A NEW beer bar in Carlisle will now not open until early next year.

Bosses at craft beer giant BrewDog had hoped to open in Botchergate this week but have now announced it will now be early next year instead.

A spokeswoman for the firm said: “We’ll now be opening in early 2019.

“We have no confirmed date yet.”

The firm will open in the former Victory Amusements building next to Wetherspoons’ Woodrow Wilson pub.

Work is ongoing to transform the building into a bar.

Further down the street, another new bar has announced plans to open.

Legends Sports Bar will open in the unit that was formerly home to Players Grill and Sports Bar.

An opening date has yet to be announced but it is expected to be revealed soon.

Legends has its own Facebook page and is currently looking for staff.

Thirty jobs were created when Players opened in October 2017.

It operated on the ground floor of the building and was split into two areas.

It showed all sports on TV including football, racing and boxing.

It also served food, such as steaks, burgers and chicken.

The unit used to be home to Mint and Mood nightclubs.

In its hey day, Mood was once one of Carlisle’s most popular nightclubs, with large queues regularly snaking along Botchergate on weekends as people waited to get inside.

Meanwhile, BrewDog best-known for brewing distinctively-titled drinks such as Punk IPA, Dead Pony Club and 5AM Saint, the brewer also has more than 50 bars worldwide.

The Carlisle outlet will serve drink and food, with meals including burgers and wings on the menu.

The firm started in 2007 in Fraserburgh in Aberdeenshire.

It said the Carlisle had been a target for years and beer drinkers are eagerly awaiting its launch.

The beer giant will collaborate with craft breweries across Cumbria.

The closest BrewDog bar to Carlisle currently is the Newcastle branch.

It opened its doors in 2012.

BrewDog has more than 35 bars across the UK, as well as in cities such as Berlin, Florence and Stockholm.

The brand now has more than 1,000 employees in its brewing and retail operations.