Volume 2 of Ghosties favorite Leeds bars is subject to the one and only; Mr Foley's Cask Ale House! Yes this is place to be if you need to get your real ale fix on after being behind a desk all day.
To start with, the interior; Foley's boasts a large interior cladded with beer memorabilia and alcohol POS items. Seating is very comforting, one can either choose to stand up the bar, racked up with cushioned stools, or find space elsewhere and get swallowed up by the large sofas - a good way to get people to stay in your pub.
It's a light and spacious pub/bar, a kind of restaurant meets real ale house meets sports bar. No time in the day does Sky Sports not shout the scores of some sort of sport from large flat screens. Not much of a bother to me, I like sports and it beats listening to mindless drum and bass while you drink real ale!
Foley's is also know by some as an award winning pub. The ale house was awarded CAMRA's pub of the year for 2008-2009 by the Leeds branch of CAMRA - not a small award, and coveted by many!
The bar displays a great shiny selection of 20 different beer nozzles and 1 cider nozzle to choose from. You can always find a supreme selection of 10 cask ales and 10 keg lines for international beers. Having big ties with york brewery however, will mean that 4 of the cask lines will be permanent York beers such as Terrier, Guzzler or Centurions Ghost. Not a York fan? not to worry as the other 6 pumps will have a constant rotation of different ales, from around 12 great local breweries. A few that were on today were Brooklyn Black from Crown Brewery, Diablo from Summer Wine, and beers from Roosters and Kelham Island.
Still don't really know what you want? well you could always do what I did; Yes, Foley's has a great tasting box deal on all there cask ales. The deal goes - four 3rd pint measures of any cask beer for only £3.60! - a really good, nice idea I think, and a good price too. Trying 4 different ales in quick succession like this definitely got me in the mood to buy more beer. The next selection for me would come from a new addition to the taps for Foley's - not sure it needs much explaining though. And no it wasn't San Miguel or Leffe blond, but some Zeitgeist and some Punk from Brewdog.
If you fancy a bottle of something, there well stocked up with favorites coming from; Belgium, such as Orval and Abbaye des Rocs. The USA, such as Brooklyn, Goose Island and Anchor. And Germany, such as Schneider and Weihenstephaner. Guest bottles will usually be available, at the moment there still getting through a backlog of Christmas beers. (they still have some Anchor x-mas 2010!)
If your partial to a wee dram though like myself, then you wouldn't be disappointed by the vast selection of single malts they have. A few more 'out of the ordinary' whiskies include; Bowmore 18yr old, Auchentoshan, Jura, Balvenie and Glenmorangie Quinta Ruban. - once again something for all tastes.
If your looking for something to eat, look no further, as this place has a great selection of light bites. If your looking for a light lunch then grab one of the deli boards, or choose from a wide range of sandwiches. If your looking for something a little more, then the legendary Foley's Burger is a treat to slake the biggest of hungers. The menu is also home to a great looking selection of meals which you would expect to find in your cosy-est country pub.
Now writing about places such as this are rather easy as everything is so damn good, but I look out for the little things in places which make them that little bit more 'extra special'. Being a big beery nerd as I am it's not hard to see why I like this place so much.....
.... Just a small example of the place.
So, whether your visiting Town Hall or just popping out from the Courthouse, do make sure you pop in to grab a quick drink, the friendly bar staff would be happy to welcome you.
Mr Foley's Cask Ale House
159 The Headrow
Leeds
LS1 5RG
0113 2429674
Opening hours;
Mon - Thurs: 11 till 11
Fri - Sat: 11 till 1
Sun: 11 till 11 Be sure to look out for Volume 3
(... once I decide where to go!)
Dean's been getting some especially great beers in recently. For my money Mr Foleys is the best place to get a wide range of quality cask beers in Leeds, and it's reasonably priced too. Now they have Brewdog on, it's got some of the best keg too! Actually, I'm just off there now.
ReplyDeleteI have to say I've never liked Foley's. I shall have to give it another go after reading that. I do hope they topped up your thirds, though...!
ReplyDeletebeerprole - I think it's been down to advanced ordering. When Beer Ritz tried to get some Anchor x-mas at the start of december, we found it had all sold out. The guy I spoke to at Foley's said they had ordered it a few months before release. They do have a good few of brewdog in bottles too.
ReplyDeleteChris - The picture may be a bit deceptive they weren't as big as they seem, but I do like a nice big head!
Yep. Quite possibly 'my regular' given that I work in town. Dean's made a massive effort to improve the beer range and in the last 8 months or so made a real difference.
ReplyDeleteMust stop reading these - they make me want to (a) vist leeds very soon and (b) very thirsty. It looks an excellent place for a pub lunch and a few drinks, and you can never go wrong with the beer mats as wallpaper.
ReplyDeleteLeigh - I remember the first time I went to Foley's and had to have a bottle of Palm. I didn't see it this time which could be a bit of a shame if it's been de-listed. Hope not.
ReplyDeleteIan - You need to get up here! I'll be doing quite a few more of these posts over the next couple of weeks, so read at your own discretion. Those aren't bar mats by the way - there all old pump clips of beers which have been on in the past and usually are seen again!
Mr Foley's has improved so much in the last 12 months big in part to Dean's awakening as a fully fledged Beer Geek.
ReplyDeleteOnce upon a time I'd been served one too many average, tepid pints and I'm not a big fan of York Brewery's beers. But now you can find great beers from Roosters (including some very rare single casks of one-off specials), Hardknott, Summer Wine, Saltaire and the "Cherry on the Cake" a Brewdog font dispensing two great kegged beers. So if I'm not blown away by the cask offerings I know I'll enjoy a pint or two of Fraserburgh's finest.
A few of the sofas in the back need replacing or reupholstering and the bogs are a bit of a mess.
A fantastic pub and visit every time in Leeds.