How Yorkshire's independent breweries are helping each other through cost of living crisis

But to some of Yorkshire's best-loved brewers teamwork lends a helping hand. This is a sector with a strong sense of camaraderie, and to founders there is much to celebrate.

This Easter weekend Horsforth Brewery is hosting a beer festival featuring some of Yorkshire's favourite independent breweries from DMC to Northern Monk.

Mark Costello is the founder of Horsforth Brewery, which he launched first as a hobby in 2017 before giving up the day job to run it full time.

The market is hard at the moment, he said, but it's still an improvement on the uncertainty of last year. Critically, people are going back out again socially in the wake of the pandemic.

"We have struggled. It's been hard. Right now it feels really nice," he said. "And brewery-wise Yorkshire has a lot to celebrate. It's one of the best counties for beer.

"The nuts and bolts of it is you have to spend money with these businesses or they won't survive. We are an asset to the community - we hope to be here a long time."

The British Beer and Pub Association (BPPA), looking after 20,000 pubs nationwide and with members brewing 90 per cent of the beer produced in Britain, has long warned of an industry crisis.

Many are dreading a cliff edge with rising energy bills, it outlined last month, while more than 560 pubs closed their doors in 2022 - more than during each year of the pandemic.

If costs were passed on at the bar it would push prices for customers "through the roof", it has previously warned, calling for sector support to save treasured community spaces.

To Mr Costello turnover isn't the key concern. It's "astronomical" electric costs which are hitting the hardest. The machines run day and night, with coolers to keep temperatures low.

The biggest cost is heating huge amounts of water, every time a brew is made.

He has until December when his tariff runs out. Then, he outlined, he could face a six-fold hike in his energy bills.

"We've got until then to figure out how to make an extra £3k a month," he said. "We still have capacity, there's still time. That's one way to do that. But it is a lot of beer.

"I used to work in banking," he added wryly. "I had an OK paid job, but I quit that to do this. I definitely enjoy it more. We have fun. We do good things.”

Late last year, a barometer of Yorkshire's beer scene charted a picture of rapid change in the sector.

Camra's Good Beer Guide, covering 401 of the best pubs across Yorkshire, also keeps track of brewery numbers. While 10 had closed in the year prior 10 more had opened, it found, highlighting some of the region's contributions to the nation's best beers.

"For the industry as a whole, if you've got a healthy stream of brewers it brings in range and choice,” said Mr Costello. “We try and have different beers which capture your imagination a bit.

"I like beer, I think it can bring good in the world," he added. "We try and do a lot in the community, with events, cinema nights, comedy nights. It brings character to an area.

"And we all work together. We do try and support each other. There's a lot of brewers who would be there if I needed help. It's a camaraderie you don't get in a lot of industries."

​This weekend sees Horsforth Brewery's third annual festival, showcasing the best beer from independent breweries from across Yorkshire and further afield.

Running until tomorrow, it features beers from ginger beer brewery DMC, Harrogate Brewing Co., Northern Monk, Truth Hurts, and also Craft Beer Newcastle with a selection from the North East.

Horsforth Brewery is also releasing new beers from its Icon Series, brewed by staff creating their own recipes, celebrating the team's creativity and passion.