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
Award-winning Sardinian restaurant Domo announces Leeds opening date
Domo will officially open the doors to its Leeds venue this summer.
Get ready for Domo Leeds, a Sardinian independent born in Sheffield that is loved by many for its delicious food, inviting atmosphere and stellar service.
Run by Raffaele Busceddu and Sarah May Elliott, Domo serves a range of traditional Sardinian specialities from homemade pasta dishes to show-stopping grills.
They've also got a banging cocktail menu full of signature serves and refreshing spritz, perfect for enjoying with friends over some delicious sharing plates.
Images: The Sheff
Domo has confirmed it will officially open the doors to its first Leeds venue on Friday June 5, so we really don't have long to wait.
Located at the iconic Tower Works development, Domo Leeds will offer a vibrant new canal-side destination, perfect for the summer months.
Alongside the main restaurant menu, there’ll be a dedicated bar food menu designed around relaxed dining and carefully crafted small plates designed to pair with the drinks offering creating a more informal way for guests to experience Sardinian flavours.
Domo co-founder, Sarah Elliott-Busceddu, said: “We’re incredibly excited to finally open the doors and welcome people into Domo Leeds. From day one, our vision has been to create a space where everyone feels welcome and somewhere that brings people together in the true spirit of Sardinian hospitality.
“Whether it’s an evening out with friends, a relaxed catch-up over drinks after work, or a big family celebration, we’ve designed Domo to feel warm, inclusive and full of life. We can’t wait for people in Leeds to experience not just the food and drinks, but the atmosphere and sense of community that sits at the heart of everything we do.”
The Sheffield institution serving the city’s favourite sandwich for over 60 years
Clementine Hall
Of course, it's the one and only Béres.
It all started back in 1961 when Hungarian butcher Sandor Béres left his home city of Budapest during the 1956 uprising against the Stalinist government.
After the government took control of his father's butchers shops, Sandor set out to establish the chain once more and so, Béres was born.
And thank god it was, as for over 60 years now their iconic pork sandwich has been fuelling the hungry people of Sheffield, and we'd go as far to say it's one of the best sarnies in the city.
Images: The Sheff
Hot roast pork, herby stuffing, crispy crackling and fruity apple sauce all crammed into a soft bap - it really doesn’t get much better than that.
But, what makes it so special? Béres claims it's all in the preparation and quality control.
Being a traditional butchers, their pork joints are traditionally roasted and cured in house to give that succulent texture and crispy crackling every single time.
They use around seven tonnes of pork and four tonnes of flour per week to feed us hungry lot, and it's no surprise when you see the queues forming outside your local Béres every lunch time.
Images: The Sheff
The very first shop was born at Wadsley Bridge where they quickly built a reputation for their sandwiches, this then allowed them to become a proper Sheffield household name after expanding rapidly through the 2000s.
They now have 14 sites across Sheffield, and each site is as good as the next. Not only are the pork sandwiches class but if you're ever faced with a hangover no matter how severe, their stacked breakfast baps are always there to save the day.
But why we love Béres most of all is the lovely staff who are always there to offer a smile and a chinwag, but what else do you expect from the people of Sheffield hey?
Sophie Smith -
27th November 2023 
