The Boltmakers Arms, Keighley
The Boltmakers Arms, in Keighley, is Keighley & Craven CAMRA Pub of the Season for Summer 2011.
“What took you so long?” many might ask. The answer lies in the reticence of the bunch of us who have rated the Bolts for a long while, but never quite manage to propose it for the quarterly voting, even though there is never any shortage of seconders for the nomination. “Why the discrepancy?” might be the retort. The answer to that lies in the fact that the proposer of the successful pub is obliged to write the Pub of the Season article for Alesman and the web-site. Machiavellian machinations result in the numerous supporters of the Bolts sitting on their hands at the nominations meeting, hoping that someone else will do the nominating. When your correspondent did so, a forest of hands then rose to second the idea.
The other pubs nominated for this award for Summer 2011 are all of high quality, and it says it all that the Bolts won the subsequent vote in what might be termed a landslide, with no need for second preferences etc. to be taken into account. Who said an AV electoral system need be time-consuming?
What made a majority of local real ale enthusiasts deliver that ‘landslide’ in favour of the Bolts?
- The range of ales: all five Timothy Taylor ales plus two guests are accompanied by a guest real cider.
- The excellent condition in which the ales are kept: folk travel from far and wide to sample the wares, and ale-related websites often proclaim the Bolts to be the home of the best pint of Taylor’s Landlord in the land.
- The live music, the golden oldies nights or even the piped music which takes one back – your correspondent caught ‘Tainted Love’ as performed by Mrs Marc Bolan, the other day.
- The friendly atmosphere, in what can only be described as a moderately proportioned pub.
- The admirable charity work – more than £20,000 has been raised in the last five years.
Don‘t expect food or accommodation: this is a boozer, plain and simple. The décor includes much music memorabilia stretching back fifty-odd years, scenes from the ale production process, humourously captioned greetings cards of a risqué nature in the toilets and other ephemera.
The Boltmakers Arms, East Parade, Keighley BD21 5HX (01535 661936) is centrally located, a short walk from both the bus and train stations and the terminus of the Keighley & Worth Valley steam railway. It‘s open noon-11 on Sundays, 11-11 Mondays and 11-midnight Tues-Sat. Phil Booth and staff welcome you at all times. The date of the award presentation has yet to be set, but, when it finally happens, you are advised to get there early if you want a seat.
The presentation took place on Tuesday 23rd August 2012