Pub 82, Day 31 – The York

By Rob

It was a Friday night and I was bored. I'd made no plans for the weekend and so, regrettably, I was stuck at home. Despite paying for numerous online streaming services, there was nothing to watch on television. I was fairly certain that, at the age of 24, I was supposed to be doing something with my weekend other than watching episodes of Peep Show which I'd previously seen nineteen-thousand times.

I was midway through quoting a familiar scene out loud (one of the many benefits to living alone) when the phone rang.

It was my long-suffering friend, Danny.

He had just completed his last day of employment at the Children's Hospital, and was going out with some colleagues as a leaving do. They were heading to a pub in town, near the hospital, which happened to be just down the road from my flat.

Did I want to join them?

Naturally, the first thing I did was check that it was absolutely OK for me to come, as you don't want to gatecrash somebody else's night out.

I did this while putting on my jeans, shirt, jacket, shoes, and – immediately discarding any concerns about uninvited people tagging along – texted Andy to see if he wanted to join.

Of course he did!

In fact, not only would we be meeting Danny at the pub, but we planned to squeeze an additional two venues in beforehand.

Suddenly, Friday night was looking up.

***

Like The British Oak, which has been rightly lavished with praise in a previous blog, The York is owned by True North. The two pubs are very similar, as The York is also perfectly decorated with dark wood panelling, coloured Victorian-style tiles, and an odd assortment of trinkets and pictures dotted along its various walls.

The beer selection is excellent, with the pub able to boast of numerous different ales on tap. For those who prefer something a little stronger, the selection of spirits on offer is even more extensive. I have it on good authority that the gins are particularly good!

Acutely aware of the self-imposed rule that whatever alcohol we consume has to come as a pint, we decided to stay away from the gin, for fear of death by instant liver failure. We instead opted for two pints of Crofton IPA. A relatively strong beer at 5.4%, it packed a real punch, yet somehow still managed to carry a fruity taste with a light finish.

Pints in hand, we then experienced the one downside of being in The York on a Friday night: the overabundance of other human beings. A victim of its own success, weekends always see the place get really busy. As such, it was unable to offer any seating or even much standing room, while the cold and miserable weather left its normally pleasant beer garden off limits to even the hardiest ale drinkers.

From numerous previous visits, I can confidently attest to the fact that the pub offers excellent food, as well as a fun quiz that runs most weeks. Of the pubs in Broomhill, it undoubtedly offers the broadest range of drinks and the best quality meals. As you might expect, it's also probably the most expensive! For this reason, it's one of those pubs that students are most likely to frequent when their parents come to visit. 

After getting to the bottom of our IPAs – a difficulty when your arms are pressed against your sides by the surrounding crowd – we fought our way to the doors and heaved ourselves out onto the street. We walked along the road in the cold night breeze, heading to the next venue...

...Until we realised that we hadn't taken our empty glasses back to the bar.

Faced with a choice between returning to the scrum or knowingly abandoning a cornerstone of Pubquest etiquette, we valiantly strode back into the foray and did our duty.

After all, 'manners maketh man'.

Pub: The York (243-247 Fulwood Road, S10 3BA)

Rating: 8/10

Pint: Crofton IPA

Brewery: The Kennet & Avon Brewery (Melksham, Wiltshire)

NEXT UP: No beers on tap?! At South Sea...