Vocation Brewery

John Hickling left his job to brew the beers he wanted to drink. He found the setting in an old chicken shed above Hebden Bridge, among the hills and valleys of the South Pennines. Vocation Brewery retains that landscape connection, but its offering extends from production to a beer shop and taprooms in several Yorkshire cities.

Life & Death is a core offering: a hoppy IPA with 6.5% alcohol. Heart & Soul is a 4.4% Session IPA identified as gluten-free. Crush Hour, Hop, Skip & Juice, and Bread & Butter explore other pale ales, while Love & Hate develops the New England IPA style. The names distinguish strength, style, and combinations within the range.

Special editions explore wheat beer, double IPAs, and sake yeast brewing, alongside stouts with coffee, vanilla, chocolate, or fruit. Barrel aging adds another dimension: beers mature in barrels previously used for bourbon, cognac, red wine, or white port. Tasting descriptions and alcohol levels apply to individual beers, with selections for comparing several brews.

Mixed cases bring together core beers or pale ale selections. Build Your Own Bundle allows a custom purchase; gift collections add glasses and other items. The catalog also organizes clothing, accessories, and gift cards, allowing shopping to focus on a particular beer or a selection for exploring styles.

The first taproom is at 10 New Road, Hebden Bridge. It has more than twenty taps, food, and outdoor seating overlooking the marina. Breakfast and kitchen menus allow a beer visit to include a meal. Larger group bookings have separate arrangements, and bar hours differ from kitchen hours.

In Halifax, Vocation & Co. occupies 13–17 Alexandra Street, HX1 1BS. The venue spans three floors, with a terrace, taproom, and cocktails. The ground floor combines eight cask and eighteen keg lines, two beer serving formats, with New York-style pizza from Wonder Wheel Pizza Kitchen. The Projectionist adds another afternoon and evening option.

The Sheffield location is at 113–117 Devonshire Street, S3 7SB, near the universities. More than twenty taps rotate house beers and those from other producers. Quiz and open mic nights are part of its program, and the kitchen has its own schedule. The three locations introduce the same brand through spaces with different sizes, food, and activities.

Online sales and the trade channel complete Vocation’s reach. Consumer orders, business supply, and bar inquiries have separate contact teams. The company’s journey connects a recipe brewed in the hills with a tasting by the water in Hebden Bridge, on a Halifax terrace, or in central Sheffield.