Briscoe’s is a one man operation which started brewing in 1998 on a tiny brew kit in the owner’s cellar and has been there ever since, barring a brief stint away in a local pub. Briscoe’s are not afraid to experiment and have brewed in many styles from light hoppy bitters through stouts to strong ales. The best place to catch Briscoe’s is the Old Cock in Otley and of course at Otley beer festival, usually held in November.

Burley Street Brewhouse is a small brewery based in the Fox and Newt pub, so obviously this is where you can most readily find the beers, but don’t forget it’s sister pub The Packhorse by the University. The range starts with a dark Mild (Monza 3.5%) and goes through several bitters including the popular blonde beer Laguna Seca (4.0%) plus a few specials every now and then. Check out their website www.burleystreetbrewhouse.co.uk

Kirkstall Brewery Company started production early in 2011 not very far from the original Kirkstall Brewery. There are three regular pale beers, all quite hoppy, and a rich dark porter. It did not take the brewery long to win awards, in fact their first batch was a gold medal winner. This is just the beginning as there are plans for a range of seasonal and one off beers are planned. Keep up to date by visiting www.kirkstallbrewerycompany.com

Leeds Brewery started up in 2007 and in its short existence has built up a loyal following of drinkers young and old. Building up a small pub estate has meant that their beers have regular outlets as well as being frequent guest beers across the city. Their beer range is a pleasing mix of regular beers, seasonal beers and one-off specials. One of their pubs, The Brewery Tap, has its own brewery, look out for the lager it produces in any of the Leeds Brewery pubs. The brewery website www.leedsbrewery.co.uk should keep you up to date with changes.

Ridgeside began brewing in June 2010 and has already started winning awards. They brew an ever expanding range of regular beers, mostly hoppy bitters (Challenge 3.9%) but also dark beers (Black Night 5.0%) and strong ones (Southern Cross 5.7%) too. In addition they are brewing a special; every two months, check out www.ridgesidebrewery.co.uk for further details. To find Ridgeside try East of Arcadia in Meanwood or The Grove in Holbeck.

Rodham’s came on the scene in 2005 and, as appears to be the tradition in Otley, is a one man band starting off in his cellar. Production has increased since the early days but only modestly. Rodham’s are often on the bar at the Old Cock in Otley and at Otley beer festival.The bottled beers may be easier to track down though as there are several discerning off licences regularly stocking them.

WharfeBank brewery is based just outside Otley and is also the new home for Fox Brewing Company, having relocated here from the Fox and Newt. WharfeBank’s range of four regular beers includes Slinger’s Gold (3.8%) and the strong pale WISPA (5.1%.) which are supplemented by a diverse range of monthly specials. They have a pub in Otley, The Fleece, but there are several other regular stockists in and around the Leeds area, see www.wharfebankbrewery.co.uk for details.

~~~ ooo ~~~

Joshua Tetley and Son Limited closed in June 2011 and brought to an end nearly 200 years of brewing on the Hunslet site just south of Leeds city centre. Tetley’s was synonymous with Leeds and it will be sadly missed by dedicated Tetley Bittermen. How a traditional Yorkshire bitter can be brewed in Wolverhampton is beyond most folk, so they’ve stopped drinking it.