York

So, for a mate's birthday bash last Saturday a bunch of us headed out for a session in York. I have to say if you like your real ale, I highly recommend a night out there. So so many good real ale pubs and choices of beer.

Anyhoo, I started my drinking experience in the Duke of York, next to the train station.  For my first tipple I tried an old faithful 'Old Speckled Hen'. It is a very light beer with a subtle initial flavour, followed by quite a strong bitter, though not unpleasant aftertaste. Certainly one I could drink a few of, but the plan today was to try a selection of beers, so after a single pint it was time to move on - both geographically and  with drink choice.

Next bar we visited was called The Maltings ...I have to admit that as the bouncer made us wait outside whilst he 'checked there was room for us' (to be fair there were quite a few of us) I didn't have particularly high hopes. But oh how wrong I was, it is a truly amazing bar and just the sort I like. It was fairly small and olde worlde and had a friendly atmosphere. Best of all they had a wide and varied selection of real ales from the north and further-a-field. It was a tough choice for me (though my mate had to go for the brew from Coxhoe seeing as it was down the road from his house yet he had never heard of it), but I was drawn to the Roosters from a brewery in Knaresborough. Soft and pleasant and very fruity flavour, this was another beer with quite a sharp aftertaste.

I also have some vague recollections of a few other beers ...

Yorkshire Sparkle, as far as I remember wasnt immediately pleasant but had a strong and individual flavour which could prove to be an acquired taste. 

We popped briefly into the Evil Eye bar and immediately left again as it was pretty much the antithesis of our first bar ... trendy, pretentious,  expensive and no real ale - so I ducked out of that round and walked for a sandwich. 

I had a Summer Lighting in the Punch Bowl which I remember little ofeaning it was likely quoffable without being outstanding. Highly helpful I know ...

Also tried The Trembling Madness which I remember nothing about and Beavertown Gamma Ray American Pale Ale which I won't be bothering with again ... nor the odd bar whoch sold it, where the barmaid said there was no beer on draught ... and twenty minutes later birthday boy was drinking a yard of ale ... clearly not of the bottled variety ... also the stuffed animal heads were a little off putting. 

Overall I can highly recommend York for a beer drinking outing ... I shall certainly be doing it again sometime soon.