NORTH BREWING PERMANENT TAP

We have recently introduced permanent guest brewery taps across our five bars for the very first time. These taps will be dedicated to some superb UK breweries who each produce outstanding beer.

Our first permanent tap launches on 1st March and will be dedicated to Leeds’ North Brewing. North have gone from strength to strength in the past few years, consistently releasing some of the most delicious pale ales in the country. We brewed two collaborations with North in 2018 and we’re delighted to continue working with them into 2019 and beyond.

We had a wee chat with founder John recently about all things North…

Which one of your beers best defines North as a brewery?

This would have to be Transmission for me. Our head brewer Seb made the initial prototype for Transmission in his garage when we were in the very early stages of setting up the brewery. Tasting it blew us away! Since that first batch Seb has been continuously improving the recipe and three years down the line it is still winning awards and still one of our favourite beers in the UK.

You guys were responsible for one of the first UK craft beer bars in the late 90s (North Bar). How different is the UK beer landscape now compared to way back when?

The beer scene is pretty much unrecognisable when you look back to the early days of North Bar in 1997! Back in the 90s we had to work really hard to seek out new and interesting beers. When we opened Leeds was dominated by very traditional tied pubs, or Irish bars. We were influenced by the 'bier-cafe' culture of bars in Belgium and wanted to create a place serving great beers, in quirky surroundings with excellent service.

Our heads were turned on to 'craft' beer by stumbling across Orval, Anchor's Liberty Ale, and Sierra Nevada Pale. North Bar was the first place in the UK to pour Brooklyn lager, the first place to pour Erdinger, and introduced the drinkers of Leeds to something new.

Looking to the beer scene in 2019 things are very different! Whereas we had to seek out interesting things to fill our taps, we are now spoilt for choice! However, we are definitely conscious that the cycle of new breweries, new releases, new DIPAs, is very much operating within a bubble. It seems that craft beer hasn't yet filtered down to the mainstream.

The beer industry in 2019 is an ace place to be working. We have made some excellent friends along the way, had some mind blowing opportunities to collaborate with world class breweries, and feel like we're in the middle of something truly exciting. Leeds has a real independent spirit, particularly within the food and drink sector, and we love being involved in the space where craft beer, street food, art and music all meet through both our bars and the brewery.

Which upcoming project or release are you really excited about?

This year we will be taking part in the Rainbow Project! We have watched this project develop since its inception in 2012 and have hosted launch events at North Bar. Being invited to participate in the second wave of UK breweries is a real honour, and a marker of how far we've come as a brewery.

six°north x North Brewing

We were first introduced to Robert from six°north by our friends at New Wave. They were down in Leeds with Dave from Wylam and we had a fair few beers together in North Bar! Our love of beer stems from a love of Belgian beer, and we loved Robert's ethos from the beginning.

We have done home & away collabs at each other's breweries and we often pour together at lots of beer festivals throughout the year. We’re delighted to be a permanent fixture at six°north bars!

Any hot tips for new breweries in 2019?

We recently brewed a West Coast DIPA with Miranda and Bates from Duration Brewing. They are transforming an old Priory in West Norfolk into a farmhouse brewery. The beers that they have been brewing through collabs and partnering with Amundsen have tasted great so far, and we can't wait to see what they do with their own kit.

https://www.northbrewing.com