Fantastic Beer
A few weeks ago, I participated in the inaugural Harrogate Beer Week. Forty events celebrating local breweries, hospitality outlets and drinkers were scattered across the town in the space of a single week. Some events were tastings, some tours, some talks and some pure entertainment. All were focused on Harrogate's thriving beer scene. It was a great opportunity to get to know the brewers who make our beer and the stories behind those brews. Harrogate punches well above its weight in the beer world. It's a smallish town in the north of England, with a population of around 75,000, and yet it sustains five breweries within 4 miles of the town centre, with three more a little further out. With so many fine breweries, it would be easy to imagine a sense of rivalry, but that has not been the case. Collaborative brews are common, and there has been a lot of crossover in staff, so there is a great sense of respect, each conscient of what they owe the others. Having plenty breweries ...