There are many pubs in Skipton, but there are technically only two micropubs. A micropub is a small pub serving beer made in a microbrewery. Below you can see a guest post from my dad, highlighting his thoughts on Skipton’s micropubs; Early Doors & The Beer Engine. 

“Life aint all beer and skittles, and more’s the pity” – George du Maurier

One man, his daughter, and a small fluffy long-eared dog visit the micropubs of Skipton.

Visiting only two pubs could hardly be described as a pub crawl, more of a pub amble. None of the three of us had been to either of these pubs before, but after looking them up, we were expecting small, independent, dog-friendly pubs selling good beer – and we were not disappointed.

Early Doors Micropub

Our first destination was Early Doors, a small pub which is situated on New Market Street in Skipton. We guessed that it is called Early Doors because it shuts early; 8pm Tuesday to Saturday and 6pm on Sundays.

Upon entering, we got a warm reception from the locals at the bar, who all seemed to like the dog.

The pub is small and has beer from various microbreweries. I tried a pint of Doghouse UPA which was quite light and hoppy and easy to drink. Looking at the beer everyone else was drinking, all of it looked well kept and was being consumed with enjoyment by the other customers.

The pub has no tv, or music, just the ebb and flow of conversation. The bar staff know their stuff, and obviously, have a good relationship with all their regular customers.

There are some bottles of spirits behind the bar, and some wine, but really this is a beer pub. It reminded me of how pubs used to be before many of them became more like restaurants than pubs and started playing loud music all the time, whether the customers want it or not.

All in all, I very much liked this pub, it’s the sort of place where you could drop in for a drink after work or go to read the paper and have a quiet pint.

Moving on from Early Doors, we enjoyed a stroll through the middle of Skipton in the direction of the canal, to check out the second micropub.

The Beer Engine Micropub

This is also quite a small pub, and like Early Doors, it has no music or TV. It has a slightly trendier & more modern feel to it, and has been quite tastefully decorated inside; there is a bookcase full of Real Ale Guides and books on brewing and that sort of thing.

They are a very dog-friendly pub, and upon arrival, Fifi the dog happily accepted a dog biscuit, and a water bowl was provided. They have a good and reasonably large range of beers, including a line in Belgian beer, some of which seems to be served with matching glasses, as it always is in Belgium.

I had a pint of Black Moor from the Goose Eye Brewery. It’s a dark beer, was quite light, but really delicious.

As far as I could see, neither of these pubs serve food, apart from crisps, pork scratchings, and the usual bar snacks, but there are plenty of places in Skipton to get something to eat for all tastes and budgets. Just across the road from the Beer Engine, is Skipton Pie and Mash Shop, which I have tried on several occasions and always found it to be consistently good.

If you want a visit to the pub, without being deafened by music, or watching sporting events you don’t necessarily want to see, then I’d recommend you give these places a go. The bar staff at both pubs were very helpful and friendly, and you can try small samples of the beer if you want to make your mind up as to what to drink.

Thank you to my Dad for sharing his thoughts on the micropubs of Skipton. If you’re looking for other interesting places to go in the area, have a look at my review of the Ilkley Cinema here.