It was great to go and check out Northern Monk's centre of operations, as I've rarely seen their…read morebeers west of the Pennines. The Old Flax Store where they're based is a Grade II listed mill and located in the industrial Holbeck area towards the outskirts of the city centre. Spread over three levels: their brewery on the ground floor; The Refectory and bottle shop on the first floor and event space (Chapter Hall) on the top floor, it's been lovingly restored both inside and out. Despite how separated they are from the main hub of bars and restaurants, there were quite a few people enjoying their afternoons here with a beer, hot drink or bite to eat (they serve food throughout the day). With a small selection of board games (alas, pretty much all of them had vital parts missing), I'd advise bringing your own if you fancied entertaining yourselves in this chilled out space for a while before you ventured onwards. Tip: they have a small free car park out front for the designated drivers.

Northern Monk Refectory is a fantastic spot for food and beer. It's situated in Holbeck so it is a…read morelittle bit of a walk south of the city, about 10 minutes, but this distance at least when I've been there recently means it's not overwhelmed by the crowds you would expect on a Friday or Saturday. Those that venture out are discerning and looking for a quality beer and great food and that's what you receive from the guys at Northern Monk and their food collaboration with Grog and Grub. The bar features 20 draught beers (not sure whether this number includes their 2 on handpump) it is about 50% their own beers and 50% guest, with this number of beers they do a good job covering a range of styles so you should not be at a loss to find something you like. In fact all the beers I had were very nice Track Sonoma, Curveball Pirate Porter, and Northern Monk Salt Lime Wit.

It was only about 15 minutes off the M6 freeway to the Hawkshead Brewery in Staveley, Cumbria. The…read moreroads weren't that windy and were wide and well-paved so this is faring better than expected already. We arrived to where the brewery showed on my map, but it wasn't there. The brewery was slightly up the road within a small shopping inlet next to a coffee shop. We parked and approached the brewery and were pleasantly surprised with how impressive the set-up was. The building was large and beautiful with large wood beams, huge windows, and comfy leather seats. It was so quiet in there I didn't know how much noise we could make without being rude, so we opted to sit in the corner so we could strategize about which beers we wanted to try and how much time we wanted to spend off the road. I ordered the Lakeland Lager which is a 5%ABV Lager/Pilsner and Sean had the Cumbrian 5 Hop 5%ABV Golden Ale. I really liked the Lakeland Lager because it was crisp and refreshing with a great hop flavor on the back-end. Most of their beers were "real ale" style, but the lager wasn't. It was a nice change from all the real ales available. I also really enjoyed the Brodie's Prime with is a dark porter-style beer and is 4.9%ABV. It has a very smooth mouth-feel and is extremely drinkable. We sampled almost their entire beer selection and overall their beer was very good. The styles were done well and the beer was clean and clear and cheap! We were there around lunch time so we went ahead and ordered some food before they stopped serving. Sean ordered the beer cheese soup and I ordered the mushrooms with Stilton blue cheese on toast. The soup was served with large pieces of sourdough bread and butter so it was very filling for a good price. I tried some of the soup and it was really good. The mushrooms were sautéed in butter and the cheese was melted on top of the toast so it was damn delectable. I savored every bite of that toast. The soup was something like 2 pounds and the toast was 4 pounds. I think we walked out of there spending about 10-15 pounds total? Pretty decent if you ask me. Also, they refused to accept our tips. I am accustomed to giving tips always, but they politely declined my offer. Great service, delicious food, cheap and amazing beer and no tip?! It was one of the highlights of the trip.

I'm often in Windermere for the weekend, and having a pint at the Hawkshead Brewery in Staveley…read moremakes for a great start to it. It's a big venue, with a large downstairs area next to the bar, and further seating on a mezzanine upstairs. There's then a further bar (only open sometimes) through the back. There's large glass panels to let you see into the actual brewery itself, so it's interesting just being in the place. There's outside seating too, in the car park, so it's hardly picturesque, but it's fine too when the weather is mild or if you want some peace and quiet away from the buzz indoors. It's a good atmosphere, very laid back and friendly, with plenty of dogs. Staff are pleasant and helpful, and know their beers well. The beers are good - all sorts from your pale ales through to your dark stouts, and last time I was there I had a raspberry sour. It wasn't great if I'm honest, but you can't win them all :-) Hawkshead seem to be quite an adventurous brewery, so there's always something new to try. My favourites are the stouts. There's a range of food too which seems to be mostly traditional 'Northern' food - Shepherd's Pie, Yorkshire pudding, Venison burgers - mostly very meat heavy, so I've never tried anything, apart from the chips. The chips are good! They do a fantastic beer festival. We went this year for the first time, and it was brilliant, we had such a good time. You get a menu, and can just work your way through the ones you fancy the sound of. They're categorised into the different bars, so it makes it quite fun to work your way about trying different ones. They had a massive marquee when we were there, with a crazy and very entertaining jazz band. It's a family atmosphere, with kids there too, so the adults are sensible and nothing gets too out of hand. I'm hoping we can go every year! With regular weekend checks ins until next year.

