Widely regarded as ‘the first craft beer bar in the UK’, North Bar, in Leeds, is celebrating its 25th anniversary.
Photograph: Chloe Chapman
North Bar opened in 1997. John Gyngell and Christian Townsley took over a long, narrow unit on New Briggate and started building a bar. In the early days, the beer selection was much less adventurous than in 2022. They sold Kronenbourg, Guinness, and lots of Beamish Red.
However, they started to build a reputation for brilliant service and great music in quirky surroundings. And the drinks selection quickly improved.
A trip to Belgium in the early 2000s opened their minds to what beer could be, and they started asking distributors to import the beers that they’d tried. They branded the venue as a ‘world beer bar’ and started to play.
The current North Bar team. Photograph: Alex Millhouse Smith
It wasn’t long until North’s reputation for bringing beers from around the world and serving them in a relaxed and welcoming environment grew. They helped to launch international beers, including Erdinger Weisse Bier, Sierra Nevada Pale Ale, and Brooklyn Lager, alongside modern craft breweries emerging in the UK, such as Magic Rock and Northern Monk.
North Bar has been pivotal in shaping the craft beer scene in the UK through its exciting, innovative beer lists, regular programme of events and beer festivals, and commitment to top-quality table service. Throughout the past 25 years it has grown into a family of eight bars and taprooms. John and Christian expanded to open their own brewery in 2015.
To celebrate the 25th anniversary, North has lined up a weekend of activities from 1st to 3rd July.
John Gyngell and Christian Townsley
Saturday sees Garrett Oliver, founder and brewmaster from the Brooklyn Brewery, host a sold-out beer tasting to celebrate the long-standing relationship between North Bar and the brewery. Tickets for this event sold out in 24 hours, raising £500 for North’s partner charity, St George’s Crypt. In addition to this, Erdinger will be visiting from Germany to provide a ‘beer champagne’ reception on the Saturday at 6pm.
Local independent spirits and wine supplier Latitude has curated a cocktail passport showcasing North classics. Customers can take their completed passports to Latitude throughout July for a 10% in-store discount.
DJs from parties past and present will be digging into their vinyl collections all weekend, while Sunday sees a proper North style ‘Recovery Sunday’, with hot coffee, spicy bloody Marys, and a pop-up from Doghouse Bagel Shop.
