Do I like beer? No. But when offered the chance to learn more about it, and the Box’s new location, I wasn’t going to pass it up. The verdict? You’ll have to read on, but it’s a safe bet that if I’m writing about this, I believe it’s worth reading about. It’s a sprawling new location, with natural light pouring in at every angle on the ground floor, whilst the underground is kept snug, cosy and inviting at all times. Our welcome was just as warm, the arrival drinks were tailored to each of us, making sure that our palates were ready for the beer tasting to come. After chatting and catching up on the day we were ready, descended into what is usually a hirable meeting space (go take a look) and got down to business. A lesson in beer With the expert guidance of a beer sommelier (who knew that was a real job?) even I can admit that the beers we tried across the course of the evening were different. I could tell you about the nose of each beer, and about how the brewing process affected each beer. Did this make them taste much better to me? No, but I appreciated the effort that went into each one. I suppose it’s like art, it’s subjective! So, onto things that I can actually talk to you about knowingly! When the beer tasting was done, and we knew more about the Budvar on tap than I can remember right now, we ascended back to the now packed ground floor. A change of scene In the short time we were seconded away learning. the bar had become busy. Here, the tagline we’d heard “less mixing, more drinking” came into play. The time between ordering your cocktail and serving it can feel endless, the Box has solved at least part of this crisis. The solution is simple, mass prepare the most ordered cocktails, and hand pull them when needed, top with homemade foams, and voila! Now, I’m not saying this is a perfect solution, cocktails are just as subjective as beer. To my taste, the cocktails are too sweet, but they might be perfect for you! I’m the oddball that will happily eat a full pack of fresh coriander as a starter. The winner of the night though was undeniably the food, which everyone loved without doubts or questions. The Box has gone out of its way to be the best sports bar possible, the pizza oven floor rotates to ensure an even cook. The heavenly, heavenly fries have been painstakingly created and the burgers on the menu attract your eye before they even hit the table. And the nuggets were devoured before they even had time to rest, the mouth burn was worth the flavour. You heard that right, a single dish is finally worth the searing pain of taking a bite too soon. We rounded out the evening with some shuffleboard, now a common feature in Arc Inspirations many Leeds ventures. It’s a good laugh, and can be a little addictive, but it’s not new anymore. I can’t wait to see what Arc does next though.