Leeds brewery Northern Monk has collaborated with Leeds metal band Blood Youth on its darkest black IPA ever ahead of an exclusive gig that takes place this week.
The contemporary metal four-piece will appear at the brewery on November 25 for an intimate homecoming show to coincide with the launch of their new album, Visions of Another Hell.
As part of the build-up to the show, they have worked alongside local brewers to create the darkest black IPA Northern Monk has ever released, which has been aptly named Visions of Another Ale.
Blood Youth has just released their new album, Visions of Another Hell. / Image: Blood Youth
Promising an IPA that manages to "find a little bit of lightness in the dark", the new beer combines de-husked Carafa Special III malt, Idaho 7 and Sabro hops, bringing tropical flavours of pineapple, young coconut and lime into the mix.
Additional pineapple, meanwhile, serves to amp up the hops; tropical notes - adding an extra hint of fruitiness to the new beer.
A Northern Monk representative said: "Northern Monk and Blood Youth were born at a similar time in a similar place.
"We made beer, Blood Youth made music… In 2021 our journeys have been given the opportunity to unite again.
"Building on a history of celebrating the best of the North’s rock and metal scene, we’re delighted to welcome them to the Patrons Projects series, taking the gold edition of our Northern sounds project.
Blood Youth will appear at the brewery for an intimate show on November 25 / Image: Stephen Craven via Geograph
"The resulting beer is a heavily hopped, tropical, Imperial Black IPA. A fitting tribute. Not just celebrating with a beer, we’re stoked to welcome the band to play at our home and original brewery on the 25th of November."
Blood Youth will play a small show to launch their new album at the Brewery on November 25, joined by DJs from Slam Dunk Festival who will also play a set on the night.
Tickets for the show are on sale now for £8. Entry to the gig is free for anyone who's pre-ordered a physical copy of Blood Youth's new album.
It's fantastic news for our city as Leeds has been crowned one of the best cities in the UK for foodies.
It's news that we've been pretty certain of for some time, but it's still nice to be recognised isn't it?
It comes from a new study carried out by credit card brand Aqua who analysed 30 major UK cities across a range of dining and social media metrics, including cuisine variety, restaurant availability, meal affordability, Michelin recognition and TikTok hashtag volumes.
Coming in at number on was, of course, London.
Images: The Hoot Leeds
With 47 cuisines, 22.5 restaurants per 10,000 residents and 81 Michelin-starred establishments, the capital unsurprisingly continues to dominate the UK’s culinary scene.
But in at number two was our glorious city of Leeds, supported by the highest restaurant density in the study, with 38.5 establishments per 10,000 people, and strong affordability compared with cities in the south.
Images: The Hoot Leeds
We will absolutely take that.
Other northern spots to feature on the list include Sheffield and Bradford in sixth and eighth place.
The top ten UK cities for foodies are:
London
Leeds
Nottingham
Edinburgh
Wolverhampton / Leicester
Sheffield
Birmingham / Glasgow
Bradford / Swansea
Preston
Milton Keynes
Here in Leeds we've got so many fabulous food spots, with new openings cropping up every month it's hard to keep track.
From the multi award-winning Bavette Bistro in Horsforth to the highly acclaimed indie Bundobust that started off in Leeds - you certainly won't find yourself hungry or at a loss for somewhere to eat here.
Sheffield amongst nine areas to be long listed for UK City of Culture 2029
Clementine Hall
It's big news for Sheffield as the city has officially been long listed to become the UK City of Culture in 2029.
It’s one of just nine places across the country to make the cut, alongside the likes of Blackpool, Portsmouth and Wrexham.
Winning the title could bring huge investment to Sheffield, thousands of visitors, and a massive spotlight on everything that makes our city special - and let’s be honest, Sheffield’s got plenty to shout about.
From music and film to art and grassroots creativity, culture runs right through this city, and it would be a huge achievement to receive this title.
So, what happens now? Each arena will now receive £60,000 to develop a full application with the aim to build a vibrant cultural programme by 2028.
The nine confirmed long listed locations are: Blackpool, Inverness-Highland, Ipswich, Middlesbrough, Milton Keynes, Portsmouth, Sheffield, Swindon and Wrexham.
Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy said: "For far too long, opportunity has not been shared equally across the country. The UK City of Culture and new UK Town of Culture competitions recognise the enormous contributions made by communities all over the UK who are all part of the story of who we are as a nation.
"I look forward to seeing what the nine long listed places have in store as they progress in the competition. I also urge any towns thinking about entering the UK Town of Culture competition to seize this opportunity and get involved. It’s a chance to show the country what makes them unique and shine a spotlight on their cultural offer, enriching the lives of local people."
Go on Sheffield, we're rooting for you big time. We can't think of a city more worthy.
Georgina Pellant -
22nd November 2021 
