Head of Steam, Leeds

Rather cavernous beer hall in a rather anonymous modern building, with a surprisingly limited amount of furniture. That said, most of the other customers on a Saturday afternoon were in stag- and hen-do parties, and it was still early enough for them to be standing. Use was also being made of a couple of shuffleboard tables. Seven of eight handpumps were in use when I visited, but the pint I ordered was in poor shape, but quickly changed Ilkley Blonde (£5.40).

The Head of Steam is a large pub in the lively part of the town centre, not the sort of place I usually venture on a Saturday night. This is a corner plot at the foot of an office block so floor to ceiling windows wrap around. A seating area to the right of the entrance was being used for a function. Up a short walkway to the rear is a large island bar that was being run by some friendly bar staff. Premium and craft keg were available alongside eight hand pumps that were drawing Northern Monk’s Don’t Mess With Yorkshire, Alpha Delta Brewing’s Inti, Black Lodge Brewing’s Pirates, Cameron’s Strongarm (bland) and Motorhead Road Crew, Brew York’s It’s This Was Tony (ok), Kirkstall’s Vocation & Friends and Thornbridge’s Jaipur (always great). At the rear behind the bar counter is a games area with a couple of shuffleboard tables and pinball. To the right of the bar is a stage area where a band plays every Saturday from 20:00. Unfortunately the band on during my visit was crap, maybe that’s why the pub was empty by 22:00 and the manager decided to close early at just after 23:00. I must say that I wasn’t disappointed in this decision.