I went on a lovely trip this weekend on as part of the celebrations for the 10th anniversary of the opening of the original micro pub in Halifax, the Grayston Unity. We visited two excellent local breweries, first Wishbone in Keighley, followed by Goose Eye near Bingley, travelling by an old Halifax Corporation bus. Here's the story.... The plan for a grand day out had been hatched some time ago, and as the date approached so did the sense of eager anticipation, a day to enjoy some excellent cask-conditioned beer at source in the company of some lovely people, many of whom were good friends that I have got to know over the 10 years since the Grayston Unity first opened. A potted history : The first Grayston opened in May 2016 at Wesley Court, in the shadow of Halifax Town Hall, and was a two-roomed micro-sized bar with a retro-style lounge room which soon acquired the title of the smallest licensed venue in the country with a capacity of just 18, and whilst that was later inc...
I recently got involved in the creation of a special beer to commemorate the 10th anniversary of the opening of the Grayston Unity in Halifax. Here's the story of the beer from its inception to a pint in the bar.... The idea for a special commemorative beer first cropped in conversation over the bar and a couple of pints at the Grayston Unity early on this year. " What do you think? ", owner Michael Ainsworth asked me when he told me of his plan, one of several he had by way of celebration in honour of the bar's 10th anniversary later in the year. Sounds like a great idea, I said. And to cut a long story short, with me having bèen one of the long-standing customers, plus my interest in beer, aside from putting in the odd shift behind the bar at the old Grayston and sister bar Meandering Bear over the years, would I like to be involved in coming up with the beer? And of course, I said yes. But first we needed someone to brew the beer. The house beer at the Grayston is...