Pub 29, Day 10 – The Queen's Ground

By Rob

As the doors of The Shakey closed on the sounds of merriment and celebration, so too did they close on one of the lowest periods of Pubquest so far. We hadn’t expected to win the quiz, but even in our darkest moments – during the popular culture questions, for example – we had never envisioned being subjected to public ridicule.

Nevertheless, with the exception of several debilitating diseases and a host of other potential misfortunes, we reminded ourselves that whatever doesn’t kill you makes you stronger.

With a newfound resolve, strengthened by two pints of beer and half a packet of protein-rich peanuts, we headed to the next pub. Leaving Hillsborough Corner behind, we walked down Langsett Road in the direction of the city centre.

Before long we arrived at The Queen’s Ground Hotel. From the outside it looked like a very nice establishment indeed, set inside a sizeable stone building with large bay windows looking out onto the street.

Inside, the pub was very typical of the older gentleman’s drinkery, with a heavily patterned red carpet and walls the colour of Dijon mustard. However, I should say that it was by no means unpleasant. There was an eye-catching stained-glass feature above and behind the bar, which looked as if it had been there for a good many decades, advertising ‘Ward's Fine Malt Ales’. There was also a billiards room at the back of the building, which will always be a welcome addition as far as we’re concerned.

Unfortunately, despite the statement to the contrary, there were no fine malt ales on sale. In fact, there was not an ale in sight. As such, we elected to imbibe a pint of John Smith’s Magnet.

While it’s understandable that a few of you non-existent readers might have some doubts about whether, say, John Smith's Extra Smooth and John Smith's Extra Cold are different beers, there can be no such doubts surrounding the categorisation of Magnet.

Although Magnet can be bought right across the UK, it is now heavily restricted to the North East of England and Yorkshire. It is easily the least well known of the John Smith's products and, for whatever reason, unlike the other variations it gets absolutely no promotion from the business. In fact, if you look on the John Smith's website, you will see that they only list two products: Original and Extra Smooth.

With its continually decreasing territorial range, Andy and I have long been of the opinion that Magnet is a critically endangered species and will, in the foreseeable future, cease to be.

Why do we care? Well, mainly because it’s a nice pint. The strongest of all the John Smith's beers, Magnet also has a much richer, fruitier taste. Without a doubt, it deserves far more recognition than it gets.

Sat there, nursing the beer equivalent of the Sumatran Tiger, I found that my desire to like the pub was greater than my ability to do so. The interior was nice enough, it had a snooker table, and it served Magnet; it was ticking the right boxes.

Unfortunately, the place was virtually empty. Worse still, the few people that were stood around the bar managed, deliberately or otherwise, to exude an air of unfriendliness that was only encouraged by the barman – you would think he would be pleased to welcome two more customers to his sparsely populated pub.

So, despite drinking Magnet in an old pub with a snooker table, The Queen's Ground gets an uninspiring 4/10.

Pub: The Queen's Ground (401 Langsett Road, S6 2LJ)

Rating: 4/10 

Pint: John Smith's Magnet

Brewery: John Smith's Brewery (Tadcaster, North Yorkshire)

NEXT UP: The pool marathon begins, at The Beehive...