Rook & Gaskill, York

Long split narrow bar, I counted 11 hand pumps, 8 ales and 3 Ciders all the ales were more than reasonably priced at £2.80 a pint,there was also a menu of craft ales a little more expensive all in 3 pound something bracket, far cheaper than we tend to see down south.Yet again all beers appeared to be in great condition, a feature I noticed in most of the York pubs on my visit. A great addition to any pub crawl.

Interior as described below. 10 real ales on during my visit.

This pub, just outside the city walls, is named after the last two people to be hung at the nearby St Leonard’s gallows. Previously known as the Queen’s Head until 2002, the pub has since built a reputation for its fine ale range, aided by its association with the Castle Rock Brewery of Nottingham. Prior to the opening of the York Tap, the Rook and Gaskill was famed for having the most hand pulls of any pub in York, but following a short period of closure and a re-opening as a joint venture between Castle Rock and the Wharfebank Brewery things seem to have been scaled back somewhat. On my visit there were five ales available in the shape of Castle Rock Harvest Pale, RCH Old Slug Porter, Wharfebank Ales of the Riverbank The Goit, Hop Studio XS and Blue Bee Bee’s Knees. A varied keg selection included Kozel, Bitburger, Sagres, Freedom Pilsner and Titanic Stout. I tried the intriguingly named ‘The Goit’ and thought it was a half decent attempt at a Black IPA. The interior of the pub is split level, with the lower, front part of the pub having a terrazzo floor with the pub’s logo inlaid in the middle. There’s a fireplace on the front wall, which could’ve done with being lit on my chilly winter’s evening visit, and a mix of bench, chair and low stool seating to pick from. A step up takes you to the bar which runs down the left hand side of the room with space for a couple of tables opposite, alongside a piano draped with various bits of CAMRA literature. Beyond the bar, the room opens out again in a bare boarded space with more bench and low stool seating, plus a TV screen showing rolling news. A corridor at the back of the pub leads to the toilets and is decorated with a variety of rugby related items. You can also access the small outdoor area from here, where two of the pub’s old pub signs now stand. I entered this pub not long after opening time and was therefore the only customer. I also visited not long after their re-opening and had the feeling that I was visiting during a time of transition and that the pub wasn’t quite as it should be. A case of bad timing on my part perhaps, but I saw enough to suggest that the pub is still well worth a visit, especially in conjunction with the Waggon and Horses, which is just over the road.

Castle Rock Brewery's most northern outpost. Good friendly basic boozer with a split level stone floored bar that serves well kept real ale on 8 handpumps. You're spoilt if you're in Lawrence Street with this place and the Waggon & Horses opposite. Deserves its place in the CAMRA Good Beer Guide.