Leeds has long been a city that thrives on creativity, and nowhere is that more evident than in its brewing scene. The Brewed in Leeds campaign, launched in 2025 by Horsforth Brewery, is more than a marketing push: it showcases the city’s independent breweries, strengthens community ties, and offers drinkers a genuine alternative to the same handful of brands that dominate many pubs.
Choice, Variety, and Taste
At its core, Brewed in Leeds is about giving drinkers more than “the usual.” Too often, bar selections lean on global giants, leaving little room for the creativity of smaller producers. The campaign opens tastebuds to the wide range of flavours Leeds breweries bring, from hop-forward IPAs to stouts, lagers to sours.
The festival and supporting venues featured breweries from across the city, including Truth Hurts, Tartarus, Northern Monk, Wilde Child, Kirkstall, Piglove, Bini, Anthology, Meanwood, DMC, Ilkley, Two Rocks, Bosun’s, Wetherby, Horsforth, Shadow, Sunbeam, Wharfdale, and Amity. A few were unable to participate this year, but the response highlights how eager breweries are to share their work with the community.
The Festival and Champion Beers
The centerpiece was the Brewed in Leeds Beer Festival at Horsforth Brewery’s taproom in August 2025. Beer lovers sampled cask and keg beers while voting for the Champion Beer of Leeds:
1st: OGB by DMC Brewery
2nd: Spirits Arise by Piglove
Joint 3rd: Enfield and Tengu by Tartarus
These results show the diversity of Leeds brewing-from DMC’s crowd-pleasing winner to Piglove’s creativity and Tartarus’s adventurous brews.
Collaboration and Community
A special collaboration beer, brewed collectively by Leeds breweries, was unveiled at the festival and distributed to venues across the city. It symbolised community spirit, uniting brewers who might otherwise be competitors and offering drinkers a one-off taste of Leeds’ identity.
Pubs and bars received Brewed in Leeds-branded materials, from beer mats to table notices, giving visible support to local brewing. Social media promotion extended the campaign’s reach, highlighting both breweries and venues.
Supporting Leeds Brewers
Drinkers can help keep the campaign’s momentum alive. The next time you visit a Leeds bar, ask what local beers are on tap-whether an OGB from DMC, a Horsforth brew, or something new from Piglove, Tartarus, or Northern Monk.
Other ways to support:
- Follow and share local breweries on social media.
- Visit taprooms and brewery events.
- Encourage venues to stock more local beers by asking for them by name.
- The simplest way to support Leeds brewers is also the most enjoyable: keep exploring, tasting, and choosing local.
“Too many pubs and bars in Leeds are dominated by the same handful of beers. Brewed in Leeds is about giving people a real choice-to support genuinely local, independent breweries.”
Mark Costello, founder of Horsforth Brewery
By championing local brewers, Brewed in Leeds ensures that drinkers experience the creativity, personality, and innovation that set Leeds apart.
The enthusiasm around the inaugural festival has set the stage for the future. The Brewed in Leeds Beer Festival will return in 2026, offering even more opportunities to celebrate the city’s brewing talent.
Brewed in Leeds is more than a campaign-it’s a declaration of independence and imagination. Through the festival, collaboration beer, and the efforts of nearly twenty breweries, it has proven Leeds is a city where beer thrives in all its variety. Most importantly, it has given drinkers the chance to broaden their horizons and taste the spirit of Leeds, one pint at a time.