North Brewing Co Taproom
Johnny James, Managing Editor
New for 2023, North Brewing Co has unveiled its first Manchester taproom at Circle Square, the flourishing new Oxford Road development on the site of the former BBC building.
Set up by Leeds’ excellent North Bar, the craft brewery is loved for its hazy hoppy IPAs, crisp pilsners and fruity sours alongside more traditional cask beers. They’ve apparently spent 25 years dreaming of opening a bar in Manchester, and have come very close on a number of occasions.
The stars finally aligned last year when they secured a space at the ever-expanding Circle Square development, alongside the likes of Canvas and The Astronomer. The taproom opened on 3 January, and is now serving up serve cold beers, perfectly conditioned cask, and Negroni on tap. There are also two double fridges for all your takeaway beer needs, a merchandise shop stocking sustainably sourced clothing, and street food courtesy of Little Bao Boy, who are serving their Asian steamed buns from morning till late.
North have worked with Little Bao Boy since their early days steaming bao in a gazebo at the brewery. They now operate three permanent street food kitchens in North’s venues, and have built up a big following in Leeds. The menu includes favourites such as the KFB (chicken thigh marinated in gochujang buttermilk and dredged in Little Bao Boy garlic flour mix, fried and topped with iceberg lettuce, sriracha mayo and sesame seeds), and vegan-friendly Crispy Tofu (tofu deep fried in togarashi mix, topped with cucumber, hoisin, sriracha mayo, spring onion and toasted sesame seeds).
Of course, the real star is the beer. The taproom has 24 draught lines, including 18 lines of keg beer and one cask, pouring North’s ever-evolving range of core beers, specials and collabs. North are known for working closely with great Manchester breweries like Cloudwater, Track, and Pomona Island, so expect a good range of guest breweries on the line-up, too.
