Craft beer bar H Taphouse to open in Culcheth in October

The H Taphouse is set to open at the beginning of October in Lodge Drive after months of work transforming the former Culcheth TV and Video.

It is the second bar in a new chain after Ste and Emma Hamilton previously launched The H Taphouse in Ashton-in-Makerfield, Wigan.

Craft beer lovers can expect eight keg taps and one cask hand pump where there will always something new to try.

Among Ste's favourite breweries are Verdant in Cornwall and Track and Shindigger, both in Manchester, so that gives a sense of what sort of beers to expect and there will also be a small offering of cans and bottles to takeaway.

"It’ll just be some rare stuff we can get hold of – some big American brands and some specials from some of the big name UK breweries," said Ste.

"My concept for the bar to start with was somewhere you could go and get different beers every time.

"It is to have that air of excitement when you walk in that you don’t know what you’re going to get. It will be family friendly. We allow children until 8pm and we allow dogs. We have a young family and a dog so it made sense.

"We’ll have background music on but if the Culcheth bar is anything like the Ashton one you’ll barely be able to hear it because everyone is chatting and having a good time."

Ste and Emma with their son Luka

So what has it been like to work on a new venture during the uncertainties of the Covid era?

Ste added: "It’s the second time we’ve done it so I’m used to it. We opened the Ashton bar in July 2020 and were renovating that during the first lockdown.

"We managed to do four months of trading last year and we’ve been back open since May this year. It’s not ideal but you’ve got to make the most of things."

Ste previously worked in recruitment. He used to take on long-haul HGV drivers before switching to a completely different job in hospitality.

He said: "I’d seen a few places pop up close to me in Newton and Ashton and became more and more interested in craft beer.

"My wife Emma and I had a baby in October and when she was pregnant I decided I wanted something substantial to hand down to him so we just took the plunge."

Ste did not initially intend to expand – at least not this soon – but 'couldn't pass it up' when he looked at the unit in Culcheth on Rightmove.

He added: "I’ve got friends who live around there and they all said it would be well received and the area needed something like that. Although there are some nice bars in Culcheth, they don't offer the sort of thing that we do."

Ste and Emma got the keys in April and started the work in June.

"We should be finished by the end of September," said Ste.

"We’re planning on doing a soft opening on Friday, October 1 and then open properly that weekend. The biggest challenge has been trying to fit everything into such a small space.

The H Taphouse Ashton

"It’s about 40sq m and we’ve had to create a purpose-built cold room for the kegs of beer. Expanding has probably stretched us beyond our remit to be honest.

"But we believe in the location and the area and in what we do. It was just one of those things where I couldn’t pass it up. I’m hoping it will pay off.

"When we went to look at the unit, it was a no brainer. We’re excited to expand so quickly. I think we’ll probably settle down for a couple of years now and see if we can get some solid trade under our belts before we think of doing anything else."

The couple hope the micro bar appeals to both craft beer aficionados and newcomers alike.

Ste, from Haydock, added: "The community around craft beer is getting tighter and growing massively and it’s those people that we’re aiming that. We want to bring them together.

"But we also like converting people to craft beer. In Ashton, we still get lots of people asking us what mainstream lager we’ve got. We spend time trying to convince them to try something new and more often than not they really like it.

"My mates are a good example of that and now they’re asking for whatever the latest double dry-hopped beer that we’ve got. Part of the fun has been trying to get people to try something new.

"We do tasting flights of three different beers and they’re always a winner for that."

The H Taphouse will be able to seat around 30 people with some additional standing room and vinyl lovers should make a beeline for the venue on Sundays.

Ste said: "On a Sunday people can come and play their own vinyl records or one of ours off the shelf. That’s the sort of atmosphere that we want – people can come and listen to some good music over a beer."

As well as craft beer, there will be a selection of gins and wine on offer too.