Suds with Buds is Rooster's Brewery's annual celebration of everything great about craft beer — and the 2025 edition, its third year, was the biggest yet.
About Rooster's Brewery
Rooster's Brewery has been a fixture of the Harrogate beer scene since 1993, when Sean Franklin founded it with a focus on using American hop varieties — a genuinely radical idea in British brewing at the time. The brewery changed hands in 2011, passing to the Fozard family, who have grown it into one of Yorkshire's most celebrated independent producers. Based at Hornbeam Park on the edge of town, they operate a modern brewery alongside a popular taproom and have become known for clean, hop-forward beers that consistently punch above their weight. Rob works there, which gives his account of the festival a particularly vivid inside perspective.
The Festival
Over 700 beer fans filled the Hornbeam Park brewery, taproom, and beer garden across the day. Rob was on wristband duty for much of the event — but the staff free bar ensured he didn't go thirsty.
The weather held up for the most part, with only occasional showers. The entire brewery site transformed into a festival space, with live music playing throughout and street food vendors offering Greek cuisine, Jamaican dishes, and roasted chicken. For brewing industry folk, it's also a chance to catch up with peers from across the trade — and for everyone else, simply a great day out in good company.
What Rob Drank
Fell Brewery — Meadowsweet Farmhouse Pale (4.2%) — a limited edition cask pour with funky, floral character and notes of vanilla and pear. Fell Brewery is based in Staveley in the Lake District and draws on European farmhouse brewing traditions. A Farmhouse Pale uses a distinctive yeast strain that produces fruity, spicy, and earthy characteristics quite different from a standard pale ale — the result here is delicate and unusual, a gentle opener for the afternoon.
Tinderbox — West Coast IPA (6.3%) — a heavy-bodied cask ale, dank and citrusy; exactly what a West Coast IPA should be. Where a New England IPA is soft, hazy, and juicy, a West Coast IPA is clear, bitter, and assertive — the style that defined American craft beer in the 1990s and which has enjoyed a strong revival in recent years. Bold and direct.
Round Corner — Zorro (4.4%) — a Mexican-style lager, crisp with a clean lime finish. Round Corner Brewing are based in Melton Mowbray and are among the better lager specialists in the East Midlands. Clean and well-attenuated — a refreshing change of pace after a run of hop-heavy pours.
Abbeydale — Coconut Macaroon Stout (5.4%) — Rob's standout of the day, balancing rich, toasty qualities with real refinement. Abbeydale Brewery have been brewing in Sheffield since 1996 and are one of Yorkshire's most prolific and well-regarded producers. This stout manages the neat trick of being genuinely flavourful without tipping into cloying sweetness — the coconut adds texture and a gentle sweetness that works in harmony with the roasted malt rather than competing with it.
Lost and Grounded — Cruise Wear NZ Pale (4.2%) — refreshing and sessionable, with gooseberry and sherbet notes from the New Zealand hops. Lost and Grounded are a Bristol brewery with a strong reputation for lagers and pale ales that prioritise precision and drinkability above all else. Exactly what you want mid-festival.
Yeasty Boys / Wylam — WxY6 (7%) — a cloudy Southern Hemisphere IPA, bold and fruity. Yeasty Boys are a New Zealand-born brewery that has made a real impression on the UK craft scene; their collaboration with Wylam leans heavily into Southern Hemisphere hop character — passionfruit, guava, and fresh pine in a hazy, full-bodied package.
Utopian Brewing — Regenerator Doppelbock (7.5%) — a deep russet pour with caramelised malt and plum notes; a proper lager in the German tradition. Doppelbock is a strong Bavarian style with roots in monastery brewing — rich, malt-forward, and warming. Utopian Brewing, based in Devon, are arguably the UK's finest lager specialists, and the Regenerator is a serious, contemplative beer. An unusual choice for a summer festival setting, but a very fine one.
A Great Day Out
Rob's verdict: "not just a class showcase of beer for all but a great day out with plenty to keep everyone entertained." Suds with Buds has grown into one of Yorkshire's best independent beer festivals — intimate enough to retain a genuine community feel, ambitious enough to attract excellent breweries from across the country. If you're in or around Harrogate when the 2026 edition rolls around, put it in your diary now.
Based on a review originally published on Rob's Beer Adventure. Reproduced with the author's kind permission.