It’s time for Keighley and Craven CAMRA to go POTY.

POTY stands for Pub of the Year, and we couldn’t choose between two so we called it a dead heat and picked both.

Well done to Francis Huggins and Lisa Keeley of the Kings Arms on Bolton Road in Silsden and Barry Smith and Carole Taylor-Smith of the Brown Cow on Cross Leeds Street in Keighley.

Every year all the pubs in the Keighley and Craven branch area in the Good Beer Guide, from Settle to Sandbeds, are judged by branch members on more than just beer quality (but that is a significant element).

The other criteria are: atmosphere/style/décor, service and welcome, community focus, sympathy with CAMRA aims (in keeping with CAMRA policies and supporting campaigns), and “good value” .

This is not just value for money, but a catch-all to cover the entire pub experience.

Both the Kings Arms and the Brown Cow tick boxes by hosting meetings of local community groups, serving real cider, being members of CAMRA’s LocAle scheme, and most of all, the beer is consistently of good quality.

After two rounds of voting, 22 pubs were whittled down to two joint winners to be awarded branch Pub of the Year 2014.

The branch Pub of the Year goes forward first to compete for the regional prize and the regional winner goes into the shortlist for National Pub of the Year. This year’s national winner is The Swan with Two Necks in Pendleton near Clitheroe.

Both the Kings Arms and the Brown Cow have won the branch award in the past. The Brown Cow was runner up in the regional competition in 2008.

Both feature in the Good Beer Guide and have had several Pub of the Season awards, the Brown Cow being the current holder. Congratulations to both pubs.

EVENTS

April 11-13 – Kings Arms Beer Festival, Silsden

April 12 – Open day at Naylors’ Brewery

April 16 – Bradford CAMRA presents Cider Pub of the Year to the Fighting Cock in Listerhills, Bradford

April 29 – Social at the Bay Horse, Cowling

May 29-31 – Skipton Beer Festival, Rendezvous Hotel CAMRA’s national website is: camra.org.uk.

You can contact the local branch via the website keighleyandcraven.org.uk or call the branch contact on 01756 796167.