I went to the UK’s best pub with quirky ceiling feature, 28 beers on tap – but it doesn’t serve food
FROM the outside, the Bailey Head looks like any other local pub.
But its unassuming exterior is hiding a secret – and one of the largest selections of independent beers in the country.
Now, its unrivalled selection and welcoming interior have been recognised with a prestigious award.
The popular taproom has just been named the Campaign for Real Ale (CAMRA) Pub of the Year for the first time.
It’s easy to see why, and I’ve never seen such a well-stocked bar.
There are 12 hand-pull beer pumps serving six cask beers and six ciders and perries, plus 16 other draught lines.
Prices start from £3.90 for a 4% session lager and go all the way up to £10 for a 12% beer.
There are also up to 100 gins, a large range of whiskies, rum, vodkas, wines and other drinks on offer.
But I’m surprised not to spot a food menu on the bar or a specials counter above the beer taps.
Despite being crowned pub of the year the Bailey Head does not serve food.
The local is cosy and its walls are lined with illustrations of the surrounding area and some of its prestigious awards.
It already has a staggering collection of trophies from CAMRA, the Society of Independent Brewers and Associates (SIBA), The Shropshire Goat and TripAdvisor.
But the Bailey Head has not always been such a success story.
Nine years ago the local was forced to close its doors for the last time after its popularity waned.
Eger to take on a challenge, it was bought by husband and wife duo Duncan Borrowman and Grace Goodlad, who breathed new life into it.
The couple had been running a volunteer-run social club in South East London but dreamed of having a taproom of their own.
“It had always been a pipe dream to buy a pub,” Grace tells me.
“When Ducan’s father passed away it meant he was going to inherit a little bit of money. We started looking for what we called Plan P, which was a pub and a puppy.
“Nine years on, I still haven’t got the puppy.”
At least the pub is a roaring success.
The couple scoured the country for a suitable location and had almost given up hope when they came across the listing for this Oswestry pub.
“Duncan showed me across the social club bar that night and said, what do you think?” Grace said.
“By lunchtime the next day we had exchanged heads of terms contracts. We never even saw it before we had done the paperwork.”
The couple are the first independent owners of the pub, which dates back 200 years.
It was originally known as the Castle Tavern, after the remnants of Oswestry Castle, which was once a Royalist stronghold during the English Civil War.
Grace tells me: “We’re completely independent. Everything we stock is from small, family brewers or independent brewers.
“We don’t buy into the big pub companies and big chains. When you go along the bar, all are beers are from family-owned businesses.
“I can name the brewers in most of those breweries and I know who their spouses are.”
The couple have sold more than 2,500 different cask beers and 1,000 different Keykeg and keg beers since they opened.
Thousands of coasters of these different beers line the ceiling of the pub.
It’s clear the couple are passionate about beer and often brew their own with local breweries.
Duncan said: “There are 11 beers on the wall that we have brewed with brewers.
“We’ve been involved in the recipe development, then had it on the bar.”
Some of the couple’s creations are more successful than others.
A 4.7% IPA which was created with local family-run brewery Stonehouse is popular with regulars.
Meanwhile, a barrel of Scary Monsters pale beer can sell out in two and a half hours on a busy day.
But a 5.5% Belgian-style beetroot beer proved harder to sell.
Duncan adds: “We’ve done everything from hazy IPAs to Rose Turkish Delight Imperial Stout.”
The couple have also brewed special edition beverages to commemorate local events.
Last year they partnered with Tom’s Tap and Brewhouse to create a 4.6% pale ale.
The money raised was donated to Pancreatic Cancer Action in honour of one of their regulars who passed away from the illness.
As we chat the couple prepare to open the pub.
It’s not even three o’clock but I spot some eager punters waiting outside.
Duncan tells me that one area of the pub known as “controversial corner” fills up between three and four o’clock.
“This corner tends to fill up with lots of single people and couples,” he said.
It’s the same people who come in every day, usually after work at about four o’clock.”
Grace agrees: “We frequently have problems with people moaning they can’t get a table or a seat.”
The couple are not exaggerating.
Five minutes after the pub opens there are already 12 punters inside, who chat merrily to each other.
I ask one regular, Chris Woods, what he thinks of his local being named pub of the year.
He tells me: “I think it’s wonderful for the pub and for the town.
“It’s the best beer in Oswestry and everywhere else I’ve drunk.”
Another frequent visitor, Romer Hoseason, tells me he calls into the pub six days a week.
He adds: “We’re very pleased the pub has won this award. It only shows how poor the competition is, particularly from brewery pubs and chains.”
The regulars settle back into their conversation and I decide to leave them to it.
The pub is unassuming – but very welcoming, if I’m nearby again I would pop in for a pint.
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