When I first went drinking in Huddersfield in 1992, ale was the norm and every single town centre pub sold cask ales. Back then, the Rat & Ratchet was most noted for an excellent old jukebox and a Frank Zappa “Heavy Shit” poster. Yet as the big breweries switched to stabalised lager and novelty themes, the Rat & Ratchet somehow stood still. As the world around it changed, it became defined as a “real ale pub” simply by doing what it always did. Today they still have that excellent, very old jukebox and the “Heavy Shit” is still there.

I happened to revisit for the first time in four years to find the pub now has a brewery beneath and were having a beer festival celebrating their own beers. I was in a hops mood but managed to find something light, mellow and hoppy each time while still getting a different beer. Having been heavily dissappointed by another pubs own brews recently, it was good to see some quality being brewed down there. Long may the Rat continue. Heres to an IPA there in 2032.

Run by the Boggart Brewery (creators of the very naughty Rum Porter which is part pint/part pudding) it is a thoroughly modern blend of cask ale and bottled beers from around the world. There will always be some Boggart beers on tap and special guests. The bottles take in Beligium, Britain and the USA.

You can sit right at the bar on stools for a traditional bar experience or wander off to sit by the window of the food court and enjoy some good food with your real ale. Micro Bar is a strange, unusual concept and one that really made me do a double-take when I stumbled upon it by chance. However, it somehow works. I think if all malls were like this, I wouldn’t hate them so much.

the view from High Street

The bar has it’s own special beer called “Beckwatter” brewed for them by the North Yorkshire Brewery which went down very well and also enjoyed a pint of ”Gun Dog” by Walls County Brewery too. Check our twitter page at http://twitter.com/#!/casktweets for more words on them.

Food-wise they just do sandwiches (called Beck Hole Butties) but the bread is exceptional and so is their chutney, so do not judge the menu on first appearances. The little snug can be a little too silent when filed only with tourists but once the regulars get in the atmosphere warms up nicely. The Birch Hall Inn is a lovely little pub in a great location. http://www.beckhole.info/bhi.htm

The two pubs both of offer a ride range of ales but offer two very different experiences. The Head of Steam does food, loud music and is a meeting place. However, the King’s Head (known for quite a few years as the Station Tavern) offers a more traditional pub experience and an oasis of calm. The prices are reasonable and the beer is well kept. They give the local breweries plenty of support but they also seem to get unique beers from furrther affield. There always seems to be something on from a brewery I have never heard of. This was an ale pub long before such things became trendy.

It is also one of those special pubs where you can pop in on your own and feel completely comfortable. More than a few album reviews for this site have been written in the King’s Head while waiting for the train. Long may it continue to be a much-needed dose of sanity.

The organisers had truelly created a National beer festival with not just the usual Yorkshire and Lancashire beers but beers from all corners of the British Isles. There was a very good turn out for Scottish beers and I was very relieved to find a beer from the Lake District.