Leeds Brewery
A Leeds-based independent brewery established in 2007, known for cask ales including Leeds Pale Ale, Leeds Best and Midnight Bell.
Last updated August 25, 2026
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Overview
Leeds Brewery was an independent brewery founded in Leeds in June 2007 by former local radio presenter Michael Brothwell and his university friend Sam Moss. The business developed as a regional craft brewer serving the West Yorkshire pub market, combining production of permanent cask ales with seasonal and monthly special releases. Its beers were distributed through the brewery’s own pubs and other local outlets, giving the company a direct connection with drinkers in Leeds and, for a period, York. The brewery operated a 20-barrel plant on a trading estate in Beeston, on the outskirts of Leeds. According to the company’s published and reported specifications, the installation had capacity of approximately 150,000 imperial pints, or about 85,000 litres, per week. Its core range included Leeds Pale Ale, a 3.8% session bitter; Leeds Best, a 4.3% best bitter; Yorkshire Gold, a 4% hoppy golden ale; and Midnight Bell, a 4.8% mild ale. It also brewed Leodis, a 4.6% pilsner-style lager named after the Roman name associated with Leeds. Seasonal beers included Gathering Storm stout, New Moon black IPA and Samba golden ale. Midnight Bell became the brewery’s most prominent award-winning beer. It received the Best New Brewery Beer award at the 2007 Peterborough Beer Festival and later won gold in the dark cask beer category at the Society of Independent Brewers’ awards. The brewery also used limited releases and locally themed products to maintain interest beyond its regular range. Leeds Brewery expanded beyond brewing into hospitality. Its Leeds estate included venues such as The Midnight Bell, The White Swan, The Crowd of Favours, The Lamb & Flag, The Brewery Tap, PIN Bar and The Garden Gate. The Brewery Tap incorporated a small brewery upstairs that was used for lager production. In 2013, the company opened its first venues outside Leeds, the Duke of York and the Eagle and Child in York city centre. The pub estate was later reduced: in July 2016, most of the remaining estate was sold to Camerons Brewery, while PIN had closed and The Garden Gate was excluded from the transaction. The brand also built a local identity through links with Leeds United supporters. In 2008, the company invited supporters to vote online on the name of a new beer. The winning proposal was Radebeer, a reference to Leeds United player Lucas Radebe. The beer was sold in local pubs, with 10 pence from each pint allocated to the club’s transfer fund. This was a regional promotional and charitable initiative rather than a change to the brewery’s core positioning. Leeds Brewery ceased trading in January 2023. The Leeds Brewery brand was subsequently sold to Kirkstall Brewery, another Leeds brewing business. The transfer ended Leeds Brewery’s operation as an independent trading brewery, although the brand name entered the ownership of a continuing local brewing company. Information about post-sale production, distribution or product continuity is not established in the supplied reference material.
History
Leeds Brewery was established in June 2007 in Leeds by Michael Brothwell, a former local radio presenter, and Sam Moss, a university friend. The founders created the business as an independent regional brewery producing permanent and seasonal cask ales for the local market. Its identity was closely associated with Leeds both through its name and through the pub estate and community-oriented promotions that supported the beers. Production took place at a brewery on a trading estate in Beeston, on the outskirts of Leeds. The brewery used a 20-barrel plant with reported capacity of approximately 150,000 imperial pints, equivalent to about 85,000 litres, per week. Its range was built around traditional British beer styles with some contemporary variations. Leeds Pale Ale was a 3.8% session bitter, Leeds Best a 4.3% best bitter, Yorkshire Gold a 4% hoppy golden ale and Midnight Bell a 4.8% mild ale. The company also brewed Leodis, a 4.6% pilsner-style lager whose name referred to the historical Roman name associated with Leeds. Midnight Bell provided an early quality milestone. It was named Best New Brewery Beer at the 2007 Peterborough Beer Festival and later received gold at the Society of Independent Brewers’ awards for dark cask beers. Alongside the regular range, Leeds Brewery produced seasonal beers such as Gathering Storm stout, New Moon black IPA and Samba golden ale, as well as monthly specials. This combination of dependable cask offerings and rotating releases allowed the brewery to appeal both to traditional ale drinkers and to customers interested in less frequently available styles. The company developed a hospitality arm as an important part of its route to market. Its Leeds pubs included The Midnight Bell, The White Swan, The Crowd of Favours, The Lamb & Flag, The Brewery Tap, PIN Bar and The Garden Gate. The Brewery Tap included a microbrewery upstairs used for lager brewing. The company later expanded into York, opening the Duke of York and the Eagle and Child in the city centre in 2013. The expansion gave Leeds Brewery a presence outside its home city while retaining a strongly regional operating model. Local sports culture formed another part of the brand’s marketing. In 2008, Leeds Brewery invited Leeds United supporters to select the name of a new beer in an online poll. The winning name, Radebeer, referenced Leeds United defender Lucas Radebe. The beer was made available in local pubs, and the brewery pledged 10 pence from every pint sold to the club’s transfer fund. The initiative connected a local product with a prominent community institution and gave the beer a clear regional story. The company’s pub strategy changed in the middle of the following decade. In July 2016, an estate of seven pubs was sold to Camerons Brewery. The transaction excluded PIN, which had closed, and The Garden Gate. The sale reduced Leeds Brewery’s direct hospitality footprint and represented a shift from the broader pub-estate model that had helped distribute its beers. Leeds Brewery ultimately ceased trading in January 2023. The Leeds Brewery brand was then sold to Kirkstall Brewery. The sale transferred the name to another Leeds brewing company, but the supplied sources do not establish whether all former recipes, products, equipment or venues continued under the new ownership. The original Leeds Brewery therefore should be treated as a defunct operating brewery, with its brand subsequently acquired rather than as an independently operating company.
