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.

This brewery has been supplying me with excellent pints for quite some time. Since I moved to…read moreLeeds, in fact, back in 2005. I've always been a fan, and as was discussed on the brewery tour, they're absolutely a 'second pint brewery'. As in, you'll almost always go for a second pint, rather than try one outrageous beer, and never do it again. I must admit, I'm taken by the hop-fad. It's a bit like spice - the more you get into it, the more you want it on your tongue. However, I'm not so into it that I don't want a solid beer, and whilst the brews here mightn't be 'experimental', they are well made, lovingly crafted, and consistently pleasing. A favourite has always been the Leeds Pale, but I'm keen to try the Gathering Storm - a seasonal trad stout. Love a stout. The tour we had showed how impressive this place is. There's no name for the size of brewery they are, being too large to class as craft, but too small to class within the ranks of Tetleys and the like. However, given the physical size of the place versus the volume of output, it's no mean feat - brews are brewing all the day long. It's incredible to think about the amount of pints being made in such a small space. I adore the aroma of the place. I did not get a turn on the forklift, although I didn't ask, but that's mainly as I fear the answer would have been 'no'. I did, however, get to learn more about one of my favourite liquids, see inside a Leeds institution, and appreciate the hard work that goes into something many might take for granted. (I certainly do, when I'm in the pub.) Here's to many more pints to come. Cheers!

What a lovely brewery. They got casks, and lots of metal baking jars. And a bloody forklift…read more Also, it's not really open to the public. You have to be special.

First time coming to this place after hearing about it through word of mouth. Good selection of…read moredrinks, friendly staff, table service as well as option to scan a code on the table to bring up the menu! Nice touch!

Never had North Brewing beer before so when a friend in Leeds said come over we can check them out…read morein their brewery, well how could I say no? North Brewing Co has opened the brewery up with a bar and as such it's a little off the beaten track right at the top of the city a block behind North St. if you get a taxi up that way you will likely have to direct them as we did, you access the brewery from Sheepscar Grove. Like most breweries it seems they are located in a non-descript industrial unit. But I guess on the bright side this means the place will never be crazy busy unless they have a special event. The bar itself is a nice combination of freeze blocks and tiling and they've made use of the various brewery common items like pallets to create the furniture and draught list. The brewery kit is lovely and shiny sitting down the side and at the back of the space with 4 large fermenters against the wall. Like a mad scientists lab, it's presence is a pleasant reminder that your actually drinking in a brewery. All the beer was on good form as you'd hope. I especially liked Bulkhead which is a brown ale and Full Fathom 5 which is a stout. They don't do food here. Hey it's a brewery, get over yourself. But they are happy for you to order in and have a few takeaway menus from local places they would recommend. It's a very good place to start an evening or Saturday afternoon I would say as it's only about 5 min walk south from here down North St to some very decent bars and pubs, which is exactly what we did.

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.

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.

the organic hard apple cider from here is delicious the quality is great in the glass bottle.read more

As part of our (late) Christmas party with work we where taken to the Magic Rock Brewery in…read moreHuddersfield. Nestled away this staple of British Brewing did not fail to please. As we arrived we where greeted with and empty glass and led towards 5 keg taps on the wall and told to get ourselves a beer. This pleased me no end especially as Magic Rock is one of my top 5 breweries in this country. Dark Arts (Surreal Stout), Magic 8-ball (Black IPA), Rapture (Red Hop Ale) and Cannonball (IPA) greeted us at this moment. After the initial welcome we where shown around by Rich and Stu who gave us information, samples and a good overview of their brewing process even down to tasting the different malts they use in their beers. As the tour continued we duly topped our beverages us with a couple more halves which included now a triple hopped version of their 7.4% IPA, Cannonball. This was not the end of the excellence. We finished the tour in the brewing room where, unknown to us at the time of entering, we got to taste 2 NEW, yes 2 BRAND SPANKING NEW beers from the guys at Magic Rock. Along with seeing some of the other Top Secret things they are working on, as well as stuff they have currently aging, it looks a pretty good time for these guys in the foreseeable future. Watch this space. Overall the guys at Magic Rock where informative, passionate and engaging which lead to a brilliant experience for us all. A day I loved and, if given the chance, would recommend to anyone given the chance to visit.