On the trail to sample region’s ales

Dean Ellison and his friends have a passion for beer and West Yorkshire and found a great way to combine the two.
The beer fan from Leeds loves nothing better than a locally brewed tipple.
And to avoid drinking in the same city centre pubs he has devised his very own ale trails across the county.

Dean Ellison at The Cricketers Arms, keighley

He said: “About once a month we try and go to a part of West Yorkshire we’ve not been to before to check out what the pubs are like over there and try some of the local brews.
“Every pub’s got it’s own different atmosphere and it’s good to go out there and see them. It’s made us much more pro-active rather than just drinking in the same old city centre pubs.”
He says one of his most memorable trips was to Castleford.
“The Shoulder of Mutton was great,” says Dean.
“The old landlord Tetley Dave was a legend.
“It only opened from seven and we got there at seven on the dot – he made us feel like we’d been drinking there for years.”
The ale trails are often combined with scenic walks across some of the region’s most stunning scenery.
Dean says one of his favourite trails is from Halifax town centre to Sowerby Bridge.
And he said some of the most interesting pubs in the region don’t resemble traditional pubs at all, with the Cock of the North in Hipperholme and the Red Shed in Wakefield being based in portable cabins.
He added: “We recently went to the Red Shed in Wakefield – it’s a little Labour club in a number of portable cabins – it has a unique atmosphere.”
Dean says that there are dozens of great microbreweries across the region offering something different.
For July’s trail Dean says he’s taking a train out to Marsden and walking to Holmfirth before returning to Leeds.

About The Author

Catherine Scott

Catherine Scott is Associate Features Editor for Yorkshire Post Newspapers. A self-confessed foodie, she is also a judge of the Deliciousyorkshire/Yorkshire Post Taste Awards.

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