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Stan Tyne reports on the Bradford beer
'n' balti bash...
It is obligatory for members of CAMRA, when
exploring far-flung parts, to leave their mark, much like a
tomcat would do but with less damage to the furniture. We
Newark drinkers may occasionally be accused of misguided
spraying but on the whole a discarded copy of the Beer
Gutter Press is sufficient evidence for locals to realise
we've passed through their patch.
The last issue was subtly left lying on tables and bars in
Bradford when most of our number hit the city for a ‘Beer
& Balti’ trip. The West Yorkshire destination has, for
as long as I can remember, been good for a decent pint and,
with its strong Asian culture, it's difficult to get a duff
curry too.
Today, with the riding spawning many new breweries, Bradford
pubs find themselves spoilt for choice of local brews. This
in turn has created interest in other micro breweries,
resulting in bars displaying exciting arrays of pump clips
from around the UK. One such display confronted our thirsty
crowd at the first port of call, The Corn Dolly. A great
two-room boozer with that 'post Saturday morning kick about,
pre Saturday afternoon supporters' atmosphere.
Next door is another GBG98 entry, The Goldsborough, quieter
but no less welcoming and home that particular lunchtime to
the Chairman of Bradford CAMRA, Mick Farrar. Newsletters
were exchanged with our Phil without too much hissing and
scratching.
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The city centre, like many is now
devoid of decent watering holes. Bucking the trend, though,
is a new establishment, The Old Bank. Formerly, believe it
or not, a bank, now with liquid assets more palatable than
before. It does seem the sort of place that would have
monkeys on the door at night but is a welcome haven for
shoppers with a thirst for real ale in the afternoon.
Tucked away and worth seeking out is The Tap & Spile.
Three cosy rooms, though fairly empty at 4pm when we
arrived. The group by now had become fragmented and only
Stevie D and myself were in evidence, so no one noticed us
just having halves in here. We were saving ourselves.
The jewel in Bradford's licensed crown from both an
historian's and imbiber's viewpoint has to be The New
Beehive. A 1901 creation, built by the council to replace
pubs lost to road widening, it's still lit by gas and holds
the most atmospheric environment experienced by discerning
drinkers from anywhere you care to mention. Four rooms of
dimly lit drinkers, some watching rugby, some quietly
mulling over the price of peas in Morrison’s and others
closing their eyes and concentrating on the variety of
flavours served to them by the real ale enthusiasts behind
the bar. Sadly the 90 minutes in here were not enough. Balti
beckoned.
For some unapparent reason our tour guide chose a quality
balti house without a license. Did he think we'd have had
enough by 7.30 or was it that The Mumtaz Paan House came so
highly recommended that we wouldn't mind forgoing the beer
for superb curry? Have you ever been to a curry house where
a queue stretches into the street for a place at a table?
Imagine such a place in Britain's curry capital and you have
our final port of call. Wonderful food from a very simple
menu. And so filling we slept all the way home without the
traditional pee and pint halfway to mark more territory! |
...And Larry Leveller reports on the
return!
A small group of Newark CAMRA members enjoyed Mother's day
at Bradford, this time visiting the annual beer festival.
Never let it be said that the only purpose behind a CAMRA
visit is to consume copious amounts of real ale. This visit
was a cultural experience as well!
The venue had moved this year from the
university to the village of Saltaire, on the outskirts of
Bradford. Saltaire was built between 1851 and 1872 as a
model industrial village for the workers of Sir Titus Salt,
an entrepreneur who made his fortune from the wool trade. A
complete village was built for his workers, with good
quality housing, a chapel, church and school with parkland
for the workers to relax. Many of the buildings were built
in a fifteenth century Italian style, a great contrast to
the Victorian slums of Bradford.
The short walk from the station to the festival took us past
Salt's Mill, now the home of the David Hockney Art Gallery,
and gave us a chance to admire the architecture, but by now
we were all ready for a beer! Admission was by ticket only
and our spare tickets were snapped up by thirsty, ticketless
punters. The festival was held in the magnificent Victoria
Hall, which amazingly had been built as The Institute, a
community centre to take the place of the public house. Salt
believed that "the public house promoted self
indulgence, immorality and poverty among working
people!"
Back to the beer! There were over a hundred real ales on tap
and a good selection of German bottled beers. We also tried
Fanny's Ale House before catching the train into Bradford to
finish the day with the obligatory curry, having a superb,
value for money meal at the Kashmir. Just over an hour later
we were back in Newark where some of the more hardy members
of the group retired to the Newcastle Arms, a reminder that
even after a great day out there's always a welcome and a
good pint back at home!
Feb. '98
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