Owner Marcos Ramirez moved to the UK from Venezuela in 2009 and had his first taste of craft beer in Leeds, and was so excited by the flavours, he started home brewing. Nine years later, he started his own microbrewery right here in the city that ignited his love for the drink.
Partnering with North Yorkshire brewery Black Sheep for its first ever brewery collab, the two have come together to bring Leeds, ‘Ensueño’, a hazy IPA that celebrates the best of Yorkshire and Latin America.
Paying homage to his heritage, Pig Love Brewery uses special ingredients that would be used in Latin America 'for cooking and moonshining' in its recipes, which is why this is far from bog standard brewery, Pig Love puts a real twist on craft beer with ingredients like coffee bean shells.
Image: The Hoot Leeds
The shell of a coffee bean is usually wasted but in the last few years, people are increasingly experimenting with its abilities, and opting to use this to infuse notes of coffee and chocolate into food and drink. The coffee beans in Ensueño in particular come from Costa Rica and balance that rich flavour with the more traditional flavours you'd find in a pint of Black Sheep.
And you'll find that everything right down to the name and beer can is telling the story of these two worlds colliding
‘Ensueño’ means "a dream that is really likely to happen, it's an aspiration" that's almost within reach, so the name felt fitting for Marcos, "working with the big boys at Black Sheep", as a small Leeds independent.
The team from Pig Love and Black Sheep. / Image: The Hoot Leeds
The collaboration was talked about for almost three years, and the two breweries landed on the idea of creating a Hazy IPA given its current status as 'a trendy product' that's got the brewery scene talking, but also because it has a real ability to blend experimental craft beers, traditional Yorkshire pints and Latin American influences.
With a deceiving 7.3% ABV, it's a smooth drink that'll really knock your socks off, with 'lush fruity notes, coconut flavour and captivating aromas'.
Leeds-local Adam is a friend of Pig Love and helped to design a 'Latin American Rainforest meets Yorkshire Dales' featuring identifiable features like sheep and waterfalls that shows the full influences behind the collab.
You can grab a pint for yourself over in the Climate Innovation District where CITU gave PigLove the opportunity to open a pop-up bar for a few months in 2021, fast forward two years and they're still slinging out pints by the river and don't plan on slowing down anytime soon.
This will be a limited run so make sure to head down whilst you can and show your support for our own Leeds local. Black Sheep will be selling Ensueño online for those looking for give the IPA a taste test at home.
Feature Image - The Hoot Leeds
Eats
Leeds pizza shop hailed ‘exceptional’ and ‘best in the UK’ by major reviewer
A Leeds pizza takeaway has received a glowing review from popular review duo.
Edges Pizza opened up their first permanent spot in Leeds back in June this year, after making a name for themselves slinging out pizzas at multiple pop-ups across the city.
Owners Grace and Edge from Harrogate opened Edges Pizza two years ago, taking inspiration from trips to New York over the years.
Images: The Hoot Leeds
Their pizzas are a love letter to the class New York slice, think thin and crispy rather than chewy and floppy. But above all else, think absolutely delicious.
And now, they've caught the attention of a major review page, with Bite Twice Food Reviews (a page with almost 300k followers) paying Edges a visit.
The food review duo of Gerry del Guercio and Paul Delany popped up in Holbeck beneath the arches to get their hands on a pizza, and the outcome is brilliant.
In the video, Bite Twice said that the pizza is 'f**cking exceptional' and up there with 'one of the best pizzas in the UK'.
Before even taking a bite, they said: "On aesthetic, I don't think anywhere in the UK is doing pizza like this".
Images: The Hoot Leeds
Then after the first bite, they go on to say: "There are very few pizzas in the UK that create this, I’m a little bit blown away".
As Londoners themselves, they go on to say that Edges is 'easily hitting with the best that we’ve got down south'.
And if that's not high praise enough, they sign off the video saying: "Leeds has got an absolute gem. I give this a stamp so hard my foot went through the pizza. Edges. Don Level."
The 42-year-old Kirkgate Market stall serving freshly shucked oysters for £1.90 a pop
Clementine Hall
Tucked away in Leeds Kirkgate Market you'll find a wonderful seafood stall selling freshly shucked oysters for £1.90 each.
It's places like these that remind us why we love Leeds so much.
Established in 1880, Hayes Seafood is widely regarded as the oldest trader within the historic Kirkgate Market.
For the past 42 years, it has been run by Cliff and Michelle, the loveliest couple who welcome every customer with open arms.
Images: The Hoot Leeds
The menu here is small but perfectly formed, focusing on fresh, ready-to-eat seafood that you can enjoy with a squeeze of lemon and a dollop of mayonnaise at most.
Delivered fresh every morning, there's pre-cracked crab shells, brown and white crab meat, cockles, crawfish tails - all perfectly prepared for you to eat at their bar or high tables opposite.
But, it's the oysters that you'll see people queueing for. And rightly so.
Images: The Hoot Leeds
Everything here is prepared to order right in front of you, and for no extra fee. You can choose from two types of oysters: super salty Lindisfarne oysters or the slightly sweeter English Loch Fyne.
We recommend having a couple of each, pulling up a stool right by the counter and getting stuck in. If you ask Cliff nicely, he might tell you a bit about the history of the place - but you may have to order a couple more oysters for that.
Images: The Hoot Leeds
You're left to dress them yourself, whether you prefer dash of fiery tabasco or a few pickled shallots. But to be honest, they're delicious just as they come.
This spot is a real piece of Leeds history, and the queues at lunchtime as well as the repeat regular customers proves just how special it is.
All it's missing is a champagne stall next to it...now wouldn't that be perfect?
Sophie Smith -
27th November 2023 
