Timothy Taylor’s Landlord Beer Review - The Cult Hero of Yorkshire

February 4, 2023 Cameron Mackenzie

CAMRA Champion Beer of Britain and four time gold medal winner at the Brewing Industry Awards. Quite the opening statement for the flagship brew from Yorkshire-based,Timothy Taylor, which has won more awards than any other beer. This review might as well end now, but the story of why and how is what makes this beer so fascinating.

With its well-balanced wheat and malt taste, citrus and hoppy aroma, it’s no wonder that people travel from all over the world to find Landlord when they visit the UK. It gets hunted down. Such is its popularity, its own website allows you to enter your postcode to find the nearest establishment that sells it.

Whenever pop icon, Madonna, frequents the Dog and Duck in Soho, London, she wears a flat cap and orders a pint and a half of Landlord. She admitted in an interview with Jonathan Ross that this is the best real ale, but only half a pint turns her into a cheap date. However, the assistant manager of the pub, Larry Thomas, was quoted as saying, “some people recognised her, but most were too busy drinking to notice.”

Landlord was first launched in 1953 as a Competition Ale, left up to the local drinkers to name it. A steward of the Keighley Drill Hall Club won the right to name it, chose ‘Landlord,’ and received £500 for his efforts.The daughter of the chairman of the brewery, an art student by the name of Roberta, created the ‘jovial landlord’ you see still see on the branding today.

Landlord originates from the Pure Knowle spring in Keighley. How very Yorkshire that when this spring was discovered, it was decided to build a brewery on top of it. Made up of Styrian Goldings, Goldings and Fuggles, using traditional open fermenters, dual-strain yeast and a full secondary fermentation in the cask. Obsessed with quality checking, the brewery staff don’t even drink coffee at work, so that nothing plays havoc with their expert tasting palates.

Served at 11-13°C, this perfectly crafted 4.3% ABV beer has achieved cult status in the UK and abroad. Recommended to be paired with duck, fish and chips or mature cheddar, makes it the perfect lunch accompaniment. Some may take it further and say it would go with anything. Pork pie and peas or a jacket potato with chilli con carne seems to work just as well.

Once poured, it gives off a deep gold colour, bordering amber. If you were to find a metaphor for Landlord, it would be like drinking a liquid version of freshly baked bread, straight out of the oven. Creamy and thick in the mouth. Malty and zesty with delicious spicy notes to finish.

From the rain falling upon the Yorkshire hills, filtering through the natural, pure spring, comes Landlord. A champion, traditional beer that still holds its own amongst its more exotic sounding, fashionable peers. But if it’s good enough for Madonna, it'll never get left behind as a mere beautiful stranger. In Yorkshire, it always rains, so Landlord will always pour.

If you liked the Timothy Taylor’s Landlord beer review, please feel free to share your comments below. We are happy to hear from you!

Written by Andy Goldman, follow him @andygoldman_copywriter or by clicking here.