Publican Ian Hayes is flying the flag for Huddersfield at the Great British Pub Awards.
The landlord of The Grove at Springwood is among the finalists in the annual contest and his pub – which is entered in the category for best beer pub – is the only Huddersfield hostelry represented in this year’s awards.
Ian worked in IT and as an antiques dealer before swapping fine porcelain for fine pints and acquiring The Grove – his first pub – 10 years ago.
The pub is a popular haunt of real ale aficionados and offers a wide range of cask, keg and bottle beers behind the oak-panelled bar.
Popular pale ales include Oakham’s Cintra, Timothy Taylor’s Landlord and Lindley brewery Mallinson’s Centennial. More than 30 different cask and craft ales on the pub’s beer board also include milds, bitters and pilsners.
The pub decor gives a nod to Ian’s previous employment with a collection of stuffed animal heads, artwork and quirky paintings mounted on the walls.
The Grove, which has won several accolades from users of the Ratebeer.com website and real ale group CAMRA, regularly features in the Good Beer Guide.
It is shortlisted alongside five other pubs in the best beer pub category of the Great British pub Awards.
The others are The Sheffield Tap; Purecraft Bar and Kitchen, Birmingham; The Griffin at Halstead, Essex; Craft Beer Co, Clerkenwell, London; and Bunch of Grapes, Pontypridd, Wales.
Ian said: “It’s not just about the quality of the beer and how it’s kept. Because it’s a trade award, the judges also focus on the business as well as the beer.”
The awards, which drew a record number of entries this year, feature 16 categories, including ones for the best live entertainment pub, best freehouse, best cider bar or pub, best spirits bar or pub, best managed pub, best food pub and best student pub. The awards will be presented on Wednesday, October 5 at the London Hilton on Park Lane.
