Full Circle Brew Co to Open First Pub at Fenwick Newcastle

Key Points

• Full Circle Brew Co will open its first-ever pub in the city of Fenwick, Newcastle, in October 2026.
• The new space will be on the first floor where The Golden Flake Tavern, the partnership between Greggs-Fenwick, was once located.
• This pub will have 12 taps and two cask lines, all running Full Circle beers and guest beers from independent UK breweries.
• Food will be available at Peckin’ Order, including fried chicken and smash burgers.
• Full Circle will offer beer tasting events, collaborations and tap takeovers at the new city centre location.
• Ben Cleary, the brewery’s founder, called the day of opening a “huge moment” for the brewery.
• Full Circle is a family of companies, and its brewery and taproom will remain its home, with the new pub providing the brand with a broader reach within the city centre.
• Kieran McBride, store director at Fenwick Newcastle, gave a thumbs-up to the brewery as part of Fenwick’s commitment to support the independent food and drink industry in Newcastle.
• Full Circle now has an international reputation, with its beers being sold in the UK and exported to 12 countries.
• Looper IPA has garnered Gold medals at SIBA BeerX (2022, 2024), Asia Beer Awards and FHA Beer Awards.
• In the past, Full Circle worked with Fenwick and Greggs on the beers served at The Golden Flake Tavern.
• Further information about the exact opening date and launch events is expected to be announced in the coming weeks.

Newcastle (Newscastle Times) September 4, 2026: Full Circle Brew Co is set to open its first-ever pub inside Fenwick Newcastle in October, bringing a new independent beer venue to the city centre with 12 taps, two cask lines, rotating guest beers, collaborations and food from Newcastle street food business Peckin’ Order. The pub will be located on the first floor of the department store in the space previously occupied by The Golden Flake Tavern, the temporary Greggs-Fenwick pub that became a major local retail and hospitality collaboration.

The announcement marks a significant expansion for the Newcastle brewery, which has spent the past seven years developing its operation at Hoults Yard. Full Circle has grown from a local brewing operation into an established independent beer business, with its products now sold throughout the UK and exported to 12 countries.

Why is Full Circle Brew Co opening its first pub at Fenwick Newcastle in 2026?

The new venue represents Full Circle’s move beyond brewing and into direct hospitality. According to reporting published by The Morning Advertiser on September 4, the brewery intends to use the Fenwick site as a city-centre showcase for independent brewing rather than creating a pub dedicated exclusively to its own beers.

The approach means customers will be able to drink Full Circle beers while also discovering products from other independent breweries across the UK. Guest beer rotations, collaborations and tap takeovers are planned as part of the venue’s programme.

The pub will have 12 taps and two cask lines, giving the brewery space to maintain a substantial Full Circle presence while introducing changing selections from other producers.

For Full Circle, the move also creates a direct connection between its brewing identity and the wider Newcastle hospitality market. Its existing brewery and taproom remain central to the business, but the Fenwick location provides access to customers visiting the city centre and the department store.

Where will Full Circle’s new Newcastle pub be located?

The pub will be situated on the first floor of Fenwick Newcastle, occupying the space formerly used by The Golden Flake Tavern.

The location gives Full Circle a strong connection to a site where it has already worked with Fenwick and Greggs. The brewery produced the exclusive beers for The Golden Flake Tavern, making the forthcoming pub a continuation of an existing relationship rather than an entirely new partnership.

The Golden Flake Tavern was a 2025 collaboration between Fenwick and Greggs. Greggs described it as its first-ever pub, with the venue opening inside Fenwick Newcastle and featuring Greggs-inspired food, drinks and beers developed with Full Circle Brew Co.

The previous venue therefore established the first hospitality concept in the space, while Full Circle’s new operation will give the location a different long-term identity centred on independent brewing.

What will customers find on the beer menu?

The new Full Circle pub is expected to focus on variety rather than a fixed beer list. Its 12 taps and two cask lines will allow Full Circle to serve its own beers alongside rotating selections from independent breweries.

The brewery has specifically said that guest beers, collaborations and tap takeovers will form part of the offer. That means the selection is expected to change regularly rather than remaining limited to Full Circle’s core range.

The strategy also reflects the brewery’s stated intention to support the wider independent brewing sector. Founder Ben Cleary said the company wanted the venue to champion other independent breweries rather than concentrate exclusively on Full Circle products.

As reported by The Morning Advertiser, Cleary said:

“There’ll be plenty of Full Circle on the bar, but we also want to use the space to champion other brilliant independent breweries.”

That model could make the pub a useful city-centre meeting point for customers interested in craft and independent beer, while giving visiting breweries opportunities for collaborations and tap takeovers.

What food will Peckin’ Order serve at the new pub?

Food will be provided by Peckin’ Order, a Newcastle street food operator that will bring its fried chicken and smash burgers to the new Full Circle venue.

The partnership gives the pub a dedicated food identity alongside its beer programme. Rather than relying solely on bar snacks, the venue will offer substantial dishes designed to complement the drinks operation.

Full Circle founder Ben Cleary highlighted the importance of the food partnership when discussing the plans for the venue.

“We love great pubs and everything that comes with them, and having Peckin’ Order serving their food alongside the beers is a massive part of what we want the venue to be.”

Cleary said.

The combination of independent beer and Newcastle street food is intended to strengthen the venue’s local identity while creating a broader hospitality proposition for Fenwick customers and city-centre visitors.

What has Ben Cleary said about Full Circle’s first pub?

Full Circle founder Ben Cleary described the opening as an important milestone for the company.

“Opening our first pub is a huge moment for us, and we couldn’t think of a better place to do it than in the heart of Newcastle.”

Cleary said.

