New tap room at Pulborough brewery

At the same time, Hepworth's is launching a competition for students from the Chichester College Group challenging them to create a ‘next generation' Tap Room and Brewery Shop, to open within the next 12 months.

The Tap Room will be open Monday to Wednesday 10am til 5.30pm and Thursday to Saturday 10am til 8pm serving snacks, coffees and their range of award-winning beers including low alcohol brews. Hot food will be provided Thursday and Friday nights by a roster of ‘pop ups' with a focus on quality, and local ingredients, such as Rudgwick-based Italy on Wheels.

Bands are being lined up to play on Friday nights, with a focus on local performers. The Tap Room entertainment programme kicked off with popular covers combo the Davy Wavy Band with other names set to play over the coming weeks.

Brewery founder and chairman Andy Hepworth said: "We're delighted to have a Tap Room where we can serve a pint and a bite to our guests. We expect it to evolve into a versatile space: a café bar serving coffees - or one of our alcohol-free beers - to morning visitors, through to a buzzing live music venue on Friday evenings.

"We're also excited about the design plans, which will take the Tap Room and Shop up to the next level. It's great to be working with the Chichester College Group and helping to nurture creativity and design in young people at the start of their career. We can't wait to see their ideas and work with the winner on turning them into a reality."

Sally Challis-Manning MBE, Principal of Brinsbury College, said: "We're always delighted to work with local businesses to give our students a chance to work on a real project. We know our students will be enthusiastic about this brief from Hepworth's and we're confident that their talent will shine through in some amazing designs."

The focal point of the Tap Room is a wooden bar with beer taps fixed to the back bar, creating a contemporary feel. Guests can enjoy a pint at the bar, or sit at one of the tables, with the space accommodating up to 60 people. The Tap Room was fitted out in just seven weeks by Hepworth's recently-appointed Tap Room & Events Manager Matt Tobin, who previously managed The Star in Petworth, and ran online beer retailer Beer Hop which specialised in American craft beers.

The launch of the Tap Room is the latest in an ongoing programme of investment by Hepworth's at the purpose-built brewery on Stane Street, outside Pulborough, which they opened in 2016. Earlier this summer they installed a new canning line, which is now operational and producing 3,000 cans per hour, currently Hepworth's Charger and Crazy Horse beers, though they will also be providing canning for other brewers.

Hepworth's is continuously working on new environmental measures, with a CO2 reclaim project set to be installed this winter. Already one of the most sustainable breweries in the UK, Hepworth's aims to reach 85% carbon neutral by 2025