Magic Rock Brewing was founded in Huddersfield in 2011 by Richard Burhouse and head brewer Stuart Ross, and within a few years had established itself as one of the most respected craft breweries in Britain. Their beers — particularly the Cannonball IPA and the High Wire West Coast pale ale — became benchmarks for the style in this country, and the brewery attracted international attention during a period when the British craft beer scene was finding its feet.
The taproom on Willow Lane occupies a converted industrial building a short walk from the town centre, and on any weekend it draws a crowd that reflects both local loyalty and the brewery's wider reputation. The range on tap is broader than what you find in bottles or cans — seasonal and one-off beers, experimental batches, and collaborations with other breweries — and the industrial-chic interior has the unpretentious feel that marks the better end of craft beer culture. Food is simple: bar snacks and, when available, wood-fired pizza.
For visitors with any interest in beer, this is reason enough to stop in Huddersfield. For those without, it is still a good pub in a converted mill building, which is more or less the definition of a northern English afternoon well spent.