New craft brewery Amity Brew Co has launched a trio of beers through its online shop, ahead of its Leeds brewpub opening later this year. The brewery is making fresh interpretations of classic beer styles created by head brewer Greig Swanson, formerly of Buxton Brewery and BrewDog.
Amity Brew Co head of communications, Verity Clarke, and co-founder, Russ Clarke
Gaining experience at BrewDog, North Brewing Co, and Beer Hawk, Amity co-founder and director, Russ Clarke, moved the launch forward due to the lockdown so that he could start to build a community locally and within the craft beer scene before physically opening doors in October or November.
He said: “Launching a business post covid-19 really adds the pressure on, but we’ve been heartened to see how the local community has rallied together, and we feel the brewpub is exactly what the community will embrace at this time.
“We are adaptable and nimble enough to make sure that our plans can quickly change according to any government restrictions that might be passed in the future as we all adapt to the world with C-19.”
The core range is available to order now and features a Helles lager, pale ale, and an extra special bitter, in 440ml cans.
The brewery and bar, due to open in west Leeds in autumn, will be 2,500 sq ft of indoor and outdoor space, situated at Sunny Bank Mills’ Festoon Rooms, overlooking the newly developed £2m Weavers Yard, which has a 5,000 sq ft outdoor space.
Russ said: “We are inspired by the US model of a brewpub, making limited-batch beer on-site and getting it into the hands of the community fresh and fast.”
Keen to work with local suppliers where possible, Amity Brew Co has appointed the interiors team behind Yorkshire brands Sarto, Headingley Stadium, and the Masons Gin School and Distillery, Wetherby-based Design Tonic, to design and fit the brewpub. The industrial yet green space will have social distancing at its heart, with no seats at the bar and a one-way system, maximising outdoor space and ensuring the tables and chairs that can be moved easily.
The core beers (brewery notes)
Sunnybank American Pale (6% ABV): Inspired by a love for classic West Coast American pale ales — think Sierra Nevada, Oskar Blues and Stone — this beer is a love letter to those halcyon days where a balance of malt and bitterness, and drinkability, was desired and tasted damn good.
Festoon Lager (4.6% ABV): Nothing beats a cold crispy lager, and this is Amity’s homage to the classic Helles style, with huge admiration for the classic German lagers and a love of supping cold steins of beer in the sunshine. Refreshing, bitter and bready, this is an ode to the Helles.
Red Lane Extra Special Bitter (4.5%): Released as a seasonal beer, the ESB has a big malty base with a modern twist, with some citrus and tropical oomph through US and NZ hops. It’s comfort in a can.
