SOME years ago, a friend tried to dissuade me from becoming a journalist, arguing that we were all errant ne’er-do-wells with chips on our shoulders.

I remember well his eloquent counsel. “Don’t do it,” he said. “You’ll just get bitter and twisted.”

I ignored his advice and believed I’d proven him wrong. Until this week.

For on Tuesday, his prediction came true. I did get bitter and twisted. And it was tremendous.

Bitter & Twisted, you see, is the finest of several fine ales produced by Harviestoun brewery in Scotland, so I was delighted to find it on sale at the Fox And Roman, in Tadcaster Road, York.

It’s a crisp, light ale with a very precise citrus flavour and an ABV of only 3.8 per cent, making it easily drinkable.

I had a pint on Tuesday afternoon, during a rare midweek day off, and it was the perfect antidote to the dreary conditions outside.

Bitter and Twisted was named Camra’s Champion Beer of Britain in 2003 and it was joined on the Fox And Roman’s bar by – among others – last year’s winner, Ruby Mild from Rudgate Brewery in Tockwith.

Other offerings in an impressive selection included Timothy Taylor’s Landlord, Black Sheep Best, and Adnams Broadside, Marstons Pedigree, and the usual suspects such as Carling, Guinness and John Smith’s Smooth.

I stayed a while, for The Fox And Roman is a delightful place to while away an hour or two. It is on a main road now, but dates back to 1822 when its surroundings were overwhelmingly rural, and it manages to retain the feel of a homely village pub.

The food looked tempting too but I’ve rather rashly given up meat for lent and the vegetarian options looked limited.

Ambling back along Taddy Road towards town, I also popped into the Cross Keys, on the corner with St Helen’s Road.

This is an altogether more urban pub than the Fox And Roman, with less in terms of real ale but there seems to be lot going on.

I was there early evening when it was still relatively quiet, but the pool table, weekly poker game, live football and quizzes promised an impressive array of entertainment for regulars and casual punters alike.

I harked on last week about the importance of pubs doing what they can to pull themselves out of the recession, and it’s pleasing to see those that can putting in the effort.

l TALKING of the recession.... surely the most over-used phrase of the past year or two has been “green shoots of recovery”.

It has become a mantra for economists, politicians and business leaders when offered even the most fleeting glimpse of good news amid the gloom.

It’s hard not to treat the phrase with scepticism, especially when it’s trumpeted by the same people who managed to get us into this mess in the first place.

But while I’ve done my best to immunise myself against “green shoots” syndrome, it does genuinely seem there may be cause to at least hope again in the pub trade.

It was pleasing to read on Pete Brown’s reputable beer blog this week that the industry seems to be emerging from the worst.

According to city broker Merrill Lynch, 2010 should see “trade recovering, debt at manageable levels, regulatory concerns back to historical levels and property values having bottomed out.”

That may not seem the most glowing outlook ever, but it’s the best for some time and it was followed by more positive news, in that the number of pub closures UK-wide has fallen from 52 a week to a “mere” 39 a week. That figure is still depressingly high, but at least now it’s heading in the right direction.

With the windfall of a World Cup summer on the way, here’s hoping we’re through the worst in York.

In other news this week...

*The latest issue of the ever-informative Ouse Boozer magazine is available now in the usual pubs.

*Pivo in Patrick Pool is hosting a “meet the brewer” event on April 21.

*The Bay Horse in Blossom Street has been refurbished and is now serving food.

*Gavin is Yorkshire Columnist of the Year.