Great Yorkshire Pubs

34 : The Black Bull Inn, Birstall

2011-01-05T05:04:00.000-08:00

THE BLACK BULL INN

5, Kirgate, Birstall, West Yorkshire Tel : 01274 873039

In alphabet terms, they don't come much better than the Black Bull in Birstall (that's three B's and should entitle me to at least a free pint of beer). And if you like your pubs old, characterful, stewed in history, and cozy, they don't come much better than the Black Bull either. Nobody quite knows how old it is : there are certainly 17th century features but other bits and pieces have been grafted onto it over the centuries. It is one of those long pubs, the type that look as though they started life as a normal pub and got stretched over the years, like a stick of seaside rock. It needed to stretch to meet the demands on its services because, although you would not think so when you see it now, this was once the focal point of a busy local community.

It owed its eighteenth and nineteenth century popularity to two factors : it is situated opposite St Peter's Parish Church and it stood alongside the important Elland to Leeds turnpike road. St. Peter's was originally the centre of a wide ranging parish and parishioners would need to travel to Birstall for important occasions and possibly need overnight accommodation. Thus the Black Bull was a kind of Travel Lodge of its day. The Elland to Leeds turnpike was one of the great turnpike roads built in West Yorkshire in the 1740s which, for the first time, provided relatively efficient road transport between the emerging industrial towns of West Yorkshire. Thus the Black Bull was a kind of motorway service station of its day.

During its heyday, the Black Bull was also a kind of community centre. The local Magistrate's Court met in a room - which is still preserved - upstairs. The Inn was used as an auction house and as a polling station for local elections. Village life revolved around the Black Bull and there can be few Birstall inhabitants or visitors who have not passed through the low-slung doors. No doubt this included Charlotte Bronte (is there a pub in West Yorkshire she didn't visit!) for she had strong connections with the village and her great friend Ellen Nussey is buried in St. Peter's churchyard.

In the twenty-first century, the Black Bull feels a little cut off. The main roads have by-passed it and Kirgate is now a quiet little back lane. The parish of St. Peter's was divided up in the nineteenth century and the Victorian church has a leafy and sleepy feel about it. But the Black Bull battles on in the way that so many pubs are forced to do in these most pub-unfriendly days. It serves real ale (I samples a rather pleasant pint of Ingleborough Ice from the Yorkshire Dales Brewing Co which went down a hell of a lot better than most of the ice we have suffered from recently). It normally serves food (it didn't on the day I called it so I was unable to try it out). It has function rooms, it has wi-fi and it has managed to get itself included in the latest CAMRA Good Beer Guide.

So good luck to the Black Bull, may it continue to thrive and continue to represent all that is best about the West Yorkshire village inn. It has survived over 400 years by adapting to the changing times and becoming a conglomerate of local history (there is a stone built into the end wall, the precise provenance of which is still unknown). May it survive the next 400 years by adopting the same strategy.

32 : The Whitehall Hotel, Hipperholme

2010-03-21T02:51:00.000-07:00

The Whitehall Hotel, Leeds Road, Hipperholme, Halifax HX3 8NA Tel : O1422 202088

Step over the threshold of the Whitehall Hotel in Hipperholme on some quiet lunchtime and you feel as though you are intruding on someone's private grief. It is not an unusual feeling in these days when the majority of beer sales are delivered via the supermarket check-out rather than the polished brass hand-pump. Don't let it put you off calling by : the Whitehall is a fine pub of a type that is rapidly vanishing from the villages and townships of Britain. But be prepared for a chaser of melancholy with your lunchtime pint.

The building dates from late eighteenth century and is currently Grade II listed. It probably took its name from the nearby White Hall House, but it is the pub which itself gave its name to the Leeds Whitehall Road which for much of the last two hundred years has been the main thoroughfare between Halifax and Leeds. In the 1830s the Inn provided one of the stops for the regular stagecoach service between the two West Yorkshire towns : a service which had the surprisingly modern name of the "Red Rover". A picture exists of the interior of the Inn at the turn of the nineteenth century and from my own personal observations it appears that little has changed other than some of the regulars depicted in the earlier picture no longer seem to be attending. The ring hanging from the ceiling is part of a once-popular bar room game called "ringing the bull" in which a ring suspended from the ceiling would be swung to try and connect with a hook hung on a wall, often on the end of a bull's horn.

Today the ring and the bull's horn are long gone but you still half expect the Dickensian gentleman with the stretched waistcoat to make his way back from the toilets (could that be his jacket which is still hanging from the bar?). The decor is strongly influenced by tobacco and although in the two years since smoking in public was outlawed the aroma has drifted away, the tint still remains. I sometimes feel that you should be able to make out a special case for the current anti-smoking laws to be annulled in certain premises in order to maintain historical authenticity. The Whitehall Hotel could serve as a test-bed for such an innovative approach : the low ceilings and the mullioned windows set in the thick stone walls cry out for a patina of Old Shag.

I had a pint of Copper Dragon Golden Pippin (3.9% ABV) which was probably historically an inappropriate choice - it should have been something old and dark and tasting vaguely of creosote. The Golden Pippin was none of these things and was rather refreshing. This goes to show that even I am willing to embrace modernity. Once suitably fortified by whatever your choice of beverage might be, and as you leave the pub and make your careful way across the busy main road, you might want to cast a glance back at the roofline of the pub. Is that a cat creeping along the ridge tiles? It has been frozen in the same position for many a year now - proof if ever it was needed that things move slowly around these parts.

31 : The Shoulder Of Mutton, Northowram

2010-03-10T08:12:00.000-08:00

1 Mutton Fold, Towngate, Northowram Halifax HX3 7EA 01422 206229

The Shoulder of Mutton is situated in the village of Northowram, a couple of miles north of Halifax. This is the village I grew up in, and I remember passing the Shoulder many times as a child and wondering what secrets those child-free rooms held. For one reason or another, I never visited the Shoulder during that short window of opportunity between my looking old enough to get served in a pub and my leaving the village for ever. And so my recent visit to such a familiar landmark was my first to the pub. After offering up a short prayer to Bacchus for having kept the place open long enough for my visit, I gathered all my childhood memories around me and entered this fine Yorkshire village pub.

As you can see from my photograph, the pub spreads over three, conjoint buildings. On the right is the somewhat formal lines of what, in the eighteenth century, was known as Priestley Hall (built by Nathanial Priestley in 1723). The middle building - which was most likely originally a farmhouse - is probably the oldest and incorporates a stone lintel which is dated 1622. The building on the left looks as though it was grafted on to the farmhouse at some indeterminate date, long lost to memory.

And my impressions of the visit to the pub have almost been long-lost to memory as well, because I forgot to write them up when I returned home. So the following notes are taken straight from my notebook, but on re-reading them they seem to give an accurate taste of the place.

