Yorkshire bikes and beers in the Tour de France

I could sit ‘ere an’ drink it in all day! That Yorkshire saying comes to mind as I think about my roots in the moors and dales of Yorkshire, and good Yorkshire ale like Timothy Taylor’s featured (above) on the bar at The Grouse, Oldfield, Keighley.

Yorkshire hosted the first two stages of the Tour de France (TdF) in 2014 and to mark the tenth anniversary of the Grand Depart I have published On Tour, the second in my Ramifications series of small books about culture and natural heritage, available through Betula Books.

Cyclist’s bottle-opener

Here is the back story to one of the featured photographs, and some of the TdF-inspired beers that were crafted for the occasion in Yorkshire.

Preparing for the Tour de France 2014. West Lane, Haworth, Yorkshire. © J. Ashley Nixon

We were joined at our Stage 2 front garden party in Haworth by James and friends, cycling fans up from London. Coming up Main Street was clearly thirsty work for them and finding no bottle opener in the saddlebag, they innovated with a cycling shoe. A perfect spanner for the works!

Yorkshire crafted beers for the TdF

The TdF in 2014 inspired some new beers in Yorkshire. Timothy Taylor’s Knowle Spring Brewery in Keighley went with Le Champion, a French-style blonde beer brewed with Alsace Strisselspalt hops and continental malts. The result was a smooth, light taste, slightly stronger than the four times CAMRA Championship-winning Landlord. Perfect for a hot day in the saddle!

Goose Eye Brewery crafted Maillot Jaune, a summer brew set at 4.2 percent. The barrel was swiftly served up by my old school mate, Gary Bancroft and dispensed of in no time at the Haworth Cricket Club located alongside the Stage 2 route. A real “Yellow Jersey” of a beer.

Two other locals, which, regret to say, I didn’t get the chance to quaff were mashed up for thirsty cycling fans along the route: Saddle Sore, coming out of Naylors Brewery in Cross Hills and On yer Bike, made close to the now-famous Cote de Oxenhope Moor by Bridgehouse Brewery.

Cheers, and here’s to bikes and beers in Yorkshire.

See On Tour

The second edition of my Ramifications series On Tour: Tour de France 2014 is available through Betula Books.