TRADITIONAL pubs are disappearing faster than Lewis Hamilton can crash into the back of a speeding Ferrari.
According to the British Beer and Pub Association, 25 hostelries are currently being boarded up every week in the UK. While this may make depressing reading for aficionados of this great British institution, it’s a big improvement on 2009 when 52 were closing weekly.
With the adage “Use it or lose it” ringing in our ears, four of us set off to a tavern which has a reputation for being the epitome of the good old English pub.
Our destination was Thurstonland, home to numerous herds of dairy cows, a historical cricket team and the Rose and Crown, located right in the heart of the village.
We had booked a table but most of the regulars were crowded around the bar. There was another group glued to a football match on a large TV screen. I had never been before, but bumped into a couple of friends who were regulars.
Rather rebelliously, we decided not to take up our reserved table in a small dining area. We headed instead for the main room where the action, bright lights and long bar were located and settled down at a large dark wooden table on a swirly carpet with a good view of everything going on.
The old beamed ceiling, wood and stone bar and stone fireplace lend a convivial, time-honoured ambiance to the interior.
The bar staff gave us a warm welcome and four menus. And we were cheered by the information that the food on offer is fresh and mostly home-made.
One of our party, Jonathan, is a regular here. Although he and friend Steve regularly work their way through the excellent array of beers, they had never yet ventured into solids.
The Rose and Crown always has seven hand-pulled beers – four of them from the Brass Monkey Brewery – as well as two lagers, a cider, a smooth and a Guinness on draught.
Affable mine host Richard Billington is passionate about beer. He also runs the Golden Cock at Farnley Tyas and jointly owns award-winning micro brewery Brass Monkey at Sowerby Bridge.
The wine list is limited, but we ordered a very acceptable sauvignon blanc while simultaneously working our way through the beers. Their bestseller is the Brass Monkey bitter, a light brew at 3.8% with a pleasant hoppy flavour.
When we couldn’t decide which to order next, landlord Richard brought over half-filled glasses of the other beers for us to try free of charge. I particularly liked a Chimp Off The Old Block, a 3.6 % blond beer brewed with aromatic sybilla hops, reminiscent of some of the lighter Belgian beers.
The Three Wise Monkeys had a light citrus flavour and the smooth Tamarin Mild was a big hit with everybody. If it was brewed in Ireland instead of West Yorkshire and sported a Caffrey’s label, Richard would become an overnight millionaire.