"Note the address - evocative: the phrase "Mutton Fold" should have a wider currency. How pleasant to discover a pub that has not been "themed". Tables and chairs look as though they have emerged over time rather than been imported from a warehouse. The beers are not too beery, there is a jukebox and there is a pool table. Some walls have been knocked down, but still possible to see the lay-out of the old houses set on different levels. Beamed ceilings, but not low beams nor over-ancient beams, nor fake beams. Pleasant but empty, like touring the British Museum on a wet Tuesday morning. You want people to be here, you want gossip, you want neighborly chatter, you want romance - you want life. There is music somewhere in the background : a pulsating bass line with tendrils of voice flirting with meaning. Is this ale making me poetic? If so the culprit is Timothy Taylor Golden Best : beery with distinct notes of beer. I shared the pint with a good honest packet of Seabrook's Potato Crisps and I am reminded that crisp must be one of the finest inventions of the entire twentieth century. Soon the pubs will be closed, the beer transformed into ice-cold tasteless lager, and crisps will be banned as junk food. Sad"

I may have got slightly carried away, but the Shoulder Of Mutton is a good, honest village pub and a visit there should be made a compulsory part of the school curriculum. If it had been so in my youth I wouldn't have had to wait fifty years to enter its doors.

30 : The Old Ship Inn, Brighouse

2010-02-18T07:14:00.000-08:00

The Old Ship Inn. 34, Bethel Street, Brighouse HD6 1JN 01484 719543

The Old Ship Inn is a bit of a misnomer : it is neither old, nor a ship, nor - if the strict definition, which implies accommodation, is used - an inn. Looking from the outside, you could be excused for thinking it was old : it's Elizabethan timbers and mullioned windows scream out antiquity. But the building isn't Elizabethan, in fact it is less than a hundred years old. The first beerhouse on the site can be traced back to the 1830s and by the 1870s it had taken the popular pub name "The Prince Of Wales", During the late nineteenth and early twentieth century it was just another of the numerous pubs in the small West Yorkshire town of Brighouse. It had no great claim to fame other than it acquired a somewhat insalubrious reputation and there were several attempts by the local magistrates to close it down. The magistrates were not successful, but in 1924 the town planners were and the pub was pulled down to make way for a road widening project.

The old pub had come under the ownership of Halifax brewer Samuel Webster and the brewery decided that a replacement pub should be a distinctive part of the local scene. The current mock-tudor architectural design was chosen and a measure of authenticity was provided by the use of timbers and panelling from the old wooden battleship HMS Donegal (American readers might like to note that in November 1865 the Donegal took the last surrender of the American Civil War when the CSS Shenandoah surrendered to her captain). Despite the use of ship's timbers and the fact that it was known locally as "The Battleship", the name of the pub remained the Prince Of Wales until 2007. In that year the old Prince of Wales closed down and, following an extensive refurbishment, reopened as the Old Ship Inn. The "new" Old Ship has an extensive lunchtime menu and a wide choice of beers (including several guest ales), and has become a local CAMRA favourite.

Inside, it has a bit of an eclectic feel about it : the wooden panelling is Victorian, the tables are mock-Georgian and the stone floors look as though they are straight out of an MFI catalogue. The open-plan bar must work well when the pub is crowded, but when it is nine-tenths empty (as it was during my visit) it has a cavernous feel about it. But for somewhere which is not old, not a ship, and not an inn, it is not a bad place at all to enjoy a half-decent pint..

The half-pint I had was a pint of Telegraph which is brewed locally by the Slaithwaite-based Empire Brewery. It was one of those new blonde beers which I always think are brewed to appeal to a generation raised on lager. The taste of the 4.1% ABV brew was amiable enough, although not particularly distinctive.

29 : The Boltmakers Arms, Keighley

2009-10-29T06:21:00.000-07:00

117 East Parade, Keighley, West Yorkshire BD21 5HX Telephone: 01535 661936

I was in Keighley tracking down long-dead family and long fragmented churches when I called in at the Boltmakers Arms for a lunchtime pint. The Boltmakers - a Timothy Taylor house within spitting distance of the brewery - is the kind of pub you dream about when you are a long way from home. Small, cozy, warm, welcoming : it is everything that a pub should be with a little bit extra added just to make you happy. You don't feel lost when you go in there nor do you feel compelled to order a three course dinner and a bottle of wine. The pictures on the wall have been chosen by the Landlord because he likes them and not because they fit into a preconceived theme thought up by a Pubco's marketing team. If you want to chat to the guy behind the bar you can, but if you want to sit and read a book in a little haven of peace and tranquility there is nothing to stop you. The architecture is not brilliant and the decor is unspectacular - but on Wednesday lunchtime I had difficulty thinking of anywhere else I would rather be in the whole wide world.

It is a Timothy Taylor house and they had the full range of hand-pull beers available. I tried something called Boltmakers Best Bitter (4% ABV) which, for all I knew, could have been brewed in the upstairs back bedroom. It was fresh and clean and for whatever reason put me in mind of a bolt been driven through a sheet metal plate in one of the long-lost dockyards of the River Clyde. I know it is a daft comparison by by this time I was getting maudlin. How long will such a place stay open? Will it be there fore my son to drink in? Probably. Will it be there for my grandson? Probably not.

What a shame, what an undiluted crime - this thing that is happening to the traditional British pub. What a loss, what a bloody, stupid waste. It was one of those days. It was one of those pubs. The Landlord looked at me as I drained my pint and left, wondering why I was crying.

28 : The Sportsman, Huddersfield

2009-09-27T05:30:00.000-07:00

1-3 St John Street, Huddersfield, United Kingdom, HD1 5AY Phone: 01484 421929

Until about a year ago, the Sportsman was like many a pub on the fringes of a town centre. It showed its age. It was both unloving and unloved. It had become surplus to modern requirements. It's closure and boarding up became about as predictable as death and taxes. But then came resurrection. On the third day, or maybe it was the third month or even after 142nd day, it reopened as a smart new real ale emporium.

The Sportsman now seems to be owned by the same people who run the wonderful West Riding Licensed Refreshment Rooms. The building dates from 1930 and there is a 1930s feel about the place. There is a 1930s curve to the mirrors and a 1930s sweep to the bar. You would not be at all surprised to see Neville Chamberlain sat in the corner working on his declaration of war speech.

1930s feel it may have, but it has all the attributes of a twentieth century real ale pub. A chalk board lists the various beers on offer and their alcoholic strengths, framed collections of old beer mats adorn the walls, and there are enough beer pumps to lift a dray-horse. In many ways it has everything you could possibly want, but - to me - it seemed lacking in a little soul. Maybe it is the 1930s feel - I have always thought of the 30s as a bit of a soulless decade - or maybe it was that it was nearly empty when I called in. Probably it is the fault of the current economic climate : good pub, good beer, bad times.

I had a pint of something called Morris Men which comes from the Empire Brewery in nearby Slaithwaite. I couldn't find too much out about the beer, the tiny brewery has only just started brewing it. Weighing in at 4.3% ABV it is a medium tasting, medium strength, medium type of beer. I could have happily drunk the stuff all afternoon and probably not even noticed I was doing so. Maybe it was a little bit soulless too.

