New bar opens in Harrogate - with a unique twist

An independent bar with a difference has opened its doors to customers in Harrogate - and it's already proving hugely popular.
Cheers! Cold Bath Brewing Co owners Jim Mossman, Mick Wren and Roger Moxham at Cold Bath Brewery Co bar.  (Credit: Cold Bath Brewing Co. Instagram)Cheers! Cold Bath Brewing Co owners Jim Mossman, Mick Wren and Roger Moxham at Cold Bath Brewery Co bar.  (Credit: Cold Bath Brewing Co. Instagram)
Cheers! Cold Bath Brewing Co owners Jim Mossman, Mick Wren and Roger Moxham at Cold Bath Brewery Co bar. (Credit: Cold Bath Brewing Co. Instagram)

Cold Bath Brewing Co on Kings Road is the brainchild of three Harrogate men bringing 10 different pints of craft beers and lager from around the world.

The last five years has seen the almost complete transformation of the Harrogate bar scene.

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Some national chains have arrived but the biggest change has been craft beers bars. The first new arrival was Major Tom’s Social on The Ginnel, followed by the likes of The Harrogate Tap, North Bar, The Little Ale House and Starling Independent Beer & Coffee House.

New Harrogate bar Cold Bath Brewing Co has its own outdoor seating area.New Harrogate bar Cold Bath Brewing Co has its own outdoor seating area.
New Harrogate bar Cold Bath Brewing Co has its own outdoor seating area.

But the difference at this new ‘Hackney via Harrogate’ pub is that the team have a brewery on site, producing two or three of their own brews at any one time.

Co-owner of Cold Bath Brewing Co, Mick Wren, said: “Hopefully we’ll have at least two probably three of our own beers and our lager as well. The aim is to have at least one wheat beer and a lager on tap and then a few more to showcase breweries from around the world.”

Originally from Hackney, Mick is the former owner of Hoxton North cafe, and met his new business partners, Roger Moxham and Jim Mossman, as customers at Hoxton. Mick said: “Jim was a customer in Hoxton who I got on really well with. We were sitting around chatting over a few beers a couple nights a week, we became friends and he’s big into craft beers.

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“A lot of it comes out of Hackney where I used to live, he was interested in it and I had a bit of knowledge about it because it’s a passion, but also because it’s just taken over down in Hackney.”

With a background in finance, Jim decided to take discussions to the next stage, soon finding and securing the former tyre depot on Kings Road, next door to independent Italian, Stuzzi.Jim said: “This place has been sat on the market derelict for about two years and I just felt people were missing a trick on it. It’s got great footfall, it’s right opposite the Conference Centre.

“I’ve been sat in Stuzzi looking at this unit and I’m thinking about what Stuzzi have done to re-invent a chemists and I thought there was an opportunity to retail our brews and create this little brew lab where we can hone and perfect recipes for IPAs and serve them on the great public of Harrogate. “Then our more successful recipes we’ll then go and produce on a larger scale.”

As soon as he was given the tour, Mick had fallen in love with the venue too, and the two were on the hunt for an investor.

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But while chatting to Roger, another Hoxton-customer-turned-friend, Mick discovered that Roger’s background was in the pub and bar industry.

Mick said: “He was ex-CEO of a couple of companies which got bought out by Mitchells & Butlers who own All Bar One and Slug and Lettuce. When Roger retired I think he was overlooking something like 2,500 pubs so the knowledge he brings is phenomenal.”

Now the business is no longer a dream and since the brewery and bar opened, customers have been keen to get a taste of what they have to offer.

Jim says that ‘first and foremost the business is a brewery’ and next week the trio plan to have both the food - homemade Dim Sum - and their brewing equipment, up and running.

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Right now, the pub has pints from all corners of Yorkshire with beers from Magic Rock brewery in Huddersfield, Northern Monk brewery in Leeds and their own larger from Wold Top brewery in Driffield.

Mick said: “I wanted to create somewhere where I’d like to go for a drink. If you ‘re working somewhere and you don’t like something then you haven’t got a smile on your face. but if you’re proud of it which we are, it shines through.”

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