Real Ale lovers take note!!

[Hats Off]

simong wrote: Hats Off wrote: Agree totally, you might as well be drinking a can of widget beer because that is what the smooth beers taste like to me. They are served too cold for ale (Maybe to hide the lack of any real flavour) which should be seved at 12ºC-14ºC. I've tried Tetley's smooth, John Smith's smooth ect, ect and they all do seem to have the same taste. The beauty of real ale is that each breweries beer tastes different to any other brewers. The smooth beers are killing off the diverse and distinct regional brews. It's a sad state of affairs when in Leeds city centre some of the best known pubs don't even have handpulled bitter or mild anymore. It's also easier to keep as it's heavily pasteurised and therefore doesn't go 'off'. I think I must be really lucky living up here as practically every pub in Yeadon now has at least one working handpull to my knowledge, and the ones that don't I never go in anyway. You're not short of decent options in town really either although I suppose it's a question of persuading people that you're with to go to the right pubs. That's a good point regd persuading people that you are with to go to certain pubs, most just want to go to the trendy bars where admitedley the women are very nice to look at but the beer is absolute pants... I went to the match at Elland Rd on Boxing day with a mate, we decided to call into the Three Legs for a swift pint on our way for the football special, now of all the pubs in town we felt pretty sure that the Legs would sell cask Tetley's, how wrong we were, smooth bitter or lager was all that they had for beer drinkers. If town centre pubs can't shift enough real ale then what chance do the suburban pubs have ? Maybe we're a dying breed and in twenty years real ale will be something mentioned only in history books, I hope not but where are the new Ale drinkers going to come from if all they have ever known is smooth beer and lager ! God I feel depressed, think I'll go down to the local for a drop of handpulled Tetley's before it's gone forever.

[The Parksider]

[quotenick="Hats Off"] Trojan wrote: Reginal Perrin wrote: Can i justfly the flag a bit for John Smiths smooth? For me all smooth beers taste more alike I've tried Tetley's smooth, John Smith's smooth ect, ect and they all do seem to have the same taste. The beauty of real ale is that each breweries beer tastes different to any other brewers. The smooth beers are killing off the diverse and distinct regional brews. Whatever you like Reg you have a bucketful mate.But I won't drink "smooth" because it is totally designed to be cheap easy to produce and keep formula rubbish that is designed for the breweries profits.The big boys have for years tried desperately to find so called "beers" (which I do not class smooth as) that they can use to mass produce, reduce choice and enslave people to drink.The great Tetleys themselves tried to kill cask with Keg and tank beers in the 70's.Beer is often an "acquired taste" I think there's an element of just "getting used to it". I have mates who will choose smooth over cask because that is what they are used to and won't get into cask because they can't find it much (in the "younger" bars) thus the big brewers push down the deamand for quality beer.I'm not sure about "bad" pints. If this is the vinegary pint where it's gone off take it back!! I've had to take a few back at the Prince of Wales.At the genuine real ale pubs who pride themselves in their wares I have never had a bad pint of cask.For me "smooth" is a cheat beer by greedy nationals who want to control their customer.Rant over I am now reaching for the Bishops FingerBurp.......

[simong]

Hats Off wrote: That's a good point regd persuading people that you are with to go to certain pubs, most just want to go to the trendy bars where admitedley the women are very nice to look at but the beer is absolute pants... I went to the match at Elland Rd on Boxing day with a mate, we decided to call into the Three Legs for a swift pint on our way for the football special, now of all the pubs in town we felt pretty sure that the Legs would sell cask Tetley's, how wrong we were, smooth bitter or lager was all that they had for beer drinkers. If town centre pubs can't shift enough real ale then what chance do the suburban pubs have ? Maybe we're a dying breed and in twenty years real ale will be something mentioned only in history books, I hope not but where are the new Ale drinkers going to come from if all they have ever known is smooth beer and lager ! God I feel depressed, think I'll go down to the local for a drop of handpulled Tetley's before it's gone forever. Certainly out of town real ale is actually a good draw because it's the one thing that you can't really buy in the supermarket - bottled just isn't the same. I wouldn't say that it's dying out though, quite the opposite. Leeds Brewery has three pubs, Saltaire in Shipley and Old Bear in Keighley do incredibly well in the north of the city and Bradford. The Market Town Taverns chain are remarkably successful - I was in Coopers in Guiseley last night and it was packed, and the Town Street Tavern in Horsforth is even busy midweek. In town there's the Scabby, the Grove, the Town Hall Tavern, Dr Foleys, the Vic, the Angel, to name but a few.If Tetleys does go, and I rather suspect that someone will take over brewing it, possibly Black Sheep as they have the hardware for it, there will be plenty of replacements. When the Fountains Brewery in Edinburgh closed a few years ago it completely ended production of Youngers 90/- but an enterprising microbrewery in Dundee reverse engineered the brew and distributed it making it clear that it was a reproduction of 90/-. I had a bitter a few weeks ago whose name now annoyingly escapes me, but it tasted and looked totally like good cask Tetley - in fact Yorkshire Golden is becoming a recognised type of ale, so it won't die but it might have a different face.

