New micro brewers breathe life into old pub

Gerald Morton and Sam Collins have taken the keys to the The Star at Sandal to help turn around its fortunes.

The old pub restaurant closed earlier this year with previous landlords struggling to make the business pay.

The beer-loving duo have now thrashed out a deal with the owners to become the latest tenants, but with a greater say on which beers they sell.

With a core range of eight of their own ales brewed at Ryhill, they see it as the perfect opportunity to showcase their range.

Having opened on Friday, they were pleasantly surprised by the reaction.

Gerald, 53, said; “It went really well, we were packed to the rafters and sold nearly 1,000 pints on Friday, and nearly as well on the Saturday.

“I think people were just really glad that it was open again, they liked the atmoshere and the beer.”

Gerald, who had worked in the building trade, and 39-year-old engineer Sam, began their brewing operation just 12 months ago simply because of their love for beer.

And what began as a sideline business has now become full time for the pair after taking on the Standbridge Lane pub.

“I’ve brewed beer since I was a teenager and we just decided to take it a step further,” explained Gerald.

“The brewery’s been going well and we’ve been reasonably successful at beer festivals around the country, so we decided we needed an outlet.

“It was a major decision to do this, this is the first one we’ve opened.

“There’s been a lot of work and quite a bit of money involved.

“It’s been with a bit of trepidation but it’s been exciting.”

“We just wanted to turn it back into a traditional pub.

“We hope we can create a nice atmosphere and have a nice old-fashioned pub.”