New cider bar in Loughborough Junction reopens on Fri 19 to Sun 21 May 2017

[Brixton Hatter]

As some of you know, I've long harboured an ambition to leave my boring office job and pursue one of my passions in life - by opening a cider bar.

Now I've finally sorted it out to take the first step: the Platform Cider Bar will open for one weekend on Fri 12 June, Sat 13 June and Sun 14 June - and you're all invited.

The emphasis will be on real cider. I want to encourage people to enjoy proper ciders of the sort you don't usually get in pubs and bars. Like the stuff which is made in orchards just down the road in Kent. There will be other stuff too, but mainly real cider. The venue is only small and it's all a bit DIY, with mates helping me etc, plus I'll be building the furniture and bar etc by hand. It's my first try at doing something like this and I hope to learn something about what people like...as well as showing you all a good time!

Assuming nothing goes wrong (!) it'll be open again for the weekend from Fri 3 July. Who knows what happens after that….

Venue is the Platform Cider Bar, 2 Ridgway Road, SW9 7AH.

5pm - 11pm Friday
2pm - 11pm Saturday
2pm - 10.30pm Sunday

There is also a twitter feed and facebook page for more info if you're into all that.

To celebrate the opening of the bar, I'd like to offer a free pint to five urbanites. If you'd like a free pint, enter the magic words "cider i up landlord" on this thread and i'll pick five names at random during the week just before the opening.

Good luck!

(Cleared with mods.)

 

[Belushi]

Probably a bit much for me at the moment but that's great, hope its a huge success for you :thumbs :

 

[Brixton Hatter]

Probably a bit much for me at the moment but that's great, hope its a huge success for you :thumbs :

cheers, much appreciated.

There will also be quality apple juice, for those that don't want to quaff cider all day

 

[8115]

Good luck! What a great dream to have

 

[Manter]

Ooh, cider I (or the northerner) up landlord!

Good luck- how exciting!

 

[Brixton Hatter]

Ooh, cider I (or the northerner) up landlord!

Good luck- how exciting!

you're in the hat - and so is the northerner

 

[tufty79]

There will also be quality apple juice, for those that don't want to quaff cider all day

Nice one! Best of luck

 

[Thimble Queen]

See you there x

 

[Manter]

you're in the hat - and so is the northerner

He will be very pleased, and if I win may wrestle it off me.....

Great thing to do, how did you get it started? And making the bar furniture yourself is ace

 

[friendofdorothy]

cider i up landlord! buscador and me love real cider/perry/ale

 

[Brixton Hatter]

He will be very pleased, and if I win may wrestle it off me.....

Great thing to do, how did you get it started? And making the bar furniture yourself is ace

I've had the idea for ages - and I ran a cider bar in my back garden for mates for my last birthday. Getting somewhere to do it has been the main issue. The venue has been kindly provided by Meanwhile Space (a community interest company which helps to bring unused buildings/spaces back into use) - and you can see more about the project here: http://www.theplatformproject.com (there is a great lady there at the moment doing party decoration and event organising - she can do some amazing things with balloons!)

Building the furniture is really fun, but hard work - I'll post some pics here when I get the chance. Using old pallets to make benches etc.

 

[Brixton Hatter]

cider i up landlord! buscador and me love real cider/perry/ale

Excellent, sounds like your kind of place

I hope to have a draught perry there as well as ciders. And maybe some local beers if it doesn't get too complicated.

 

[Rushy]

Wow. Good on you. Nice one.

 

[Orang Utan]

I will be your best customer. Fair play Brixton Hatter !
The very best of luck.

Heads up Biddlybee & gaijingirl - I know you both like your cider too

 

[Brixton Hatter]

I have to say the place is fairly small, so it'll be cosy. Don't expect the Ritz! It's all about the quality of the drinks. And hopefully some witty banter from the staff

 

[SpamMisery]

Crikey! Best of luck!

How bigs the market for a cider bar?

Balls of steel! I definitely don't have the guts to try something like that.

 

[Orang Utan]

cider i up landlord

 

[Brixton Hatter]

Crikey! Best of luck!

How bigs the market for a cider bar?

Balls of steel! I definitely don't have the guts to try something like that.

Cheers

I have no idea about 'the market' to be honest…which is kind of why I'm trying it out. I don't think I'll really be able to leave my job, not in the short term anyway. But two weekends, try to learn something, see what happens next….

Dunno about balls of steel - I'm doing this for virtually no money. I've blagged the space, I'm building the furniture from recycled wood I've found off the street etc, it's all pretty DIY really!

 

[SpamMisery]

Well, hope it works

 

[Rushy]

Will you be stocking rough?

 

[gaijingirl]

cider i up landlord

 

[gaijingirl]

Brixton Hatter - this is brilliant - and so brave! I always wonder why there are so many real ale places but not cider - which is infinitely better stuff as we all know! (I feel similarly about all the coffee shops - what about the TEA GODDAMIT!).

I'm so impressed with this and (as a regular visitor to the National Cider Collection) I'm definitely going to visit. I wish you lots of success.

 

[Biddlybee]

What time are you open? Wondering if I can pop down with my girl

 

[gaijingirl]

oh and cider i up landlord on behalf of pugwash too (aka gaijinboy).

 

[Biddlybee]

And of course, got to echo what others have said up thread. Nice one for doing something you've thought about for so long, really hope it goes well

 

[SpamMisery]

Ok, so somebody had to post a wurzels video.... sorry

 

[colacubes]

This is top banana Brixton Hatter (or top apple even) Looking forward to it

 

[DietCokeGirl]

cider me up! I'll come and check this out for sure....good on you for taking the plunge and going for it.

 

[critical1]

cider i up landlord free Cider whats not to like

 

[gaijingirl]

only of course we're only bloody away that weekend... so it had better go well because my bestest and oldest mates are visiting the 3/4/5/ July and are cider-heads too, so that's definitely in the diary.