The Crafty Taproom opens!

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MyMarlow was lucky enough to be invited to the soft opening of Marlow’s newest food and drink venue. The Crafty Taproom is at 77 High Street, where Cafe Copia used to be. It was a fun evening – as you might expect in a bar! Official opening is planned to be around 2pm Thursday, so why not pop in before or after the Christmas Light Switch On?!

What is The Crafty Taproom?

As the name strongly suggests – craft beer is at the heart of things here, with a varied selection on offer – on tap and in cans and bottles. You can drink onsite, or take away.

But it is not JUST about the beer… there is plenty more choice. They have teamed up with local Chalgrove wines to bring a selection of wines, plus spirits including a number of locally produced gins including Marlow Gin and Cross Stream, both made right here in town.

In the coming days there will be food on offer too, based around “small plates”, the sort of thing that will be perfect for nibbling on whilst enjoying a drink. There will be 6 dishes available at any one time, all from a rotating selection. Everything is home made too.

Unfortunately they recently discovered a large leak in their kitchen, which delayed their opening and also means we will have to wait a few days for the full food offering!

Meet the team

The Crafty Taproom really is a family affair. The business is run by beer enthusiast Phil Reeve and his wife Johanna, whose daughter Lois Proud is the Bar Manager. Johanna’s brother Dan is the head chef, and other brother Harry is the sous chef. Phil’s brother even made the furniture!

What does it look like?

The layout is basically the same as the Cafe Copia, ie the bar is in the same location. They have tried to use recycled materials as much as possible, and the furniture is handmade – by Phil’s brother as mentioned above. It makes a refreshing change from other Marlow venue’s – all very rustic, but welcoming.

Whats do they stock?

There is a wide range on offer – a changing selection of ales on tap, bottles beers, spirits and wine.

The logos in this image gives an idea of the various suppliers the team are working with. Of course it is great to see such a great selection of top local food and drink producers included!

This gives an idea of the keg ales on offer on the opening night. Of course this will change – that’s the whole point!

There was a good range, with a lot of variety – and we look forward to hearing what Marlow’s beer fans think.

MyMarlow’s view

The Crafty Taproom certainly does bring something different to town, in terms of drink offering, approach and ambiance. Given the success of similar places elsewhere, like The Keg in Bourne End it seems unusual perhaps it has taken so long for something like The Crafty Taproom to appear. It should do well, given the popularity of craft beer, and the fact they do offer other drinks too.

The bar is also being run by a lovely family – good luck to them!

Keep up to date

Gallery

Check out some of our photos of the evening, and the bar itself below.

Article author: Paul Merchant

About the author: Founded MyMarlow.co.uk in its original version back in 2000 - yes the internet DID exist back then. Brought up in Marlow, went to school here, now has children at the same schools. Quite clearly loves all things Marlow - hence spending over 2 decades doing this!

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