New micro-brewery selling award-winning craft beer to open at Central Milton Keynes

A microbrewery that makes its beer from surplus fresh bread is to open up at Central Milton Keynes.

Toast Ale will open at Unity Place, the city’s new leisure and co-working destination, this September.

A social enterprise company founded in 2015, it turns bread that would otherwise go to waste into beer, and profits go to charity to end food waste and help the planet.

The range of beers includes craft lager, pale ale, American pale ale and Session IPA. They have won numerous awards, including the 2021 Queen's Award for Enterprise for Sustainable Development, and have raised well over £2 million from investors such as the National Geographic Society, Heineken International and sustainable business-leader Paul Polman.

The bread used to brew the beer in Milton Keynes will come from the Unity Place’s on-site bakery, the Baker's Room.

Robert Wilson, co-founder of Toast, told The Caterer magazine he was "absolutely thrilled" to be opening a micro-brewery in MK.

"Unity Place's ethos on the environment and sustainability made this opportunity a no brainer", he said.

The £150m building, which is off the V6 Grafton Street near the Central rail station, will house the new Santander’s UK technology hub as well as co-working spaces, a Sky Lounge, music nights and dining experiences.

At its centre will be a new Urban Food Market offering food from around the world, including Indian, Turkish, Japanese and European to eat in or take out.

Due to open in September, Unity Place is described as “future-forward and inclusive” and is set to become an industry-leading green workplace as well as a vibrant visitor attraction.

A spokesperson for Unity Place said: "Above everything, we want our customers to enjoy the best of the best, and to us, that is Toast Ale. The award-winning beers are the perfect accompaniment to our Urban Food Market traders, and an ideal choice for a sundowner on our roof terrace, Unity Sky Lounge.

"We can't wait for the brewery to bubble into action and are delighted that Toast is part of the Unity Place family."