Northern Monk brewery is hosting the UK's first hop-led beer festival this weekend.
Taking place at its Sydenham Road brewery site for the first time ever, it will bring over 100 different beers down this weekend over the course of two days - kicking things off on Friday 6 August.
Local breweries confirmed to attend include Kirkstall, Northern Monk (of course), and Bundobust with a huge amount of UK breweries turning up across the weekend.
UK brews appearing over the duration of the festival will come from the likes of Bonzoko, Newtown Park, Future State, Neon Raptor, Deya, Mash Gang, Alpha Delta, Floc, North, Pipeline, Vicington, Polly's, Wylam, Beak, Track, Buxton, Zafato, Overtone, Pomona Island, Verdant, Boxcar, Mikkeller and Amity.
Beer lovers are completely spoilt for choice - and that's not all, as there's going to be some great street food and music going down here too.
Parmogeddon will be rocking up to Hop City this weekend / Image: Parmogeddon
There'll be four different food caterers rocking up over the weekend, including the legendary Parmogeddon and Manchester's Kong's Chicken Shop with their must-try fried chicken sandwiches - which incorporate an extra layer of chicken skin 'crackling' for extra texture and flavour.
Kong's are also known for their tater tots and fried chicken wings, which can be ordered either wet or dry depending how you like them.
And on the music front, across two days we'll see the likes of DJ Food, DJ Format, DJ Cheeba and FIngathing take to the decks as well as enjoying some live music from Leeds' exciting forward-thinking jazz-punk band Vipertime on Friday.
Vipertime will be making an appearance on Friday, 6 August / Image: Viper Time
Manchester's Jermain Peterson, meanwhile, will be bringing the soothing soul sounds on Saturday afternoon, followed by a closing DJ set from Dave Stone of Wylam Brewery fame.
It looks set to be a mega weekend, with free-flowing beer, an eclectic music line-up and some mouthwatering food traders all lined up for the weekend.
Further breweries set to attend include Other Half, Aslin, Tripping Animals, The Answer, Vitamin Sea, Great Notion, Equilibrium, Suds and Soda, Sierra Navada.
For the full list, head to Hop City's Instagram page here.
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Five of the most exciting new openings coming to Leeds city centre this year
We're basically half way through the year, so let's see what else we've got to look forward to...spoiler alert, it's a lot.
So far we've had everything from ice bath cafes to listening bars open up in Leeds, and it seems like 2026 is the gift that keeps on giving.
Allow us to get you excited about what's coming to the city...
Dishoom
68–78 Vicar Lane, LS1 7JH
Images: The Hoot Leeds
This one is a biggun' as the ever so popular Indian restaurant is set to open on Friday 14 August in a beautiful Grade-II listed building on Vicar Lane which was formerly Flannels.
First opening in London, Dishoom now has restaurants dotted all over the UK including a huge site in Manchester. The group is famed for its lavish and grand interiors, as well as its home-style curries, grills and breakfasts including its legendary bacon naans.
Acai and the Tribe
88 Vicar Lane
Image: The Manc Group
Acai and the Tribe first opened four years ago in Manchester, and ever since then it's only gone from strength to strength opening up three other locations across the country.
Next stop? Leeds. And we couldn't be happier about it.
So, what can we expect from this aesthetically-pleasing and ultra trendy female-owned business? Well, loaded acai bowls that look almost too good to eat, superfood smoothies, coffees, matcha and savoury options like avocado toast.
This Japanese restaurant serves a menu full of sushi as well as grilled meats on sticks, sharing sides and build-your-own hand rolls. All of this is wrapped up in the most gorgeous interior, which you can see from their jaw dropping new Manchester site.
Occupying the Grade II-listed space on Vicar Lane, the three-storey building will include a 220-cover dining room, 30-cover terrace and an upstairs bar.
Introducing Moods - a new all-day cafe, bar and events venue that will open to the public at First White Cloth Hall on Kirkgate on Friday 31 July.
Created by husband-and-wife founders Will and Hayley Moody, the team behind Buzz Club Tattoo, Moods will occupy the ground floor of the Grade II* listed building.
Alfonso's
Horsforth
Image: The Hoot Leeds
Famed for it’s toasted Cuban sandwiches, stacked subs and loaded breakfast bagels - Alfonsos Deli has made a name for itself for serving some of the best sandwiches around the city.
Such a good reputation in fact, that they’ve just announced a second location over in the leafy suburb of Horsforth. Get in.
Leeds rallies around independent wine bar after thieves smash windows to steal… an empty bottle
Clementine Hall
An independent wine bar in Leeds city centre was broken into over the weekend.
And do you know what the sneaky thief stole? An empty bottle.
Latitude Wine Bar on The Calls issued a statement about the break in over the weekend, they said: "Some unscrupulous ______________ (insert expletives in the comments) decided to smash our window last night to grab a magnum of chartreuse out of our window.
"Obviously it was a dummy bottle, so more fool them, but it also makes this criminal damage more pointless. DON'T THEY KNOW HOW MUCH GLASS COSTS!?
"Well, this puts a real dampener on the month so if any one feels like popping in to buy a bottle in the shop or a glass in the bar or heading online to place an order this weekend it would really help to support an independent wine merchant and bar.
Images: Latitude Wine Bar
"Thank you to one of our customers who found the abandoned dummy bottle and returned it to us today. Legend! Santé and happy Friyay!"
So not only did the thief smash the window to steal an empty bottle, but they didn't even take it home with them.
In classic Leeds fashion, fellow indies flocked to the comments to support Latitude with many promising to pop in over the weekend for a glass or two.
One comment read: "Do you need a sign in your window saying “this is a dummy bottle you dummy”" whilst another said "Damned spit buckets! I’m sure we’ll be in soon, keep your chins up fam."
So if you've been meaning to pop in for a glass of the good stuff, there's no better time than the present.
Georgina Pellant -
6th August 2021 
