Siren Craft Brew - Reading, Reading

A surprisingly large modern craft beer bar operated by local brewery Siren, this venue spans several retail units on the town's busy, drinking strip. The decor embraces the industrial taproom aesthetic, with bare concrete floors, exposed ceiling ductwork, and dark grey walls. A combination of high tables, banquettes, and more conventional dining tables helps break up the space, with an open kitchen to the far left and the bar centre-stage along the back wall. The bar itself features a long stone counter, a minimalist bar back with dozens of keg taps, and a large, illuminated beer board. A Siren mural adds some visual flair, as does a backlit “SIREN” sign on a central pillar. A mirror feature in the back adds light and depth to the otherwise stark space, while a small outdoor seating area is fenced off with flower boxes. The bar offered two cask ales—Siren Broken Dream and Windsor & Eton Guardsman—though one pump was unused. The keg list was extensive, with 18 Siren beers, six guests, three ciders, a barrel-aged beer and even a draught wine. I tried Siren Memento on keg at £5.50. The barman was excellent—stopping my payment to double-check the price and ensure I hadn’t been overcharged. While the space felt a little plain and underpopulated on my visit, the warm service and slightly overwhelming beer range made a positive impression. I think it's an encouraging move from Siren to open this bar in a prime town centre spot and I hope it's a portent of things to come, as I'd be happy to have the chance to sample more of their range if they were to expand to other locations. Not one for the traditionalist, but a good spot for a chance to try plenty of decent beer. Date of visit: 11th January 2025

A brand new bar under a modern development in Central Reading doesn't come cheap and you know who's paying when the sole cask ale, Siren's Lumina, is £5.60. It was in good nick, though, so no complaints there, but it's a pity that none of the other 3 pumps provided were dispensing when I visited. Craft keg is more the thing here with well over 20 taps available, the majority obviously from Siren themselves. As usual, these are well north of a fiver unless you're happy to go without alcohol in your beer. Food, on the other hand, does seem reasonably priced, with nothing over £15, and burgers starting under a tenner. Service, when available is great, though the staff seem to be frequently absent on other tasks. Well worth a visit, but you're going to have to be a craft beer fan to justify repeat visits, I think.

Situated on the ground floor of a modern building,there is a large overhang which offers outside drinking space to the side.The interior is all very Ikea with lots of bench seating in pine and a very long bar. At the far end are the handpumps offering Fyne Jarl and Siren Momento on my trip while the keg offerings are 14 from Siren,4 Collabs with Project Barista with high ABV's and 6 guests beers plus sparkling ciders.My keg Lumina was neither too cold nor overcarbonated and so slipped down easily. There are lots of poor bars in the immediate area,so this is a welcome addition ,especially for those that want to delve into the wide keg selection of differing styles and strengths.Close to the station too.

Date of visit 20/05/24 A spacious modern bar with a semi industrial canteen feel, although tagged with modern ,wasn't BrewDog doing this sort of thing the best part of fifteen years ago? Newly opened there were teething problems such as the cask and keg prices being mixed up on the menus and tills. Of the four handpumps two were on with Soundwave and Broken Dream, I had the former followed up by Siren Huntington on keg. Much as I like Siren , I'm yet to be convinced by the venue.

Facebook page of Siren Craft Brew - Reading - www.facebook.com

Facebook page of Siren Craft Brew - Reading - www.facebook.com