Category: Good Beer Guide

This was the final visit on my little tour yesterday of some Good Beer Guide pubs in Leeds. It’s a quirky location and I’m not sure that I would have found out about it without CAMRA’s recommendation as it’s located in a cellar where the first visible venues inside are food outlets. It’s actually like a little food court, with Vocation providing the bar section of the whole arrangement.

As an aside, there’s some heritage to the building that the bar is located in.

This isn’t the sharpest of photos unfortunately, but this is the main seating area and the food venues can be seen to one side. There are other seating areas available, including within Vocation itself.

This is Vocation’s bar area at the rear of the basement.

Grrrr, this photo isn’t as clear as I wanted either, but the beers are listed on screens above the bar. I asked the member of bar staff about what dark beers they had, with four options being suggested, which is an excellent choice and it’s rare that I’m offered that many to pick from. Indeed, they try and have fifty different beers on, so I can see why they’re in the Good Beer Guide with that effort.

I went for a third of a pint of the rather decadent Ecstasy of Gold from Turning Point Brew Co. I’d had their Mile Zero just a couple of hours before, so it wasn’t a hard decision for me to drink another of their dark beers. And this one was also brilliant as far as I was concerned, smooth, rich, packed with vanilla and chocolate flavour. It was a heavy hit and so it took me a while to sip my way through the drink (which was overpoured so that it was nearer to a half pint, something I was pleased to note) but it remained as enjoyable at the end as at the beginning. I’m becoming something of a fan of this brewery, they definitely know what they’re doing.

I liked this whole set-up and some of the food options looked really quite decent. It wasn’t very busy, but I can’t imagine Tuesdays often are, but I can imagine at weekends there’s an entirely different environment here. Some of the food venues apparently close when it’s not very busy, although this isn’t ideal if it means that customers can’t rely on food being available here. The Vocation bar is positively reviewed and although the drinks aren’t the cheapest, there is such an extensive range that they perhaps justify that slight extra cost. The staff were friendly and knowledgeable, with the whole atmosphere feeling comfortable. I’m definitely pleased that this one is in the Good Beer Guide.

I’m still continuing with my little tour of Good Beer Guide pubs in Leeds, with this one being Tapped on Boar Lane. Opened in 2013, they try to keep 14 craft keg lines and 13 cask lines open, which should be sufficient for nearly any beer taste.

The beers are listed above the bar, although it’s perhaps not really the easiest way for customers to try and work out what’s available. I asked at the bar for stouts and mentioned that I’d already had the Millionaire from the Wild Beer Co, so the friendly staff member suggested the Bad Kitty from Brass Castle Brewery. I recalled after ordering it that I’ve had this before, at Brigantes in York on 12 March 2020, on what sadly transpired to be one of the last days that this bar was open. Anyway, I’ve now realised that the beer choice is available on-line, so it is possible to see what they’ve got before arriving at the bar.

Beers are made on site, which I thought added to the atmosphere in terms of the general feel of the bar.

It wasn’t that busy during my visit and the atmosphere was relaxed and welcoming. I was starting to get hungry, but I didn’t realise that the bar was selling pizzas until just before I was about to leave. I’m unsure why they’ve put wine lists on every table, but not beer lists or food menus.

The Bad Kitty was fine and served at the appropriate temperature, with a chocolate and vanilla taste to it. It was reasonably priced and I thought that the whole experience was positive.

The reviews of the bar are generally all pretty good and most of the complaints are what I’d consider to be either ridiculous or over-stated. There was an angry person annoyed that they wouldn’t let her in wearing flip flops, and the bar is perhaps quite right to ban these not just for sartorial reasons, but because it’s quite likely some idiot would stand on them. Other complaints are from customers moaning that they were wearing tracksuit bottoms and were refused entry. I’m not one for dress codes (I’m hardly a fashion expert myself if I’m being brutally honest) but the bar doesn’t seem unreasonable in its requirements.

Anyway, friendly staff, decent beer and a clean environment, all really rather lovely and this is justifiably in the Good Beer Guide as far as I’m concerned (although I can’t imagine that anyone is much bothered by that, at least it keeps me happy). Ideally though, perhaps they should be a little clearer about their food menu and not keep it as something of a secret.

And the third in my little pub crawl of Good Beer Guide pubs in Leeds….

As the sign notes, this is the oldest pub in the city, originally known at the Turk’s Head. I like that they note the number of real ales available and also mention that craft beer is sold. I visited here because the pub was listed in the Good Beer Guide, but if I had seen this sign then I would have popped in anyway.

It’s located down an alley, but the signage is clear so it’s not difficult to find. I was welcomed at the entrance by a friendly staff member and was told it was quite busy inside and was asked if I would be OK outside. I decided that this was fine, although decided I’d pop inside to have a look at the historic interior. I’m not a fan of outside (insects, rain, too much sun, etc), but the beer barrel that I was seated at was perfectly fine and the weather allowed such outside dining.

