BrewDog Leeds

I couldn’t come to Leeds for the weekend and not check out how their BD compares to ours in Manchester, so I insisted to my mates we were adding it to our drinking plans.
Tucked behind the impressive Corn Exchange, it was a bit of a job to find it as it’s not the biggest, sat next to the Pizza Express on a cobbled side street.
It’s very small inside and although it lacks the initial wow factor of its sisters in say Manchester and Birmingham, there was still plenty to take in and I liked its cosiness, as it was so different to the beer caverns I’d been used to sitting in. I probably wouldn’t feel the same way if it was heaving inside as you’d struggle getting to the bar.
More seating, together with the loos, are upstairs, but we managed to get a table by the bar so stayed and enjoyed a glass or two of Vagabond.
What I should also point out is that Leeds now has a SECOND BrewDog venue as ‘ShuffleDog Leeds’ (
) is open for business. With three shuffleboard tables, an impressive 35 draft lines of craft beer and a food menu to boot, we need to petition HQ to get them to do the same across The Pennines!

Best beer I’ve ever had and I have had it on 3 continents, including every coast of the US at this point. I tell people how amazing Brewdog is everyday. Their brewery in Columbus can’t come soon enough.
Staff is great and incredibly knowledgeable. We even had an accident the one time we were there, and they took care of us. I’m such a big fan of this bar and company.

For ale lovers and it’s great that staff know their beers. When we first stumbled on this place we couldn’t decide what to have so it was great that staff were helpful and knew their ales.
Its a small but friendly and relaxed place even on a Saturday night the crowds seemed far far away.
There’s an upstairs bit with more seating and games.

My favourite place for a drink in leeds by far. Fantastic variety of ales from light pale at 3% to a strong hoppy 8% massive bonus of having mega drive and board games available means you can spend the whole afternoon in here. Food is worth a shout as well but the punk IPA and 5am saint are my winners!

Ahhh Brewdog bar, if you heart the taste of you being robbed this is the place for you.

Now I am not a beer drinker yet I still like this place. It has a nice atmosphere everytime I go adn lots of my friends love different types of beer so we always have a stop off here when they come to visit Leeds.
It is a small spce but I have always found seats upstairs.
They have plenty of literature about themselves including how you can buy shares in the company to get discounts and actually be a part owner!)
They do some wines and nice juices.
Worth a visit atleast once to make your own mind up.

Very small, not got the full range of beers on. Its on two levels and has a much cosier feel than the other Brewdog pubs I have been to. Overall I think I prefer it. The beer is excellant quality but expect to pay a premium price.

Ballin’ with my Local Authority pay from my hard work for the citizens of Kirklees, I had to celebrate after work. What better excuse to try out Brewdog?
Unfortunately the bar is behind The Corn Exchange which makes it a bit harder to find. This however might be a good thing as it seems like you don’t get many arseholes in here, even though it’s not too far from Call Lane. Unfortunately I don’t think I’d want to be in here when it gets incredibly busy as the bar is on the small side and the seating is pretty limited. The smallness of the venue is part of the charm though.
I came at 9:30pm on a Wednesday so it was relatively quiet. The atmosphere was pretty chilled out but the music was pretty dope (hip-​hop a and funk) and the beers behind the bar already looked pretty tasty just by looking at em!
I am aware there are lots of people online and in the drinks business who hate Brewdog beers with a passion, with comments like:
‘All style over substance, people who wouldn’t dream of drinking real ale w*****g over Punk IPA like it’s God’s own s***k’ (yes, this is a real comment on a forum).
‘BrewDog doesn’t sell real ale and is full of trendy kids’ (another comment from a forum).
That’s where I have to disagree. Brewdog beers have style and also have substance. That stuff is really tasty and a pleasure to drink. Most people (especially women) including me don’t drink ‘real ale’ much anyway cos it’s mostly boring bitters, milds and golden ales called ‘Old [insert common 1920s name here]’ (and the real ale fad will die soon anyway among hipsters). So what if Brewdog isn’t Real Ale? What young people care about CAMRA these days anyway? Brewdog isn’t aiming at the traditional and traditionally older real ale market anyway. I can see why they hate it. The bar itself though isn’t as Trendy as bars such as North Bar and Nation of Shopkeepers.
Now I’ve got that out of the way… Brewdog is a great bar too! The bar staff are a bit quiet and reserved like. It might not top my favourite which is Sela Bar, but it’s a great second and that’s not a bad thing. This is a place where I’d go to talk with a friend rather than go on my own, but I’d still go on own just to taste their beers again. The beers are quality… Plus they have Sonic 2, Road Rash 2 and a Megadrive. What more could you want?
Conclusion: Brewdog make beers that my generation of young people (and women especially) want to drink and have venues that we want to enter. Even if you aren’t into the stylish marketing, you can’t ignore that their beers taste amazing and their bars are incredibly charming.

