A Top York brewery has announced a major expansion as it expands further across Yorkshire.

Brew York says it is to open five more venues over the next few years, with the first three in the coming weeks.

The brewery, which operates from Walmgate and Handley Park, has acquired three new venues from Harrogate-based Market Town Taverns.

The trio of new venues are The Mitre on Station Road, Knaresborough;  the Horse & Farrier in Bridge Street, Otley; and Coopers Bar & Brasserie in Guiseley.

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Brew York is to take the three over in late April, making few changes as they are well-established pubs.

But Brew York beers, including its cask, keg and lager, will become the pub offer along with its street food.

The brewery, which was founded in 2016 by Wayne Smith and Lee Grabham, says  the expansion has been on the cards for a while.

Towards the end of 2023 Brew York recruited John Hoe as Bar Operations Director to lead the growth initiative.

John brings extensive experience within retail and operations across multi-site pubs and bars, including former roles with Camerons and Black Sheep. 

As part of the venue expansion programme, the existing four Brew York bars in York (Walmgate and Osbaldwick), Pocklington, and Leeds city centre have also had opening times extended with further enhancements planned. 

Brew York Managing Director, Wayne Smith adds “We’ve now developed four solid Brew York venues that all offer a dynamic craft beer experience and we’ve realised a key opportunity to further strengthen and grow the business in this area.  

We’re confident that John’s expertise will be a great asset as we embark on this project, and with him working alongside our existing highly experienced teams across the venues, brewery, and head office, we’re excited to further hone our craft and spread our wings.

“John has been instrumental in making the Market Town Tavern (MTT) opportunities a reality via his impressive contact network and the MTT team have been really helpful in making the process run smoothly. We hope to work closely with them in the future.” 

The expansion project was possible thanks to advice and support from Fresh Thinking Advisory, a Leeds based corporate debt advisory company. 
 
Oliver Reece, managing director of Fresh Thinking Advisory, said: “Wayne and Lee bring a passion for craft beer and great customer service to Brew York. With new growth and working capital facilities in place, the business has the flexibility to move quickly when looking to secure new sites and drive the overall growth strategy. 
 
“It’s great to be able to support the business and enable the next stage of their journey by helping the team find the right long-term funding partner.”