27 : The Angel and White Horse, Tadcaster

2009-08-18T06:28:00.000-07:00

23 Bridge Street, Tadcaster, North Yorkshire, LS24 9AW 08721 077 077

When I woke up this morning the sun was peeping out from behind the cumulus clouds which were travelling in convoy from the Atlantic to the North Sea. It was a day to do something, to achieve something. It was a day to visit a brewery tap. For those unfamiliar with British pubs a "brewery tap" is a pub which is usually physically attached to a brewery and therefore represents the prime source of that brewery's beers. Yorkshire's oldest brewery is Samuel Smith's Old Brewery in Tadcaster. It's brewery tap is the splendid Angel and White Horse. It was time for a visit.

There is a lot about the Smith brothers and the Angel and White Horse that is complicated. If Sherlock Holmes had been a drinking man he would have called it a "two pint problem". Here I will limit myself to the story of the Angel and White Horse and perhaps save the story of the Fighting Smiths for my News From Nowhere Blog. Situated at a crossing point of the River Wharfe, Tadcaster has always been an important centre for transport and communications. In the eighteenth century mail coaches en-route to York, London, Newcastle and most other places worth travelling to passed through the town. Many of them would make use of the two fine Georgian coaching inns that graced the main street : the Angel and the White Horse. Besides its transport links, Tadcasters' other claim to fame was brewing : there are written records of brew houses in the town in the fourteenth century. In 1758 a modern brewery was built on the land behind the White Horse. The brewery - which is now known as Samuel Smith's Old Brewery - is still in production today and is Yorkshire's oldest brewery.

In the 19th century the Angel was closed down and eventually the White Horse went up-market and became the Londesborough Hotel. In the twentieth century there was less need for coaching inns but - with the growing success of Sam Smith's brewery - a greater need for brewery offices. Most of the Londesborough Hotel was converted into offices but part of the hotel was joined up with part of the old Angel Inn and the Angel and White Horse came into being (when this is done in the second-hand motor trade it is known as Cut and Shut I believe).

Whatever its history, the Angel and White Horse is a splendid place to drink a pint and reflect on history. It matters not whether it is political history, social history, or the history of the wart on the back of your hand : the wood panelled rooms provide a pleasant contemplative atmosphere. If you look out of the window into the courtyard you can almost imagine the horses driving the mail coach into the yard. And if you are really lucky you might actually see the mighty grey horses from the adjacent brewery.

I had a pint of Sam Smith's Old Brewery Bitter (what else could you possibly drink in such a location?). It tasted malty and fresh, almost as if it had been brewed just the other side of the wall and the barrels rolled straight in (it had, they had). It was a honest beer, a tasteful beer in every sense of meaning. You can find a host of perfectly acceptable photographs of Venice but nothing quite compares to the thrill of seeing the original . In exactly the same way you can probably buy a bottle of Sam Smith's Old Brewery Bitter in Aberdeen or Arkansas or Alaska. But few things compare to drinking that pint in the Angel and White Horse. And at just £1.37p a pint (that's just $2.26 for my American friends) why would you want to go anywhere else?

26 : The Beaumont Arms, Kirkheaton

2009-07-29T04:54:00.000-07:00

Church Lane, Kirkheaton, West Yorkshire, HD5 0BH Tel: 08721 077 077

The Beaumont Arms was a delightful find. Although it is only a few miles from where I live, I had never been before. But as soon as you see it from the top of the hill, standing shoulder to shoulder with the village church, you know you are in for a treat. And treat it was.

The building dates from the mid eighteenth century and it is easy to trace the line of adjoining stables which which have since been incorporated into the pub. The interior reflects the major redesign which must have taken place in the 1930s. Stepping inside the pub I was immediately taken back to the front parlor at my Uncle Harry's house : the wood panelling, the wrought iron tables, the rich red carpets. It's comforting, relaxing and - although there are no books on display - it's bookish. It's the kind of place you can sit with your pint and read your book and not feel out of place. It is my kind of pub.

The name comes from the Beaumont family who had been lords of the manor since the seventeenth century. A sense of history permeates the place. Just over the lane is the local churchyard and there stands a memorial to 17 children who "fell unhappy victims to a raging fire at Mr Atkinsons Factory in February 1818" As you drink your pint you think you can smell the mills, feel the hills, and maybe hear the screams of those poor kids. You are sitting on so much heritage you want to cry.

I called in just before the lunch-time rush started and I must have been the first customer of the day. I had my pick of the wood-paneled rooms and time to look around and get a feel of the place. Three young girls looked after the bar and the restaurant. They straighten place settings, shine pint glasses, and discuss last night's adventures.

I decide to have a pint of Timothy Taylor Landlord : it's that kind of day. Although mine must have been the first pint to be drawn, it tastes fresh and well-flavoured. It cuts through your thirst and with equal ease it cuts through your cares. The barmaid decides that my pint has a little too much head and fills a half pint glass so that I can top up. It's a small gesture but a welcome one. It means I will return. As I leave, the place is beginning to hum. I say a small prayer of thanks : the future of this delightful pub might be safe for a few months longer.

25 : The Fountaine Inn, Linton-In-Craven

2009-03-18T07:26:00.001-07:00

The Fountaine Inn, Linton in Craven, BD23 5HJ Tel : 01756 752210

"Probably the most beautiful Dales Inn in the most beautiful of settings .... babbling streams, stunning hillsides, and charming stone-built cottages framed by beautiful gardens and well established trees". The quote comes from the website of the Fountaine Inn, Linton In Craven. Whilst there might be a few too many "beautifuls" for my liking, there is no denying that it is a grand pub in the best Yorkshire traditions. It overlooks a village green and a stone bridge over a rippling stream. You almost expect Robert Hardy dressed up as the vet Siegfried Farnon to come trundling over the bridge in a 1930s Austin : it's that kind of place, all very All Creatures Great And Small.

The pub itself is a lovely place with a series of small rooms and a substantial dining room at the back. There is a good selection of food on offer and a fine selection of beers. I had a pint of Thwaites' Wainwright. Named after the great Lakeland writer, Wainwright is a lovely, light golden colour with a hint of sweetness and a dash of citrus flavours. It was a really nice pint in a really nice pub. Beautiful in fact.

24 : The Victoria Hotel, Leeds

2009-03-18T05:42:00.000-07:00

28 Great George Street, Leeds LS1 3DL Tel : 0113 245 1386

If you turn to the Beer In The Evening website and look up the wonderful Victoria Family and Commercial Hotel in Leeds you will discover that it is listed as being "Closed". When I discovered this last week I did what any true lover of a traditional city-centre Victorian hotel would do : I jumped on a train and went to investigate. And I am delighted to announce that there is absolutely no truth in the closure claim ; The Victoria Hotel is alive and well - and if when I called in is anything to go by - thriving.

