Having spent the better part of my summer in a new local ale house in Cheltenham, pausing only to take a long weekend in Bruges, I’ve developed a keen interest in both real ales and Belgian beers. Arriving back in York to the usual two pound pints and sugary fruit drinks, I found myself hankering for the real deal, so I attended the opening night of ‘The Hop’ in York. The Hop is a huge space, split into three sections. First, a bustling bar area, with massive wooden barrels above the doors and a large spirit wall behind the bar. A little further in you’ll find a roomy, high ceilinged indoor courtyard, with tall bar stools and lovely ambience. Heading towards the‘Pizza service this way’ sign then the considerable source of heat from the pizza oven, you’ll find burger-bar style seating, newspapered walls and good value pizzas.
The beers on offer are what set The Hop apart from your typical York pub. Osset brewery makes a formidable ‘Black moss stout’, which although not as full bodied as advertised, did offer a great pint with a superb coffee finish. Excelsior and Silver king were both excellent pints as well, and at only 3.10 each, really worth the small step up in price from the bog standard lagers on offer from other pubs. Where the drinks really get interesting however, are the Belgian and American craft offerings. Reminiscing about Bruges, I ordered myself an Orval- a slightly sour, dark beer which is, simply put, one of the best beers there is. My companion and photographer opted for a “312”, a pale, Chicagoan beer that more than made up in flavour what it lacked in colour. Free pizza samples eventually navigated their way to us; spicy pepperoni was very good, as was the margherita, though the olive and anchovy pizza was a little too salty- perhaps as an encouragement to revisit the bar.
As with restaurants in York, I would strongly urge all of you to experiment with, and experience a wide variety of pubs and beers throughout the city. The Hop is an absolute must for anybody who understands just how good beer can be, or for somebody who is growing tired of tasteless lagers.
The Hop is located at 11-12 Fossgate, and for students on a budget I would recommend the 5.95 pizza and a drink from twelve till two ‘o’ clock lunchtime.