Real ale accolade for landlord of Judges Lodgings in Lendal, York (From York Press)

Real ale accolade for landlord of Judges Lodgings in Lendal, York

10:02am Thursday 19th March 2009

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A PASSION for good local beers has seen a York landlord recognised by the Campaign For Real Ale (CAMRA) – less than a year after he took over the job.

Andy Yuill took on the Judges Lodgings Cellar Bar, in Lendal, last May, turning round sales of real ales and even persuading a local brewery to produce a beer exclusively for his bar.

His commitment will see him receive the Pub Of The Season award tomorrow evening from the York branch of CAMRA.

Allan Conner, social secretary at York CAMRA, said: “Since Andy took over he has done a great job of turning round the real ale sales. He got in touch with the Great Heck Brewery and got a beer brewed for the pub.

“He has certainly pushed the real ale and has now got a significant turnover. The pub is at the forefront of real ale in York now.”

As well as stocking the best beer from local breweries, Mr Yuill, said the secret of his success was having a strong team behind him.

“The staff have played a very big part,” he said. “Everybody has taken everything on board and they spend a lot of time learning about what we sell. It’s brought lots of interest.

“The award is an indication of how far we have come and the work everybody has put in. It’s nice to be recognised and it’s nice for someone else to say ‘well done’ to the staff, other than me.”

Mr Yuill, who formerly ran The Spread Eagle, in Walmgate, York, said: “I don’t think people are as daft these days – they want a good quality product.”

The Judges Lodgings is preparing for its weekend beer festival, in conjunction with the Great Heck Brewery, near Selby, featuring 16 real ales on sale with more waiting in the wings when they have run out. Mr Yuill predicted the surprise hit of the festival will be the pomegranate beer. The festival runs from Friday to Sunday evening.

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