LOCALS SAVE PUB Shuckburgh Arms, Southwick gets a new lease of life with community backing
FENLAND BREWING Brewday with Xtreme Ales
CAMRA CYCLE RALLY
READ MORE ON PAGES 15–17
Climbing hills and finding treasure
ALSO INSIDE PUB & BREWERY NEWS
GIG LISTINGS
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Both pubs are in the CAMRA GOOD BEER GUIDE 2015!
PETERBOROUGH CAMRA PUB OF THE YEAR 2014 & 2011 CAMRA Gold award 2013
PETERBOROUGH CAMRA PUB OF THE YEAR 2014 Runner Up
Ten Real Ales from £2.00 a pint
Six Real Ales from £2.50 a pint
Live Sky Sports • Live Entertainment
Live Sky Sports • Live Entertainment
Happy Hour Monday - Friday 5-7pm
Happy Hour Monday - Friday 5-7pm Cash Quiz every Sunday from 8pm
CAMRA Gold award 2013
Price: £10 per ticket. Pre-purchase only, not available on the door. Please buy from the venue from November. Ask at the bar for more details. The Ploughman Staniland Way, Werrington Centre Tel: 01733 327696
The Dragon Hodgson Centre, Hodgson Ave PE4 5EG Tel: 01733 578088
Editor’s ramblings | 3
Another great beer festival! Bar 2, Bar 4, Wine Bar, Soft Drinks Bar, CAMRA shop, I, along with all other volunteers, had a busy PBF this year! I even got involved in the “build”!
Most enjoyable and in less than 49 weeks it’ll start over again! It was also good to meet people, both those volunteering from outside the area and those visiting. I was told, several times, by volunteers and visitors alike what a “friendly” atmosphere the festival had and it was one of the reasons (the beer obviously also came high on the list) that they came back year after year. Always good to get that type of feedback. Top Tips - the idea is to get readers involved and ask you to forward your odd/funny drinking related tips which can be passed on in future editions. No you don’t have to provide a caricature, leave that to us! It’s a bit of fun! A big thank you to Kenny Baker for providing Bicycle Bell drawing. The sun is still shining so it’s off to enjoy a pint in a pub garden whilst the weather lasts! Cheers JB
Editor: Jane Brown bae-editor@real-ale.org.uk
Published by: Peterborough & District Branch of the Campaign for Real Ale.
Produced on behalf of CAMRA by: Orchard House Media Ltd 9a South Street, Crowland, PE6 0AH Tel: 01733 211933
Magazine Design & Production: Daniel Speed daniel.speed@orchardhousemedia.co.uk
Advertising Sales Manager: Jane Michelson jane@orchardhousemedia.co.uk Tel: 01733 211410
IN THIS ISSUE Welcome from the editor 3 Chairman’s corner 5 CAMRA cycle rally 7 Message from Jackie Rice 7 Shuckburgh Arms saved! 8–9 Pub news 10 Brewery news 11–13 Beer Festival round up 15–17 Membership matters 18 CAMRA cricket 19 Brewing fenland style 20 Top tips 23 ITV Live at the beer festival 23 Peterborough morris 24 Gig dates 25 Diary and beer festival dates 27 Beer-lin! 29 CAMRA contacts 30
Are you missing out? Get Beer Around Ere delivered to your door! For a year (6 issues) send £3.48 for second class or £4.02 for 1st Class or multiples thereof for multiple years. Please send a cheque/PO payable to “Peterborough CAMRA” and your address to:- Daryl Ling, 19 Lidgate Close, Peterborough PE2 7ZA
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Circulation: 7,000 copies distributed to pubs, clubs and members throughout the Peterborough and District CAMRA Branch area. A digital version of this magazine is available to view and download at issuu.com
Main Cover Image: John Moore
Beer Around ‘Ere is published by the Peterborough & District Branch of CAMRA Copyright © 2014, The Campaign for Real Ale Ltd. Views or comments expressed in this publication may not necessarily be those of the Editor or of CAMRA. The next issue of Beer Around ‘Ere will be avialable on the 20th November. We must have your stories, news and advertisiements by 27th October. Please send your stories and other copy to the editor, Jane Brown.
