Dog & Duck, Beverley

This was my first time here in over a decade. I know some people decry the beer policy (the late lamented Aqualung, for one: "a very dull choice of beers") but I got chatting to the licensee and he clearly knows his stuff. I had Black Sheep Bitter to start with, meaning to move on elsewhere, but when he asked me what my plans were in Beverley I told him I was using it as a base to go to see a Leeds Rhinos game in Hull, and would be going to the Empress there for the best-kept John Smiths Cask you can get. He said he thought he kept a pretty good John Smiths himself, so I had a pint of that too. (The others were Landlord and a Great Newsome beer, plus two ciders on the six hand pumps. The Smiths was good, but coming after the Black Sheep it really would have had a job to seem outstanding.) He said he liked John Smiths himself, and he had only recently started stocking Landlord because he's been told good things about it - I said, yes, if you don't mind paying extra and having to keep it longer before putting it on the bar, which some people don't get. I said Landlord (and probably Tetleys) were the best beers (I'm talking traditional English bitters, obviously) in the 1990s, but that Black Sheep was better than most now, while the other two were shadows of their former selves. Partly because of changes to the beer, partly because publicans weren't looking after it properly. He said he knew about how expensive it was, about 20p or more per pint above his other beers, but the bonus was that he'd acquired a new crowd of Landlord fans who'd heard that he's got it on and didn't like to drink anything else. (I'll bet they've drifted up from the Tiger Inn - see my review there.) I had a really good time here - great beer, friendly licensee, pleasant surroundings - ok, the juke box got on my nerves playing a stream of Electric Light Orchestra hits, but that's a once in a decade chance. I'll be back.

Opened out but still very pubby with red everywhere, carpet, benches etc. Ok

Obviously once a multi-room Victorian pub now opened out with a sort of dining area to the right and a drinking area to the left. Traditionally furnished and decorated in a reassuring way so basically a classic market town centre pub. It's got the mix of clientele you'd expect and a big screen with racing from York on this occasion. A fairly standard range of UK casks and kegs although the Yakima Chief from Bob's brewing was rather nice .

This is an old school pub that has been knocked into one and carpeted throughout. It's been more than well described below. There are six hand pumps but on my visit there was a very dull choice of beers these being Moorhouse White Witch, Copper Dragon Golden Pippin, Black Sheep Bitter, John Smith's Cask, Well's Directors and Taylor's Golden Best. I went for the Golden Pippin (£3.40) which I don't recall trying before and was not surprised to find it a dull bland beer that was admittedly in good condition. If this is a typical beer selection then I wouldn't return here.