Metro area

Best breweries in York, England

Within 16 miles of York we track 19 breweries. None currently rate Great or better. Turning Point Brew Co. in Knaresborough leads the list at 3.85 (Fine).

The scale

Exceptional
A short list of extraordinary breweries worth planning a trip around.
Great
Consistently produce world-class beer.
Fine
Make genuinely good beer, if not the pint you will still be talking about next year.
Poor
Not bad beer so much as unremarkable beer.
Limited
Most craft beer drinkers pass these by.

1
Turning Point Brew Co.
Knaresborough, North Yorkshire, England
We are a small team of beer lovers with a clear mission: Brew our favourite beers, and have a good time. Our brewery recently relocated to Knaresborough, after two (and a bit) years at our original site in Kirkbymoorside. The brewery launched into orbit in 2017, with Aron & Cameron calling time on the day jobs and never looking back. Since then we've been busy brewing as many unique beers as possible, whilst modestly honing our craft, learning everything we can about this mysterious liquid, and trying our damnedest to cram as much fun into every minute of it as possible. We invite you into our little world filled with hops, good music, and space travel. Love, team TP.
Rating
3.85Fine
Popularity
Widely rated
2
Brew York
York, England
Located in York’s bustling city centre, just off Walmgate, Brew York is a showpiece 20Hl craft brewery alongside its tap room and beer hall. In early 2021 main production expanded to a twin 50Hl state of the art brewhouse on the outskirts of York. Featuring 40 taps the Beer Hall can boast the largest and widest selection of beers, lagers and ciders in York and its surrounding area. With its own purpose built kitchen we can deliver some of the best street food in the area alongside your beer. In addition to the awesome Beer Hall we have a smaller Tap Room located just next door within the brewery building itself. You can sit within touching distance of the fermenting tanks, even the brewers themselves! Come down and enjoy our beer whilst overlooking our latest brews fermenting away, or enjoy a fresh pint in our beer garden opposite the impressive Rowntree Wharf. We have 10 cask beers on rotation as well as 10 keg beer lines including cider and lager lines. A fantastic place to take in a brew and the view, as with the Beer Hall we are fully dog and family friendly. Open Tues - Sat 12pm - 11pm Sun 12pm - 9pm Food available until 2 hours before close.
Rating
3.83Fine
Popularity
Very widely rated
3
Samuel Smith
Tadcaster, North Yorkshire, England
Samuel Smith brews at the Old Brewery, Tadcaster – it is Yorkshire’s oldest brewery. Traditional methods of brewing have been retained at The Old Brewery. The brewery still has its own cooper making and repairing all its oak casks; all Samuel Smith’s naturally conditioned draught beer is handpulled from oak casks. The original well at The Old Brewery, sunk in 1758, is still in use, with the brewing water being drawn from 85 feet underground. Samuel Smith’s ales and stouts (except draught Sovereign and Extra Stout) are fermented in ‘stone Yorkshire squares’ fermenting vessels made of solid slabs of slate which give the beers a fuller bodied taste, using the same strain of yeast since the nineteenth century. All Samuel Smith’s beers are brewed solely from authentic natural ingredients without any chemical additives, raw material adjuncts, artificial sweeteners, colourings, flavourings or preservatives. All Samuel Smith’s beers and ciders are suitable for a vegan diet (except cask conditioned Old Brewery Bitter and bottled Yorkshire Stingo).
Rating
3.78Fine
Popularity
Extremely widely rated
4
Wetherby Brew Co
Wetherby, West Yorkshire, England
After an absence of almost 100 years, Wetherby once again has its very own brewery! Based on York Road (opposite The Engine Shed) we offer a range of hand-crafted beers, all brewed on-site and available to both the trade and general public. You can now purchase our beers (plus a fine range of guest bottles and cans) directly from our bottle shop. Our tap room is open every weekend.
Rating
3.47Poor
Popularity
Barely rated
5
Crooked Brewing Limited
Leeds, North Yorkshire, England
Crooked Brewing Limited produce's unproven beer and is ranked #16 in North Yorkshire. They are most well known for "Spokes", which is an English Pale Ale and "The Lash", which is an English Pale Ale. Their primary focus is brewing Pale Ales and IPAs.
Rating
3.46Poor
Popularity
Barely rated
6
Ampleforth Abbey Drinks
York, North Yorkshire, England
Sitting on the foothills of the North Yorkshire Moors, Ampleforth Abbey Orchards boasts over 40 different varieties of heritage apples, populating over 2,000 trees which span over seven acres. Our award-winning artisan range of ciders and apple products are produced onsite in our cider mill which is nestled within the Ampleforth Abbey Orchards. Local layman Tim Saxby heads the operation along with George, Steve and Wayne; amongst the team there are years of experience in the production of hand crafted cider. Our beer is produced within the walls of Little Valley Brewery, down Hebden Bridge, West Yorkshire. Head Brewer Wim and Fr Wulstan are the masterminds behind the Abbey Dubbel’s revival. Using a well-kept recipe that was used by the Benedictine monks of years gone by, Ampleforth Abbey Beer is the only traditionally brewed Abbey Dubbel produced in the United Kingdom. We are very traditional in our approach to producing our award-winning beer and ciders and pride ourselves in the quality of our products.
