Leeds Brewery
• • • Heritage Award • • •
Robyn Gilmour
Saturday 18 October 2025
This article is from
Beer Awards 2025
issue 123
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Leeds Brewery blazed a trail for independent beer in Leeds after the sale and closure of the Tetley's Brewery, once the biggest cask brewery in the world. Since its inception in 2007 the ambition of Leeds Brewery has been to carry on the legacy of cask culture and brewing in the city. It did so with a robust range of beers and estate of five pubs until 2023, at which point, challenges within the beer industry threatened breweries around the country with closure. Leeds Brewery was no exception, though fortunately, the brand was acquired by near neighbour Kirkstall, which has allowed Leeds Brewery beers to remain a part of the city’s beer offering today.
“Leeds Brewery and Kirkstall have had a lot in common for a long time: quality cask beer, traditional styles, preserving pubs,” says Kirkstall brand manager, Chris Hall. “It was a very natural fit, which also, most importantly, kept the Leeds brand in Leeds itself.”
“Leeds Brewery has been committed to sessionable and traditional beer since its inception” Chris continues. “‘Same again, please’ is the highest compliment a beer can get, and faster throughput, particularly for cask, means higher quality and better flavour. That balance and drinkability you need to achieve — and which is often found in traditional beer styles but can be perceived as simple — is actually deceptively complex! Pale Ales, Best Bitters and Dark Milds are all deeply 'integrated' beers, where the flavours are so harmoniously in balance that they become quite difficult to analyse, compared to the hefty whacks of hops in IPAs and bursts of jammy fruit in pastry sours. That balance in brewing is an artform, and it's worth preserving.”
Since joining forces with Kirkstall, the Leeds Brewery brand has grown significantly, with national listings and Leeds Pale in particular being produced in greater volume than ever before. “Tweaks are always made here and there, but the recipes are largely unchanged, and what drinkers want,” says Chris. “Brewing Midnight Bell for cans meant a refresh of the design to suit a can label, but it's the first time it's ever been in this format. We hope this leads to more interest in these kinds of beers and what makes them great.”
Chris says that at some point, possibly in the next year, there’s likely to be a broader rebranding for Leeds Brewery, but for the time being, the team’s focus is on continued growth, and pushing Leeds as a must-visit destination for beer fans. “With a growing interest in traditional styles there have never been so many opportunities to introduce people to a period of history when Leeds was producing the best (and the most) cask beer in the world!” We’ll drink to that!
Serendipitously, Kirkstall had the opportunity to take over the old Tetley Brewery’s lease in 2024. After ceasing operation in 2011, the building underwent renovation works in 2013 to bring back the unique gallery spaces, artist residency studios, and creative office space for businesses. It then became The Tetley Bar and Kitchen — an events and exhibition space with a bar attached — which handed over the building’s lease to Kirkstall in 2024. It’s been a long and far-from-linear journey for Leeds Brewery, but today, after 18 years of banging the drum for Leeds’ cask cultural and brewing heritage, its beers are front and centre in what was once a UK brewing institution.
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