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Pub of the Year 2011 Brigantes is our Pub of the Year 2011, winning for the second time in its five year history and joining a select band of three other pubs which have won this accolade twice. The pleasant duty of presenting the award fell to Matt Grant, our branch chairman, who described the pub in terms of the ‘firsts’ it has achieved in York. It was definitely the first no-smoking pub, the first to be owned by Market Town Taverns and the first (only?) pub to boast a secret passageway to nearby York Brewery. It wasn’t the first to be managed by Kevin Jones, as he had previous elsewhere in the city. In Matt’s opinion “it was the first that could boast high standards in all areas – of real ale, bottled and draught continental beers, wines and food – such that it really did appeal to a wide number of people”. It’s not just one person’s opinion that determines our Pub of the Year: the seven that were shortlisted by an open vote of all members were visited and scored against six CAMRA criteria by all members who wanted to participate. The quality of the beer here speaks for itself. Atmosphere/style/décor is about the feel of a place: it can be hard to create a good pub atmosphere from scratch in a newly-converted building, but this has been achieved here. The building has been treated with respect and decorated in a tasteful, restrained way and it doesn’t claim to be a historic pub when it isn’t. Service/welcome is the category in which Matt scored the pub highest, describing it as one of the most consistently friendly pubs he’s ever been to. Kev he nominated as Mr Friendly, while the staff are great and knowledgeable, taking your money in the nicest possible way! Because the pub has such an eclectic appeal, the clientele mix is similarly wide. There’s no doubt that the pub, and indeed the whole chain, is in full sympathy with CAMRA’s aims: Ian Fozard, the Managing Director, is a long-standing CAMRA member himself. This was the pub where we launched LocAle and Brigantes has consistently and enthusiastically supported the scheme ever since The final category, good value, is not just about the price of your pint, but the overall quality of the experience you have when you get here – guaranteed good quality and choice of beer, in pleasant and welcoming surroundings make it stand out. When Matt told Phil Williamson, landlord of last year’s winner the Ferry Boat at Thorganby where the trophy was going next his reaction was “I’m really pleased: I don’t get to York often, but when I do, I always go to Brigantes”. Accepting the award, Kev admitted he was much happier behind the bar bantering with customers than standing in front of them making a speech! He thanked the team at head office for their support and for allowing him to do (almost) everything he wants, his team for putting up with him and CAMRA for our support: “I feel we are all on the same journey, looking for our next favourite beer”. Kevin had arranged for most of the team to join in the celebration and we all enjoyed a fabulous buffet and some great beer to round off a fine evening. Previous Winners
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