The Yorkshire Beer Bible, a guide to the county’s venues and brews, has been updated for a third edition by author Simon Jenkins.
The book covers all angles, from fiercely traditional brewers producing time-honoured beers in slate Yorkshire squares, to the new-wave craft brewers embracing a dizzying variety of imported hops.
From the ancient brewer hemmed in by a tight knot of cobbled streets, to the brewery founded in a garden shed as a lockdown project, Simon has found them all.
This entertaining journey around the county lists every brewery Simon could find — more than 180. It chronicles the resilience which these businesses showed when faced with the pandemic and the closure of the hospitality industry.
“Those with canning and bottling lines, and healthy supermarket contracts, were perhaps best insulated against the sudden closure of the on-trad,” said Simon.
“Others were forced to rapidly change tack, building online shopping websites, offering carry-out services from the brewery, and establishing new partnerships to package their beer. Some took government support; many had to furlough staff.”
That so many came through — albeit on a wing and a prayer — is huge testament to their ingenuity and determination. And it speaks volumes for their customers’ loyalty to locally-brewed beer.
Even so, of the 200 or so Yorkshire brewers featured in the 2019 edition, only 150 were still trading four years later. There has been a loss of some wonderful small producers, as well as some mighty beasts. More than 30 breweries are making their first appearance in the book.
“And somehow, miraculously, the Yorkshire brewing scene seems as diverse and exciting as ever,” said Simon. “And optimistic too, even as the costs of production spiral upwards and the storm clouds of a global recession seem to gather on the horizon.
“So many of those I spoke to continue to trade with imagination and confidence. Many credited the loyalty of their customers with redoubling their efforts, and galvanising their determination to pull through.”
• The book is available from Great Northern Books.
