Hop Chapel, Swindon

The Hop Chapel was formerly the brewery for the Broad Town Brewery. It is located on a country road to the south of the M4. These days, the brewery has moved elsewhere, but the building has been redeveloped as the brewery tap for the same brewery. It has a medieval chapel theme. The bar can be found in the front room, whilst there is further seating in a slightly larger room to the rear. On my Friday evening visit, there was an open mic session in progress in the rear room. This was clearly audible throughout the building and featured some girls with fabulous voices. Broad Town Best Bitter is the regular ale. In addition, other cask options were Blasberry Bloomer, Bobby's Tipple & 'kin Ale. Craft beers were Broad Town Lamp Out & White Horse. I opted for the 'kin Ale, which was a Halloweeen-themed pumpkin beer. With nowhere to sit, I ventured into another small room with overflow seating up a flight of stairs. Car parking is to the rear, but appeared a bit limited. The car park appears to merge with parking for nearby housing. So, I wasn't quite sure where the Hop Chapel's parking started and finished. Nevertheless, nobody came to complain. A strange place with fairly limited opening hours, but worthy of its inclusion in the 2024 Good Beer Guide.