OCTOBER / NOVEMBER 2014 | BEER AROUND ERE
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Pe
GO C terbo W LD AMR roug IN AW A h NE A R RD 20 13 Real traditional ale house in the heart of the city
5 Regularly Rotating Ales Opening Times :- Sunday to Thursday 12noon - 11pm Friday and Saturday 11am - 1.30am
Live Music Fridays and Saturdays ring or check facebook for details! North Street, behind Westgate House, Peterborough Tel: 01733 746370 www.facebook.com/ostrichinn BEER AROUND ERE | OCTOBER / NOVEMBER 2014
IN THE CAMRA GOOD BEER GUIDE 2014
Chairman’s corner |5
Chairman’s Corner
With two pubs every week being converted into supermarkets without any consultation from the local community, CAMRA has launched a campaign to to close some of the national planning loopholes. Another Peterborough Beer Festival has passed by and most indicators appear to be pointing in a positive direction. Attendance figures were up on last year, with almost 30,000 passing through the gates. Beer sales were at a satisfactory level with almost every bar sold out by closing time on Saturday. Yes, we did have a problem with the sewers on Friday evening, which was completely out of our control, however we managed to overcome it. It is now up to the local authorities to fix the problem to ensure there is no risk of it happening again. We always seem to have a problem with liquid at the festival. We either get too much dumped on us, we sometimes can’t sell enough of it and this year we were having a bit of a problem getting rid of it! Our thanks go out to all the visitors who came and supported our great festival. Also to our dedicated volunteers that build and run the event, which would not take place without their help. The winners of the beer competition at the PBF are published within this issue.
CAMRA has launched a campaign to urge the government to close some of the national planning loopholes. The campaign, “Pubs Matter, so why can’t we have a say” has the aim of giving power back to communities by ensuring planning permission is required before the pub can be demolished or have a change of use. With two pubs every week being converted into supermarkets without any consultation or planning permission from the local community, we are asking the government to step in and close these loopholes as a matter of urgency. Many people would say that any pub that is thriving will be supported by the local community anyway and a pub that does not get the support of the local community deserves to fail and nobody gives a hoot if it closes for good. However, ulti-
mately that diminishes the choice of pubs to drink in. In the end maybe only one pub remains within the community and if not well supported, this will also eventually disappear. So giving our support to all of our local pubs is vital. Our AGM will be taking place on the 10th of December (see diary dates on page 27). We would welcome any new or established members who would like to join our Branch committee.
I have a number of copies of the new 2015 Good Beer Guide available to members for a considerable discount. Anyone who wishes to purchase a copy can get in touch with me at the number on the contacts page. That’s it folks for now. David Murray Branch Chairman
Peterborough Pubs Crib League Calling all crib players! The Peterborough Independent Crib League is looking to change its current season format. At present we run both a summer and winter league but are looking to extend our winter season to approximately 8 - 9 months and drop the summer season. To this end we require some new teams and both pubs and clubs are welcome to join.
Currently we play on Wednesday evenings with a 20:30 start. Play is 3 teams of doubles each playing 5 legs and we also have the usual doubles, singles, KO cup etc. We are an extremely friendly league with an emphasis on sporting openness and mutual helpfulness but we also remain competitive. If this could be for you please contact me by early October. Email: cribbage@virginmedia.com or phone 07971 229865. Ross Parton OCTOBER / NOVEMBER 2014 | BEER AROUND ERE
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Hubs Place Easy to get comfortable, a challenge to leave!
Serving two permanent real ales from Fullers & Woodfordes, come and enjoy our friendly bar and a well kept pint. Opening Times Monday - Thursday: Noon to Midnight Friday - Saturday: Noon to 1am. Sunday: Noon - Midnight
12 Market Place, Whittlesey Nr. Peterborough PE7 1AB Tel: 0844 683 9742 BEER AROUND ERE | OCTOBER / NOVEMBER 2014
CAMRA Cycle Rally |7
Long Lost Dinosaur Reunited (CAMRA Cycle Rally) each other in the ensuing crowds. That resolved we took off and headed west.
Danny Dinosaur, long lost member of the winning team of this year’s CAMRA Cycle rally was reunited with his team after being discovered under a table. Congratulations to the Danny Dinosaur team who won the rally on 19th July 2014 despite strong contention from Team Simmo. Many thanks to all who competed and made the event a success. Slight difficulties started when Cathedral Square was double booked with teams struggling to find
The battle raged over south west Peterborough with visits to The Beehive, Ramblewood, Dragonfly, Moorhen, plus Fletton Ex Service Club and finished in the Coalheavers. Challenges involved solving clues, climbing hills and finding treasure such as a plectrum, dolly peg and most unusual treasure. Many thanks to all the landlords and landladies involved who helped make this a memorable evening. Thanks also to the customers of these establishments who tolerated our search for clues with their usual polite helpfulness. Ross, Chez & Paul
Message from Jackie Rice
On behalf my family and me, I feel we must thank everyone involved with Peterborough CAMRA for all the kind things said about John Rice and the amazing amount of donations given in his memory.
funeral, of which we donated £300 to RNLI on the Saturday of Beer Festival and £823 to Sue Ryder, Thorpe Hall, who looked after John and his family. This money is to go towards the new building at Thorpe hall.