Rating
3.43Poor
Popularity
Barely rated
7
Lotherton
Leeds, West Yorkshire, England
Rating
2.87Poor
Popularity
Barely rated
8
Half Moon Brewery
York, East Riding of Yorkshire, England
A family run micro-brewery established by Tony and Jackie Rogers in 2013. Our 5.5 barrel plant is situated in the former Blacksmiths Forge, in Ellerton near York, producing high quality, award winning beers which are hand crafted in true artisan style.
Rating
3.06Limited
Popularity
Modestly rated
9
Elvington Brewery
York, England
Award winning lagers brewed to the Bavarian Purity Law! Mittel beers are brewed using special mineral water profiles, the finest heritage German malt, Bavarian hops and private yeast strain. Crafted with unwavering attention to detail. This is where historic brewing techniques combine with advanced German brewing technology!
Rating
3.05Limited
Popularity
Barely rated
10
Yorkshire Heart
York, North Yorkshire, England
Welcome to Yorkshire Heart. An award winning family run Brewery & Vineyard based in Nun Monkton, a picturesque village between Harrogate & York, Yorkshire. Crafting a hearty range of 'Real Ale' with our core, seasonal & one off brews to suit modern palates & traditional tastes. Our fantastic range of quality easy drinking beers come from the Heart in both cask and bottles, produced at our modern micro-brewery. We believe in representing the true taste of Yorkshire!
Rating
3.00Limited
Popularity
Modestly rated
11
Jolly Sailor Brewery
Selby, North Yorkshire, England
The Jolly Sailor Brewery is a microbrewery located at the Olympia Hotel, Selby. A selection of the beers produced by the brewery are always available at the Olympia Hotel and the Jolly Sailor Cawood. The brewery now has a shop which is located upstairs. Feel free to pop in to have a look at the brewery, browse our bottled beers, bag-in-boxes, and general miscellaneous bits and bobs.
Rating
2.98Limited
Popularity
Lightly rated
12
Rudgate Brewery
York, North Yorkshire, England
Rudgate Brewery was established in 1992, in the heart of Yorkshire - the Vale of York. The original brewery was in the former ammunition building of RAF Marston Moor Airfield, which was home to the Halifax bombers that helped defend the UK during World War 2. The name comes from the old Roman road of 'Rudgate' which runs through the airfield - the road that led the Vikings along our vale, defeating the Romans en route. This history is why our main theme is Vikings! The brewery expanded into a modern new facility in 2010/11 on the same site. We are nationally recognised with several awards to our name, including CAMRA Overall Champion Beer of Britain 2009. All Marston Moor beers are brewed here after Rudgate took them over in 2004.
Rating
2.98Limited
Popularity
Well rated
13
Trig Brewery
York, England
Trig Brewery produce's unproven beer and is ranked #5 in East Yorkshire. They are most well known for "Interloper", which is an English Porter and "Brocken Spectre", which is a New England Pale Ale. Their primary focus is brewing Pale Ales and IPAs.
Rating
2.97Limited
Popularity
Barely rated
14
Trig Brewery
York, England
Trig Brewery produce's unproven beer and is ranked #5 in East Yorkshire. They are most well known for "Interloper", which is an English Porter and "Brocken Spectre", which is a New England Pale Ale. Their primary focus is brewing Pale Ales and IPAs.
Rating
2.97Limited
Popularity
Barely rated
15
Bosun's Brewing Company
Wetherby, West Yorkshire, England
Independently owned and run by an enthusiatic team, Bosuns Brewery relocated to Wetherby in June 2021 with our tap room opening in September 2022. Handcrafted real ales mainly for cask however we do have both keg and can offerings.
Rating
2.97Limited
Popularity
Lightly rated
16
Ainsty Ales Brewery & Taproom
York, England
York based Ainsty Ales Brewery & Taproom is an Independent, Award-Winning Brewery, serving carefully made Beers & Lagers in Cask, Keg, Bottle & Can .... please visit our eShop!
Rating
2.91Limited
Popularity
Modestly rated
17
Ainsty Ales Brewery & Taproom
York, England
York based Ainsty Ales Brewery & Taproom is an Independent, Award-Winning Brewery, serving carefully made Beers & Lagers in Cask, Keg, Bottle & Can .... please visit our eShop!
Rating
2.91Limited
Popularity
Modestly rated
18
Rhythm & Brews
Selby, North Yorkshire, England
Rhythm & Brews produce's unproven beer and is ranked #47 in North Yorkshire. They are most well known for "Jukebox Hero", which is a Dortmunder / Export Lager and "Drunken Monk", which is a Belgian Dubbel. Their primary focus is brewing Pale Ales and IPAs.
Rating
2.89Limited
Popularity
Barely rated
19
John Smith’s
Tadcaster, North Yorkshire, England
At John Smith’s we believe in a good honest pint for good honest blokes. We champion everyday, ordinary folks that are actually anything but. We’ve been supporting the community values in our Tadcaster birthplace since 1758; ever since John Smith took on the brewery in 1852, we’ve been brewing a consistently high quality ale that’s only ordinary by name. On March 18th 1824 something remarkable happened and the world would never be the same again: John Smith was born. At 21, John tried his first pint and was inspired. Having bought his own brewery in Tadcaster, John set to experimenting until he finally arrived at his greatest and most enduring achievement: John Smith’s beer. He put his name on the family gate and history was made.
Rating
2.81Limited
Popularity
Very widely rated