AN OLD Town pub favourite has reopened in its former premises.

In April Jason Putt, landlord at The Hop, moved his popular Devizes Road boozer to larger premises formerly occupied by The Pig on the Hill.

Three months on, the 64-year-old has reopened the old premises – naming it The Little Hop.

The intimate pub – in a building once occupied by a sex shop - is a collaboration between Jason and Bristol-based brewery Arbor Ales. The Little Hop will sell a range of Arbor beers, together with offerings from other south west breweries.

“We were itching to get the place reopened,” said Jason.

“Arbor brews some smashing beers. They’re forever changing their beers and they’re lovely people.

“We opened The Hop in 2012 and I’ve been getting a fortnightly delivery from Arbor since then. I don’t think we’ve ever had a bad beer from them.”

The pub has been given a makeover. Outside, the woodwork has been painted purple. The interior will be familiar to regulars, although some of the tables have been stripped out and replaced with colourfully-painted bar stools.

Jason said of the technicolour change: “I was sick of grey pubs. The first thing I wanted to do was not have a grey pub.”

But he has kept the old bar’s stripped-back brick walls and intimate atmosphere: “Regulars have said they missed the more intimate, cosy feel of this place.”

Marco Sposato, a business development manager for Arbor Ales, said: “The Hop has been a regular customer since the very beginning. I believe our director, Jon Comer, used to deliver the stuff here to Jason. They’re still good friends.”

The new tap room means another trendy boozer for Old Town’s Devizes Road. The Little Hop joins the likes of its bigger brother, The Tuppenny, Eternal Optimist and Royal Oak.

Jason, who set up The Hop in 2012 after a career in a series of sales jobs, said there was an exciting atmosphere on the street.

Since expanding into the former Pig on the Hill building, the business had gone from strength-to-strength – benefitting from a hot start to the summer and the pub boasting one of Old Town’s few beer gardens.

On average, the pub was selling around 400 gallons of beer a week – the equivalent of 3,200 pints.

“It’s exceeded our expectations,” said Jason of the larger premises.