ABOUT US
From shipping container to old coal yard.
The Old Coal Yard
A unique event space at the mouth of the Ouseburn.
A space for good beer, live music & a nice time.
BEER
We are the taproom for Northern Alchemy Brewery. We serve from keg and direct from tank so you get to experience our beer at it’s very freshest. If you’re not a beer lover we also serve a wide variety of other alcoholic and non alcoholic beverages. Everything we serve is picked for it’s high quality and delicious flavours!
EVENTS
We host a variety of different events throughout the month. We aim to have someting to please all and ensure that all events are accessible to everyone. For more info on what’s coming up please check out our ‘Events’ tab. If you wish to put on your own event please get in touch!
PAY WHAT YOU FEEL
Here at The Old Coal Yard we believe everyone should have access to quality live events regardless of their financial situation.
1/3rd of all tickets, for any self-promoted event here, are reserved for our PWYF programming.
From shipping container to The Old Coal Yard…..
In 2014 two brothers-in-law Andy Aitchison & Carl Kennedy took their love and knowledge of good beer up a notch and started Northern Alchemy Brewery. Using their own family savings they started with a 100 litre brew kit to develop their first recipes and bring them to market. All from a converted shipping container that was lovingly named ‘The Lab’, at their first home The Cumberland Arms in the vibrant Ouseburn in Newcastle upon Tyne. It was soon evident that they needed to up production to meet demand, so they invested in a bespoke built 300 litre brew kit. This led to them producing kegged and bottled beers for their local market with some being transported to a wider audience around the UK. By 2017 it was clear that the range of beers were hitting the spot with drinking customers. Another step up was needed, but having maximised every millimetre of space in The Lab it was time to look for larger premises. There was a strong desire to stay within the geographical area where they had made their start and their name as Northern Alchemy.
With a pinch of luck and a dash of patience they eventually found their current home at 12 Elizabeth Street merely 100 meters from their original spot. At the time it was being used as a scrap and skip hire business and although it needed a herculean effort to turn it in to a usable brewery space. The Old Coal Yard was born. With spanking new 10bbl brew house and a set of triple-purpose fermentors that allow for the production of cask, keg and eventually canned beers. Constantly striving to bring ‘flavour led – crafty beers’ they now sell across the UK and further afield. The amazing former Coal Yard also offered exciting opportunities for open events and gigs. Starting with the occasional weekender in 2018 of events and parties The Old Coal Yard is now open as the breweries tap room and event space most weekends of the year with a varied programme ranging from gigs to markets, from birthday parties to weddings and much much more. Here in the cultural heart of one of the cities best loved areas Northern Alchemy continue to grow and develop with a team of five now producing the kind of beers that make them excited to be involved in this countries excellent beer scene.
ACCESSIBILITY AT THE OLD COAL YARD
Here at The Old Coal Yard we believe everyone should have access to quality live events regardless of their financial situation. If you find yourself low on money don’t fret! We’re here for you and believe you should still be able to access what happens here.
1/3rd of all tickets, for any self-promoted event here, are reserved for our PWYF programming.
(You will never have to prove your financial situation, nor explain yourself, to us.)
When you arrive you will be given a PWYF envelope (if you haven’t already paid for a ticket). This will explain how to do so ‘on the night’ with either cash or card payments should that be possible for you.
All PWYF payments will be anonymous. Whatever you can afford to support this work, pop it into the envelope and 100% of it will go towards paying the artists/performers/technicians/etc. It warms our hearts when folk who otherwise couldn’t come along to an event can make use of this scheme and join us here, even a wee thank you note in the envelope has a value to us because it helps us know that what we’re doing is needed.