It had been a long time since I had been in the Vic and therefore it was a real pleasure to re-acquaint myself with the mahogany booths, leather seats and polished brass. You can sit at the end of the long bar and look at a scene that could have almost been pickled in aspic. A true visual delight. And to accompany the visual feast you can tuck into a feast of home-cooked food and excellent beers and ales. There are three bars in all and each is worth a thorough investigation. If you think you deserve a treat, why not try a pint in each!

I had a pint of Barnsley Bitter, which is now brewed by the Acorn Brewery in Barnsley. Originally it was brewed by the Barnsley Brewery which - in the early 1960s - was gobbled up by John Smith's and later the Courage Group. The Acorn Barnsley Bitter claims to use the original yeast strains used to brew Barnsley Bitter almost 150 years ago. Whatever its antecedents, its smashing stuff and a fine accompaniment to the Vic. When the Barnsley Brewery was closed down in 1976 I remember a little ditty that was going the rounds in South Yorkshire at the time. "Now Barnsley Brewery's closing down; They might as well close the bloody town". I am delighted to report that a similar rhyme does not have to be written about the Victoria Hotel.

23 : White Cross Inn, Bradley

2009-01-02T07:56:00.001-08:00

2, Bradley Road, Bradley, Huddersfield, West Yorkshire HD2 1XD Tel : 0871 917 0007

This roadside pub seems to have discovered the secret to survival in these troubled times for pubs. It is a roadside pub without an obvious community which still attracts a good cross-section of customers by providing good food, excellent beer, and a welcoming atmosphere. It is in the Good Beer Guide and is a past local CAMRA Pub of the Year, but it doesn't have that slightly daunting feel to it that many a CAMRA pub does : you could probably order a pint of Fosters Lager without hiding in the loo to drink it. Not that you would want to as there is an excellent selection of guest beers available as well as regulars such as Copper Dragon and Timothy Taylors.

The building seems to date back to the early nineteenth century and the fine ceramic BYB signs in the entrance suggest a one-time tie to Bentley's Yorkshire Brewery. Sadly, BYB is no longer with us but I enjoyed a splendid pint of one of the guest ales - Mowbray's Mash from the Grantham-based Oldershaw's Brewery : the pale, hoppy beer went down a treat. On the day I called in, there was no food available, but I understand that there is normally a good selection of bar meals.

Whatever the White Cross is doing, let us hope it carries on doing it for many years to come.

22 : The Ferry Inn, Cawood

2008-08-08T07:23:00.000-07:00

2 King Street, Cawood, North Yorkshire YO8 3TL 01757 268515

One of the best things about having a bit of a reputation for being fond of pubs is that when you visit people they have a tendency to say "there's a little pub just up the road that I'm sure you would love to see". On so it was when we visited Lee and Louise in their new house just outside Selby. Once the usual pleasantries were out of the way, a group of us chaps piled into a car and drove up to the Ferry Inn at Cawood.

And it was well worth the visit. Situated alongside the River Ouse, adjacent to Cawood Bridge, the 16th Century building has long associations with this traditional river crossing point (before the bridge was built there was a ferry crossing, hence the name). It is a more than pleasant place to sit and drink a pint or two, with its old wooden beams, and bookshelves brimming with inviting volumes. There are also several references to royal visitors (King John and Henry VIII amongst them) but when you read the small print it appears that they visited the nearby Cawood Castle rather than the pub!

But who needs royalty when you have a good solid traditional English pub and equally good and solid friends to drink beer with. I tried one of the guest beers - Hopsack from the Manchester-based Phoenix Brewery. Rated at 3.9& ABV, it punches above its weight but might be a bit too hoppy for many people's tastes. But there is plenty of choice and many a good reason for postponing your trip over the river until another day.

21 : The Drop Inn, Elland

2008-08-07T08:25:00.000-07:00

12 Elland Lane, Elland, West Yorkshire HX5 9DU Tel: +44(0)1422 387484

There should be a small prize given to anyone who can manage to find the Drop Inn. It's address - Elland Lane, Elland - sounds fairly central, and indeed it was : before the by-pass and the industrial estate were built. Even if you ask directions from a local you might have problems, as until fairly recently the pub was called "The Oddfellows". Even though it had been the Oddfellows for decades, it was rarely known as that, Elland folk usually referred to it as "The Drop", and hence the new name it was given when it was acquired by the Ossett Brewery in 2006. Before it became part of the flourishing Ossett group, it changed hands a number of times over a short period of time : and all of this gives the place a slightly transitional feel, a bit like a station waiting room. This is not to say that it isn't a pleasant, friendly place : it is. It is worth the voyage of discovery and the beer is well chosen and well kept.

Wood and barrels feature strongly in the decor and there are the usual beer posters and stacked books beloved by pubs of this type. You half expect to see a corduroy-jacketed, mustachioed, book-reading CAMRA member propping up the bar, but speaking as a corduroy-jacketed, mustachioed, book-reading CAMRA member, there is nothing wrong with that. Outside the pub is a double terraced house next to an old stone mill. Inside it is clean, tidy, light, and unpretentious : just the kind of place to go to sup a pint of real ale.

The real ale I supped was Ossett's Pale Gold which I have drunk often and enjoyed whenever our paths have crossed. Described as "a light, refreshing pale ale designed for the discerning session drinker, with a floral/spicy aroma derived from the finest American hops", its ABV of 3.8% makes it a convenient lunch-time choice. Now that I have discovered the north-west passage to the Drop, I will return in the evening to sample its atmosphere. I would encourage anyone to sample its beers at any time.

20 : Henry Boons, Wakefield

2008-03-09T01:49:00.001-08:00

130, Westgate, Wakefield WF2 9SR

Before the introduction of microbreweries, brewery taps (pubs physically attached to breweries) used to be rare, atmospheric, aromatic and very collectable. Some 40 years ago I decided to write a book about brewery taps, but it was one of the many books I never got around to writing. Too late, too late : breweries began to disappear taking their taps with them. Then came the microbreweries (breweries attached to pubs rather than pubs attached to breweries) but they do not have the same atmosphere.

Henry Boon's on Westgate, Wakefield is one of those rare beasts : a functioning brewery tap. The brewery is H.B. Clark's Brewery which, for a time in the 60s and 70s, stopped brewing but is now producing a respectable range of beers. The brewery was established in 1906 by Henry Boon Clark (hence the name of the pub) and it is a fairly typical early twentieth century brewery building. On a brewing day the aroma of malted hops drifts around the local streets - which must be as near to torture as you can get to the inmates of the neighbouring Wakefield Prison.

Inside, the pub has been fitted to match its function. Wooden planks create half hidden false ceilings on top of which sacks of hops and grain are stored (OK, I know they are probably empty, but they look good). Other bits of bewerama have been Incorporated into the decor creating an atmosphere which is endearingly kitsch. You probably need a knowledge of brewery history to fully appreciate it all, but it is fun trying to guess what all the bits and pieces are (what, for example, are those brass fire screen things built into the bar front?). It is the kind of place you will either love or hate, but if you hate it you are more than likely taking yourself, and life, a little too seriously.

