Community reporter Christopher Pratt pays a visit to his favourite local – The Old Unicorn in Bramley – to sample some of the beers on offer. Here are his thoughts on the JD Wetherspoon hostelry…
No beer festival this time, but just a chance to relax and appreciate the ever-changing real ales on offer.
First this time, Joshua Jane from Ilkley Brewery(3.7%). Described on the pump clip as a “Yorkshire Bitter”, I would totally agree. It is a very nice pint and reminds me of the bitters I used to have. This is a bitter I would happily keep drinking.
Trying something else, I opted for Kirkstall Pale Ale from (unsurprisingly!) Kirkstall Brewery (4%). This has a lovely floral aroma and an easy tasting experience, perfect for a hot summer afternoon.
Also available is Pommie’s Revenge (5%) from Goose Eye Brewery, which I have enjoyed before, as well as the three regulars, Ruddles (3.4%), Doom Bar (4%) (though there wasn’t any during my visit) and Abbot, from Greene King (5%).
History
Apparently this pub is marked on the OS Map of Bramley for 1890. An old date stone, in the outdoor seating area, shows the hard-to-read year ‘1877’; this may have been when the present building was erected.
This pub, or an earlier one named The Old Unicorn, is recorded in a local directory published 50 years earlier, in 1822, when John Firth was landlord. The old inn (it’s been suggested that it then stood on an adjacent site) may date from the 18th century.
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