How did a small bar in Leeds serving Beamish Red and Kronenbourg become a driving force in the craft beer revolution? Founded by John Gyngell and Christian Townsley back in 1997, North Bar is an institution when it comes to great, modern beer. And nearly 25 years on, the team has just opened the doors on a new brewery of its own.

What do The Stone Roses, Deftones, Slayer and, well, East 17 have in common?

Correct! They have all played at the birthplace of North Brewing Co, of course!

Well, yes and no…

Because before North Brewing there was North Bar. Located on New Briggate in Leeds City Centre, the seminal craft beer bar would open its doors in 1997. And in the years that followed, it too would open up people’s eyes and palates to a world of modern, exciting beer.

A launchpad for countless local breweries and a gateway to a wealth of world-famous brands like Brooklyn Brewery, Erdinger and Sierra Nevada to enter the UK market.

The impact the bar, founded by John Gyngell and Christian Townsley, has had on the craft beer sector cannot be understated.

But before the duo were to open that much-loved bar, they would meet during their role as glass collectors at the Town and Country Club in Leeds. Originally opened way back in 1885 as the Leeds Coliseum, the grade II listed Gothic building would host a variety of circus shows and political events.

Come 1992 it reopened as the Town and Country Club, it too hosting a raft of events but this time of a musical nature. If you’re passing the venue, located at 55 Cookridge St, is now known as the O2 Academy Leeds.

“John is from Stockport so he used to spent a lot of time in Manchester. From a young age, he always had an aspiration to open his own bar one day,” says Townsley.

“When we met, he told me that he wanted to open somewhere in Leeds. Back then, there were a few spit and sawdust Irish pubs, some rough boozers and that was pretty much it. The city centre wasn’t a very welcoming place to be student.”

Both Gyngell and Townsley knew this needed to change…

They wanted somewhere that would offer table service, that offered up a continental vibe and was welcoming to each and every customer.

He recalls: “The intention was to create an open, friendly space for the liberally-minded people. A venue for people like us. I think most businesses are founded upon the needs of the founders.

“They identify a need in their life and solve it by opening a business to do that, and that was ultimately what we did.”

They found their location at New Briggate, and with a “modest” loan from John Smith’s went on their way opening with beers, necessitated by the loan, such as Beamish Red, Fosters, Guinness and Kronenbourg.

“A pretty poor selection, let’s be honest,” he laughs.

Following months of hard graft to get the place open, a period of the bar being “deathly quiet” followed.

“It makes you question if you’ve made the right decision. There’s times where you’re incredibly tired, the place is empty and you go into a dark place,” he says. “But we held our nerve and thankfully things started to pick up.”

And this time, it was the turn of another of the city’s entertainment venues to have its say in the story of North Bar.

Townsley explains: “We got really lucky being right next to the Leeds Grand Theatre. And the crew effectively started to use the bar as their greenroom. We ended up attracting some really creative individuals that were working in a range of roles at the venue.

“They were well-travelled and loved the fact that we started to stock more interesting beers that they recognised from those trips.”

To celebrate the upcoming Euro 1998 football tournament, Gyngell and Townsley wanted to offer beers from all of the participating nations. So in came beers from Hoegaarden Brewery, Duvel and TAP7 Mein Original from Schneider Weisse.

“People from the theatre knew these beers and the flavours and aromas really excited John and I. It really got us interested in beer and we then knew we wanted to do more,” says Townsley. 

But while North Bar would start to stock a raft of beers from across Europe, its sales of Kronenbourg and Guinness were absolutely flying, with the venue becoming a major account for both brands in the North of England.

“I remember having to repeat myself a few times on the phone when asking for twenty 50l kegs of Kronenbourg as the lady on the end of the line didn’t believe us!” he smiles.

The success of these draught products meant North Bar was able to pay off its loan sooner than expected and before long, the duo would meet the team at specialist beer importer James Clay & Sons.

The relationship swiftly blossomed and North Bar would become something of a shop window for the breweries such as the aforementioned Brooklyn Brewery and Erdinger as well as Goose Island, among others.

“It worked brilliantly for us,” says Townsley.

“We became known for these exclusives and as a result, other companies would bring their customers to North Bar to show how well these brands could perform. I feel that James Clay helped us grow and we helped them, too.”

The venue would also be the first to pour Sierra Nevada in the UK. Working with Steve Holt of Vertical Drinks, and more recently the founder of Kirkstall Brewery, the duo work work closely to showcase beers from the revered US brewery.

Townsley will also never forget his first time enjoying a bottle of Anchor Liberty Ale from Anchor Brewing.

“It blew my mind!” he recalls.

North’s love affair with US beers grew by the day but visits to expos across Europe ensured they stayed on top of world-beating Belgian and German produce, too.

And as luck would have it, Gyngell and Townsley would soon find themselves at a trade expo in Ghent.

“I tried Duchesse de Bourgogne by Brouwerij Verhaeghe and thought ‘Oh my god, this is amazing’ so I asked Ian at James Clay who went on to supply us with it,” says Townsley.

