From post to pints for former Mold postman who has opened micropub in North Wales

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The micropub revolution is seeing hundreds of no-frills boozers opening in unlikely spaces across the UK.

Jamie Bowman speaks to the former Mold postman who has opened the first micropub in North Wales.



After years of tricky trading, a new movement is spearheading a real ale revival as would-be landlords hearken back to life when we drank and served in more traditional boozers.

The micropub movement was initially spearheaded by the Micropub Association, which was co-founded by Stu Hirst and Martyn Hillier in 2012.

Martyn led the way when he opened the first micropub in Herne, Kent, in 2005, and since then the Micropub Association has set out to build a community of like-minded real ale pioneers willing and able to share their experiences.

Defining a micropub as ‘a small freehouse which listens to its customers, mainly serves cask ales, promotes conversation, shuns all forms of electronic entertainment and dabbles in traditional bar snacks’, the association has now inspired Mold’s first micropub with owner Gareth Jones preparing for his first Christmas behind the bar at the Alehouse after opening nine months ago.

“It’s been a fantastic year,” says Gareth when we met up for a pint at his premises on Earl Road, which he proudly tells me is North Wales’ first micropub.

“We’ve been supported really well by the local community and breweries and everyone has been telling us what a fantastic idea it was to do this in Mold. “

Gareth, 40, and his wife Rebecca launched their business in spring this year after Gareth left his job with Royal Mail where he had worked for 21 years.

“I suppose I’ve gone from delivering letters to delivering beer,” he laughs.

“My wife would say I’ve supported the real ale industry really well over the years so I suppose it’s time we got something back.

“I’ve probably spent too much of my spare time in pubs over the years but something I’m passionate about is local real ale and after reading an article about the micropub movement and how successful it has been, I thought ‘someone should do that in Mold’.

“It was a brave decision to leave what was a safe position and I wish someone else had done it because I’d be the other side of the bar now!”

The Campaign For Real Ale’s (CAMRA) 2016 Good Beer Guide reported that the number of micropubs across the UK has risen to over 200 with a huge rise in microbreweries also showing the taste for real ale is growing.

Between 2015 and 2016, over 200 breweries opened, taking the total close to 1,500, which compares to pre-war numbers.

“One thing that is booming at the moment is micropubs and microbreweries,” agrees Gareth, who adds that his micropub has sold over 260 different beers since opening.

“We both go hand in hand and we try and support local breweries like Hafod and Black Brook in Mold as well as many others.”

One key aspect of the micropubs has been their ability to open in unusual or previously disused buildings, often in areas where they can play a key role in the regeneration of town centres.

Mold Alehouse has found its home on the ground floor of the Grade II listed Earl Chambers in a space previously used as a coffee shop but which is probably more familiar to locals as the old Chester Chronicle office.

Once inside, an arched entrance leads to a single room where a small number of tables, chairs and high stools surround a central column.

The bar is at the far end and its six hand pumps serve four cask ales and two ciders which are predominantly local and constantly rotate. There is also a good collection of bottled beers, lagers and ciders from the UK and beyond.

“I’ve done a lot of research to find out what works and what doesn’t and I suppose the biggest things we’ve taken on board are that there’s no music, no electronic entertainment, no TVs or that kind of thing,” says Gareth.

“We serve mostly cask ale and we want to encourage people to have a conversation.

“When you walk in on a Saturday night that’s what you hear – people talking and getting to know each other.

“I know people who have been coming in here and have lived in Mold all their lives but didn’t know each other and now they are good friends. That’s what it’s all about.”

Originally from Anglesey, Welsh-speaking Gareth is under no illusions how difficult a job he has on his hands to maintain the pub’s initial success but he is determined to stick to the original principles of the movement.

“It was difficult in the summer when Wales were doing so well in the football but I was determined to stick with the no TVs rule,” he says.

“I was waiting for people to come in and tell me the score but there was no need as I could hear the cheers from all across town.

“If you look at our opening hours it says that we are closed Monday and Tuesday but that doesn’t mean I stop working. I’m always here and it’s not as easy as people think, but I didn’t think it would be that easy and I came into it with my eyes open.”

Gareth and Rebecca, who still works full-time, employ one other staff member.

On Thursday the husband and wife team will be hosting a ‘Meet the Brewer’ event with Wrexham-based Big Hand Brewing at 7pm.

“This will be our third ‘Meet the Brewer’ event and they’ve been very successful so far,” adds Gareth.

“We usually have four cask ales on the bar and two ciders but on the night all six beers will be ones from Big Hand, including a new stout which we will be the first to serve.

“The head brewer Dave will explain his processes and the story of how they got going and as usual there will be free bowls of cheese and samples of the beers making their rounds.

“We’ve had fantastic support from our customers in Mold and surrounding areas as well as from the Vale of Clwyd CAMRA branch so we hope to see lots of people there.”