We like to keep things simple.

We love beer, we love chatting to people, we love to brew. So we’ve combined all three things in Chapter One. We’re Michael and Emma Heap and we bought the building that is now Chapter One Brewpub in late 2015. The building has been a pub since it was built in the late 1700s. It’s been known as a few names over the centuries – The Hanover Hotel, The Britannia Inn, The Piccadilly Ale House, The Hive – but we decided that with the epic makeover we had to give the building we’d also give it a new name. It was a new chapter in our lives and in this building’s history, so we settled on Chapter One.

Bath is a brilliant city

We opened our doors in May 2016 and discovered that we’d landed in a fantastic part of Bath. Emma’s originally an Aussie and Michael is English but born in Canada and grew up all over the world, so while we were new to Bath that feeling didn’t last long as we were warmly welcomed by the local community. We seek to reflect that warm encouragement we received when greeting anyone who visits our place, whether they’re a familiar face or new. There are so many things to enjoy about living in Bath – the people are fab, the food and drink on offer is world class, there’s loads to do and everything is accessible. We’re only a short walk from the centre of the city and we love walking to town via Henrietta Park and along Great Pulteney Street or along Walcot Street with its amazing array of independent stores, cafes and restaurants. If you’re a visitor to our fantastic city, we’re happy to share our recommendations.

Independence, integrity, hospitality, diversity, fun!

We hold strong values and we try to embody them in all aspects at Chapter One. Independence is at our core. We own this building, we are not beholden to any brewery, supplier or chain. Each product that we serve is hand selected, our drinks list is a carefully curated selection of beers, wines, spirits and soft drinks made by independent producers that we think our customers will enjoy and represent good value. Everyone is welcome at Chapter One – people are ultimately the most important factor in a social place such as this, without them there would be no beer! We encourage conversation, meeting new people, opening your mind up to new possibilities, accepting each other as we are. That spirit should not be lost even if you’re popping in to grab some tasty brews to enjoy at home.

We built a distillery!

We decided to turn our hands at distilling our own Gin when we had some downtime during Lockdown 3. Our Gin and Tonics are our second most popular product so it made loads of sense. We got the kit, the licence and began distilling in the first half of 2021 and began serving our first batch of in-house gin in September 2021 with a jazzy Tangerine & Pink Peppercorn version. It was a hit and we plan to produce different styles in the future.

What’s next?

In the face of a global pandemic, Brexit, climate change and other uncertainties we don’t know what the future holds for Chapter One. But we know we’ll use every ounce of energy and creativity we have to ensure it will continue to be a safe, inclusive space where people can come together to relax, celebrate, socialise and enjoy the diversity of independently produced drinks.