THE Kings Head pub in Chepstow is celebrating a successful first weekend after the opening night last Friday (29th January). The pub had been renovated after closing last year, and since changing ownership has been leased to Caldicot’s Castles Brewery Ltd for 15 years, ensuring a longterm presence in the town. The Kings Head is the first direct outlet for the quality cask ales and bottles for the brewery, who have gone from strength to strength since being set up in October 2013.

Alongside the new-look renovations, the pub has the latest bar licence in Chepstow. With the opening of the first floor bar, there are big plans for the rest of the building over the coming year. The beer garden is next to be renovated, and the third floor has been converted into two rooms which will be hired out for activities.

There are also plans to convert the second floor into a function room with cocktail lounge and bar, which would be available to hire for birthdays and parties.

Nathan Micic, Director of Castles Brewery said: “The opening night and weekend went really well. We had a DJ on the Friday and on Saturday we had local band The Bug Club performing. The feedback from the weekend was very positive, which is what we aimed for, especially to try and change the reputation of the building.

“We realised the brewery required some form of direct outlet in order to progress. The emphasis won’t solely be on real ales, but it will be a factor. We have had hand-pulls installed in the bar, which is the first time for a number of years. We will be having guest ales on in the future, but for now we are concentrating on providing our own quality ales.

“The location in Chepstow at the top of town is an ideal spot, and we now have the longest licence in Chepstow and so can cater for the late drinking on Friday and Saturday night. Chepstow has a rich variety of pubs to suit every need, and we feel we can add to that by providing something which isn’t currently in a place; a multi-functional hub in the centre of town.”