Being lunchtime I chose a pint of Clark's Classic Blonde (3.9 ABV) which was clean, fresh and biting (like a Leonard Cohen song). There were other Clark beers on offer as well as a range of other beers and lagers. It's a grand spot to while away an hour, sipping beer and reading a good book. If you don't have time for such things - well, shame on you.

19 : Brass, Bradford

2008-01-24T06:34:00.000-08:00

40, North Parade, Bradford BD1 3HR

What happens to beautiful buildings when they no longer have a function? It is a question which, in the past, would apply to churches and chapels. Perhaps it is a sign of the times - but now it seems to be happening to banks. The bank in question is the magnificent old Yorkshire Penny Bank in Bradford. And the answer to the question is - they become bars.

The Yorkshire Penny Bank was founded in 1859 by the Halifax mill-owner and philanthropist, Colonel Edward Akroyd. It's aim was to encourage financial probity amongst the working classes. Its services were specifically directed towards working people - the name came from the fact that you could set up an account with the deposit of just one penny - and individual deposits were restricted to just £30 per year. Within two years of its establishment, the bank had over 100 branches throughout Yorkshire. It pioneered the idea of setting up sub-branches in schools and church halls in order to spread the great philosophical message of freedom through savings. In addition to the little sub-branches, the bank also built palatial banking halls in each of the principal towns and cities of Yorkshire. The Bradford branch was situated at the junction of North Parade and Manor Row. The building is still there although the bank has changed its name to the more prosaic Yorkshire Bank and moved down into the softer centre of Bradford. The building is now a pub - appropriately called Brass.

It is easier to comment on the building than the pub. As a building it is simply magnificent. Built in 1895 in the Italianate style, the outside is covered in fine stone carvings. Look carefully over the main doors and you can still spot wonderful stone portraits of the Banks' main founders including Colonel Ackroyd. Step inside and you immediately know why such places were known as "Counting Halls". It is a hall in every sense of the word : dark wood panelling, marble used with the abandon that only banks can display, and plaster work that would not be out of place in the Palace of Versailles. At some stage someone made a half-decent attempt to find fittings to match the splendour of the setting. There are some leather chesterfields to sit on and a boastful chandelier shining down on a surprisingly squat bar. But the pub now looks a little tired and unwanted. Someone has pushed a snooker table into the centre of the room and a one-arm bandit blinks against a oak panelled screen - like a tart in a library.

When I called in one Wednesday afternoon I was the only person there other than the barmaid. It was large and empty and rather sad. You felt sorry for the building. And even if the Yorkshire Penny Bank wanted to drown its sorrows - the scope is disappointingly limited. There was only one beer available - Tetley's Smoothflow. This seemed to say something about the whole enterprise. So the bank and I sat and talked about old times, happier times, times when it was one of the finest buildings in one of the most vibrant cities in the Empire.

As a pub it is a bit pedestrian. The choice of beer was about as narrow as it can get. But as a building ... it was truly magnificent.

18 : Scotts Arms, Wetherby

2007-12-12T17:14:00.000-08:00

Main Street, Sicklinghall, Wetherby, West Yorkshire LS22 4BD

It is not unusual for the local squirearchy to gift something to the village they rule over. The more generous might fund the building of a church or chapel, the more miserly, a stained glass window. Often it was a school, occasionally a library. For the Scott family, who lived in the village of Sicklinghall near Wetherby, the gift was of a more pleasing nature - a pub (actually to call it a gift is being perhaps a tad too generous as they continued to make a good profit out of the venture). All this was a good two hundred or so years ago, but the pub retains the name - if not the ownership - of the original benefactor, and continues to be a pleasing addition to this quiet Yorkshire village.

The Scotts Arms is a large, attractive place with wooden beams, stone fireplaces, blackboard menus, and all the things you could wish to find in a good country pub. And one or two more. Towards the back of the pub is an excellent farm shop which - being the only shop in the village - serves the local population as well as visitors to the pub. Once a week a Post Office also operates from the shop - the kind of initiative which could well be followed elsewhere.

Being a large pub in a comparatively small village, the emphasis is inevitably on what used to be known as "passing trade" and this means, of course, food. There are four interconnected areas, most of which are occupied by diners - the pub boasts "120 covers" which, I believe, means bums-on-seats. But there would be no objection to a visitor just calling in far a pint and a warm on one of the welcoming open fires. It's that kind of place (what other pub do you know of which invites walkers and hikers to park in their car-park whilst they have a days' walking in the area).

I tried a pint of the guest ale which was Eden Pure Ale from Sharps Brewery in Cornwall. I assume that it takes its name from the Eden Project and a first sniff of the freshly poured pint suggested a certain botanical character to it. I was expecting a good full taste but was slightly disappointed when it delivered blandness rather than begonias. But there is a rotating guest beer and some solid permanent company (Black Sheep, Theakstons, Tetleys) so every excuse for a return visit.

17 : The Blue Bell, York

2007-11-11T00:56:00.000-08:00

53 Fossgate, York, North Yorkshire, YO1 9TF

The Blue Bell is not the easiest York pub to find. Go down Fossgate and you will find the unpretentious redbrick frontage squashed between the Army and Navy Shop and a music shop. From the outside you might find yourself wondering why you made the effort. If it is a crowded day, or if you are searching for an olde-worlde pub, or if you suffer from claustrophobia you might find yourself wondering the same thing once you get inside. But if you want to see what a typical pub would have looked life - and more importantly, felt like - 100 years ago you will rejoice that your map-reading skills were up to the task.

It is the size of pub which makes no economic sense in this day and age. There are two rooms : a tiny public bar and a similar-sized smoke room. If more than about a dozen people decide to patronise the pub at the same time, the overflow has to make use of a narrow wood-panelled corridor. The secret of its charm is that it has not been "improved" since it had a major makeover in 1903. And because the interior is now listed it should remain safe for generations to come.

When I called in they were preparing for their annual beer festival. Boasting the availability of some 25 real ales this sounded a remarkably silly idea. They were busy stacking beer casks up against every available bit of wall - and there are not many available bits of wall. Unable to quite get my feet comfortably under the table I was sitting at, I investigated only to find two kegs sitting there ready for stacking.

I had a pint of Adnams bitter which, for some reason, didn't quite match up to the singularity of the interior. It's not what you would call powerful nor does it deliver any great subtle tastes. But it went down well and I would still be willing to try a second pint just to check on my conclusions.

As for the pub, I am already planning a return trip in time for the beer festival. That should be an event to remember.

16 : Ye Olde Starre Inne, York

2007-11-11T00:50:00.000-08:00

40 Stonegate, York, North Yorkshire YO1 2AS

Ye Olde Starre Inne claims to be York's oldest licensed inn, dating back to 1644. As you would expect from an inn at the centre of a city like York, it is steeped in history. There are records of the inn being used by the roundheads as a hospital and a morgue during the civil war. In 1662 it was purchased by Thomas Wyeville for £250. An indication of the very modest rise in property prices during earlier times is that when it changed hands again some 150 years later the price had only increased to £850! Today, this Grade II listed building is likely to be worth a little more than that.

