My journey back from Manchester was enlivened by news reports on the craze sweeping the country (i.e. the South) for grown men to dress up as dogs.
My only comment is that you can’t possibly drink a pint of Bass wearing that outfit.
The debate (what is there to debate ?) brought to mind my pub stop in Hartshead last Saturday night, where half the patrons were canine (real, I think).
I suspect this robust bit of West Yorkshire, technically within the Spen Valley, would be happy to take the money of folk dressed up as dogs, cats or sheep, as long as they produced the requisite club membership card or CAMRA identification. Under the new CAMRA lines a Caffreys T-shirt will no doubt be sufficient to identify you as a supporter of quality beer.
The beer round the valley has been consistently good over the years, driven by the Ossett estate and some quality free houses.
A choice in the Hartshead of Copper Dragon, Saltaire, Abbeydale and Moorhouses is plenty for me. If only I’d been able to see the Blond Witch pump clip I’d have known it was sexist, but I panicked. Excellent pint for £2.90 (NBSS 3.5), very sherbety as our Yorkshire friends would say.
A few too many dogs for my liking, more because I like my personal space than I dislike animals in pubs per se.
It feels clubby, with pool in the corner, children sent to the corner with I-Pods, and “Hot Stuff” leading a late ’70s soundtrack typical of suburban Hudders.
Hard to fault, though you don’t want to be out and about in Yorkshire too late after dark on your own.
Having told you about Felix in Levenshulme, I thought the case for pub cats was pretty well incontrovertible, but a few folk have commented on their cat allergies. I ask them this, would they prefer to sit next to a tattooed bloke in full feline costume ?
Can’t you drink Bass through a straw?
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Sacrilege.
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That photo of the bloke dressed as a Dalmatian is distinctly unsettling.
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There’s MUCH worse than that on the web ;-(
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Is that the new staff uniform Humphrey is insisting on for all Sam’s pubs?
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If you can only “Meow” you can’t swear, presumably ?
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“though you don’t want to be out and about in Yorkshire too late after dark on your own.”
I’m guessing that’s because of werewolves and not just folk dressed up like werewolves? 🙂
Cheers
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Very good, Russ. Very good indeed.
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” a few folk have commented on their cat allergies. I ask them this, would they prefer to sit next to a tattooed bloke in full feline costume ? ”
If he’s in full feline costume how would you know he’s tattooed ?
Or indeed a tatt cat ?
You haven’t thought this one through young man.
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X ray specs.
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Ah,I see.
Cats eyes.
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Hang on if Caffreys is getting in then surely keg Brew XI is a must?
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CAMRA are going to use your blog to produce a guide to “real keg Brew XI” outlets.
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I suspect it will be a wafer thin publication! Although the railway (or station) in Balsall Common was the last sighting….is there a Cambridge equivalent??
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Would be a good San Miguel guide to the All Bar One in Cambridge, and that’s it.
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Hi, was this your first visit to the hartshead? I feel you have given a very negative review of the place. Which I feel is unfair, as I have called in while passing and find it to be a nice friendly pub for a good ale.
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Hi Chris, thanks for commenting. This was a visit a year ago, when I loved the place and wrote enthusiastically about the area, an “excellent pint” and concluded “hard to fault”. Same view as you, I expect.
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