Heading back over to Manchester from Leeds, our group had to stop off in Huddersfield and…read moreexperience Magic Rock's tap room as we love their beers. The craft beer brewery needed larger premises after outgrowing its previous one in Quarmby (though they still also brew from there). It's a large, modern industrial space, though it felt surprisingly cosy even when it was packed with Saturday evening drinkers. Interior-wise, it's somewhere closer to the BrewDog or 'neo-punk' side of the design spectrum, with neon lighting and windows through to the inner workings of the brewery. With nine keg and two cask lines of their own beers, as well as an ever-changing selection of guest ales, you're not left wanting at the bar. There are non-alcoholic options for non-drinkers and children - a few families were enjoying themselves here too. Street food vendors serve on Friday and Saturday nights; Magic Rock serve pork pies with chutneys on Thursdays and Sundays, so you can grab a bite if you wanted. Check out their website which lists their street food line up for the coming weeks.

American brewery hoppers in Liverpool. We like this place! They're so nice, their beers are good…read moreand it has a nice, chill atmosphere. Be warned, it's really hard to find! Maps will misdirect you. It's at the end of Kings Dock across from the timber place that says "Beers" ironically. Cheers

Hidden down Kitchen Street in the heart of the Baltic Triangle, the walk to Black Lodge Brewing is…read moremore than worth it. If anything, it's part of the charm; you feel like you're discovering something new, something hardly touched or visited, when you first glimpse the small black and white sign outside. Located in a large warehouse (and as expected of a working brewery) there are very few airs and graces, the main decor being that of essential equipment and the large white tiled back bar. Three large vats of current brews is a great addition, listing the ingredients and dates they are expected to be on tap on a large chalkboard suspended from the ceiling. As the only people there when we arrived, I took the chance to have a chat with the guy simultaneously doing stock take and serving us. Although they're new, open since the beginning of December, they're stocked in couple of bars in the city (including BrewDog) and have recently launched a Mikkeller running club, an excellent way to engage with the local drinking community. I tried some of their Blackberry IPA and eventually ordered a schooner, Josh going for a South Coast Pale, which we then took over to a table. The taps were all around £3.50 per 2/3 and, although not an overpowering fruity taste, the Blackberry IPA was very refreshing with a subtle finish. They have a deck of beautifully branded playing cards on each table so we played a few hands of Karma and Rummy, paired with a few more drinks. They have a selection of cans and bottles behind the bar which they're more than happy to talk through, helping me to expand my beer knowledge with a can of Magic Rock Hire Wire Grapefruit. Tabs are taken and written on the white tiles; a simple and multi-purpose solution to this bar's requirements. We could have happily spent the whole evening here and explored the meat and cheese boards, but the pull of local exploration won. A great addition to Liverpool and hopefully we'll be seeing plenty more of them in future.

Harrogate brewing is a great local pub. They didn't have a chef at the time I visited so they only…read morehad prepackaged snacks. Beer is great and that's what matters. A proper pub atmosphere. Try there Nib mild my favorite

From the owner: Independent, award winning Micro, brewing in the beautiful North Yorkshire Spa Town of Harrogate,…read morein North Yorkshire. ​ We also run a fun, cosy taproom inside the industrial unit of the brewery.

Really shocked to find a wide variety of IPA's, East Coast and West Coast styles. Each one tried…read morewas delicious. Many English brewed IPA's are too malt forward, but, this brewery has done something different and you can taste it. Best beer in Manchester. They had a food vendor, but, we didn't try it. But, nice to have the option when drinking beers.

If you are near Manchester, England, it is definitely worth a visit to Cloudwatwr which raised the…read morebar for craft brewing in the UK. They make some crazy IPAs including some solid hazy varieties. The tasting room is large and it has a stage indicating they may have music at times. They have a small amount of snack items / food. The staff were friendly and eccentric. Oh and be sure to visit Track Brewing across the street. I'll definitely return someday.

Now, Wakefield can strike the fear in some of the less well travelled Yorskhire folk but sure…read moreenough, like any small town, it has it's absolute gems. I think you have to live in a city to truly seek out the best it has to offer, unless you're fantastically lucky on your constitutionals, and this place is not exactly somewhere you'd stumble upon along the standard routes through town. It's situated on a little back street, which at first glance might appear to be leading no where, but my goodness it leads somewhere. This fantastic little micro-brewery-cum-pub is an excellent venue for ale drinkers, musicians and deliberating scholars alike. I used to frequent this place as a young undergraduate with my musical companions, often with guitars in tow for an impromptu session. I distinctly remember polishing off many a half of their Moonshine, a flat pale cider if memory serves, and promptly setting off into the night merry as Christmas. That stuff was lethal! But nonetheless an excellent way to kick off the night. Although the pub catered to the CAMRA drinkers among us, it had plenty of other options, although seldom drank by myself - it was real ale or orange juice all the way, and the orange juice rarely got a look in! The décor is lovely; rustic pub paraphenalia adorns the space. The staff were always accommodating, in spite of the pandemic of us student-types flocking in each term and over all I couldn't fault this diamond in the rough.

If you happen to find yourself in Wakefield and are looking for a lovely and quirky pub - then…read moreFernandes should be high on your list. Owned by Ossett Brewery, the building which was formerly a malthouse is down a bit of a dingy alley and behind a row of small shops off Kirkgate but it's definitely worth overcoming your preconceptions and heading inside. There's a brewery in the basement, continental Bier keller on the first floor and brewery tap on the second floor, complete with high vaulted ceilings and impressive bar with 11 hand pumps. To me it looked like a cross between a saloon and the backstage of a theatre with its rescued pub signs and unusual breweriana. We loved it all. It's a comfortable, homely space to have some drinks - and it's dog-friendly. The hospitableness of the young barman with his impressive handlebar moustache just added to our enjoyment; if we didn't have to head back home we'd have easily stayed until they closed. A local gem.