Wednesday, May 23, 2012

The Wednesday Pub : The Grove, Huddersfield


The Grove, at the corner of Spring Grove Street, Huddersfield is a comfortable walk from the town centre. Dating from 1853 the pub originally had a small brewery attached. In 1911 it came under the ownership of the Huddersfield brewers, Bentley and Shaw. It continued as a tied house (owned by a succession of breweries and selling their beers) until 2005 when it seemed for a time that it might close down. Luckily it didn't close: instead it became an independent pub specialising in a wide variety of real ales, many of them from local craft breweries.

Not so much a pub, more a temple devoted to the art of the brewer, the Grove is a place of pilgrimage for those who worship beer. I sampled a pint of Curious Original Pale Ale from the Magic Rock Brewery, Huddersfield. It was wonderful stuff, light enough for a lunchtime pint and fruity enough to qualify as one of your five portions of fruit a day. It was all I could do to avoid breaking out into a chorus of hymn-singing - All Things Bright And Beautiful, All Bitters Great And Small.

17 comments:

  1. As so often happens, much better inside that the exterior would lead you to believe. Which ales made up the other four from the 'five a day'. I always believed there was one pork chop in each pint, so you could skip meat and fruit.

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  2. Add a bag of crisps and your carbohydrate, fat and salt intake would also be sorted. That just leaves a glass of milk before bed :)

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  3. It really is an unassuming looking building. I can tell by the interior that it has a lot of character and probably smells good too.

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  4. I'm more fascinated by that brick tower thing next door, to be honest. What is it? (BTW, did you get the photo I emailed?)

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    1. Alan, no I didn't get your email but glad you got the photos.

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  5. The interior is more interesting to me too. Now I am curious about the tower thing that jenny is asking about.

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  6. There looks to be a chapel behind, so that round thing could be their bell-tower.

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  7. I was thinking about how big this place would be and then you conveniently included a photo. So it's fairly small and was local watering hole.

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  8. Your enthusiasm for a good brew is positively evangelical, Alan.

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    1. I wish there was a ‘like’ button here.Martin’s puning relies are so witty! So ‘wise and wonderful’ :)

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  9. I like your version of the hymn better...

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  10. I'm with Jenny - what's the circular building? Something Fred Dibnah took down?

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  11. It hardly looks like a pub..very understated..The Grove could be almost anything :)

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  12. I do love the names they’ve chosen for their brews. I’m surprised you didn’t try the ‘Rapture’ Alan.

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  13. Wow, it does almost seem like a religious experience to walk in there!

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  14. This looks to be a wonderful spot to spend an afternoon. Enthusiasm for a good pub and good beer is a fine quality, thanks for sharing that with me all the way over here.

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  15. I am enjoying your pub series if not always commenting - good pubs are so rare, and yet so worth the finding.

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