Weekender: Cheers to thriving local brewing scene

George and Dragon

The local brewing and pub scene in Yorkshire is booming, according to the Good Beer Guide 2020, CAMRA’s publication featuring the very best pubs to find a great pint in the UK.

The George & Dragon in Hudswell has once again been named one of the best pubs in the UK, making its way to the next stage of the competition in the nationwide search for CAMRA’s Pub of the Year.

At the heart of the village, The George & Dragon is a homely multi-roomed country inn and former CAMRA National Pub of the Year for 2016. A pleasant walk from Richmond brings you to the pub’s large beer terrace with fantastic panoramic views over the Swale valley. Rescued by the community in 2010 and refurbished, it boasts its own library, shop, allotments and other community facilities as well as food and drink.

It will now compete in the next round of the competition, hoping to be named one of four finalists – and stay in with a chance of becoming the overall winner, to be revealed in February 2020.

The guide also reports that across Yorkshire there are 24 new breweries:

  1. Bone Machine Brewing Co Ltd, Hull
  2. Raven Hill Brewery, Kilham
  3. Vittles & Co Brewing, Hull
  4. Wooly Butt Brew Shed Ltd, Hull
  5. Cold Bath Brewery, Harrogate
  6. Hops & Dots Brewery Co Ltd, Middlesbrough
  7. LAMB (Littondale Ale, Mild & Bitter), Litton
  8. 1086 Brewery, Doncaster
  9. Korruptd Brewery, Penistone
  10. Outhouse Brewing Ltd, Barnsley
  11. The Brewery of St Mars of the Desert, Sheffield
  12. Triple Point Brewing Ltd, Sheffield
  13. Vadum Brewery, Wath-upon-Dearne
  14. Whitefaced Ltd, Penistone
  15. Bone Idle Brewing Co, Idle
  16. Chevin Brew Co Ltd, Otley
  17. Cooper Hill Brewery, Leeds
  18. Darkland, Halifax
  19. Henry Smith Brewery, Pontefract
  20. Lazy Turtle Brewing Co, Hepworth
  21. Luddite Brewery Co, Horbury Junction
  22. Malt Brewhouse, Leeds
  23. Salt Beer Factory, Shipley
  24. Shadow Brewing Ltd, Otley

The Good Beer Guide, which reviews over 4,500 pubs across the UK, is the definitive beer drinkers’ guide to the very best pints in a variety of styles of pubs to suit individual tastes. Compiled by thousands of independent volunteers, it helps identify significant trends and themes locally and nationally.

Tom Stainer, CAMRA’s Chief Executive said: “For nearly five decades, the Good Beer Guide has been a comprehensive guide to the UK’s breweries, their ales, and the best outlets to find them in across the country.

“What makes the Guide unique is that all the entries are compiled and vetted by a huge volunteer team, based around the country. We work hard to ensure that all areas of the country are covered and, unlike with some competitor titles, inclusion in this book is dependent only on merit, not on payment.

“The Good Beer Guide has always had an important role in acting as a barometer of the beer and pub industry. We believe information gleaned from the Guide is absolutely vital in the drive to save our pubs from closure and campaign for policies that better support pubs, local brewers and their customers.”

Keven Keaveney, Regional Director, added: “Yorkshire’s beer scene continues to go from strength to strength with talented young brewers and brewsters taking the industry forward. We are very thankful that Yorkshire was a hub for innovation back in the 80s and 90s, with so many brewers choosing to start-up microbreweries and setting a high standard for real ale quality. Today, customers care about the provenance of the products they buy, which is why we work hard as a campaigning organisation to ensure local brewers continue to have access to sell their local beers in local pubs.”

Yorkshire

2020 Pubs

New Pub Entries

2020 Breweries

New Breweries

Yorkshire (East)

43

9

17

4

Yorkshire (North)

149

42

53

3

Yorkshire (South)

79

16

41

7

Yorkshire (West)

131

29

83

10

Total:

402

96

194

24

 

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