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A new book on Yorkshire beer and food pairings has a huge slice of Huddersfield in it.
Mallinsons, Magic Rock and Summer Wine Brewery are all featured in
Great Yorkshire Beer by Leigh Linley.
Leigh will be familiar to most of you as he is the author of the popular The Good Stuff Blog. But he has put his thoughts on paper for his book.

The press release says the book looks at the new generation of county brewers who are "breaking rules and traditions, resurrecting lost dynasties, soaking up influences from food and brewing in other countries and bringing a fresh wave of ideas to our beloved Yorkshire beer."
He has been working hard profiling more than a dozen of these pioneers and their most popular beers.
But Leigh kindly took time out of his busy schedule to answer our questions.
Q: Why did you choose to feature Mallinsons, Magic Rock and Summer Wine?
A: I chose brewers based on a criteria that I set, purely because I couldn't possibly feature every brewery in Yorkshire. From the beginning, I wanted to feature breweries that are really pushing Yorkshire beer out of our region and across the UK - for example, having bottles available for people to try after reading the book was key.
Also, I wanted to feature breweries that were under ten years old. It just happened that three of the most popular breweries in the county were in or around Huddersfield.
Magic Rock, Mallinsons and Summer Wine are all hugely influential; all three have held events in places like London and Edinburgh - and Summer Wine and Magic Rock have had their beers exported in small batches to places like Australia. These are the types of breweries that the book's about.
Huddersfield is an excellent stronghold of Beer in Yorkshire - my favourite pub in Yorkshire is The Grove, as it happens - and I think it deserves to have such good breweries associated with it.
Q: I gather recipes and food pairings are also featured, which type?
A: For Mallinsons, I paired Battered Mussels as a bar-snack type of option for their crisp, hoppy beers. Magic Rock's Cannonball IPA was featured alongside a Crostini with Goats' Cheese, with Pineapple and Jalapeno Salsa. SummerWine's Diablo IPA was also paired with cheese - this time a Baked Feta. Smooth, salty cheeses like that are great with spiky, vibrant IPA's like the ones Summer Wine and Magic Rock brew. Try it!
Q:Is this your first book & how long did it take to compile, please?
A: Yes, it's my first book. I've been blogging about beer and food since 2007 at The Good Stuff and various freelance projects in recent years. I pitched the proposal to Great Northern Books in Autumn 2011, and it took about eight months to complete alongside working my regular job.
That's quite quick from a publishing point of view, as the book then spent a while being edited, designed and printed. It was hard work, although it was really rewarding to see the interviews take shape and form the stories that the brewers were telling. I think I'll take a little break before doing another one, though!
Q: Where will the book be available?
A: The book is available at Great Northern's website directly (www.gnbooks.co.uk), and also your major booksellers like Waterstone's and Amazon.
Great Yorkshire Beer costs £10.99.
The book will be launched at The York Tap on the city's train station from 7pm on Thursday, May 30. To celebrate the occasion Leigh has created a beer with Ilkley Brewery, who are also featured in his book.
It's aptly called The Good Stuff. It's a Witbier with fresh Lemongrass and Lime.
Staff Copy


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