Hop Horizons
City/Town Information
Ilkley, England
This town or city is in Ilkley, West Yorkshire, England. A total of 15 beers from 2 different breweries have been recorded, enjoyed in 11 pubs or venues. The average strength of beers brewed there is 4.98% ABV, earning the location a brewing score of 52.7%.
Ilkley is a handsome spa town in West Yorkshire, sitting beside the River Wharfe and beneath the famous moor. The beer scene isn't enormous, but the mix of local brewing, traditional pubs and dramatic countryside makes it an excellent spot for a relaxed day of walking and drinking.
The town's main producer is Ilkley Brewery, founded in 2009 and known for beers that blend Yorkshire brewing tradition with more modern hop varieties. The range takes in the light, floral Mary Jane, the maltier Joshua Jane and the New World-influenced Ilkley Pale.
The brewery's most visible showcase is The Ilkley Tap, which opened on The Grove in 2024. There are normally at least nine Ilkley beers on draught, backed by guest lines and food from Stuzzi. With its central location and broad selection, it's the natural starting point for exploring the town.
For something more traditional, The Flying Duck houses Wharfedale Brewery in a converted stone barn behind the pub – locally brewed cask, old stonework and straightforward pub food giving it a proper sense of place. Bar T'at is another well-regarded real-ale stop, while the Station Pub and Crescent Inn make handy alternatives close to the railway station.
Ilkley also has a branch of Friends of Ham, pairing craft beer with cheese and charcuterie in a comfortable modern bar – a more contemporary note in a town otherwise strongest in cask and traditional pub drinking.
The scene is compact rather than cutting-edge. Anyone hunting endless pastry stouts and heavily dry-hopped doubles will exhaust the specialist options fairly quickly. Ilkley works best as a complete day out: a walk across the moor or along the Wharfe, then local beer in welcoming stone-built pubs.
And that combination is hard to resist. Ilkley may not rival Leeds as a craft-beer centre, but it offers local brewing, excellent pubs and beautiful Yorkshire surroundings in an easily walkable town. It's less a place for chasing rare releases than somewhere to appreciate just how satisfying a well-kept pint can be after a few windswept miles on the moor.
Beers Listed that are Brewed in Ilkley
| Date and Time | Brewery | Beer | Container | Strength ABV | Score | Style or Substyle | Where? |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 19th Nov 2022 at 8:45 pm | Bini Brew Co. | Izzy (w/ Hops & Dots) | can | 7% | 71.753% | New World IPA | (home), Liverpool, Merseyside, England |
| 19th Apr 2017 at 11:05 pm | Ilkley Brewery | Alpha Beta | can | 4.5% | 67.547% | rye IPA | Craft Taproom, Liverpool, Merseyside, England |
| 10th Mar 2012 at 10:30 pm | Ilkley Brewery | Best | bottle | 4% | 40.131% | bitter | (home), Liverpool, Merseyside, England |
| 18th Apr 2017 at 8:45 pm | Ilkley Brewery | Hanging Stone | draft | 5% | 67.776% | oatmeal stout | Port Street Beer House, Manchester, Greater Manchester, England |
| 24th Aug 2025 at 9:35 pm | Ilkley Brewery | Joshua Jane | bottle | 3.7% | 30.491% | bitter | (home), Liverpool, Merseyside, England |
| 9th Mar 2013 at 3:30 pm | Ilkley Brewery | Lotus IPA | draft | 5.6% | 34.702% | traditional IPA | The Sir Henry John Segram (JDW), Southport, Merseyside, England |
| 7th Jun 2013 at 12:55 pm | Ilkley Brewery | Lotus IPA | draft | 5.6% | 37.533% | traditional IPA | The White Hart (JDW), Todmorden, West Yorkshire, England |
| 20th Apr 2016 at 10:25 pm | Ilkley Brewery | Mary Jane | draft | 3.5% | 29.200% | pale mild | The Richmond Tavern, Liverpool, Merseyside, England |
| 8th Mar 2026 at 4:55 pm | Ilkley Brewery | Pale | bottle | 4.2% | 36.570% | New Zealand-style pale ale | (home), Liverpool, Merseyside, England |
| 18th Apr 2014 at 7:15 pm | Ilkley Brewery | Rhubarb Saison | draft | 5.9% | 61.204% | saison | Old Gate, Hebden Bridge, West Yorkshire, England |
| 16th May 2016 at 4:45 pm | Ilkley Brewery | Rombald | draft | 4.6% | 40.249% | New World amber/red ale | The White Star (JDW), Todmorden, West Yorkshire, England |
| 2nd Mar 2015 at 9:05 pm | Ilkley Brewery | Ruby Jane | draft | 4% | 37.554% | dark mild | The Lime Kiln (JDW/Lloyds), Liverpool, Merseyside, England |
| 12th Sep 2013 at 6:05 pm | Ilkley Brewery | Stout Mary | bottle | 4.5% | 61.184% | traditional stout | (room 146 in Ibis Discount hotel), Cardiff, Glamorgan, Wales |
| 18th Apr 2017 at 7:30 pm | Ilkley Brewery | The Chief | draft | 7.5% | 71.793% | imperial IPA | Port Street Beer House, Manchester, Greater Manchester, England |
| 5th Nov 2013 at 9:55 pm | Ilkley Brewery | The Norseman | draft | 5% | 53.549% | herb/spice beer | The Richmond Tavern, Liverpool, Merseyside, England |
| 7th Feb 2015 at 3:55 pm | Ilkley Brewery | The Rocket | draft | 5% | 51.362% | European dark lager | 33rd Fleetwood Beer & Cider Festival 2015 (Marine Hall), Fleetwood, England |
Community User Reviews
No community reviews yet. Be the first to review this city!