised there was a great opportunity at the Guildhall to link our Pivovar Bar Group with our Mittel Brewery in Elvington.
“We already operate 14 national award winning bars and restuarants so it became obvious that we really need a new showcase restaurant in York to offer the portfolio of our lagers brewed at Elvington paired with great food such as oysters, rotisserie pork and chicken supplied by great local farms and suppliers.
“We’ve already developed a fantastic gastro menu to pair with our beers. The slight problem we have is that we have no spare brewing capacity at the brewery so we have commissioned and ordered a 500 litre brewhouse which has been built in Pilsen in the Czech Replublic.
“This will be installed in the centre of the restaurant at the Guildhall, allowing us to produce all our Bavarian-inspired lagers on-site with the addition of seasonal styles.”
He said it would be like nothing else in York.
“We are building a gastro brewing restaurant with the most amazing private views onto the River Ouse. We also have two large south facing private external terraces which will be the ideal location to enjoy fresh lager beers and a gastro experience.
“As a company we have evolved and seen the rise and bubble-burst of craft beer so we are committed to offering the very best beers, complimented with fine wines from our partner importer, Berkmann Wine Cellars.”
Pivovar has had great success with its pubs, including Pivni, the Pavement Vaults and the York Tap. The Guildhall brewpub would be the company’s crowning achievement.
“Of all the projects I’ve created then I can honestly say that I’ve never been as excited and involved as I have been delivering this new restaurant Guildhall, aptly called Mittel River Terrace.
“Current budgets are looking at £1.6 million but breweries and kitchen are very pretty so it’s likely we will spend much more.”
