Timothy Taylor's Landlord
There is one beer. That's right, there is one beer and this is it.
Created back in 1952 and still brewed to the exacting demands of a real Craft Brewery. For many years it was a closely guarded secret, only available in the environs of Keighley and the Timothy Taylor's pub estate. The joke was that when asked why the beer wasn't exported the response was "but we do, we sell some in Lancashire".
They like to tell you that Landlord has won more prizes than any other beer in the UK and it's easy to understand why. A supremely balanced beer where the Golden Promise malt provides the backbone for Goldings, Fuggles and Styrian Goldings to shine through.
I first encountered the beer as a student in the early 70's, first in a Bradford Free House and then in a few of the Taylor's pubs, and I was struck by the floral notes that distinguished it from the other local beers. At 4.2% it was regarded as a strong beer, most of what we were drinking was around 3.5%, and usually the beer drunk towards the end of a session.
I remember visiting the Knowle Spring Brewery in the mid 70's with the regulars from The Oakleigh, we were met by the legendary Allan Hey, who in a poll of Brewers in The Observer was crowned 'The Brewers Brewer'. He offered us the option of the 'in depth' tour or the 'quick' tour. We opted for the in depth only to be told there was no difference. Later, in the room set aside for drinking (I could hardly describe it as a hospitality suite) we proceeded to to drink all they put before us.
Change comes very slowly to Taylor's, in the 67 years that Landlord has been brewed there have been four head brewers. When Andrew Leeman became Head Brewer, succeeding Peter Eells, he'd already been at Taylor's for 28 years.
I can't imagine not being able to drink Landlord, sometimes I may go a couple of months between pints, but when the glass is raised to the lips, ah that aroma, that flavour, heaven in a glass.
