Latest News
Tap Room Talk – Full Press Release
As part of their commitment to supporting the local community, Otley based Shadow Brewing will be holding their first Tap Room Talk on Wednesday 19th January at their premises at 98 Boroughgate in Otley. Owner of the brewery Ian Shutt said “when we set up in late Summer 2021, something we were really keen on was using the space we have to benefit the community. We’ve loved the number of people who have been comfortable coming in for a drink on their own and hearing their stories. We did some research and discovered that 45% of adults in England sometimes to often feel lonely, which is about 25 million people. Also in June 2021 around 21% of adults reported experiencing some form of depression, that’s a huge part of the population and if I’m honest it’s probably included me at times, so we decided we’d try to do something to help. The idea is that if you want to go for a drink but perhaps don’t have anyone to go with you can come and have a chat with us, or if you want to have a rant about something or just need a change of scene, we’ll be here to listen.”
The idea is inspired by the work of Andy’s Man Club and their ‘It’s OK to talk’ slogan and has developed from speaking to various people and organisations who have some experience in the area. “We’re really flexible about the concept depending how people want it to evolve” said Ian. “It might be that it becomes a bit more professional and other organisations are invited to come along to offer specific support, or it could just be a safe space for people who want somewhere to have an informal chat, either way, if you think you’ll benefit please do come along.”
It’s hoped that other breweries might also take up the scheme. “We’ve chosen a name that hopefully explains what it’s all about but can also be adopted by other pubs and tap rooms, and we’ll gladly help anyone else who thinks their community could benefit” added Ian.
The sessions will be split into men on Wednesday 19th January and women on Wednesday 26th January both starting at 8pm and running until 10pm and it’s hoped that they will become a regular occurrence. If you have any questions you can contact the brewery directly on hello@shadowbrewing.co.uk or via their social media.
Latest News
A long overdue update and the big news is that we now have our own taproom! With lockdown came various changes, one of which was working from home so not having to commute into Leeds. Various other things aligned and we were able to take a lease on an old shop in our home town of Otley which is big enough for all our brewing kit plus seating for 20ish. It’s been a lot of work getting it ready and the vast majority of the DIY has been done by us and our friends, and while it’s not the most polished taproom you’ll ever visit, it’s something we’re really proud of.
It’s be an absolute pleasure to be able to stand behind the bar and meet so many people and hear so many stories. Everyone has been so nice and supportive and we can’t thank you enough for that. If you’re ever in the area please do pop in and say hello! We’re at 98 Boroughgate, Otley, LS21 1AE and at the time of writing open Friday and Saturday 6pm until 10pm (although we do have a full licence, so if you’re about at another time get in touch and we’ll see what we can do).
We’ve also now got our beers available in a few new places in Leeds and Bradford. The latest releases are Three Castles, a 5% IPA and Phantom Signs, a 3.6% Pale Ale, both of which are currently only available in cask.
News From A While Back
Greetings from the middle of England’s ‘Lockdown 2’. From leaving the office in March expecting to be back in 3 weeks, here we are approaching Christmas with the past 8 months becoming a blur of working from home, sometimes taking the kids to school, sometimes keeping them at home and getting to know the workings of Google Classroom.
I was recently asked to name a few achievements this year. I found it hard to recall when it was that certain things happened but ultimately the biggest achievement is that we’re still here, the lights are still switched on and we’re getting through this. Its been tough though and lockdown 2 feels mentally tougher than the original lockdown. If anyone is reading this and is struggling please feel free to give us a call or drop us an email, we’ve always got time for a chat – although the Contact Us form on the website doesn’t seem to be working so maybe don’t use that just at the moment!
Looking to the future, we’ve got two, possible three new recipes in the bag which we’re looking to brew the first of soon. We’ve worked hard on these and consulted with some people who really know what they’re talking about, so we’re really excited to some day soon get out to the pub and try them in their proper environment.
Until that happens, stay safe and please do support local breweries as much as you’re able.
Older News
People keep asking us when we’re brewing again. The answer is now! We’ve not really done much during the lockdown period but if people are asking, we’d better get making again! If you’re a pub or bar and want to take some of our beers, please get in touch. If you’re an individual you’ll have to bear with us a little longer while we get our online shop sorted out.
While the pub trade is understandably slower than usual we’ve been putting our beers into 440ml cans which greatly extends their shelf life. At the time of writing this update we’ve got Ghost, our best selling American Pale Ale, a great Brut IPA and we’re also finalising the label design for our lager so that will hopefully be on the market in the next couple of weeks.
Finally, some of you may know that there has recently been a government proposal to change the levels of tax that small breweries like ourselves have to pay, this will make it harder for the smaller, innovative breweries to compete with the larger established brands and is something we’re against. You can find more details here including a petition we’d be grateful if you would consider signing.
Even Older News
Due to the Covid-19 situation in the UK, we’ve focused on producing cans rather than cask or keg beer recently. The casks we did have in stock at the time of lockdown we decided to share with our neighbours in exchange for charity donations – read the full story here.
We have taken the opportunity to update our website (thank you to everyone who has helped us with that) and are excited to have canned our first lager which you’ll be able to find in many of our usual stockists and also buy direct from our web shop once it’s open.
On the subject of the web shop, like many in our industry and beyond, the pandemic has forced us to think differently and while we don’t currently have the necessary licences to run this 24/7 we’re hoping to open up once a month. By buying direct from us you’re likely to be getting the cheapest price anywhere for our beers and it’ll also really help us move forwards. If you’re interested in leaving your email address we’ll send you a notification when the shop is next open.