ICONIC pub chain BrewDog will be opening in a Basingstoke shopping centre early next year, the Gazette can reveal.

Festival Place has told the Gazette that it is in the ‘advanced’ stages of talks with the Scottish brewery, with plans for it to open early in 2022, following more than a year of speculation as to where and when the bar will open.

BrewDog revealed it would open a new bar in Basingstoke in October last year, but further information on the location has not been announced until now.

Speculation has been rife since then with regards to the location of the bar in the town, after BrewDOg founder James Watt made an announcement on Twitter, stating it was a “crazy time to be expanding”.

Now, Festival Place has confirmed it will be in the shopping centre, although it has not revealed the exact location.

Rumours have been circulating that it could be going into the unit currently occupied by Coal Grill and Bar, which is closing on January 4, 2022.

Festival Place has not been able to confirm this. However, BrewDog has applied to the borough council for a premises licence for the unit currently occupied by Coal. 

Famed for its Punk IPA, BrewDog started as an independent brewery in Scotland, and now serves a range of draft beer on tap, as well as tasty treats such as burgers, Buffalo wings and chicken waffles.

Festival Place said bringing BrewDog to the town is a “real coup” for the shopping centre, following on from the addition of Five Guys burger chain, which is preparing to welcome its first customers before Christmas.

Centre director Neil Churchill said: “We are in advanced talks with BrewDog and we hope to be bringing another exciting name to our visitors in the New Year.”