Balance Brewing & Blending is an independent Manchester brewery founded in 2021 by Will Harris and James Horrocks. Specialising in barrel-aged, mixed-fermentation and wild ales, Balance ferments its beers with a house culture of wild yeast and bacteria before ageing them in oak wine barrels. British malt, hops, fruit and foraged ingredients are central to its approach, while its Sheffield Street brewery also houses a public taproom and hosts brewery tours.
Brewery story
Balance Brewing & Blending was founded in Manchester in 2021 by Will Harris and James Horrocks with a particular focus on wild and mixed-fermentation beer. The brewery describes itself as the only brewery in Manchester specialising in this style of production.
Its beers are fermented using an evolving house culture of wild yeasts and bacteria before being aged in oak wine barrels. Each beer typically spends around a year in barrel, and sometimes longer, allowing acidity, fermentation character and oak influence to develop gradually over time.
Once matured, the beers are carefully blended and may be combined with dry hops, fruit or foraged ingredients. Balance draws inspiration from brewing traditions in Belgium and the UK while developing its own interpretation through experimentation and the use of seasonal British produce.
British ingredients are a major part of the brewery's approach. Balance sources malt, hops and fruit directly from producers where possible and also works with local cooperative wholesalers. The team has foraged ingredients including plums, damsons, samphire, elderflower and mugwort for use in its beers.
In 2023 Balance expanded beyond beer and began producing cider. Freshly pressed apple juice is sourced from Somerset before being spontaneously fermented and aged in barrels, resulting in dry, funky and complex ciders made using many of the same principles as the brewery's wild ales.
The brewery's Sheffield Street home also includes the Balance Taproom, a dedicated space designed to bring customers closer to the production process. Its rotating draught selection combines Balance releases with other notable spontaneous and mixed-fermentation beers, while bottles are available both to drink onsite and to take away.
Balance also opens the brewery itself to visitors through guided tours and tastings. The sessions explore the brewery's ingredients, fermentation methods, origins and barrel programme before finishing with pours of recent releases, giving visitors a detailed introduction to the techniques behind Balance's beers.
Taproom & tours
The Balance Taproom is located at the brewery's Sheffield Street home in Manchester, with views into the production space and a focus on mixed-fermentation and spontaneous beer. Six rotating draught lines showcase Balance releases and selected wild beers from other UK breweries, alongside two permanent guest lines. Bottled beers are available to drink in or take away, and the taproom is both child and dog friendly.
Brewery tours available
See behind the scenes and discover how the beer is made.
Unit 10, Sheffield Street, Manchester, M1 2ND
The Balance Taproom is located at the brewery's Sheffield Street home in Manchester, with views into the production space and a focus on mixed-fermentation and spontaneous beer. Six rotating draught lines showcase Balance releases and selected wild beers from other UK breweries, alongside two permanent guest lines. Bottled beers are available to drink in or take away, and the taproom is both child and dog friendly.
Independent