You enter the inn via a narrow passage which leads from Stonegate in the shadow of the mighty York Minster. A sign which spans Stonegate will help you locate the modest entry to the passage. The passage opens up to a small courtyard and then the old inn itself. Inside it has survived quite well. Plenty of wood and plenty of narrow passageways. I think there are four small rooms, but it is difficult to be sure. I entered one only to find a man sat working energetically on a mobile computer surrounded by papers. I am still not sure whether I had discovered an enterprising customer multi-tasking office work and beer drinking or I had wandered into a neighbouring accountants' office.

Despite the name it is not too "olde-worlde" nor is it a tourist destination rather than a working pub. Undoubtedly there are eager tourists here, but beer and food are still well to the forefront and there is obviously a thriving local customer base.

I tried a pint of Crop Circle which is brewed by the Hop Back brewery down in Wiltshire. A clean, hoppy bitter which has a pleasing taste, albeit a little fruity. Worth a visit, worth a pint.

15 : The Richard Oastler, Brighouse

2007-11-06T14:55:00.001-08:00

The Richard Oastler Bethel Street, Brighouse HD6 1JN

What was originally a fine Victorian chapel and was later converted into the local market has now been converted into a spectacular pub. The Richard Oastler is situated in the heart of the small West Yorkshire town of Brighouse. It is an imposing building - designed to emphasise the glory of God. Now it proudly emphasises the glory of a good pint of real ale with equal enthusiasm.

The chapel was built in 1978 and remained as a place of worship for 105 years. In 1983 the glorious gallery and organ were boarded up and the main space was converted into an indoor market. In 1999 it was rescued from this rather sad fate when the building was acquired by J D Wetherspoons who converted it into a pub. The ground floor was opened up into a large seating area and the gallery and organ were once again opened up to view.

Like many Wetherspoon conversions, it is hard to fault it : but you are still left with a feeling that there is something slightly fake about it. As I was drinking my pint I had the feeling that it reminded me of somewhere and it took quite a few minutes to realise what it was : some of the larger themed dining rooms you can find at a Disney Park. This is not in itself a criticism - Disney reconstructions are very well done : but they are still fakes. This building is not a fake - but it somehow feels a bit like one. You half expect Donald Duck to start playing the organ every half-hour.

The pub is named after local resident Richard Oastler who, in the early nineteenth century was partly responsible for the campaign to introduce the first laws that limited working time for children in factories. Oastler was a complex character - a high Tory who opposed trade unions and who was later imprisoned for debt and embezzlement.

If there is one thing that Wetherspoon's knows how to do it is to serve am excellent pint of beer. I tried a pint of the Hook Norton "Hooky Gold" which was on special offer at just £1.39p. It had been kept perfectly and was a pleasure to drink in such surroundings. It had a sharp, clean taste and a quite beautiful light golden colour.

14 The Black Bull, Haworth

2007-10-25T04:12:00.000-07:00

119 Main Street, Haworth, Bradford, West Yorkshire BD22 8DP

If Haworth is a not-to-be-missed element of any tour of West Yorkshire, the Black Bull is a not-to-be-missed part of any visit to Haworth. The building almost sprouts out of the ground and seems just as much a permanent feature at the top of the High Street as the neighbouring church. It is from the parsonage - just a few hundred yards away from the Bull - that Branwell Bronte would sneak away to enjoy a pint, a pipe and the company of others than his famous sisters or his devout father.

Enter the solid door and the pub is much larger than you would expect. Now there is one large "L" shaped room whereas before there would have been several smaller rooms. Also the pub has been extended over the years. However, it has a comfortable feel and, other than a few pictures, it has not been over-Brontefied. It remains a solid village pub of the type which are vanishing all too quickly in this day and age. The endless coach-loads of Bronte pilgrims can be thanked for its survival.

A selection of guest beers is available in addition to the normal offering of bitters and lagers. On my visit I tried a pint of Hibernator from the Keighley-based Old Bear Brewery. Hibernator is a good name for this dark, malty, full-flavoured beer. At 5% ABV you are tempted to curl up into a little ball after a pint or two and sleep the winter away.

The landlord of the Bull wouldn't take kindly to long sleep-overs, and any way, there are stories about ghosts in the building. So after your winter warmer you can step out and feel the wind blowing off the moors as you head for home.

13 : The Kings Arms, Wakefield

2007-10-18T09:22:00.000-07:00

The Heath, Wakefield WF1 5SL

The interior of this village pub is spectacular and well worth finding your way to Health Common for. Their ability to serve a good pint of beer is also pretty good so there are no excuses. A pub has been located next to the large village green at Heath Common since 1841. But the building is a hundred years older than that, having previously been a row of cottages. It is a perfect setting for a pub : the open green surrounded by grand houses puts you in mind of the Home Counties rather than West Yorkshire. However, if you train your binoculars on the gaps between the trees at the far side of the village you will catch glimpses of Wakefied town centre.

If the external aspect of the pub is splendid, the inside is nothing but superb. Successive landlords and the brewery (this is the only pub owned by Wakefield brewer, HB Clark) have managed to walk that most difficult of lines between pickling the place in aspic and tarting it up. There is wood and stone everywhere and both appear genuinely worn rather than distressed. When you enter there is a minute bar to the right of the main door whereas across the central corridor is a slightly larger room which, on my visit, has a real coke fire burning away. A restaurant and a larger bar have been grafted onto the original pub over recent years but whoever was responsible for the work was careful to leave the original lay-out virtually undisturbed.

During my visit I could not see any of Clark's own beers on offer which was a pity. But the pint of Landlord I did enjoy had been kept (and served) to perfection. In order to sample the Clark's beer I will have to make a return journey which will take no effort at all. A delightful spot to enjoy a pint of very good beer : what a traditional English pub is all about.

12 The Tip Inn, Brighouse

2007-10-03T02:11:00.001-07:00

Atlas Mill, Atlas Mill Road, Brighouse HD6 1ES

CLOSED

All too often these days you get to visit a pub on what turns out to be its final days of business. Thus, if the opportunity presents itself to sample a pub on its opening day you should clear a window of opportunity in your diary. And if that pub turns out to be the brewery tap of a new brewing venture : then the only decent thing to do is to throw your diary in the rubbish bin.

Throwing things in the bin takes us nicely to the local tip (they are probably called refuse disposal and active recycling facilities nowadays). And there, next to the entrance of Brighouse tip, is the Tip Inn, the brand new brewery tap of the equally brand new Atlas Mill Brewery.

Atlas Mill Brewery is a tidy little set up - pub downstairs, brewhouse upstairs, dispatch bay to one side. The bar does not attempt to hide the industrial setting - bricks and stone feature prominently and it has the feel of a modern mill conversion about it (you half expect to be invited up a circular staircase to pitch your idea to the Dragons Den). But it is a pleasant enough place to drink a pint of real ale and is sure to prove popular with harassed gardeners who can now declare that they are "off to the tip" with more than usual gleeful anticipation. It still had a "new" feel to it when Dave and I visited (it was only Day 3) but once it picks up the stains, the smells and the scratches that are all part of the character of any pub, it should be fine.

