Revealed: What events are happening in Harrogate Beer Week and why it matters to the town

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The brainchild of local beer communications specialist Rachel Auty who has secured backing from Harrogate Business Improvement District (BID) to help bring the idea to fruition, the new event will involve a cross-section of the town’s burgeoning independent beer scene.

Supported by Harrogate Business Improvement District, Harrogate Beer Week will run from September 20-26.

The programme of special events will be hosted at bars, brewery taps, and eateries across Harrogate.

One of the local breweries taking part is Turning Point, which is located in Knaresborough.

Its sales and events manager Josh Waldock said: "We are so excited to be participating in the inaugural Harrogate Beer Week as a brewery, but also as local customers!

"Last week we hosted all of the other breweries in the Harrogate district for a official collaboration Harrogate Beer Week beer.

"This will be launched alongside a tap takeover and meet the brewer event that we will be attending at Major Tom’s Social on Tuesday 21st September.

"On that same evening we are honoured to have been invited to join award-winning beer writer Melissa Cole in a conversation on Harrogate beer at Cold Bath Clubhouse.

"As well as these external events, we are also hosting ticketed (purchase via our web store) brewery tours on Friday 24th and Saturday 25th September, and our taproom will be open 12-9 on these days, with live music on the Saturday too.”

Highlights: Harrogate Beer Week line-up includes:

Brewery tours at Turning Point independent brewery in Knaresborough

A Live Tasting & Question & Answer session at Rooster’s Brewery Taproom

A Home Brewers Social event at Major Tom’s bar

A guided beer tasting of Harrogate beer by Beer Sommelier Annabel Smith at Cold Bath Clubhouse

A Craft Beer Club event at The Disappearing Chin bar

Live music from The Paper Waits at The Little Ale House

The launch of ‘Modern British Beer’ by beer writer Matthew Curtis at Rooster’s Brewery Taproom

There will be various bar tours taking place across the town by Harrogate Beer Tour

The new event reflects the rise of Harrogate's independent bar and brewery sector over the last decade.

But the roots of change in the Harrogate district actually go back three decades.

The early pioneers of independent and quality beer in North Yorkshire sprung to life in the 1990s in the gap between the Campaign for Real Ale’s battle against the “Big Six” breweries in the 1980s and the rise of craft beer and microbreweries in the USA.

The example set by the likes of Daleside in Starbeck, Black Sheep at Masham, Hambleton Ales in Melmerby near Ripon and Rooster’s in Knaresborough was followed by the following:

Harrogate Brewing Co, Hookstone Case, Harrogate

Formed in 2014. A family-run microbrewery with the aim of embodying the tradition, culture and architecture of Harrogate

BAD Co Brewing & Distilling Company, Dishforth

Formed in 2014. Renowned for Comfortably Numb (Pale Ale), Wild Gravity (IPA) and more

Turning Point Brewing Co, Grimbald Park, Knaresborough

Set up originally in 2015 at Kirkbymoorside, just over two years later it moved to the ex-Rooster’s brewery site in Knaresborough

Cold Bath Brewing Co, King’s Road, Harrogate

Located in the bar of the same name, since it opened in 2019 it’s become known for its exceptionally clean beers with a particular focus on lager.

More information at www.harrogatebeerweek.co.uk

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