Stopped by for a pint to avoid a sudden downpour and ended up staying for many many more. Seriously legit pub with bartenders who know their stuff and an awesome selection of brews on tap and in bottles. Definitely coming back the next time I’m in Leeds.

How have I not review BrewDog yet?! Wowsers. Sometimes they slip under the cracks, right?
So, if you know me at all, you know I love beer. And beer for punks is right up my street. And when I heard the noise about BrewDog coming to Leeds I was incredibly excited. I have to admit, I had a bit of northern-​city-​rivalry in my head when Manchester got there first, but that’s old news now we’ve been graced by the Scottish beer rebels.
The venue itself is pretty pokey, but that’s not to say that you can’t all pack in and share the love. The downstairs is rustic, almost industrial, and makes great use of the cool features of the space — a winding metal staircase, a long table to sit at together, some bar stools, and a few cosy chairs in the corners of the room. The theme is continued upstairs, with cool little booths, rustic décor, and a nautical style door to the loos. (Which are unisex.) The venue is so small their ‘cellar’ is actually stored in the rafters above the upper floor, so every now and then a member of staff has to climb up there, which is always amusing!
It has to be said, I was already a BrewDog beer fan, but having it on tap is pretty fantastic. They manage to keep the draught exciting, and have changing guest beers if you’re after something different, alongside a host of their own interesting brews. I’m a hardcore Punk IPA fan for the hoppy goodness, but if you’re after something a little stronger, there’s plenty to ask the staff about. Most of the staff are fantastic too, and mega friendly when it comes to chat. As standard, they know their stuff. The soundtrack is often on the punk and alternative side, which of course fits the theme — I’m pretty sure I got to listen to some CKY last time I was there. (Or maybe I imagined that?!)
I’ve yet to indulge in their meat and cheese boards, but they look pretty delicious, and round off the experience of good beer, good food, and good times. I’ve yet to have a sub-​par experience here — the staff, beer, and atmosphere make it yet another solid spot for awesome drinking times in Leeds. Just what this area of Call Lane needed! Of course, it does hit the wallet a little more than other spots, but if I’m honest I reckon it’s in-​line with most of the bars I frequent. You get what you pay for, and you pay for good brews here. In my humblest opinion!
Basically, if you’ve been under a rock and haven’t had a pint in this place yet, get there stat and lemme know what you think.

To be honest, I find Brewdog (the company, not this pub) a little self-​consciously hip and smug. It’s not like they’re the sole bastion of quality beer against a tide of mediocre lager: scores of fantastic independent breweries have been doing their thing for years, and real ale/​quality beer seems to be becoming increasingly mainstream recently. But anyway, I’m meant to be reviewing this pub, not the whole brewery!
It’s a nice space, love the funky yet comfortable vibe, and there’s a good selection of board games. We passed many happy hours supping beer and playing Scrabble and Blockbusters. The staff are mostly friendly, though there was one barman who irritated me. I ordered two beers and a G&T and he asked me in hurt tones if the «spirit drinkers wouldn’t try some beer, no?» I know they’re meant to be showing pride in their beers, but it rubbed me up the wrong way — my friend wanted G&T and I just wanted to get it for her without having to justify it! Then as if to punish me, he made a lime-​less G&T which was so strong I had to take it back. To be fair, a much more friendly barman rectified it immediately and cheerfully, and limed it up, so no harm done.
Anyway, that didn’t really detract from a nice few hours. Long story short, if you like Brewdog, you’ll like this pub. And if you don’t, you can probably still have a decent time here.

