When Phil and I were discussing our beer choices for The Hop Inn, there wasn’t any debate about the ale we would choose to be one of our regular offers. Our cask ale, keg beer, cider, perry and bottle selection will change all the time, but our plan is that the Landlord will be a regular feature.  A premium pale ale from Keighley in West Yorkshire, Landlord was born in 1952 when Phillip Taylor, the then chairman (the brewer, Timothy Taylor is still family owned) decided to develop a new premium beer to sell in bottles. 

As a whisky fan I remember visiting the distillery of the legendary Macallen single malt about 20 years ago and them enthusing about using the high-quality whisky barley Golden Promise and it’s this malt, unusual for a beer, that TT uses for their Landlord. The same richness and aroma prized by the distillers gives character from this most expensive malt from the tricky to grow species of barley. The other quality cue is Taylors commitment shown to using whole leaf hops. In this case Styrian Goldings, Goldings and Fuggles varieties. 

Phil fell in love with this pint when living village life in Buckinghamshire, he was blessed with a nearby pub, the Swan at Northholt, with properly looked after Landlord from cask. I’m a keen weekend and holiday long distance walker, and one of the greatest pleasures at the end, and occasionally the middle, of a long day of walking is a pint of ale in pub. I normally make a point of ordering cask beer local to where I am, but a pint of Landlord will always need to be sampled. 

As a drinks educator, I work with many wonderful European and worldwide wines, beers and spirits.  Partnering with a high end Spanish restaurant and bar company, I have been travelling and training with some Iberian colleagues and learning about their regional drinks and food with them. On a working trip to Leeds I saw my chance to return the favour of experiencing and learning about their regional specialties, by taking them for a pint of cask beer.

I chose the City-Centre pub straight out of central casting that is Whitelock’s Ale House, with its copper-topped bar and fantastic period details. The only choice was a pint, (for them a half) of Landlord. It was a delight to taste the beer through them for their first taste. I didn’t manage to convince one of the lager drinkers, but we tried, and most enjoyed the experience. 

There is something so perfectly balanced about this drink; caramel smooth from the malt with restrained pink grapefruit from the bittering hops.  The aroma and flavour change as you sample the cask at different stages; You can identify the changes as it evolves gently in the cask. 

I always think of Landlord as a classic English ale; balanced, refreshing, slightly understated but, when looked after well, deeply satisfying.