Community Pubs Week 2007
Keighley & Craven CAMRA launched Community Pubs Week with a good old -fashioned social and a Ring the Bull competition. Five teams competed for the top prize of a gallon of real ale at the Old White Bear in Cross Hills. Competition was fierce with the Old White Bear regulars defeating the “Alesman” team in the final. All involved had very enjoyable time.
Mid-week saw a well-attended Historic Pub Crawl in Skipton town centre. Lead by a local historian and storyteller, the merry group learned a bit about the history of Skipton through its pubs with some interesting ghost stories thrown in. A number of hostelries were visited, including the Woolly Sheep, which reputedly has a resident ghost in the cellar and the Royal Oak, which enjoys the company of the visiting ghost of a woman who died in the pub after being pulled out of the canal, as well as the ghost of a cat!
The penultimate event of the week was a Tutored tasting held at the Brown Cow in Keighley. Hosted by the branch, those who attended enjoyed a video presentation and a tutored sampling of six real ales. Leading the presentation, which entailed brewing and beer tasting processes as well as practical tasting and a beer scoring system, were Dave Sanders, head brewer of Elland brewery and Denny Cornell and Graham Cundall who are both local members. It was very well-attended and enjoyable evening with interest and enthusiasm shown by all who participated.
Overall, the week was a great kick-start to our support of local pubs, which the branch hopes to carry on throughout the year.