Brilliant, brilliant, brilliant.
A fantastic selection of their own wonderful beer, as well as some treats from other highly regarded microbrewers. I’m a sucker for a simple tipple of Punk IPA.
Yes, it’s a touch small and the brand is very inyerface, but I much prefer that to some cavernous hole with no identity. I also love that BrewDog is getting right up the noses of the chin-​stroker brigade, who are taking something that is ultimately a leisure pursuit far too seriously.
I’ll keep my review short and sweet because I really could waffle on for ages about bar semantics and all that nonsense that no really cares about.
The council only giving them a 12am licence is an absolute farce, this is completely different style of drinking den than any of the meat markets surrounding them.

Loving you is easy cause you’re beautiful…
There arent many, (if any) finer watering holes in and around Leeds center.
OK so you might pay a bit more for your beer because of its strength. but is it worth every penny and besides you should in theory, stop drinking earlier. In theory.
If like me you like sampling new beers everytime you go out and you’re not familiar with BrewDog you definitely need to make this your 1^st port of call. It’s not just the beers It’s their whole ethos. It’s the stories behind the names of the beers.
From Tokyo Rising Sun to Tactical Nuclear Penguin and Sink The Bismarck!

So… I’m a little biased here because BrewDog IPA is exactly the kind of beer I go for. After that everything else falls into place. The staff are genuine and seem to really get behind the concept of this blossoming mid sized company which is spreading across the island like wild fire apparently. Friendly folks eager to help you choose the right beer for you. The actual bar (and the one in Manchester) takes on the industrial loft look with exposed brick and very pragmatic tables and stools. Fine by me, I appreciate the manly feel to the place! I’m a huge fan, if I started a beer brand I must admit it would be a lot like this!

I’ll be honest — you do have to look quite hard to find Brewdog Leeds (opposite the also excellent vintage shop Upstaged behind the Corn Exchange).
Well, I did anyway — I nearly walked in through the fire exit. which of course doesn’t open from the other side.
However — once inside it’s definitely worth the minor embarrassment of people seeing you walk straight into and rebound from a fire exit.
It’s not a spacious bar by any stretch of the imagination, but what it lacks in size it more than makes up for in friendliness, great quality beers (and I’m not really that much of a beer drinker myself so that’s saying something!) and a relaxed (if somewhat squashed) environment. The bar staff are friendly, the music’s there but not too intrusive & all the prices/​ABVs are listed on the bar menu (if like me, you need to balance the ABV against how much money is in your wallet for maximum effect, if you catch my drift!!!)
The prices are quite high but you are paying for unique beers of excellent quality, so if you are looking for somewhere to drink a small loch worth’s of Carling it’s probably not your type of bar. It does suffer slightly from being located right in the heart of «drunk young professional types» land (right next to Call Lane) which means that a) they struggled for far too long to get a license and b) when you leave (certainly on a Friday or Saturday night) you will most likely have to run the gauntlet of very drunk young professionals paying £17.20 for a small cocktail in another bar and talking about Mumford & Sons & how what an amazing job George Osborne is doing with the economy* (or whatever these sort of people talk about.).
Mind you, don’t let that put you off at all. It’s a great friendly bar with knowledgeable pleasant staff & a great selection of craft beers that will get you pleasantly hammered in congenial surroundings. You probably won’t even notice the hordes of drunk accountants/​media relations managers when you leave ;)
The Unilocal event on Thurday 18^th April was as good as ever — Rowena did a sterling job of the quiz (can I apologise for mis-​hearing the Paul Weller question at least 3 times. he did of course famously tell people to vote Tory in the 1979 election.) & the manageress (whose name I forget — I blame the 10% beer.) was a veritable mine of information & amusing stories about the various beers they sell.
And I don’t know of any other bar where you can obtain a beer served inside a stuffed squirrel. Seriously ;)
(*definitely not the opinion of this particular reviewer!!)

