Thanks to important advances in canning technology, an increasing number of craft breweries have opted to start selling their beers by the tin. Not only do they taste great (which cannot always be said of canned lagers), they also look pretty good too, thanks to an awesome range of artworks that make boring old bottles look very dull in comparison.
The latest brewery to join this trend is Northern Monk Brew Co., whose Eternal, New World and Northern Star beers are now available in can form.
While the Northern Monk Brew Co. journey began in 2008, it wasn't until 2014 that it found a permanent home – in Leeds' industrial heritage site of Holbeck.
Since then, the brewery has achieved a huge amount. Along with the Northern Monk Refectory and Tap Room (complete with a kitchen run by The Grub & Grog Shop), it has already grown to include a second site, where it produces over 10,000 pints a week, with an aim to hit 15,000 per week by next year.
This new announcement reveals that the brewery can now also boast a Wild Goose canning line, making it one of the first in the UK to have this technology, and allows Northern Monk to package its beers in a fresher, more lightweight and more environmentally friendly way.
Eternal IPA is a classic UK pale ale with a 'big tangerine aroma and long, quenching citrus pith flavour'. New World IPA has a 'sweet malt forefront, solid bitterness and citrus with tropical and grapefruit notes'. Northern Star is a full bodied mocha porter that is 'full of bitterness and hazelnut hints, along with rich dark chocolate and lactose sugar'.
Matt Baxter
Russell Bissett, founder and owner of Northern Monk Brew Co. said: 'The canning line will also open doors for us internationally and help us build on the trade we now do across Europe, we’re in talks with distributors in the U.S. as well as other destinations further afield and look forward to taking the beer we produce in the centre of Leeds across the world.'
You can take a look at an advert to accompany the new launch here.
Find out more about the city's talented brewers with this guide to breweries in Leeds.