Eleventh hour reprieve for popular Hastings beer shop

In February owners Mary Redmond and Nick Richards announced that the family run craft beer bottle shop and tap room would close in August after eight years if new owners could not be found.

The couple had started a family and although they loved running the shop, thought it was time for a new direction.

Nick said at the time: “We're incredibly proud, still sometimes in a slightly disbelieving way, of what we've built over the past eight years, and hope it doesn't have to end here. We'd love to find a suitably beer obsessed individual, couple or club who values the business and feels destined to take it on.”

It looked almost certain to close this summer, but they have announced that a new owner has been found to continue its running.

Nick said: “This happy family are thrilled to reveal that Eel and Bear will indeed continue its life beyond our tenure. “More details to follow, but we're extraordinarily pleased to say that we will be open as usual until August 2nd, and then, assuming everything goes through nice and speedy, the shop will reopen the following week with a new captain at the helm. “We hope you will join us in raising a glass to the future of our beloved Eel and Bear.”

The shop stocks a ange of beers from across the globe as well as ciders, organic wines and mead. It says it offers the biggest selection of craft beers in the Hastings and Rother area.

Beer expert Dale Harvey rated Eel and Bear as one of the best bottle shops he had ever come across when he visited Hastings as part of his Great British Pub Crawl series.

He has visited more than 5,000 pubs and bars, sampling beers and reviewing the premises.