retiredmartin

Some bloke in the comments the other days was asking for a description of the beer I’d described quite sufficiently as “well-kept homebrew”. Typically, he was a Yorkshireman.  I’d block him if I could but then he wouldn’t invite me to Clifford Beer Festival.

Here, in no order, are my Top 24 pubs of c.600 visited in 2017.  Mostly new, but a few I revisited  to confirm classic status.

A good years for pubs, an inconsistent year for quality.  Six pubs today, six tomorrow etc. You can wait for the winner, just like with John Peel’s Festive 50.

1) Weavers Ale House – Kidderminster

One of the best pub crawls of the year in Kiddy with Charles and Mrs RM, and this was an instant classic.  Bizarrely, CAMRA think so too, it’s in their top 4 nationally.

The pump clip here was a bit wonderful too;

 

2- Robin Hood – Altofts, near Wakefield

Let’s be honest, the fast-selling beer was great, the seating sublime, but it’s on my list for the free fish biscuits.

 

3 – Brown Cow – Keighley

You could probably pick 12 pubs from West Yorkshire, it really is that good.  This was a 3rd visit, and it all clicked (Sunday in February, too).  Beer sold off for £2.40, and Old Boys saying “Ay Up”.

 

4 – Tiny Rebel, Newport

I had more fun in Newport than any other city, bar Lubeck, in 2017, which probably won’t sway the City of Culture judges but it’s true. If I had a 4a) it would be the Murenger.

Every list needs a great burger restaurant with exceptional craft beer, doesn’t it ?

 

5 – The Dove, Bury St Edmunds

I named this my favourite pub when asked recently, so I hope it doesn’t go downhill before I visit again. On three trips this year I had flawless beer from the jug, and a half pint of scratchings that was equally hard to forget.

 

6 – Petersgate Tap – That Stockport

It’s a legal requirement to have a Stockport pub on any best of, but to have a new pub in there on merit was unexpected.  The Tap (and Remedy) really shone on a Stagger round the Market Place. See if you can spot the blogging legend in the second photo.

 

More tomorrow.