“We have always been very lucky with the type of customer North Bar attracts. They are open-minded, inquisitive and willing to try new things. We learn from them, too, and continue to do so.”

The success of North Bar led the duo to open their second venue in 2005, a number that currently stands at seven in 2021.

But rewind back to 2004, and a research trip to Copenhagen would light that fire of doing something more hands-on with beer.

“We walked in and thought wow, this is class, this is class,” Christian Townsley, North Brewing Co

Nørrebro Bryghus can stake its claim to be first real micro brewery in Denmark. Founded in 2003 by Anders Kissmeyer, a former Carlsberg brewmaster, the aim was to open peoples’ eyes to a world of great beer.

“We walked in and thought wow, this is class, this is class,” muses Townsley. “You could see the brewhouse, the branding was smart, clean, and the layout of the place was spot on.”

He adds: “We went on to visit some other smaller brewpubs and were just so impressed with what we saw. We even asked the head brewer at one place that if she ever wanted to move to Leeds, she could start a brewery for us!”

Returning to Leeds, Gyngell and Townsley would happen upon a Victorian engine house which formed part of an industrial estate on Water Lane near the River Aire.

“It was an amazing site. We started to join the dots but the money that was required, along with the us getting distracted opening new bars meant it escaped us,” he recalls.

Venues such as Further North in Chapel Allerton and Alfred in Meanwood followed. With it, North was bringing over more and more great beer from breweries across the globe. Leeds had become a hot bed for excellent beer.

And as the saying goes, ‘Time flies when you’re having fun’. And some ten years after that visit to Nørrebro Bryghus, the team’s designer, James Ockelford, had a proposal.

“He told us that North Bar needed a rebrand,” recalls Townsley. “Ok, we thought. So he came to us with this weighty brochure of the new logo and the work behind it.

“He then turned to the back and showed us how he had adapted this new North Bar logo for North Brewing Co. We looked at him and said ‘Ah shit, we’re going to have to do a brewery, aren’t we?’”

Gyngell and Townsley knew it was now or never. They could discuss it and put it on the back burner, or act upon it and make their move.

They chose the latter.

Around that time Seb Brink was plying his trade as ukulele teacher. He also enjoyed cuckoo brewing for his own business Golden Owl, too. A regular of North’s Alfred bar, word reached him and North were looking to expand into brewing their own beer.

Gyngell and Townsley had also heard positive things about his beer. And one day, Brink turned up to politely inform the duo that he had quit his job.

“Ok, I said,” says Townsley.

“He replied that ‘We’re doing a brewery, aren’t we?’ So we thought we better crack on!”

As the bar that launched Magic Rock, Cannonball was always a favourite of the team at North Bar. Townsley suggested Brink create something along those lines, paying homage to excellent West Coast beers.

So off he went.

“He came to meet us, and I think he was pretty nervous. He opted for a beer that had characteristics of both East and West Coast styles,” says Townsley. “John was there but he was full of cold and couldn’t smell or taste anything.

“But the second Seb opened the beer I knew he had hit it out of the park with his first go. It brought a tear to my eye. It was unreal.”

That beer would become Transmission. A 6.9% IPA boasting a hazy orange appearance and soft, juicy mouthfeel. One that has gone on to win awards and become a flagship beer for the brewery.

“It’s quite amusing,” says Townsley. “When we introduce the company to new team members, we always promote continuous improvement as one of our values. That taking a leap of faith can be a positive thing.

“But when Seb tells us that he’s tinkering with the recipe for Transmission, we’re like ‘No, no, no’. But you have to trust him and he always gets it right.”

On 9th September 2015, the team would get the keys to their brewery site in Sheepscar. Armed with a 25HL brewhouse from Malrex and four 25HL FVs, the on-site taproom would open that November serving beer to thirsty patrons.

“The second Seb opened the beer I knew he had hit it out of the park,” Christian Townsley, North Brewing Co

North launched with Transmission and also Sputnik, a 5.0% American Pale Ale. A Kölsch, Herzog, would follow, along with Full Fathom 5, a Coffee Coconut Porter. Beers that are still part of North’s offering today.

One that didn’t make the cut was Bulkhead, a brown ale that resonated with Townsley.

“I was really excited about it because I grew up on Double Maxim ale. But it was a tough sell and it just didn’t really happen. But I loved it!”

From the off, North knew they wanted a reliable core range to hang their hat on. Another addition, tropical pale ale Piñata, soon joined the group.

“I’m dead proud of the beers that Seb has produced in the core range,” he says. “From the bar point of view, we also needed some consistency, so we needed a pale ale, and a IPA. It gave us reliability in supplying our own bars.”

While the team invested in capacity that, they assumed, would be more than they’d require, it would soon become apparent that the brewery would outstrip that capacity pretty quickly.

Especially with the brewery’s ability to directly sell from the taproom and through the North bars, all driven by a hospitable environment to drink those beers in, too.

Shortly into their tenure at Sheepscar, the team from Fourpure Brewing Co in London were in town. North Bar would host an annual Fourpure event around the time of Leeds International Beer Festival.

