CHELMSFORD'S first micropub is proving popular with beer-lovers and drawing a crowd most evenings, according to its owner.
John Prior, 52, from Chelmsford, opened The Hop Beer Shop on Moulsham Street less than two months ago and has found his new venture is a big hit, attracting customers with a variety of craft beers and its traditional pub atmosphere.
And in the run-up to Christmas, Mr Prior says business has been booming.
"It's been going very well so far, we're seeing regular faces, which is nice," he explained.
"It's already got such a good atmosphere. There's no music, there's just lots of chatter. Everything is set up for that – so the chairs are all at a height that's on the same level as the people standing, so people can chat to each other whether they're sitting down or standing up.
"People are interested in the local beer we have, they know what they want but they like to experiment too.
"We've also got white or red wine in to give people more of a choice; not everyone likes beer."
Setting up the pub was something of a labour of love for Mr Prior, who built everything in the pub himself, from the beer shelves to the tables.
Nikki Roxane, 43, who is starting to become a regular, said: "There are quite a few girls in here. I like the fact that it's not open really late. It's something a little bit different, it's just a lovely atmosphere and you never get any hassle in here either."
And despite initially worrying that the venture wouldn't be popular, Mr Prior is already impressing customers and has found that word-of-mouth has meant he hasn't had to advertise at all since opening a month ago today.
Nigel Taylor, 55, from Galleywood, said: "I actually read about this place in the Chronicle.
"I came down here because I've always liked real ale, so that's nice, there's no piped music and it's not a foody outlet. It's more like a pub used to be."
His wife Mandy Taylor, 53, added: "I wasn't sure about it as I'm not keen on ales, but they do red and white wine now so there's something here I can drink too."
And as well as serving different kinds of craft beer and ale, Mr Prior also said he hopes to run specialist evenings, such as a meet the brewer night, where customers can put questions to the makers of their favourite tipple.