The pint I sampled was a pint of Atlas Mill Gold which was a clean tasting, fairly hoppy, amber beer. Dave reckoned it had the taste of malt whisky somewhere in its ancestry. The strange thing was that his did and mine didn't. It's something I mean to check out on again - the next time I go to the tip.

11 The Spa Buffet Bar, Scarborough

2007-10-02T01:13:00.000-07:00

Spa Complex, South Bay, Scarborough, North Yorkshire YO11 2HD

If one was not obsessed with pubs it is quite easy to imagine one could become obsessed by seaside spas. There is something rather special about these regal buildings which stand full square against the sea and provide a constant reminder of the days of old when the Costas were nothing more than a typographical error. If you wanted to be multi-obsessive, you could always collect Seaside Spa Buffet Bars. The one in Scarborough is a gem of a building and is one of the oldest remaining parts of a Spa complex which has undergone many rebuildings over the years. The current grand Victorian building mainly dates from the 1880s. The previous manifestations of this grand building almost seem to have been a test-bed for Three Little Pigs Construction Corp, falling victim to either fire, gales or tidal surge. The current building is satisfyingly chunky and easily resisted the high tides and beating waves that were present during my visit.

Like all goof buffet bars it is long, narrow and fairly single-minded about its purpose in life which is, of course, to dispense alcohol. One can imagine the poor foreign tourist who has looked the word "buffet" up in a dictionary coming in search of a choice of tasty food items and finding little other than a series of shiny beer pipes. A careful search revealed a few packets of crisps and peanuts, but other than that it is a buffet bar in the strictly nineteenth century English sense.

Food there may not be (and to be fair, there are plenty of cafes and restaurants elsewhere in the Spa Complex) but there is usually some very pleasant beer. As well as the usual choices, there is normally a selection of beers from the Wold Top Brewery which is situated in Driffield. My visit coincided with the annual Scarborough Jazz Festival and therefore my choice was the specially brewed "Festival Bitter". It was a bit pedestrian, but it was perhaps a good choice to go with jazz. The music could be left to challenge the senses - the beer helped you get in a pleasantly receptive mood. Giant television screens relayed the music from the concert hall, allowing you to lean against the majestic bar and sip on your pint. A not unpleasant way to live your life.

10 The Lord Rosebery, Scarborough

2007-10-02T01:05:00.000-07:00

85, Westborough, Scarborough YO11 1JW

A fairly typical Wetherspoons conversion of what used to be Scarborough Liberal Club. The name commemorates the former Leader of the Liberal Party and Prime Minister who officially opened the club in 1895 (As a young man Rosebery is reputed to have said that he had three aims in life : to win the Derby, to marry a heiress and to become Prime Minister - by the age of fifty he had achieved all three). The ground floor is a big open room and there are dedicated eating areas on both a mezzanine and a upper floor. The large open space with its rows of tables and chairs always gives such Wetherspoon Houses the feel of a 21st century equivalent to a Yates Wine Lodge.

The walls are copiously covered with pictures depicting the history and worthies of Scarborough. However, because the walls are so far away from where the majority of people are sitting, it retains a slightly clinical and anonymous feel about it. You can't help suspecting that all the furniture and fittings come out of a big Wetherspoon's warehouse somewhere. Whilst it might suffer some of the sins of the Wetherspoon brand it also displays all of the virtues. There is a good selection of beer on offer at prices designed to make even the most ardent Yorkshireman smile. The excellent value for money acts as a magnet for pensioners looking for a break from shopping.

I tried a pint of one of their guest beers - Trade Winds from the Cairngorm Brewery. It has won several awards and makes a big play of its fruity and citrus taste which is based on elderflower being added to the mash. I was expecting something a little more memorable and was disappointed. You would expect something called Trade Winds to be strong and purposeful, but this was more of a gentle breeze of a beer. Like the Rosebery itself, it was all pleasant enough without being particularly remarkable. A bit like Lord Rosebery himself, come to think of it.

9 : The West Riding Licensed Refreshment Rooms

2007-09-26T16:43:00.000-07:00

Station Buildings, Wellington Rd, Dewsbury, West Yorkshire WF13 1HF

The award-winning West Riding Licensed Refreshment Rooms (the West Riding for short, the West for even shorter) is famously easy to get to. You catch any train which stops at Dewsbury Station and there it is on Platform 2. Its awards include being the runner-up in the 2006 CAMRA national Pub Of The Year, the 2006 Yorkshire Pub of the Year and the 2005/6 Heavy Woollen Pub Of The Year. It is not difficult to see how it has won so many awards - it is a temple of the brewers' art where fine beer is celebrated by serious drinkers.

The bar inhabits most of the station building. In view of its regional and national fame it is probably true to say that it is now a famous bar with its own train service rather than a railway station with a bar. There are a series of interconnected rooms where the predominant theme is wood. There are wooden tables, wooden panelled walls and wooden floors. The decorations feature old photographs, advertising signs and beer bottles. Blackboards tell you what guest beers are being featured that week : and there is a constantly changing selection available. You could probably be a regular at this pub and never drink the same pint twice.

As you would expect the staff all know about beer and how it should be kept and served. I tried a pint of "Idle Landlord" which was one of the guest beers on offer when I called in. Idle Brewery is a new microbrewery which has been open less than a year. It is based not in the Bradford suburb of Idle but in Doncaster. Idle Landlord is a rich, dark creamy pint that goes down easily for a beer this strong (4.6% ABV). It's the kind of pint which would cause you problems if you were a grocer : you wouldn't know whether to put it in the drinks cabinet or on the food shelves.

The bar motto appears to be "I missed the train at Dewsbury". This legend was on the T-shirts the bar staff were wearing. It needs little explanation. With beer as good as this in a setting as unique as this, you would have to be half crazy not to miss the train.

8 : Whitelocks First City Luncheon Bar, Leeds

2007-09-24T07:57:00.000-07:00

6 Turks Head Yard, Leeds, LS1 6HB

Not so much a pub, more an institution. Set just off the busy city centre streets, down a narrow alley, Whitelocks is a tourist destination in itself. A long narrow marble bar lines a long narrow room panelled in mirrors and glass. It tends to be busy most of the time so you need to plan your visit carefully if you want to be certain of a seat. It's not particularly comfortable but neither is visiting Stonehenge. It's the kind of place you would take your American Cousin Floyd to.

There is a wide choice of drinks available with regular real ales and guest beers featuring prominently. If you look around you see other people drinking beer which is a bit of a rarity these days. I had a pint of Milestone's Loxley Ale. It's a Newark brewery and - according to the books - Loxley Ale is supposed to contain a hint of local honey. I did note down that it had a lasting taste so perhaps that was it.

