Manchester bar facing uncertain future given new lifeline

A Northern Quarter venue facing an uncertain future has been given a new lease of life.

The Fell Brewery, based in Cumbria, has announced it will take over Pelican, an independent craft beer bar on the corner of Dale Street and Tariff Street.

At the start of the year, Manchester brewery Squawk was forced to put an end to ten years of brewing world-renowned craft ales, IPAs and lagers after being ‘chucked out’ of their building for several months of maintenance works. The brewer said at the time it had come to the decision to 'hang up its boots'.

READ MORE: Inside the new Greater Manchester Italian restaurant that's like 'going to a show'

The brewery opened Pelican in 2023 and though the bar operates ‘independently’, it was suddenly left without a brewing partner. That’s where Fell comes in.

Andrew Carter, the Cumbrian breweries’ founder, told the M.E.N. “Pelican is a great venue. I’ve been there as a drinker a number of times and we’ve always had a really warm welcome and a brilliant atmosphere.

“It’s really unfortunate what has happened to Squawk. Pelican has always been a separate business but it had a really close relationship with the brewery. They approached us about a partnership to keep a close brewery relationship going. We intend to run it in very much the same ethos as when they were partnered with Squawk.”

Pelican has changed hands once before after it was previously owned by brewery Beatnikz Republic, another brewery that went bust in 2022. Its new owners stated in a social media post that ‘for the immediate future’ not much would change at the venue - they will continue to run under the name Pelican and all the existing staff will stay with the venue.

But Fell did indicate they were planning a ‘redesign’ in the coming months to bring the place more in keeping with their own style. It’s the brewery’s second foray into Manchester, with their first venue Fell Bar located in Chorlton since 2020.

“Manchester’s always been somewhere we’ve had a fantastic relationship with,” Carter mused.

Their new venue will not only feature beverages from Fell but also support other local businesses in the North, from natural wines to soft drinks, according to the founder.

People online reacted positively to the announcement. Local beer connoisseur Matthew Curtis called it “a very exciting development”. Commenters online congratulated the brewery, with one quipping it should be renamed “Fellican”.