Pint Of Ale

We travelled to Haworth today as a Bank Holiday day out. We parked in Keighley and took the Keighley and Worth Valley Railway steam train to the beautiful and historic home town of the Brontë sisters. There are a couple of pubs in Haworth listed in this year’s Good Beer Guide, so we thought we’d track down one of them, the Haworth Old Hall Inn for lunch time refreshment.

At the bottom of the picturesque main street, which despite the drizzle was teeming with tourists like us, lies the 16th century manor house which is now a Cask Marque accredited Jennings pub.

We entered via an ancient porch and a sturdy old wooden door. The bar that greeted us was resplendent in dark, almost black, oak. There was a wide range of Jennings ales. I opted for a Cumberland Ale which I found to be a caramel flavoured, very bitter pint that was tart with citrus undertones, full-bodied and very dry. I liked it and could have stayed for more if my car was not back at Keighley.

The pub was quite quiet on our arrival. It’s a large pub with several rooms that get more and more restaurant-feeling the further away you get from the main bar. The stone framed windows, bare stone walls and original grand fireplaces remind you of the historical origins of the pub and give the place some atmosphere. There is a sizeable beer garden with many tables which will be excellent in the summer, with views over to the surrounding hills.

My steak and ale pie was good, although the chips served with it were pretty bog-standard chain-pub light yellow affairs that were neither crispy nor fluffy and tasted like they came from a cheap supermarket. Hannah’s three sausages were ‘OK’ and the leek and potato mash had potato but no sign of any leek.

Pint Of Ale is not about food, it’s about the ale. The Haworth Old Hall Inn is Cask Marque accredited and the range of ale on offer is impressive. The ale was in excellent condition and tasted spot-on. The downside (in my opinion, but you may see it as a good-side) is that being a foodie-type of pub, there were quite a few children in there. Drinking a pint of excellent ale to the accompaniment of a two year old screaming because his older sister would not give him a plastic dinosaur was not my ideal pub experience.

The pub is also listed in CAMRA’s new Beer, Bed and breakfast book with a star rating for accommodation.

The history of the building is displayed framed near the bar and is worth a read. It’s good to see buildings with history being used to serve the community in which they stand. If your travels take you to Haworth, I think that this pub would be worth a visit for a decent ale, especially if you have children!