A Holmbridge pub is one of 147 Yorkshire breweries praised in the 2016 Good Beer Guide.

The Bridge’s in-house brewery, founded in the last year, produces five ales and up to 700 pints per week.

Head brewer Richard Thomas, formerly of the Greenfield Brewery, has developed core ales for the pub, including a 3.8 per cent Blonde English pale ale, four per cent Bitter and a four per cent American Pale, the Brewery’s own version of an American Pale Ale but without the high alcohol volume.

The Holmbridge brewery also brews a 5.2 per cent Vanilla Stout and an NZPA (New Zealand Pale Ale) Double Hop at 5.9 per cent, specially created for the brewery’s recent open day.

And it seems Richard’s hard work as paid off — The Bridge, alongside Here Be Monsters brewery in Scholes, is one of 11 Yorkshire brewhouses making their debut in the 2016 Good Beer Guide.

He said: “It’s marvellous that we are being recognised.

“Things are going very well; in fact I have had to stop brewing one beer because of the high demand for the others.

The Bridge's head brewer Richard Thomas
The Bridge's head brewer Richard Thomas

“It is growing all the time.

“I think people like the variety, young people are interested and people are fed up of paying money to the commercial brewers.”

Richard is also developing an ale to cater for customers that drive out to The Bridge and need to carefully monitor their alcohol consumption.

He is currently designing a beer with one unit of alcohol per pint, with an ABV of around two per cent.

He said “The aim is to supply a high quality beer with equal levels of flavour or body as our other beers, which customers may have a little more confidence in to try without going over the drink drive limit.”

Restaurant review, The Bridge, Holmbridge.

There are also plans for a ruby red ale — malt dominated with at least five different malts, lightly hopped with English hops.

Good Beer Guide editor Roger Protz said the 2016 guide also included 85 new pub entries from Yorkshire, as well as the 11 new breweries.

He said: “British brewing has never been in better health, with a third consecutive year of over ten per cent growth and more different beers being brewed than ever before.

“The range of beers available to beer drinkers now is colossal and we’re seeing real competition between pubs who want to serve the best selection of real ales.”