Keep up to date with whats going on and join into the group by taking a look at our Facebook page, or Join in the discussions on our Members Forum

Our future meetings are listed below, you are welcome to join us, just drop us a line to let us know you are coming.

January 28th 2012 AGM at Heald Green Village Hall, Outwood Rd Heald Green, Cheshire. 12 noon until 5pm

This Event will also be the NCB's first Yeast Trial, we will be brewing a large Batch of Ale in late 2011, & splitting it into 5-6 Batches, using 5-6 different yeasts for the same wort. The Wort will be fermented in the same place under the exact same fermentation conditions. We will then be trying the different Beers Blind at this meeting & judging them to see the differences.

This will be a great meeting to Learn about the effect yeasts can have on your beer, & will prove to be very educational.

You will be able to compare Dried Yeast head to Head with Liquid yeasts & all will be revealed which yeast was in which brew at the end of the meeting.

We will be writing our findings up to publish throught the groups. Don't miss this meeting it will be a Good one.

March 31st 2012 We are having a Competition & Meeting at the Saltaire Brewery, Shipley, (Address here)
Last year was an excellent meeting, & this year promises to be even better,  “The Saltaire Brewery Shipley presents The Northern Craft Brewers IPA Day”.
This year we are running an English IPA competition, to be judged by Tony (The Head Brewer of Saltaire Brewery), Zak Avery (Beer Blogger & of BeerRitz in Leeds) amongst others.
We have invited the Midlands Craft Brewers, to make things a little different, so this will be a bit of an Inter region competition, as well as a good meeting, get brewing your best IPA recipe, this promises to be a great meeting and competition.
One entry per person only & entry is 2 pint/500ml brown (Magners style) Bottles, with Gold crown corks, (entries to be brought on the day).
Prizes will be awarded as usual, & the brewery will have 4 beers on Tap all at very reasonable prices.
We are expecting a large amount of entries for this competition, therefore to enter, please
Email: shane@bridestone.com

Closing Date for entries is Friday 16th March 2012
2 Bottle labels and entry number will be posted out to each entrant.
£3.00 entry on the Day
Style Guide
English IPA, any English hops, 1050-1070 (Please see this PDF of Hops allowed, no american C hops or NZ varieties please this is an English IPA Competition)
14A. English IPA
Aroma: A moderate to moderately high hop aroma of floral, earthy or fruity. A slightly grassy dry-hop aroma is acceptable, but not required. A moderate caramel-like or toasty malt presence is common. Low to moderate fruitiness, either from esters or hops, can be present.
Appearance: Color ranges from golden amber to light copper, but most are pale to medium amber with an orange-ish tint. Should be clear, although unfiltered dry-hopped versions may be a bit hazy. Good head stand should persist.
Flavor: Hop flavor is medium to high, with a moderate to assertive hop bitterness. The hop flavor should be similar to the aroma (floral, earthy, fruity, and/or slightly grassy). Malt flavor should be medium-low to medium-high, but should be noticeable, pleasant, and support the hop aspect. The malt should show an English character and be somewhat bready, biscuit-like, toasty, toffee-like and/or caramelly. Despite the substantial hop character typical of these beers, sufficient malt flavor, body and complexity to support the hops will provide the best balance. Very low levels of diacetyl are acceptable, and fruitiness from the fermentation or hops adds to the overall complexity. Finish is medium to dry, and bitterness may linger into the aftertaste but should not be harsh. If high sulfate water is used, a distinctively minerally, dry finish, some sulfur flavor, and a lingering bitterness are usually present. Some clean alcohol flavor can be noted in stronger versions. Oak is inappropriate in this style.
Mouthfeel: Smooth, medium-light to medium-bodied mouthfeel without hop-derived astringency, although moderate to medium-high carbonation can combine to render an overall dry sensation in the presence of malt sweetness. Some smooth alcohol warming can and should be sensed in stronger (but not all) versions.
Overall Impression: A hoppy, moderately strong pale ale that features characteristics consistent with the use of English malt, hops and yeast. Has less hop character and a more pronounced malt flavor than American versions.
Ingredients: Pale ale malt (well-modified and suitable for single-temperature infusion mashing); English hops;
Vital Statistics:

The Yorkshire Federation of Amateur Winemakers and Brewers is holding its annual show next year on the 11th to the 15th of May at the Southlands Hotel in Scarborough. It is a completely open show  and this will be its 44th Year.

Classes suitable for our members are :-
47, Cider Dry Sparkling, 48, Novice Pale Ale (Bitter) 49 Novice Lager. 50 Judges only Porter. 51 Light Ale 52, Pale Ale (Bitter) 53 I.P.A., 54 Old Ale, 55 Brown Ale, London Type or Newcastle. 56 Dry Stout Irish Style.57, Sweet Stout, 58 Barley Wine, 59 Pale Ale (Bitter) from any Kit. 60 Lager from any commercial ki. 61, Lager Light English, 62 Lager heavy (Continental)63 Begian Style Wheat Beer. 64 Dark Mild, 65 Fruit Beers, 67 Three Bottles of beer for an evening, Lager Heavy, I.P.A. Barley Wine
The person to contact is Bruce Heath, 4 Foxglove Road, Almondbury, Huddersfield HD5 8LW Tel 01484 546 972 Email, bruceheath@ic24.net
All Judging is done by National or Yorkshire Federation Qualified Judges. and Just as a matter of Interest Bill Lowe is judging there

July 28th 2012

BBQ & Beer Competition

@ Nigel and Lynn's In Doncaster

More details to follow

Copyright 2011 The Northern Craft Brewers