BOOMING Saltaire Brewery hopes to build on its success by creating a brand new canal-side bar and also expanding its production space by 30 per cent.

The award-winning brewery at the Dockfield Works beside the Leeds and Liverpool Canal has submitted a brace of planning applications to Bradford Council which reflect its promising future, said owner Tony Gartland.

"We've put in two applications, the first being to expand the small bar and shop which are currently on site," he said.

"We already sell our own beers and UK craft ales, but this will be a new bar where people can get a drink on the premises in the evenings and weekends.

"It will be called the Brewery Tap and will front on to the canal with room for 60 to 70 people," Mr Gartland said.

"The hope is to get that approved for the Saltaire Beer Festival on September 13."

The second application is prompted by booming sales of Saltaire's champion brews such as its recent world-wide hit - Triple Chocoholic Stout.

"Expansion is needed to keep up with increasing demands from supermarket sales with customers included Morrisons and Waitrose," Mr Gartland said.

The brewery produces eight brews a day with 90 firkins per brew. A firkin holds nine gallons or 72 pints.

Mr Gartland said it had applied to increase the physical size of the brewing operation by a third and then hoped to increase production by 50 per cent going from eight brews to 12 a day.

"The demand from the supermarkets is the big driver in this and we hope to make that increase by 2015 when we may well have to take on more staff.

"We started with our first brew in 2006 with just four of us and now we employ 20 people," said Mr Gartland.