Hello! We’re an independent brewery called Siren. Founded in a small industrial estate in Berkshire 11 years ago, we’ve grown into a business employing more than 60 people, and brewing the equivalent of more than 4 million pints of beer in 2023.
In May this year we’ll be opening the doors to our flagship tap room in the centre of Reading. For a limited time only, we’re inviting the whole community to get involved, with some great rewards up for grabs at the same time.
You might have seen our beers in the likes of Waitrose, Sainsbury’s or Morrisons, had a pint of Soundwave in a Fuller’s pub or Craft Beer Co bar, or had a can of Lumina with your Rudy’s pizza. We’ve been proud to work with some of the best independent venues in the country, including the likes of Clay’s, the Fox & Hounds, The Nag’s Head and The Grumpy Goat and The Greyfriar in Reading itself. We'll be doing everything we can to introduce as many new faces as possible to the great venues that Reading has to offer.
Our flagship stout, Broken Dream, was awarded Champion Beer of Britain by CAMRA, and we’ve been fortunate to pick up accolades such as the Best Brewery in the UK and consistently rated a Top 100 brewer in the world by Ratebeer. In 2018, around 1,500 people came on board as investors in our brewery through crowdfunding. This community is inspiring, so we’d love to be able to replicate that in our new town centre location.
Why We're Doing This
Despite the efforts of some incredible small, independent businesses, when people talk about the food & drink scene in Reading, it’s so often in relation to the amount of chain venues in the town. For all the exciting openings, every year great people and great concepts are forced out of the town. In turn, the opportunities for our regional producers and suppliers of any kind, are then also restricted. We love pouring brewery-fresh beer and showcasing other brands from our tap room in Finchampstead, but appreciate it’s not the easiest location to get to, and we’re not blessed with a huge amount of space.
All of this is why a flagship bar in our hometown has been so high on our wishlist for such a long time. We’ve been trying to find the right location to allow us to deliver on the ambitious vision we have for it.
We’ll be bringing more than 30 lines of brewery fresh beer to the town centre, in a 3,800 sq ft space in the brand new Station Hill development. Just a stone’s throw from the train station, it’s going to be very exciting to have a space that doesn’t require a fully committed pilgrimage to get to.
The idea behind this expansion is to create a flagship home for our brand. Along with the beer lineup, which will include guest beers from all around, we’re also investing in a high-spec kitchen and top team to deliver tasty, street food inspired accompaniments in a space unlike any in the area. We want to create a home to showcase independent producers of all kinds.
We don’t want this project just to be for beer drinkers, first and foremost it should be a place that you and your family and friends, and their friends, want to spend time. So wines, cocktails and all kinds of non-alcoholic options will be given just as much attention as the beers. Creating an environment for everyone is so important to us. Just check out the highlights from our recent 11th Anniversary Brewery Party.
Station Hill Development
Finding the right location, and the right landlord, has been a crucial part of why it’s taken us so long to do this. Station Hill is a massively ambitious project to regenerate the space around Reading train station. They continue to work with us to ensure this project is a success for us and for the development as a whole. We’re confident that this will be a big positive step for the town. We know all too well that times are not easy in hospitality right now. One thing we’ve learned about ourselves is that we love to make positive moves and tell positive stories when our backs are against the wall. We’re very lucky that our customer base responds to that, and we can feed off each other.
Next Steps
So, do you want to come along for the journey? This is a one-off opportunity to get involved directly in the project.
We’re inviting crowdfunder pledges starting from £50. By joining in, you’ll able to redeem your pledge, plus a bonus amount, as credit on our webshop or bar tab in the new location. We estimate that this will be available from August 1st and will be valid to spend for 18 months. It may be that we can deliver on this early.
Along with getting your boosted balance to spend with us, you’ll notice other exclusives on offer, including limited edition merchandise, or access to unique events. All the information can be found on this page.
Stretch Target
One of the amazing benefits to this site is the generous outside space we’ve been allocated. As you’ll see in the visuals, or perhaps if you’ve walked by recently, there is a large covered area to the side of the venue. We’re able to use up to half of this area as an incredible central beer garden. We have budgeted to do this work in year two of the bar. However, if you help us meet the stretch goal, we’ll commit to opening the space up THIS SUMMER. We would love to share some pints with you when the sun finally makes an appearance*.