7 : The Leggers Inn, Dewsbury

2007-09-24T07:51:00.000-07:00

Savile Town Wharf, Mill St. East, Dewsbury, West Yorkshire, WF12 9BD

Unless you arrive by canal boat, the Leggers is hard to find, located as it is in the middle of an industrial estate. But boy, is it worth it. Set adjacent to the canal basin ("leggin" was propelling a boat through a tunnel by lying on the roof and walking it through) in what is a converted hay loft. You climb some stairs and are greeted by a glorious cross between a museum, antique shop and comfortable bar. The motto of the place seems to be "if you find it, nail it to the wall". There are beer mats, old gear wheels, bus stop signs and bits of old canal machinery. The seats are a mix of upholstered church pews and Shackleton High Chairs which have seen better days. A truly wondrous place to enjoy a pint.

If you ask them for a recommendation they will, as likely as not, pull you a small glass to give you a taste. This is gold standard hospitality. I had - upon their recommendation and following a brief taster - a pint of Copper Dragon Golden Pippin. You could imagine that anything would taste good in these surroundings, but it was an excellent pint : golden colour, quite bitter and not too strong for a lunchtime visit.

6 : The Scape House Inn, Golcar

2007-09-24T07:48:00.000-07:00

74 High Street, Scapegoat Hill, Golcar, Huddersfield, West Yorkshire, HD7 4NJ

As befits its name, the Scape House Inn comes complete with massive views over Golcar and the Colne Valley. The pub is in the romantic sounding Scapegoat Hill (which, alas, is nothing more than a corruption of "Slip-cote", which was a form of cream cheese). The interior of the pub is quite large and very open (in keeping with its location), On the day I visited it was almost empty and it was a little like sitting in an empty cathedral. It has a kind of seventy-ish feel about it ahich means that it is neither fiddly nor pretentious.

The air might be a bit thinner on top of Scapegoat Hill but the beer was as full and rich as you could want. I chose the Jennings Cumberland Ale as I had never tasted it before. It was a pleasant, nutty pint, at 4.0% ABV perhaps a little strong for a junch-time pint

5 : Cubley Hall, Penistone

2007-09-24T07:45:00.001-07:00

Mortimer Road, Penistone, Sheffield S36 9DF

You'd be forgiven for thinking that Cubley Hall was one of those stuck-up hotels which look down their ritzy noses at beer drinkers. It's a lovely building set in its own grounds. The restaurant serves, I believe, excellent food and there are 12 sumptuously furnished guest bedrooms. But there is a warm welcome for those who want nothing more than a pint of good beer, and the best bit of the Hall - the panelled rooms and plastered ceilings - are reserved for beer drinkers and those who want bar snacks rather than for the rosé and ratatouille brigade.

Being introduced to the delights of Cubley Hall by my friend Tim, we both had a pint of Black Sheep which was well-kept, fresh and refreshing. Not having to drive, Tim was able to go on to sample the Tetley Imperial and he told me that it had a stronger taste with plenty of hops. It is easy to imagine spending an entire evening within these fine old walls, tasting the beers and watching the fine ceiling turn to layers of iceing sugar.

4 : The Golden Fleece, Elland

2007-09-24T07:40:00.001-07:00

Lindley Road, Blackley, Elland, West Yorkshire, HX5 0TE

It brands itself as a 16th Century Inn and it is difficult to argue too much with the description (although a fair amount of reconstruction must have gone on over the centuries). However it is old and pleasant : one of those places where things hang from the ceiling. There were cartwheels, tankards, walking sticks, copper pots ... you name it. It seems to attract a "pensioners-lunch" type of customer and one half expects to see a few OAPs hanging like fermenting game from ceiling hooks. But it is clean and fresh : the kind of place you could happily take your Aunty Violet.

I ordered a pint of Greene King IPA. After starting to pull it the landlord noticed the barrell was about to go off so I was treated to a 5 minute workshop on barrel-changing. Nice to see the landlord drawing himself a half to taste it before pulling me a new pint. You feel like suggesting that the kids should come up from the local school to watch and to learn. But sad to note that the bar had more varieties of wine on sale than it had beer.

3 : Shibden Mill Inn, Halifax

2007-09-24T07:26:00.001-07:00

Shibden Mill Fold, Shibden, Halifax, West Yorkshire HX3 7UL

What a joy to find a pub which achieves a maximum of five for both the general feel of the pub and the taste of the pint. The pub in question is the Shibden Mill Inn which is located in a idyllic green valley about a mile and a half north of the town, The pint in question was a pint of Moorhouse's Best Bitter which is brewed specifically for the pub by the Burnley-based brewery. It's a pint which will make anyone who has ever strayed from the true path and ordered a pint of lager return to the fold. It's a pint that sends your taste buds on an all expenses paid holiday. It's a pint that justifies a trip to Halifax.

The pub itself is a delight, set in a small valley down a road that it pleasantly hard to find. The soundtrack is provided not by canned music nor clinking wineglasses, but by the Shibden Beck which, at the other side of the car park, trundles its way towards somewhere or other. It's a suitable place for your final heart attack. It's a collectors piece. It's a joy.

2 : The Black Horse Inn, Clifton

2007-09-24T07:18:00.000-07:00

Westgate, Clifton, Brighouse, West Yorkshire HD6 4HJ

The Black Horse Inn, which is situated in the village of Clifton in West Yorkshire, is a 17th century village inn which seems to see its future as a "Restaurant with Rooms" rather than as a place to sink a pint or three of beer. It is pretty - there are flowers everywhere - and it is certainly old, but it is not my idea of a village inn. It is the kind of place where you are likely to receive a "what, no food!" look from a suited landlord when you order your pint.

Despite the care it takes over its menu and its rooms, there were only two beers on offer when I visited : Timothy Taylor's Landlord and Black Sheep Bitter. The promised guest beer was not in residence when I called. I had the Black Sheep bitter which made a good lunchtime pint : not too heavy or too fruity. The decor is again of the "pretty" variety : whilst there was a display of pewter tankards, the display of champagne bottles got greater prominence. It's that kind of place. It is where you would take your mistress rather than where you would take your mate. The phrase "Restaurant with Rooms" features heavily on the pub sign. Which is fair enough : it does exactly what it says on the tin.

1 : The Albert Hotel, Keighley

2007-09-24T06:38:00.000-07:00

Bridge Street, Keighley, West Yorkshire BD21 1AA

This Victorian treasure was built in the days when such buildings were measured in terms of grandeur rather than square-footage. The scale of the main room is slightly breathtaking with a massive inverted "U" shaped bar looking rather like the stern of the Titanic. It was lunchtime when I visited and the few customers were lost amongst the rows of tables and chairs. It is a strange mixture : fruit-machines and video display screens share wall-space with a marble fireplace and a mahogany display cabinet. In the latter part of the nineteenth century my grandmother was a barmaid in a Keighley hotel : I rather hope it was the Albert.

The pint I sampled was a pint of Timothy Taylor's Landlord. It could be little else - this is Keighley the home of Timothy Taylor's and the Albert is still a Taylor's house. The pint was well-kept and a decent pint of Landlord is always a pleasure. A true bitter which goes about its business without too much show or fuss.