It's a striking image
isn't it, the Northern Monk Brewing Co logo? One I was immediately
drawn to when I first laid eyes on it earlier this year, and one that
you will be seeing a lot more of from now on. The team behind
Northern Monk Brewing Co have a spanking new home in the heart of
Leeds from which they will not only brew their range of delicious
beers, but have a refectory along with a bottle shop, tap room,
events space and a kitchen. Located in Holbeck, this grade II listed
building is the only publicly accessible mill in Leeds. As you enjoy
their wares, sipping down one of their beautifully brewed beverages
from twenty available taps, you can see partial elements of the
brewing process through huge glass windows. Your beer literally being
brewed before your very eyes! The refectory has been stripped right
back to bare brickwork and stone floors giving it a real traditonal
Northern feel.
The kitchen will be
hosted by Leeds' pop up shop types The Grub And Grog Shop.
Collaborating with NMBCo and directly with those delicious drinks,
their menu will feature fine foods of the vegan, vegetarian and meat
variety with beery ingredients a plenty. Fronted by Dan Palmer and
Jim Hurst, here's Jim to explain...
“We'll
be serving breakfast, lunch and dinner and will change the menu on a
monthly basis with ingredients sourced direct from local farms where
possible. For breakfast we'll be making homemade crumpets using the
yeast from the brewery and for lunch a range of sandwiches and salads
including a great beef brisket sandwich cooked in Chennai Porter.
Dinner will be served all day and items will change depending on
what's in season. The initial menu will feature a vegan celeriac
stew, an ox tongue hash and gin-cured river trout.”
And what about those
beers then eh? Naturally I encourage you to pop along to their HQ in
Holbeck and try for yourselves. NMBCo have in fact been brewing beers
for a number of years, albeit in a 'cuckoo' fashion at other
breweries premises as well as collaborations. Now permanently in
control of their own destiny they can produce their own regular beer
on a larger scale as well as plan more of those collaborations with
local, national and international partners (watch this space). Co
founder Russell Bissett on the launch...
"We always wanted to create one of the most accessible taprooms
in the UK. This is by no means a Brewpub. We have a capacity of up to
5,000 litres per week in house and will have 20 beers on at any
one time in the tap room. We want it to be a real showcase of
Northern British craft brewing; aiming to keep it at 80% produced in
the North (of UK) with the other 20% world beer from progressive
brewers. The Refectory will also host a bottle shop and will be doing
brewery tours soon. It is very exciting. Northern Monk currently has
a core range of nine beers plus a range of specials and
collaborations all brewed in house.”
What's not to like? A
fine building full of heritage and a working brewery. The beer brewed
before your very eyes and available in keg and cask. Guest beers also
availabe from various Northern brweries. And some delicious food to
feast on. Not to forget some fine folk who have worked their socks
off to bring this venture to you. Don't just take my word on this,
get on down to the address below and see for yourself....
Words - Pete Jackson
Photos - Music And Eyeliner
The Northern Monk Brew
Co can be found at...
The Old Flax Store,
Marshalls Mill, Holbeck, Leeds LS11 9YJ
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