Hop Horizons

Tartarus

Tartarus is one of the most distinctive breweries to come out of Leeds' already crowded craft scene. Founded in 2020 by Jack Roberts and Jordan Orpen, they've built their identity on big European beer styles, unusual ingredients and a mythology-heavy aesthetic that immediately sets them apart from the wall-to-wall hazy pale ale crowd.

They started out very small in Horsforth, but the ambition was obvious from day one. The first three commercial releases were a Belgian saison, a Belgian tripel and a 17% imperial stout called Abaddon. Launching with beers that strong and that complex was a bold move, but it marked Tartarus out as a brewery willing to explore territory much of modern British craft had abandoned.

In 2022 they moved into a much bigger site at Taverner's Walk in Sheepscar – the original home of North Brewing Company – which gave them room to expand production, build up the barrel-ageing programme and open their first taproom. They're still based there, though regular taproom openings ended in August 2025, with public events now announced one-off.

Strong and imperial beer is what they're best known for. Belgian-style ales, barley wines, imperial stouts and other big creations are central to the reputation – dense, warming and deliberately excessive, with dark fruit, caramelised sugar, chocolate, coffee, spice and alcohol all piled on generously.

Abaddon is still the clearest statement of intent. At 17%, it's less an everyday stout than a prolonged encounter with roasted malt, sweetness and alcoholic warmth. Other big releases have taken in barrel ageing, adjuncts and increasingly elaborate flavour combinations. At their best, Tartarus prove that a hugely strong beer can have real depth rather than leaning on its ABV as a party trick.

The European influence matters just as much. They've consistently brewed saisons, Belgian blondes, dubbels, tripels and the like – styles that remain surprisingly rare among younger British breweries. There's a real interest in expressive fermentation here, with pepper, clove, ripe fruit and warming spice often providing as much character as the malt or hops.

That focus makes them a welcome change from breweries whose ranges are wall-to-wall lookalike pales and IPAs. Tartarus beers can feel eccentric, traditional and modern all at once: familiar European styles rebuilt with modern ingredients, extra strength or something unexpected thrown in.

Sometimes the experiments get properly weird. They've brewed an imperial gose with squid ink, seaweed and yuzu – equal parts technical curiosity and willingness to make something divisive. Beers like that aren't built for easy drinking, but they underline that this is a brewery following its own interests rather than the prevailing fashion.

That's not to say everything they make is intimidating. The wider range takes in pale ales, IPAs, lagers, sours and lower-strength beers, including gluten-free and alcohol-free options – proof they can do restraint when they feel like it, though even the accessible stuff keeps the bold artwork and the taste for unusual flavour combinations.

Mythology is what ties it all together. The brewery takes its name from Tartarus, the abyss of punishment and imprisonment in Greek mythology, and individual beers are named after creatures, gods and legends from cultures all over the world – usually with elaborate artwork and a short account of the figure that inspired them.

The cans are among the most recognisable in British craft beer: vivid fantasy illustrations of monsters, warriors and supernatural beings. It suits the beers perfectly – large, colourful and not remotely interested in understatement.

And the theme is more than decoration. The mythology gives Tartarus room to hop between styles while staying coherent – a light pale ale and a barrel-aged imperial stout might have nothing in common as drinks, but the names and artwork make them unmistakably from the same stable.

There are limits to the approach. Some of the strongest beers can be extremely sweet, and the pile-up of adjuncts, alcohol and heavy malt occasionally flattens any subtlety. The odder ingredient-driven releases can be more interesting than enjoyable, and small-batch, high-strength brewing doesn't come cheap. The catalogue can be baffling too – with mythical names giving no hint of style, you may need to squint at the small print to find out whether you're holding a sessionable pale or something approaching wine strength.

But the excess is inseparable from the appeal. Tartarus don't exist to churn out safe, interchangeable beers. They're at their most convincing when making something ambitious, powerful and slightly unreasonable – especially with Belgian fermentation, enormous malt bills or long maturation involved.

In a city with several nationally prominent breweries, Tartarus have carved out an unusually clear identity. The mix of European styles, imperial strength, experimental ingredients and extravagant mythology gives them a character entirely their own.

Not every beer will suit every drinker, and some are definitely best shared rather than tackled alone. But this is an imaginative, technically adventurous brewery that's admirably unafraid of excess. If you think modern British brewing gets more interesting once it steps beyond yet another hazy IPA, this descent into the underworld is well worth making.

Beers (and other) Brewed by Tartarus

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