Former Tap Social head brewer Jason Bolger and his partner Niki are opening a brewpub and café in Witney called Scarlet River, close to Marks & Spencer in the Marriotts Walk development on the edge of the town centre.
It is due to open during January selling mainly craft keg beer and cider, but Jason pushed for more cask production while at Tap and is having one hand pump on the bar.
“Our kids are named Scarlet and River, and our goal with the brewery is to work with and support veterans,” he said. “My partner Niki found a beautiful poem called ‘Where the Scarlet River Flows’ by J. Alexis-Hagues about remembrance, and we thought it seemed like a really good fit.
“I am not a veteran but everyone in my family has served, and my uncle retired as a Lieutenant-Colonel in the US Airforce. Helping veterans has always been something I have wanted to do and Niki shares the same passion.
“We are local to Witney, which has a really good nightlife and award winning pubs like the Three Horseshoes. It’s a really great place for food and drink, and we hope that the local and surrounding community will enjoy what we offer – a wide range of lagers and ales with a core range, seasonals, and specials that will change with every brew.”
Jason worked at a brewpub chain called Iron Hill and then Northville Brewery and Winery in his native USA, where he also made cider. Once he moved to the UK he started at Brewhouse and Kitchen in Portsmouth and then Southbourne, before joining Tap Social on its formation in 2016.
While Tap Social is dedicated to helping ex-prisoners back into jobs in civilian life, Scarlet River has a similar mission to help and support ex-servicemen.
Opening of Scarlet River means beer will be produced in the town once more. Jason added: “Niki and I are extremely excited to be bringing brewing back to Witney, as it does have a long history of breweries serving local communities. We hope to continue this and welcome everyone very soon.”
The brewpub and café becomes the second bar to open in a shop setting in Witney, as the Crafty Pint micro-pub (formerly Drummers Bar and Oxbrew) operates in the town centre. It is Oxford CAMRA’s current Town and Village Pub of the Year, and is Good Beer Guide listed.
Witney’s history of commercial brewing goes back to the 1830s when Clinch & Co’s Eagle Brewery opened. It had 74 pubs when bought out by Courage in 1962 and closed down, including some of the pubs still trading in Witney today and a couple in Oxford.
Its former maltings were later used by Glenny Brewery from 1983, which changed its name to Wychwood in 1989. In 1994 it moved back to the original site at the Eagle Maltings before becoming part of drinks distributor Refresh UK. Marston’s bought it out in 2008 and the Carlsberg Marston’s Brewing Company closed Wychwood in 2023, when it had a successful brewery tap. This ended nearly 200 years of brewing history in Witney….. until 2026.