Underneath the arches: the best new brewery in Greater Manchester

Starting a small business with a small budget can be a challenge. To do it single-handed, even more so.

So says Paul Greetham, founder of Beatnikz Republic Brewing.

“It was a labour of love, but I’m pleased we now have very qualified people brewing and looking after our customers.”

Paul believes Manchester is the destination for beer lovers, with a large number of new breweries finding a home here, not just brewing ‘well-made beer’ but open to new ideas while preserving an appreciation and love for traditional style beer.

One of their greatest achievements so far was being named Best New Brewer in Greater Manchester 2017 by RateBeer, the world’s biggest beer rating website.

“It was voted for by the consumer so it makes it even more special,” says Paul.

Beatnikz Republic Brewing & Co. started 18 months ago, travelling to different breweries before finally settling in Manchester as their permanent home. They’ve been brewing in their archway space for just under 12 months.

“The archways are a really good home for us because they’re the right kind of size, the right kind of location. There were a lot lot of industrial sites that were available when we were looking but they were much further out of town.

“Being in central Manchester based lets us be part of this kind of community and allows us to really get to know our local pubs and the local market.”

He is grateful craft beer is steadily becoming more and more popular.

“There was a time not too long ago when 99.9% of beer produced was made for profit. Now there’s a small army of passionate producers making beer that focuses on taste.
Our passion for beer stems from the producers that inspired us from the US and more recently, the UK.”

They brew lots of different beers because they love experimenting with flavours, but Paul admits they’ve probably made their signature single hop Extra Pale in cask more than most.

In keg, Tropic Fiesta is their session IPA packed with tropical fruit flavours and balanced bitterness. Although they mostly brew ales, they’ve recently started experimenting with lager.

The archways lend themselves to collaborations between like-minded creative entrepreneurs, which essentially leads to businesses helping each other grow.

“We made a collaboration beer with the Pilcrow pub and the skateboard shop Note to celebrate their 18th birthday of being in business. It’s a tremendous achievement and we made a Worker Beer, which everyone enjoyed,” says Paul.

They’re now looking to open their own bar in the Northern Quarter in the next couple of months.

“The main aim at the moment is to build on the initial success we’ve had and let our new team take the brewery to the next level – hopefully all within our arch, but only time will tell if we can stay in the place we love.

“This is why people need to be aware of the current issues surrounding the arches and why it’s so important such arches exist.”

Paul believes independent businesses such as his micro-brewery give the city diversity and character.

“If you travel through Manchester, Leeds or London, you’ll see a lot of the familiar things all over the high street. It’s the independents that give the city its character and that life that is so important to a city.

“Being in Manchester is vital for their business thriving, and that is mainly because locals have always been very welcoming and supportive of newcomers. We couldn’t imagine being anywhere else, really.”

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