YES, THE BASS IS STILL GOOD IN THE THORN TREE

October 2023. Matlock.

Ian “The Wickingman” Thurman has a lot to answer for.

Before his intervention a few years back Bass was happily dying off, seemingly with CAMRA folk’s blessing as a boring brown beer living off misguided past glories, set for the same fate as Boddington and Websters (RIP).

But then Ian and a few other stalwart brought sexy Bass back, and now nary a week goes back without a quality pub sticking on the bar.

In Matlock, with half an hour before the train (there’s a theme to these posts now) I felt I should revisit the Thorn Tree, a long-standing Bass shrine which had just changed licensee.

The one teensy weensy problem was that while the train left in 30 minutes, Google said it would take 38 just to complete that route up and down Bank Road, never mind the time to sink a pint of Bass.

Reader, I never shirk my duty to the Wickingman (or the National Bass Day Facebook Page, which now has 3.7 million subscribers), and made the Thorn Tree 7 minutes ahead of schedule.

OK, out of puff, but still able to splutter “Bass please, pint”.

What a pub. Mid-afternoon, it was packed. No idea if the beer range has increased, but most of the glasses had the red triangle on them. A cool, dry NBSS 3.5 I gradually uprated over 6 minutes, landing on a 4.

The banter as dry as the beer.

“What d’you know flower ?” to the barmaid.

“Not a lot”

“You fixed a date for the wedding”

“Not yet”

“I’ll be dead by the time you do”. etc etc

Oh yes. A welcome at the door, a farewell as I left.

It gets no better than that.

Published by retiredmartin

Retired NHS, doing long walks around UK and the world to record the great bits. Focused on Good Beer Guide pubs and live music.

8 thoughts on “YES, THE BASS IS STILL GOOD IN THE THORN TREE”

  1. Another one to add to the list of ‘Pubs I wish were my local’. Pie & Mash Night is epic, though there’s little room for beer afterwards.

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  2. I get confused between the Thorn Tree and the Sycamore, especially as WhatPub has them both as stocking Draught Bass and Timothy Taylors Landlord.
    My twelve nights staying in Matlock were at least sixteen years ago.

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  4. Thanks – this is cheering news. Really feared for its future when the previous tenants left.
    (Avoiding Bod now having taken back three dodgy pints on the trot last visit…)
    Pointing Dogs closing too.

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  5. I’ll be in Castleton the weekend after next but don’t think I’ll get as far as Matlock. Probably settle for the Nags Head.

    This coming weekend through to Wednesday will be London. I’ll be a bit too busy for pubs most of the time but have booked the Dovetail for Saturday evening.

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