WHAT is thought to be Britain’s first wheat beer brewery is set to open in Bradford this weekend after months of hard work.

EYES Brewing, which is based in Rawson Road in the city centre - at the former site of Bradford Brewery - is holding an opening event on Saturday.

Punters will be able to sample the brewery’s range of freshly brewed wheat beers, which range from low ABV session beers to stronger, more exotic brews.

EYES has run its tap room at the site since Christmas, and after ‘cuckoo brewing’ at a number of sites around Yorkshire, chose Bradford as its permanent home.

Describing itself as the UK’s only wheat-focused brewery, EYES are hoping to increase the popularity of this type of beer in Britain.

Massively popular in Belgium and Germany - two countries esteemed for their beer - wheat beer comes in a range of strengths, flavours and colours.

Brewed with a different kind of yeast to traditional real ales, wheat beer is cloudy, and has a distinctive taste much different to conventional ales.

To celebrate the opening, EYES is holding a tank party on Saturday in its tap room, which will begin at 6pm.

There will be a DJ from 8pm onwards, and the Lord Mayor of Bradford Councillor Doreen Lee will also be stopping by to officially open the brewery and sample some of the beer on offer.

Beers on offer include EYES flagship beer High Point Blonde, which has notes of orange and coriander and comes in at four per cent ABV.

The slightly stronger (5%) Libra IPA is a New England style pale ale with tropical fruit aromas and herbal and citrus flavours.

More exotic brews include the Run the Juice Tropical IPA, which is flavoured with orange, passionfruit, mango, pink grapefruit and pineapple, and a rare Norwegian IPA.

Landrace uses a new strain of yeast called Voss, traditionally used in the production of Kveik - Norwegian Farmhouse Ale - which gives the beer an earthy spiciness and subtle citrus flavours, and is a taste not often found on British shores.

Stephanie Ball, from EYES Brewing, said: “This has been in the pipeline for a few months and we started brewing on the site a few weeks ago.

“Wheat beer gives a different tasting experience and mouth feel, and we are trying to push past the belief all wheat beers taste the same.

“We are really excited to be opening and being the UK’s only wheat beer brewery.”

EYES Brewing's tap room is open from 4pm to 10pm on Wednesdays and Thursdays, and midday to midnight on Fridays and Saturdays.

The building, just up from the Oastler Centre, was formerly the home of Bradford Brewery which closed last August.

It was quickly snapped up by EYES who had previously brewed at the site in the past around 18 months earlier, which attracted the firm to the city, and it is hoped the brewery will become a hub for beer and art in the city.