I went to the BrewDog as part of the Elite event and while I was in two minds whether I would make it, i was so glad I did. It took the place a little bit of finding as my memory had the place as a vitamin and protein supplement store there before BrewDog.
All said and done, I was quite impressed with the variety of beers and the intricate details about the various Brew Dog beers that we got from Sophie who came across as very passionate about her job and her knowledge of BrewDog beers.
What overawed me was the cheeseboard which had probably the best green olives I have ever eaten. I generally hate green olives but the olives that I got from Brew Dog were simple irresistible.
All in all, the place is really worth every penny of my time. The only reason I had to take one star off was because it is a little small in size and once it gets popular, BrewDog would wish they had a bigger place.
But dont let that take anything away from them. They are worth a visit for anyone who knows and loves their beers. A much neded thing for Leeds City Centre for those wo are tired of drinking the same old beer day in and day out and want to give their taste buds a bit of quality brewed beer

Last night I was invited to sample the liquid delights that is BrewDog.
I am ashamed to say that I have never heard of BrewDog before and I didn’t have a clue what to expect.
I purposefully didn’t research BrewDog as I wanted to enter the premises with no preconceived notions or expectations.
BrewDog is situated behind the Corn Exchange and it is in a part of Leeds that I never visit. What a mistake on my part.
BewDog is very small in size but I wouldn’t say that I felt squeezed in.
For our event we were seated upstairs and as I had rushed to get there on time I felt quite uncomfortable as it was very warm upstairs.
As soon as I walked I was handed a bottle of Punk IPA which was a very hoppy and strong tasting bitter.
I like my beers to be a little bit smoother but I didn’t dislike it.
After we were all seated and had been given a name badge the event got under way.
The pub manager Sophie then gave us a brief overview of the beginnings of BewDog as a beer, then as a chain of pubs. Of which Leeds is the 11^th one.
I like listening to Sophie because she was very passionate about her job and as she was talking she kept on saying «My Pub or My stock».
The next drink was Dead Pony Club!
I kid you not, that is what they have called it.
It was less bitter than IPA and had a very fruity smell to it. I grew on my as I drank it and it is a very pleasant drink.
Then Sophie invented a new word — Laboratisions! Se was describing the people who work in the brewery and explaining it was like a laboratory where they came up with new beers. She made me chuckle!
Next was 5am. This was a lot darker and a very smooth beer. I really liked this one and I could really get a taste for it.
Next we were served food. Lovely platters of meats and cheese. They were really really nice!
The next drink was Imperial IPA. I learnt that imperial means that everything is doubled. Double the hops and double the ABV. this one packed a 9.2%abv. But what a lovely drink. This was my favorite drink of the night. It had a lovely aftertaste too. Going to have return with friends to share this little beauty.
The last and final drink that was of offer for us to sample was a real heavyweight at 10%abv was Cocoa Psycho. I kid you not when I say it is espresso in a beer glass. It has a very bitter coffee taste to it and there is a hint of chocolate in there too.
For me it had a bitter, almost burnt after taste to it. But definitely one worth trying.
Next came the quiz which turned into a very noisy affair and how we all didn’t end up withy the exact same scores I will never know. As we were all shouting out the answers.
Rowena you really put a lot of effort into the quiz and this evening and it showed.
But who put the balloons in the toilet? I mean why?
But my greatest quandary of the evening was how the hell do you get a beer bottle into a squirrel? And why would you want to? (If you don’t believe me then check out the pictures)
I love the idea that you can buy drinks in pints, half pints or a third of a pint.
Some of these beers pack a serious punch and should be treated with respect.
If I heard correctly, the strongest beer they do is somewhere in the region of 43%abv. They sell this little beauty in 25ml shot glasses. But woe betide anyone who knocks them straight back. A lot off effort has been put into brewing it and Sophie would have a thing or 2 to say to anyone who wasn’t respecting the ale.
The only downside I could see was that the premesise were on the small side. But for other people that could just add to the charm.
BrewDog is an absolute gem. Anyone who loves a Proper Pint needs to give it a go.

