So our bloggers crawl ended at the Templar, the obligatory old-school Tetley pub occupied by all of Leeds society, including plenty of the tradesmen notable by their absence on the Boar Lane strip.
It really is gorgeous, and the hand pumps are classics.
Mmmm
“Pint of Tetley please”
“Tetley ?!”
“Yes, Tetley”
“Are you quite sure ?”
“Have the Three Swords” insisted Richard, a noted craft beer bully.
It’s fair to assume this conversation wouldn’t have taken place in 2009, when Roger Protz penned a marvellous paean to Tetley in Morning Advertiser (link here). “Tetley’s cask beers are superb“. They certainly were, and on monthly trips to Quarry Hill I’d always nip in the basic place near the Minster for pint. Who drinks Tetley’s now, anyway ?
The Templar is run by Greene King (this week), so it can only be customer loyalty that keeps it on the bar with such good local beers available on the list. Or perhaps they really do only keep it for eccentric pub tickers. Whoever they are.
This is what a proper pub looks like
I’m reminded a lot of the Nottingham House in Cleethorpes, a similarly lively community local with good beer turnover. Actually, the Tets was better there; here it was a very competently kept version of a mediocre beer. And I like Banks’s. Checking now, it wasn’t great last time I had it, over in Parbold.
Aided by rather more impressive Kirkstalls 3 Swords, at some point in the evening Richard coined the phrase “pubitechtural” to describe a pub with pubby characteristics. Well done, Richard.
Simon mentioned “Toulouse-Lautrec“. I thought it was a Degas, but “By the time I get to Phoenix” was playing at the time so I may have been mistaken.
Still gorgeous
I’d given myself about 12 minutes to catch the last train to Bradford. I missed that, giving me a perfect excuse to finally visit, and survive, the Duncan.
Perhaps it was a trick of the light, or the Sam Smiths Stout, but Leeds looked pretty gorgeous that night.
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