Video: Farewell to Tetley's as Yorkshire's most famous ale is thrown to Wolves

One of the country's most popular bitters, Tetley's cask ale, is to be brewed outside of its home county of Yorkshire for the first time.

Carlsberg UK, the owner of the brewery in Leeds, sparked outrage after announcing the move yesterday, meaning it will not be made in Yorkshire for the first time since 1822.

Its cask ale will be brewed instead by Marston's, one of the biggest brewers of cask ale in the UK, in Wolverhampton.

However, production of Tetley's Smoothflow will continue to be brewed in Yorkshire at Molson's Tadcaster brewery from 2011.

Cask ale or real ale is the term for unfiltered and unpasteurised beer which is conditioned (including secondary fermentation) and served from a cask without additional nitrogen or carbon dioxide pressure. Smoothflow is the name brewers give to beers pressurised with a partial nitrogen gas blend from a pressurised keg.

Selby MP John Grogan, Chairman of the All Party Parliamentary Beer Group, said: "Given the closure of the Leeds Brewery, it is of course welcome that Tadcaster, in the heart of Yorkshire, will be the home of Tetley's Smoothflow.

"I think, however, that Freddie Trueman, who used to advertise Tetley's Bitter, will be turning in his grave at the thought of cask ale production being moved to the Midlands.

"By transferring Tetley's cask ale out of Yorkshire, the brand will never be quite the same again. I just cannot believe that there was no viable option to produce cask ale in God's own county.''

Greg Mulholland, MP for Leeds North West said: "This is an appalling decision by Carlsberg which unnecessarily brings to end more than 180 years of history.

"It's a decision made... with no regard for Tetley's heritage as a famous Leeds beer.

"I am calling on the good people of Leeds to show how they feel about this by boycotting Carlsberg lager. They have betrayed Tetley's and Leeds and especially the 170 people who will lose their jobs having given service to the city.''

Bob Stukins, vice-chairman of CAMRA, the Campaign for Real Ale, said: "While it is comforting to know that Tetley's iconic cask brand will continue to be brewed by an experienced party, it is difficult to comprehend how this latest move will be received positively by pub-goers when this historic brand is stripped of its provenance and tradition in 2011 and shipped over 100 miles away from its Yorkshire heartland.''

Carlsberg announced plans in 2008 to run down the brewery in Leeds city centre, with it closing by 2011. The news sparked fears that production of Tetley would switch to Carlsberg's plant in Northampton. A campaign was launched calling on Carlsberg to find a local partner firm to take on the future brewing of Yorkshire's famous Tetley bitter.

Andy Hume, Brewery Director at the Leeds Brewery, said: "Marston's are passionate about brewing great quality cask ale, using traditional methods and are one of the biggest cask ale brewers in the country.

"They have a lot of experience in brewing many different cask ales, both their own and other brewers' brands and we are fully confident that they will deliver the same great tasting, quality cask beer that our drinkers currently enjoy.

"We looked at all realistic options in Yorkshire to brew Tetley's cask. However there was not the suitable capacity available. As such we needed to find the best option outside of Yorkshire in terms of quality and processes and Marston's provides this.

"Over the coming months our Tetley's brew masters will work closely with our partners, using the same ingredients and recipe to ensure they deliver the same great beer it always has been."

A spokesman for Carlsberg said no decision had been made on the future of the Hunslet site.