I’ve been to Brew Dog 3 times now in the short time it’s been around, and I’ve been impressed every time. My first visit was admittedly marred a little (but only a little) by the fact that it was absolutely heaving, but that’s unavoidable, especially given its modest size.
However, the drinks are great, and a welcome change to the usual pints offered in most places. Prices seem to be creeping to around £4 ish in a lot of places now, and this is one of those places, but again the drinks are worth it anyway! The girls serving the drinks are lovely too, and are always welcome to a chat or offering advice on the drinks (although I have to say the guy who served me yesterday wasn’t exactly all sunshine and rainbows…).
The music that’s played in there is also a bonus, with some stuff that I’ve never heard but enjoyed when I noticed it, and also some helpings of some excellent stuff that you don’t expect to hear in bars — one of the staff had A Perfect Circle songs on shuffle last week, which was greatly appreciated by myselk!
And to top it all off, as if I wasn’t impressed enough already, they have a stack of board games in the corner!!! Some pretty obscure ones too — they have Star Trek and Batman board games there, which I haven’t had the pleasure of yet. On a side note though — the Mouse Trap trap doesn’t actually work properly so don’t go for that!
All in all though, an excellent bar for good drinks, a chat and some gaming. I couldn’t tell you what it’s like at night time though, so you might find it very much packed out, but definitely worth a bash if you’re in the area.

Cor so Leeds has finally hit the big time, a Brewdog Bar has landed in the city! About time too I think, places like Newcastle and Nottingham have had one for a while and Leeds is way better… but then again… With Norths empire and the fairly new Friends of Ham we’re pretty well catered for when it comes to good keg beers.
Brew Dog have parked up just behind the Corn Exchange, near the no frills Pure Gym. Don’t let the proximity to Call Lane deter you though, I can’t imagine this place getting packed out with the usual array of high heels and low cut (men’s) tshirts. It’s a small bar, much smaller than the 2 in London I’ve visited but is pretty much the same style, understated darkly painted and clutter/​fuss free that pretty much tells you that it’s all about the beer, they could do with shifting a long table and stools in front of the bar that crowds the place though. You get the full range of Brew Dog beers and some guest kegs and bottles… If you’re used to drinking a few pints of some session pale cask ale (how very Yorkshire of you) you might be in for a shock, as it’s the knock your socks off 6−12% (or even 41%!) keg beers you drink by the third/​half/​two third. They do light snack foods (more bloody cheese boards! Where’s the big Hot Dogs of the London bars? Get em in from Primo’s) and have a few board games (of course) but the place is too dark for working out whether your guy in Guesswho has a brown or black moustache…
All in all a good place and glad they’re finally here (… even if Milo probably isn’t)… While not quite on a level to challenge North or FoH, it’s one of the best of the rest.

Ok so as a rule I’m not a BrewDog ale fan and generally going into one of their bars (mainly Newcastle) always makes me feel a little uncomfortable on my exit so with this in mind I entered into BrewDog Leeds.
It was a Sunday night and the building was packed. Having a capacity of around 55 doesn’t help either. A tin of sardines has nothing on this place. As you walk in the bar is to your left with the stairs to upstairs in front of you.
Crowded around the bar was a mass of trendy people vying for the premier position to look upon everyone else. Imagine a huddle of penguins in the icy winds trying to jostle for that ultimate warmth, this was the scene.
The bar is laid out as a normal BD bar with pumps with no clips and the beer listed on chalk boards at the back of the bar. A range of BD beer and others such as Mikkeller where available to complement the range of bottles in the fridge.
Available is a range of meat, scotch eggs and other nibbles to complement the beer available. The concept is strangely familiar to those that drink in Leeds (the name Friends of Ham comes to mind).
So while this is just like any other BD bar out there I do have to doth my cap to the designers for making such a small place seem larger than it actually is. The design is generally pretty good and does complement the general style BD are going for.
All in all it is a good place and I know I’ll be back, mainly to sink some Mikkeller beer as BD now have the sole rights to import their beer into the UK.