“They remarked on the empty unit next-door and if we had enquired,” says Townsley. “We hadn’t, and they told us we better get our skates on as we’d need it. We took their advice and secured it. Then shortly after we secured another unit on the same estate.

“By 2018 it became apparent that even with that space, capacity was becoming an issue and we would soon have to consider our options.”

Towards the end of following year, North would collaborate with Leeds-based ice cream company Northern Bloc on a Raspberry and Rhubarb Sorbert Sour.

Brewed with organic raspberry puree and forced Yorkshire rhubarb from the famed E. Olroyd & Sons, Sorbet Sour would prove to be more than just a collaboration.

“Northern Bloc’s founder Dirk (Mischendahl) looked around the brewery and could see we were running out of space,” recalls Townsley. “He told us he had an offer out on a building we might like, but was having second thoughts.”

Located at Springwell Works on Buslingthorpe Lane, the site was less than a mile north of the brewery’s existing facility.

“We went to look at it and it was perfect. He said if we were happy to rent it then he’d buy the building and lease it to us. Perfect!”

Then the global Covid pandemic struck and the lease had yet to be signed.

And at that point, Gyngell, Townsley and the team had some knew there were some challenging decisions to be made. So in late March 2020, they met with Mischendahl to work out where they stood.

“Dirk had just spent a lot of money on this building and needed to know our plans. It was an anxious time but it didn’t take long for John and I to agree we had to crack on,” says Townsley.

He adds: “We believed in the team, in the beer and in the brand. We knew it was time to crack on and sign the lease.

“We’ve spent five years without a full-time salesperson and we’ve been constantly short of beer. Starting with four 25HL tanks and always needing to add more and more 50HL vessels each and every year.

“We told ourselves we had been chasing our tail for too long and it was time to make that move.”

Construction on the site started in earnest shortly after. An architectural survey swiftly revealed that the floor of the building was in no fit shape to support four 150HL FVs down the middle of the facility. This resulted in the unexpected investment in all-new reinforced flooring.

The building’s former role as a tannery, also saw some other foundation work taking place thanks to the potential existence of contaminants. All of this while the global pandemic threatened the longterm existence of the bars that had led the team to this point in the first place.

“On our bar side we were fighting for our lives, it was horrendous,” Townsley explains. “It has been really difficult and you find yourself firefighting on a daily basis.”

“We managed to convert many of the bars to bottleshops, which helped us. But the changing restrictions, and the addition of the 10pm curfew was a real killer for a lot of hospitality.

“There was zero help and it was a real stranglehold for businesses like ours. So to see the support come through, be it online or click and collect, has had John and I in tears. It meant the world to know you have that connection with the community. It was very humbling.”

But thankfully, they pulled through.

The centrepiece of the new Springwell brewery is a 50HL brewhouse from Gravity Systems, supported by a wealth of much-needed tank capacity. The first beers were brewed on this kit last December. 

Townsley explains: “The potential for us to brew more and in bigger batches is massive for us. Our colleague Fay, who is responsible for the distribution and allocation of stock, has a really hard time over the years. She’s got a tough job.

“Working out what goes where, be it to our bars, export, local delivery, webshop, the lot. She’s constantly trying to keep everybody happy.

“Thankfully now, if we’re to brew say 100HL of a new special, it gives her a bit of comfort knowing she has that volume to work with.”

In addition to larger batches sizes, North marked the opening of its new facility with the eponymous Springwell Pils.

Springwell Pils is a crisp and refreshing Pilsner, brewed using German Pilsner Malt and Cara Gold, it has a light, clean and fresh profile whilst a light dry hop of modern German Callista and noble Mittelfruh finishes the beer with delicate tart gooseberry, fresh herb and floral characteristics.

While visitors to the new brewery can enjoy a beer in its 500-seater taproom, Townsley is also proud of the improved facilities the Spingwell site offers the ever-growing team.

“We believed in the team, in the beer and in the brand,” Christian Townsley, North Brewing Co

He says: “We’ve been incredibly fortunate with how everyone has pulled through during this last year. They’ve been hard-working and flexible and they’ve got us through this. In some ways, I feel like this new place is something of a reward to them.

“It’s a nice environment. We’ve got on-site showers and will be adding a gym, team garden and space for people to relax. Already it’s so much more than I dreamed it would ever be. I want it to become a space for the brewing community to collaborate and work together at for a long time to come.”

The lifting of restrictions on outdoor hospitality in England on April 12th was the green light for Springwell to open its doors. For outdoor drinking, of course. The brewery tap has, predictably, been a hit in with visitors in those early months since.

And despite the busiest period in his career, Townsley is grateful for the size of the project he and the team took on.

“I look back at the last year and, in some ways, the pandemic gave us the opportunity to make Springwell a reality,” he says.

“There’s no way we would have been able to manage a project like this in normal times. John and I are travelling for work so often that this brewery wouldn’t have happened with that being the case.

“I’m always grateful for having that focus, too. It’s been hard work but, to be honest, I think it’s helped save my sanity. Now we have the team under one roof, and can make more beer too.

“I hope that, by showing a company like ours can grow, we can show everyone there’s still much to be positive about, that there’s always light at the end of the tunnel.”