Closing Note
Okay, so that was a lot of words. We’re doing everything we can to bring a positive story to Reading this Spring. We’ll be working as hard as possible to make this a platform for independent businesses of all kinds, making the space an excellent place to spend time, whether you like beer or not. Or not yet. We hope that you’ll join us.
Important Information
- If you're choosing a t-shirt level, the size you choose now cannot be changed. Click here for size guide.
- Any physical rewards such as t-shirts must be collected in person.
- Credit balance will expire 18 months from the date that it's delivered.
- All rewards, including credit, will be delivered by 01/08/24. This means that you probably won't be able to use credit at any pre-launch or launch parties.
- Launch event date is dependent on timescales being met in the building phase. While we will communicate details as soon as possible, it could be short notice.
- If you want to purchase a reward as a gift for someone else, please use their name and contact details to avoid any confusion.
- This crowdfunder is open to 2018 investors. Any previous discounts that apply in Siren Tap Yard will also apply in Siren Reading.
- Once the credit is live, there won't be any restrictions on when you can use it during opening hours.
- Credit won't apply to gift vouchers or mystery boxes.
*Sunshine not guaranteed
Testimonials
Don’t just take our word for it. Here are some thoughts from members of our community.
Antonio, Siren Crowdfunding Investor:
Despite living in Madrid, I have been always very close to and fond of the British craft beer scene, with a particular love for classic stouts and porters. I remember the plans for a canning line being particularly impressive, because along with the passion that many breweries have, there also seemed to be a business competence in the team.
Since investing I have flown in to attend several Siren events, notably the Time Hops festival and the 10th Anniversary party. I had the opportunity of exchanging some words with Darron and again, once the beer conversation flows, the business profile arises and gives me confidence in a well-managed company. I really enjoy being able to reach and talk with people including all the Siren team, but also the guests. (I especially remember meeting Dave Grant from Fierce, after seeing his Fierce t-shirt and chatting, I later found out he was the Founder and MD!).
It is a combination of fun, tourism, sense of community/being part of something. Living abroad and travelling, although a pain, makes it a little more epic or special. I love the mature, transparent and periodic information about the company, the business and the craft scene context, via newsletter and posts. Broken Dream might be my favourite Siren beer, so I can’t wait to drink one in the new bar.
Shane, Are You Listening Festival / Down At The Abbey Festival:
Last year Are You Listening and Siren Craft both celebrated their 10th birthdays. Siren came up with a fantastic way to commemorate and celebrate this by producing the AYL beer in cans, which was very well received by our audience and quickly sold out. Siren making an additional charity donation on each can sold highlighted their shared commitment to supporting local communities. They have been a fundamental and integral to realising the vision we had for Down at the Abbey. The support they offered the festival in these critical first years was simply beyond what we could have expected from a drinks partner. Having great local beer available at our event is a key element for our audience. We can't wait to see this project come to life.
George, Siren Tap Yard Customer
I love spending time at the Siren Tap Yard for many reasons. Firstly there is the selection of world class beers, from the regular offerings to the never ending variety of specials. It means every time I go I can try something new or go back to an old friend like Broken Dream. Then there is the food offering - from the in house pizzas and street food to the guest street food providers - they are always great and make a great accompaniment to the excellent beer. There are always events on at the Tap Yard from tastings to birthday parties to rugby matches on TV to beer festivals.
All are great to go to. And to go along with the food, drink and events there is the Tap Yard team. They are always friendly, helpful, engaging and knowledgable about what is availible and upcoming. They are always welcoming whether I'm popping in for a pint or two or collecting a web order.
I really enjoy the whole feel and vibe down at Siren. It's a great combination of a great local business interacting with and becoming part of the local community. I am slightly obsessed with Siren and my kids raise their eyebrows as they hear me evangelising about Siren, although they do this less now that they are old enough to enjoy it all themselves as well now!
One of my most memorable visits was the morning of the Rugby World Cup Semi Final against New Zealand in Japan. The Taproom opened early and were serving "Breakfast Pizzas"! (a pizza with an english Breakfast on it!). I had one with a few "thirds" of broken Dream and watched one of the best England performances I have ever seen - a great way to start any day!