£7m deal revives Liverpool brewery and creates 200 jobs

Cains beer is set to return to Liverpool as part of a £7m investment that will create 200 jobs.Liverpool developer Andrew Mikhail has taken the famous Cains brand that will see a multi-million investment rejuvenating its home in the Baltic Triangle area of Liverpool.He has built up an impressive portfolio of businesses spanning the North West over two decades which has recently included bars and hotels in Liverpool, Southport and St Helens, where he grew up from age 14.Now Mr Mikhail, the son of a Liverpool GP, is set to make his mark on the biggest investment in his company’s history to date after revealing the deal with Cains Brewery, which ceased production of its famous range of beers at its Stanhope Street site in 2013.He said: “This is a pivotal moment for our business, the Cains Brewery Company.“Cains Brewery and Liverpool are such iconic brands and Cains, of course, is part of the city’s heritage.“We’re investing an initial £7m in four phases as part of bringing to life what is a 15,000 sq ft scheme on three levels, plus a basement with incredible potential.“After speaking with Cains’ former managing director Sid (Sudarghara) Dusanj for around six months, he told me he was delighted to pass on the Cains’ brand to someone who is so passionate about the Brewery Village scheme and the city.“I was born in Liverpool with a family history that goes back several generations and my vision is based around making this city great again.“Cains is a resilient brand, just like Liverpool, and we’re really excited to be bringing Cains Brewery back, albeit with a new direction that will bring national attention to Liverpool for all the right reasons.”Sid Dusanj, managing director of Brewery Village Ltd, said: “The brewery village concept started five years ago and it’s great to see that Cains Beers will be brought back to life within the Grade II-listed brewery by entrepreneur Andrew Mikhail and soon to be re-launched after brewing stopped back in May 2013.”Plans include a craft-brewery with cask and keg beers, an Altrincham-market style venture for artisan food and drink lovers, and a state of the art sky bar.In addition, another bar with capacity for 120, already named as The Quarter Hoop, plus a brewery hall housing 400 guests, will sit alongside the existing Brewery Tap and the Punch Tarmey brand – part of Mr Mikhail’s existing portfolio – that will operate on the other side of the brewery.“It’s an astonishing building and that’s why we’ve put together such a bold scheme,” said Mr Mikhail.“There’s two cavernous tunnels running through the site that we will be converting into two live music venues.“Plus, there’s even a well that consists of a 40ft-long lake that’s 12ft deep – all part of the great history of this site.”The underground lake was used for brewing the Cains beer range, giving it a distinctive taste all of its own.The four phases being developed over three years include phase one’s Punch Tarmey, an artisan food and drink hall, and the brewery in phase two, the sky bar in phase three, and the hotel in phase four.Mr Mikhail said the new Cain’s Brewery project will create 200 jobs and will partly model itself on the Guinness Brewery in Dublin.“For example, we’re going to create one of the biggest Irish bars in the industry that will be sports-led, include brewery tours, lots of customer interaction with a child-friendly, family-friendly vibe.”Mr Mikhail concluded: “The Cains Brewery deal is both a professional and personal dream come true for me, especially because of my Irish roots.“My great grandfather was a renowned bare-knuckle fighter nicknamed Punch Tarmey, the name that gave birth to an existing portfolio of bars we own and operate in the region.“Plus, my dear nan was such a hard-working, humble Irish woman who came from nothing and saved every penny to see her family were ok.“I know she’d be feeling very proud right now, as we all are, and we can’t wait to maximise the potential of this development at Cains Brewery. It’s a really prestigious win for us.”