Cheers to first Try-anuary in Wolverhampton
Ale-loving campaigners invited abstainees to drop Dry January and pick up their pint glasses again.
Microbrewery Punchline held an open day at its Wolverhampton base to demonstrate what alcohol-quitters were missing.
The five-strong team of brewers took out their best beers for people to taste and laid on Brie and bar snacks too. Dozens of people turned up on Saturday to support the campaign.
Co-owner James Plant described the initiative as a response to Dry January, the UK's one-month booze-free challenge.
He said: "We want people to support local businesses, especially the pub trade which suffers so badly after Christmas.
"We're not trying to encourage people to drink more but to drink differently. Instead of having the same old pint, why not try a pale ale if you normally drink bitter, or a craft beer made on your doorstep if you usually have a commercial beer. It's about trying something you've not tasted before"
From inside, the bar could be the saloon of a high street pub – in reality the brewery is located in a unit on an industrial estate in Monmore Green.
"Our neighbours are scrap merchants and car breakers," said James. "It's not where you would normally expect to find a drinking establishment but we've got quite a following now and people know where to find us.
"We've sold our beers through local businesses such as the Hungry Bistro, the Arena Theatre, Tony's Delicatessen in Queen Square and the Lime Tree coffee house in Tettenhall.
"Every month we open up the tap room and invite people to try some of our beers, depending on how busy we are. We've all got full-time jobs so working in the brewery takes place in the evenings, weekends and bank holidays."
Punchline, launched in 2017, appears in the new 2019 Good Beer Guide from the Campaign for Real Ale. The brewery, run by friends, uses the punchline of well-known jokes as the names for each of its beers.
