GAVIN AITCHISON recalls the game of pub safari as he tries out the  zoological-themed beers   produced by one York pub.

MANY years ago, when still fairly new to York and on a voyage of discovery, some friends and I embarked on a game of pub safari.

For the uninitiated, this is a simple adventure, leisurely and uncomplicated and ideal for those keen to test or enhance their local knowledge.

A group will choose their starting point and then – over the course of several hours or successive evenings – proceed from pub to pub, always following an animal theme and hunting as many species as they can.

So in York, a half-decent haul might include the Golden Lion, Blue Boar, Three Cranes, White Horse.

Shrewder hunters will know to include The Tiger at Haxby, The Fox in Holgate, and so forth, while lamenting the loss of others such as The Falcon in Micklegate and The Reindeer in The Groves.

I seem to recall our own sortie took in a Black Swan, Five Lions, the Brown Cow, and even a mythical beast, in the form of The Phoenix. David Attenborough would have been in his element.

Anyway, I had long forgotten about those zoological wanderings until I popped into The Deramore Arms last week and discovered an altogether more slothful and sedentary form of pub safari, which involves visiting only one pub (albeit several times) and waiting for the wildlife to appear on the bar.

To explain, this unorthodox expedition is led by Four Thorns Brewery, the one-barrel outfit that has been based in a shed in the Deramore’s back garden since 2012. Its beer range for 2014 is entitled “Animal Antics” and includes four new beers: Dancing Zebra, Outrageous Toad, Fiddling Beaver and Misunderstood Starfish.

They will rarely be seen together but patient or persistent visitors to The Deramore can look forward to all over the coming weeks and months.

The Dancing Zebra, which went on the bar on Thursday, is a tremendous beer. It’s dark ruby, almost black, and marries treacle with hop to create an unusual but moreish pint that sits somewhere between a black IPA and a stout. At 4.7 per cent, it’s the strongest in the range.

Outrageous Toad (4.3 per cent ABV) is a straw-coloured ale with citric flavours; Misunderstood Starfish (3.8 per cent) is an amber, hop-heavy beer; and Fiddling Beaver (also 3.8 per cent) is billed as a “true session brown bitter”.

Brewer Rob Franklin says business is buoyant at the moment, with more orders coming in from pubs further afield and increasingly positive feedback from drinkers.

Those who don’t want to restrict themselves to The Deramore can look out for the Four Thorns creatures at The Maltings in Tanner’s Moat, The Old Ebor in Drake Street and The Volunteer Arms in Watson Street.

Further afield, The Sun Inn in Pickering and The Jolly Farmers at Leavening are also likely to prove happy hunting grounds, and the brewery also produces the custom-made house beer at the Stone Trough Inn at Kirkham Priory.


SHORTS...

• Don’t forget, there is a 1980s-themed charity day at The Old Ebor today in aid of Yorkshire Air Ambulance.

• There is a beer festival at Sutton Upon Derwent village hall from 1pm until late on February 22, organised by the hall and Woodhouse Grange Cricket Club. There will be ten local beers, a pie & pea supper and live Six Nations rugby on TV.

Tickets are £10, including a programme, pint and pie & peas. Tickets can be bought on the door or by phoning John Newlove on 01904 608524 or Martin Smith on 07977 459755.

Twitter: @pintsofview