He explained that Full Circle had always aimed to be more than a brewery producing its own beer. The company’s plans for the Fenwick venue therefore include an emphasis on the wider pub experience as well as the drinks themselves.

Cleary also pointed to the brewery’s previous relationship with Fenwick and Greggs, saying that moving into the former Golden Flake Tavern space felt like a natural progression after the earlier collaboration.

“Fenwick is such an iconic part of Newcastle and, having already worked with Fenwick and Greggs on the Golden Flake Tavern, taking over the space feels like a really exciting and natural next step for us.”

He said.

He added that Full Circle’s brewery and taproom in Ouseburn would remain the company’s home, while the new pub would allow the business to reach a different audience in Newcastle city centre.

How has Fenwick Newcastle responded to the Full Circle pub plans?

Fenwick Newcastle has welcomed the brewery’s arrival and presented the project as part of its continuing support for independent food and drink businesses in the city.

Kieran McBride, store director at Fenwick Newcastle, said the department store was “delighted” to welcome Full Circle Brew Co and highlighted the brewery’s local roots and community focus.

McBride said:

“Full Circle is a fantastic local business with a strong community spirit, and we’re excited to see them bring their first city-centre pub to life at Fenwick Newcastle.”

He added that Fenwick looked forward to welcoming its customers and the wider community to the new venue in October.

The statement places the new pub within Fenwick’s wider strategy of working with North East food, drink and retail businesses. The department store has previously hosted a series of temporary food and drink concepts, including The Golden Flake Tavern.

How is the new pub connected to The Golden Flake Tavern?

Full Circle’s forthcoming pub is directly connected to The Golden Flake Tavern through both its location and its previous brewing partnership.

The Golden Flake Tavern was created by Greggs and Fenwick as a temporary pub concept and opened at Fenwick Newcastle in September 2025. Greggs said the venue featured its first pub concept, with Full Circle responsible for two specially created beers.

Those beers included Pink Jammie Pale Ale and Gosforth 1939 Stottie Lager. Full Circle said the first was inspired by Greggs’ Pink Jammie doughnut, while the second drew on the North East stottie and the history of Greggs.

The Golden Flake Tavern later reached the end of its temporary run. Get Into Newcastle reported that the venue was due to close in March 2026 following its period of operation at Fenwick.

Full Circle’s new pub will therefore bring a permanent brewery-led hospitality concept into a space that has already been associated with an innovative North East food and drink collaboration.

What awards has Full Circle Brew Co won?

Full Circle’s expansion comes after a period of recognition across the brewing industry.

The brewery’s flagship Looper IPA has received multiple awards. According to the announcement, it won Gold in the keg IPA category at SIBA BeerX in both 2022 and 2024. It also won Gold at the Asia Beer Awards in 2023 and the FHA Beer Awards in 2024.

Full Circle has also received recognition through the SIBA Business Awards for areas including community engagement, its brewery webshop and collaborative partnerships.

The company’s collaborations with Fenwick and Greggs have added another dimension to its profile, linking the brewery with established North East brands and giving it exposure beyond the specialist beer market.

Its beers are now sold across the UK and exported to 12 countries, according to the current announcement, demonstrating the scale the business has reached since establishing its brewing operation.

How has Full Circle grown from its Hoults Yard base?

Full Circle Brew Co has operated from Hoults Yard for approximately seven years, developing the site from an empty warehouse into a brewery, taproom and events space.

The brewery’s name has a family connection. Founder Ben Cleary chose Full Circle as a reference to his grandparents, who had worked in the pub and beer trade.

The business subsequently developed its presence in Newcastle’s independent brewing scene, supplying beers to venues across the city and wider North East.

Full Circle’s own published information has highlighted its relationships with several Newcastle venues, while its collaboration with Fenwick and Greggs demonstrated its ability to develop bespoke products for major local brands.

The new Fenwick pub is consequently another stage in the company’s development, taking the brand from brewery and taproom operations into a dedicated city-centre pub.

Why could the new venue strengthen Newcastle’s independent food and drink scene?

The project brings together several elements of Newcastle’s independent hospitality sector in one location.

Full Circle is a locally established brewery, while Peckin’ Order is a Newcastle street food business. The pub will also provide a platform for independent breweries from elsewhere in the UK through guest beers, collaborations and tap takeovers.

That structure could give the venue a broader role than a conventional brewery pub. Instead of promoting only one producer, Full Circle intends to use the site to showcase different independent breweries while maintaining its own beers as a central part of the offer.

The approach also follows Full Circle’s existing history of collaboration. Its work with Greggs and Fenwick on The Golden Flake Tavern produced bespoke beers and connected the brewery with two prominent North East businesses.

The new venue will continue that collaborative approach while giving Full Circle greater control over its own hospitality operation.

When will Full Circle’s first Fenwick pub open?

Full Circle Brew Co has confirmed that its first pub is scheduled to open at Fenwick Newcastle in October 2026. The exact opening date and details of launch events have not yet been announced and are expected to follow in the coming weeks.

The confirmed plans include 12 taps, two cask lines, Full Circle beers, rotating guest beers, collaborations, tap takeovers and food from Peckin’ Order.

The venue will occupy the former Golden Flake Tavern space on Fenwick Newcastle’s first floor, creating a new chapter for a location that has already hosted one of the city’s most notable food-and-drink collaborations.

For Full Circle, the opening represents a move into a new stage of its business while retaining its Ouseburn brewery and taproom as its main home.

The brewery’s expansion also comes as Newcastle continues to attract independent food, drink and hospitality concepts into established city-centre locations. Full Circle’s decision to use the Fenwick site as a showcase for independent brewing places its new pub within that wider city-centre trend.

Further details about the launch date, opening events and the initial guest beer programme are expected to be released ahead of the October opening.