Brewdog Leeds

I'm finding it hard to write about the new Brewdog Leeds bar. I don't want to repeat what's already been said by other respectable bloggers on the subject, or any of the other Brewdog bars in general. I popped down to the press launch last night with a bunch of other industry and writer types, it wasn't my first time in the bar but this night was certainly more busy than the first.

Upon arrival Leigh Goodstuff kindly offered to buy me a drink so I opted for Brewdog's new Pilsner which was rather subtle for a Brewdog beer but no less enjoyable. We mooched upstairs to sit down with James to let him tell us about the bar and to sample some of the beers available. When he began his spiel I kind of felt like someone was reading the back of a Brewdog label to me in a kind of, how many adjectives can I fit into one sentence about big brewers, way. While a couple more samples of beer were brought out for us he then went onto talk about how he and Martin went about starting up the brewery to begin with. It seemed like he turned into a different person then, it was much more of a personal approach, which I reckon he should probably stick to. He told us about when they used to homebrew together, but it was the part about when the late Michael Jackson told them (beer legend, not singer) that they should quite their jobs and do what they enjoyed full time which is when I was really impressed... which of course, they did.


After the talk he stuck around with us to have quite a few more beers, and it was great to quiz him about future endeavors. The bar itself has a very impressive selection of beers. Very. It's also kind of nice that the selection does not conflict with the likes of Friends of Ham or North Bar, it's quite unique, but at the same time familiar. People have spoken that the bar is rather small, and while that might be true, I think the space that is available has been used very economically and it feels a bit more spacious than it actually is. The upstairs is nice and cosy, and I think one of my favourite things (being a nerd) is that you can stare out of the window to the viaduct above whilst the trains fly past.

It's a great little bar, and a very welcome addition to the mega choice that is the Leeds Bar Scene. I think I like it more than anything because it has a personal feel about it. The staff and enthusiastic, friendly and genuine. The place feels relaxed, which is what a bar should really be, and while I have some niggles about the place, who doesn't have niggles about any and every bar. I believe that it's going to be a place where I'll be spending quite a bit of my time in the future and am personally looking forward to my next visit...