[The Parksider]

[quotenick="simong"] Hats Off wrote: In town there's the Scabby, the Grove, the Town Hall Tavern, Dr Foleys, the Vic, the Angel, to name but a few.If Tetleys does go, and I rather suspect that someone will take over brewing it, Simon,There's two CAMRA reccomended bars one on the heqadrow and one on New Briggate. Is one Dr. Foley's - what's the other? Where exactly are they or are they new names for old haunts?See no point in anyone brewing Tetleys, If black sheep brew it it won't be Tetleys.I worked there many years but would not drink a pseudo pint of Tets at the expense of the hard working lads of new breweries like the Leeds Brewery, Skipton Brewery etc.

[chameleon]

[quotenick="The Parksider"] simong wrote: Hats Off wrote: In town there's the Scabby, the Grove, the Town Hall Tavern, Dr Foleys, the Vic, the Angel, to name but a few.If Tetleys does go, and I rather suspect that someone will take over brewing it, Simon,There's two CAMRA reccomended bars one on the heqadrow and one on New Briggate. Is one Dr. Foley's - what's the other? Where exactly are they or are they new names for old haunts?See no point in anyone brewing Tetleys, If black sheep brew it it won't be Tetleys.I worked there many years but would not drink a pseudo pint of Tets at the expense of the hard working lads of new breweries like the Leeds Brewery, Skipton Brewery etc. Foley's keep Copper Dragon Golden Pippen. Nice.

[The Parksider]

Foley's keep Copper Dragon Golden Pippen. Nice. Market Town Taverns do it as well, a low alcohol beer with real body and taste - perfect.Forget Tetley's everyone, why look to the past with brown tinted specs....when.......YOU AIN'T NEVER HAD IT SO GOOD REAL ALE WISE!Tell me I'm wrong......

[tyke bhoy]

[quotenick="The Parksider"] simong wrote: Hats Off wrote: In town there's the Scabby, the Grove, the Town Hall Tavern, Dr Foleys, the Vic, the Angel, to name but a few.If Tetleys does go, and I rather suspect that someone will take over brewing it, Simon,There's two CAMRA reccomended bars one on the heqadrow and one on New Briggate. Is one Dr. Foley's - what's the other? Where exactly are they or are they new names for old haunts?See no point in anyone brewing Tetleys, If black sheep brew it it won't be Tetleys.I worked there many years but would not drink a pseudo pint of Tets at the expense of the hard working lads of new breweries like the Leeds Brewery, Skipton Brewery etc. There are two possibilities for the Headrow assuming it isn't regarded as Westgate by the time you get to the Town Hall Tavern. Mr. Foley's being the other (it is Mr too, Dr being confused with its previous incarnation of Dr. Okel's). As for Briggate if it is New Briggate it can only be the Wrens on the junction of Merrion Street. There are a couple of Bars too but from external appearance not the sort CAMRA are likely to reccomend or me visit very willingly. Admittedly the same could probably have been said about the external appearance of the Brewery Tap but I have inside knowledge of the wares .Three to definitley add to Simon's list are the Palace , the Duck and Drake and Whitelocks. Others with tenous attachment are the Adelphi, the Viaduct, The Prince of Wales and the 3(?) Wetherspoons    

[Trojan]

[quotenick="tyke bhoy"] The Parksider wrote: simong wrote: Hats Off wrote: In town there's the Scabby, the Grove, the Town Hall Tavern, Dr Foleys, the Vic, the Angel, to name but a few.If Tetleys does go, and I rather suspect that someone will take over brewing it, Simon,There's two CAMRA reccomended bars one on the heqadrow and one on New Briggate. Is one Dr. Foley's - what's the other? Where exactly are they or are they new names for old haunts?See no point in anyone brewing Tetleys, If black sheep brew it it won't be Tetleys.I worked there many years but would not drink a pseudo pint of Tets at the expense of the hard working lads of new breweries like the Leeds Brewery, Skipton Brewery etc. There are two possibilities for the Headrow assuming it isn't regarded as Westgate by the time you get to the Town Hall Tavern. Mr. Foley's being the other (it is Mr too, Dr being confused with its previous incarnation of Dr. Okel's). As for Briggate if it is New Briggate it can only be the Wrens on the junction of Merrion Street. There are a couple of Bars too but from external appearance not the sort CAMRA are likely to reccomend or me visit very willingly. Admittedly the same could probably have been said about the external appearance of the Brewery Tap but I have inside knowledge of the wares .Three to definitley add to Simon's list are the Palace , the Duck and Drake and Whitelocks. Others with tenous attachment are the Adelphi, the Viaduct, The Prince of Wales and the 3(?) Wetherspoons     I thought I'd seen this info on here but can't find it. Which is the oldest pub in Leeds (city centre) is it the Whitelocks or another?

[tyke bhoy]

Trojan wrote: I thought I'd seen this info on here but can't find it. Which is the oldest pub in Leeds (city centre) is it the Whitelocks or another? I think Whitelocks, renamed from the Turks Head, claims to be. Possibly even a blue plaque to that effect.I seem to recall it is contentious though. As search on here for Turks Head hits on two threads you might think it easy to find previous references until I tell you that the two threads are "a very old establishment down the skulls head yard" and "signs of Old Leodis" 2 of the 3 longest threads on site.    

[Hats Off]

Taken from Leodis :A pub has been on the site since 1715; it became known as the Turks Head around 1784 then changed its name to Whitelocks in 1880 when Percy Whitelock bought it, rebuilt it in 1886 and developed it as the 'First City Luncheon Bar'. It is still a popular venue for lunch today.I think the actual oldest pub in continual use (i.e not knocked down and rebuilt) could be the Old Red Lion on Meadow Lane which is said to be of late Georgian times.