- 2023
Trading ends and the brand changes ownership
[1]Leeds Brewery ceases trading in January, and the Leeds Brewery brand is sold to Kirkstall Brewery.
- 2016
Most of the pub estate is sold
[1]Camerons Brewery acquires the described seven-pub estate, excluding venues that had closed or were not part of the transaction.
- 2013
Expansion into York
[1]The Duke of York and the Eagle and Child open in York city centre as the company’s first pubs outside Leeds.
- 2008
Radebeer is selected through a supporter poll
[1]Leeds United supporters select Radebeer as the name of a new brewery beer, with a per-pint contribution made to the club’s transfer fund.
- 2007
Leeds Brewery is established
[1]Michael Brothwell and Sam Moss establish the independent brewery in Leeds in June.
- 2007
Midnight Bell receives an early festival award
[1]Midnight Bell is named Best New Brewery Beer at the Peterborough Beer Festival.
Products and positioning
A locally rooted independent brewery focused on accessible cask ales, seasonal experimentation and direct engagement through its own Leeds and York pubs.
Session bitter
Leeds Pale Ale
A 3.8% cask session bitter and one of the brewery’s principal regular beers. It represented the accessible, everyday-drinking end of Leeds Brewery’s range and was designed for local pub service.
Best bitter
Leeds Best
A 4.3% best bitter forming part of the brewery’s year-round core range. The beer reflected Leeds Brewery’s emphasis on traditional British cask styles and regional pub distribution.
Mild ale · 2007
Midnight Bell
A 4.8% mild ale and the brewery’s best-known award-winning beer. It was recognised at the 2007 Peterborough Beer Festival and later won gold in a SIBA dark cask beer category.
Golden ale
Yorkshire Gold
A 4% hoppy golden ale included among the brewery’s regular beers. It broadened the core range beyond traditional bitters while retaining a cask-led regional positioning.
Pilsner-style lager
Leodis
A 4.6% pilsner-style lager named after the Roman name associated with Leeds. Lager production was also linked to the upstairs microbrewery at The Brewery Tap.
Seasonal stout
Gathering Storm
A 4.4% stout released as an autumn seasonal, identified in the brewery’s rotating range as an October beer.
Black IPA
New Moon
A 4.3% black IPA associated with the brewery’s February seasonal programme, providing a darker and more hop-forward contrast to its regular bitters and golden ale.
Golden ale
Samba
A 3.7% golden ale released as a June seasonal. It formed part of Leeds Brewery’s calendar of rotating beers intended to add variety to the permanent range.
Promotional beer · 2008
Radebeer
A beer named through a 2008 online poll of Leeds United supporters. It was sold in local pubs, with 10 pence from each pint allocated to the club’s transfer fund.
Marketing campaigns
- 2008Radebeer supporter naming campaign
Leeds · United Kingdom
Leeds Brewery asked Leeds United supporters to vote online on the name of a new beer. Radebeer, referencing player Lucas Radebe, won the poll and was sold through local pubs.
Outcome. The selected name was used for the beer, and 10 pence from every pint sold was directed to the Leeds United transfer fund.
Brand decisions
2023
Transfer the Leeds Brewery brand to Kirkstall BreweryM&ABackground
The original Leeds Brewery ceased trading in January 2023.
Action taken
The Leeds Brewery brand was sold to Kirkstall Brewery.
Aftermath
Leeds Brewery no longer operated as an independent trading brewery. The supplied sources do not establish the extent of continued production or brand use under Kirkstall Brewery.
2016
Sell most of the pub estate to Camerons BreweryM&ABackground
Leeds Brewery had operated a group of pubs in Leeds and had expanded to York, but later reduced its estate.
Action taken
Most of the seven-pub estate was sold to Camerons Brewery; PIN had closed and The Garden Gate was excluded from the described sale.
Aftermath
The transaction reduced Leeds Brewery’s direct pub ownership and distribution network.
2013
Expand the pub operation into YorkStrategyBackground
After operating venues in Leeds, the company sought a presence outside its home city.
Action taken
Leeds Brewery opened the Duke of York and the Eagle and Child in York city centre.
Aftermath
The move extended the brewery’s hospitality footprint into York, although the supplied material does not provide later performance data.
Recent events
- 2023
Leeds Brewery ceases trading and brand is sold to Kirkstall Brewery[1]
Bankruptcy · M&A
Leeds Brewery stopped trading in January 2023. The Leeds Brewery brand was subsequently sold to Kirkstall Brewery.
- 2016
Camerons Brewery acquires most of Leeds Brewery’s pub estate[1]
M&A
Most of Leeds Brewery’s remaining pubs were sold to Camerons Brewery. PIN had closed and The Garden Gate was not included in the transaction described in the reference material.
- 2013
Leeds Brewery opens its first York pubs[1]
Other
The brewery expanded its hospitality operation beyond Leeds by opening the Duke of York and the Eagle and Child in York city centre.
- 2008
Leeds Brewery launches supporter-named Radebeer[1]
Campaign · Product launch
Leeds Brewery asked Leeds United supporters to choose the name of a new beer through an online poll. Radebeer, named after player Lucas Radebe, became the selected name, and 10 pence from each pint sold was directed to the club’s transfer fund.
Sources1 sources
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