Town Owl Taphouse, Stroud is a new micropub which opened 23rd September 2023 in the High Street in the premises of the former Socialite Cafe & Bar. It specialises in craft keg as well as cider & alcohol-free beer from around Gloucestershire. There are 8 taps providing a rotating selection of the best local beers including a pale ale, IPA, west coast IPA, lager, cider, red ale and an alcohol-free beer. A wide selection of cans are also available for take-out. Other tastes are catered for with some select wines and spirits. The name is apparently from the poem Town Owl, written by the well-known local poet Laurie Lee. The Town Owl Taphouse may be found 50m or so up the High Street on the left.
Town Owl Taphouse Facebook post, 16th February 2026
We are very sad to share that Town Owl Taphouse will be closing at the end of March. Sadly, like so many other hospitality businesses, it is no longer financially viable for us to continue. Over the last six months, the cost of living crisis has hit our business hard, and we have been much quieter than the previous two years. With rising utility bills, increased rent, alcohol duty and business rates, it has simply become too much for our small business to sustain.
We will be planning a “Drink the Bar Dry” weekend to celebrate and say goodbye, Saturday 28th March. Discounted drinks all day, so please keep the date free.
If anyone is interested in taking on Town Owl Taphouse, please feel free to get in touch. We would love to see it continue in some form.