Mon 21st Oct 2013 - Castle Rock eyes high profile airport opening Castle Rock Taproom and Kitchen set for airport site: A branch of Leon and an innovative Castle Rock Taproom and Kitchen are among new openings scheduled for East Midlands Airport as part of the £12 million redevelopment (EMA). The move to open a Castle Rock Taproom and Kitchen stems from a desire by Autogrill Catering UK to showcase regional operators – brewer and pub retailer Castle Rock is based in nearby Nottingham and has been named Camra Beer Guide Company of the Year on several occasions. Castle Rock chairman Geoff Newton told Propel: “We have had some initial discussions and meetings with Autogrill and this is at a very early stage. It’s a very exciting development and one that are delighted to get involved with - it would certainly put Castle Rock and its beers in a very prominent place in East Midlands Airport. Logistics still have to be resolved and the scheme is very much in its infancy but I’m hoping things will move forward before Christmas and we are working towards a Spring opening.” Autogrill Catering UK, part of HMSHost International, is to spend £3 million refurbishing and rebranding seven outlets at the Castle Donington airport. HMSHost has already opened a Pork & Pickle English delicatessen in the departures area, selling coffee and regional food. It is also opening two Flat White coffee shops, as well as a revamped Burger King and a ‘GrabandFly’. The outlets will be built in phases and all will be open in the next six months. A spokesman said: “By introducing these brands, as part of the airport’s £12 million redevelopment, we are hoping to combine culture and regional taste with innovation and we are confident these outlets will deliver a unique experience for our passengers.” Meanwhile, Castle Rock has increased its real ale output with the refurbishment of a redundant piece of kit to add a new five-barrel fermenting vessel to the existing brew plant set. “It’ll allow us to be even more innovative and widen the boundaries of the beer flavours we present to our customers,” said head brewer Adrian Redgrove. “With it in place we can add more distinctive and interesting flavours being sought by a broad spectrum of beer enthusiasts including younger people and women.” The more varied array of beers will include those with extreme hop flavours or those fermented with fruit or other ingredients including herbs, spices and botanicals. Added Redgrove: “This expansion works well for us – it’ll allow us to express ourselves with new recipes - and even the odd traditional medieval one – without moving Castle Rock away from the core in which we pride ourselves. This is the brewing of high quality, consistent, popular and very suppable beers.” Castle Rock first started brewing in 1998. “In many ways it’s a step forwards by taking a step backwards,” said managing director, Colin Wilde. “And it’ll mean we can brew some very big flavourful and high impact beers out of a very small vessel.”