And there it is, an interior not really much changed from the early twentieth century. I was going to take another photo but a staff member looked at me as if I was an idiot, so I thought that this one would suffice. I liked the atmosphere in the pub through, very traditional and the staff all seemed friendly and engaging.

I’m a fan of John Betjeman, so I consider this great praise.

Initially, I thought that this beer menu was just a little generic, but then I saw the Mile Zero from Turning Point, who are one of my favourite breweries (I haven’t forgotten their Yellow Matter custard beer which was pure gold, or pure yellow really). Given the quality of this beer, I thought that £2.35 for a third was a bit of a bargain.

I accidentally ordered a packet of crisps with the beer as food pairing is absolutely important. And, as for the beer, it was beautiful. There was a richness of toffee and it was packed with liquorice flavour as well, with an aftertaste of Werther’s Originals. This was a decadent treat and I was delighted to be able to try it. Really nice.

The reviews of this pub are very high and even the negative ones are a bit ridiculous, like the person a few weeks ago who was furious that “I waited ten minutes to be served at my table”. It’s not ideal, but perhaps not the end of the world, nor justification for a 1/5 review given the current situation (or indeed perhaps at any time). Another customer gave it 1/5 although he had been going since 1969. Yeah, great, have a bad experience after 50 years of going for a pub and rush to rate them 1/5. Nice.

So, this is another pub from the Good Beer Guide that I really like. Friendly service, clearly popular with customers and some interesting beers. The prices were lower than I would expect and I felt comfortable throughout, so absolutely recommended.

I started my little tour of Good Beer Guide pubs in Leeds at the Templar Hotel and that was fine, but not quite to my tastes. My next choice was the North Bar and this is much more my sort of thing, one of the earliest craft beer bars (I think that this one opened in 1997) and part of a small local chain. For those people who don’t drink beer, there are also lots of whiskies and rums to choose from, which all adds to the excitement (although not to me, I’m not a whisky or rum drinker).

The bar wasn’t very busy, but there were plenty of staff and they were helpful in showing me what dark beers they had available. They mentioned that they had Northern Bones from Bone Machine, a brewery from one of my favourite cities which is Hull. There was though plenty of other choice of beers and I liked the engagement from the staff members. I’m quite amused by the Tequila Tuesdays, but I wasn’t tempted to get three of them for £6…..

The interior is quite long, with the bar itself to one side. I’m not sure why somewhere this exciting isn’t busier, but there we go…. Actually, one thing I’m missing already from some bars is the beer list that was put on tables during the time that Covid required table service. However, all credit to this bar as they’ve put their list of beers on Untappd, although I didn’t notice that until I had already ordered.

My beer choice of half a pint of the Northern Bones, which I liked, but it didn’t quite have the rich flavours that I hoped for. A perfectly good beer though and I was pleased to have the chance to try it.

I really liked this bar as it was laid-back and comfortable, being on-trend but without trying to be so. The reviews of the bar are positive and they apparently serve Bao Buns from a nearby takeaway as their food option, although there was no internal signage about this. The staff were friendly, I liked the high tables and decor, with this being a very well deserved entry into the Good Beer Guide as far as I’m concerned.

After a busy day of visiting museums and the like, I thought that I’d work through a few Good Beer Guide pubs in Leeds tonight. I can’t say that I was thrilled to see that my first choice was owned by Greene King, but I thought that I’d still give it a try. It’s a traditional pub and it’s well looked after, so it felt a clean and comfortable place to be. It was also full, so the first time in quite a while I had to prop myself up at the end of the bar (that’s quite easy to do in the first pub of the evening).

There were six beers to choose from (although there might be eight judging by that back board, but I could only see six), which is usually an exciting number to see at any pub. None of them really excited me though, and I’m disappointed to see such a load of generic beers on there with a limited range of beer styles. However, I have to accept that the pub was full and so they clearly know what they’re doing, it’s just I’m hopeful of something a little more decadent. Whilst I was at the bar though, every single order was for lager, so perhaps I should be grateful that there were so many real ales to choose from.

The Tetleys beer was well kept and tasted as it should, which isn’t really overly exciting. I rated it as 3.25 on Untappd, which was perhaps generous, especially given its average rating is 2.96 (from 15,000 reviews) which is a very low score. The price was though low for my half pint, so no complaints about the cost of the beer.

I can’t say that there was anything wrong with the pub, but nearly everyone seemed to be watching the televisions and the beer selection wasn’t for me. I prefer pubs that are powered by conversation and atmosphere and this one didn’t do it for me with that reliance on the televisions. However, the staff were welcoming and I’m sure it’s a safe environment which serves its customers very well. I can see why this has gone into the Good Beer Guide, as the welcome is genuine, the interior is traditional and there’s a choice of reasonably priced real ales.