Firstly the beer donated by Bexar County and Milton Brewery raising £634, which John himself was able to present to Mandy Gray, the manager of the Oncology ward at Peterborough City Hospital, the staff who saved his life at Christmas. This money will go to providing new bedside chairs. Then there were the donations made at his
Everyone has been so kind and thoughtful and we are humbled by the tributes to John both before and at the Beer Festival. Your kindness will remain with us always. John was a special person to us, a loving husband, Dad, Granddad and Great Granddad. Thank you everyone. Jackie Rice OCTOBER / NOVEMBER 2014 | BEER AROUND ERE
8 | Pub news
Pub Saved by the Locals Shuckburgh Arms, Southwick In June 2014 David Dixon left the Shuckburgh Arms, Southwick, near Oundle in Northamptonshire saying to locals that the pub was unviable and could close to become a private house. The locals and regulars, lead by Tim McLean, decided they wanted to keep their village pub open, so immediately investigated how it was possible to take over the pub, which is leased from local landowners, the Capron family. They received enormous help from the Plunkett Foundation, which helps rural communities to set up and run a range of community-owned co-operatives including community shops, co-operative pubs and community food enterprises. For more information see their website, www.plunkett.co.uk. The Plunkett Foundation helped the locals set up a limited company through a Community Benefit Scheme under the supervision of the Financial Conduct Authority. Locals and villagers were invited to invest in order to buy the stock, fixtures and fittings as well as funds to redecorate the pub, refurbish the gents toilets etc. 30 locally based BEER AROUND ERE | OCTOBER / NOVEMBER 2014
‘investors’ raised over £21,500 and grants of £2,000 from the Plunkett Foundation to assist with legal matters etc; a member empowerment grant of £1,000 from East Northants Council, obtained to help with the gents toilet refurb, and a further £1,000 member empowerment grant from Northants County Council for kitchen improvements. The Capron family also helped by creating a fresh lease in favour of the new community company. Shares are still available until December 31st 2014 at a cost of £50 per share. During a 10 day closure, a band of volunteers smartened up the pub and its ample gardens. These included local builder, Peter Prior, who helped with fencing, and Barry and Zach Wallis, with the toilets, flooring, decking and doors. Local solicitors and accountants have given their time without charge. Some volunteers have even adopted parts of the pub such as the flower borders to keep them in good order.
Pub news |9
The pub is run by a management committee of just 5, voted by the investors, with Charles Whalley as Chair and Tim McLean as Secretary. They plan to meet once a month and all the investors are eligible to attend the AGM and a 6 month review meeting. Former barman Roger Guttridge was asked to act as pub manger and is ably assisted by his partner Helen Jefferies. Any profits, after all the expenses, have to be re-invested in the pub or in other community benefit projects. These are not confined to Southwick, so potentially could help other communities take charge of their pub!
served from 12pm to 4pm; no food Sun evening. On Thursdays from 6pm to 9pm Fish & Chips are available for just £5 – eat-in or take away – they recently sold 48 meals on one Thursday! Breakfast is available from 10am to 11ish on Saturdays and Sundays.
The pub has a small, cosy interior with a large inglenook fireplace on the left, a 1930s brick and wood surround fireplace on the right, both with open log fires in winter. There is also a side passage with tables. There is a covered patio with heaters at the rear and beyond are extensive gardens. The gardens are the new venue for the World Conker Championships held on the second Sunday in October each year. Also at the rear is a cricket ground, home to the Southwick Strokers. Popular with cyclists and walkers, this is also a dog-friendly pub.
If your rural pub is under threat, and you feel it could be saved, the clear message from Southwick is to get together with other locals and villagers and take steps to do something about it. You could finish up with a much improved village pub offering greater social activities than previously.
With a member of the management committee also involved with the running of the village hall and the cricket field, it is possible for outside organisations to run their own events using all the village’s facilities. There is a Bluegrass session every 3rd Thursday of the month, starting at 8.45pm. Other events are planned, so for more up-to-date information please visit their website www.shuckburghpub.co.uk. The pubs opening hours are Tue 4pm to 11pm; Wed to Sat from 10am to 11pm; Sun from 10am to 8pm and closed on Mondays. The pubs phone number is 01832 272044. Real ales on sale are Nene Valley NVB (the pub claims to be the first to sell a Nene Valley real ale) and Brewsters Hophead; also 3 guest beers from (usually local) microbreweries all sold at £2.80 a pint. A full-time chef is now renting the kitchen and so now food is served from 12 noon to 2.30pm and also from 6pm to 9pm with Sunday lunches
The Shuckburgh Arms has always attracted customers from near and far, but Tim points out that the support of the villagers and the improvements to the facilities has meant they have, so far, seen a huge increase in turnover.
Mick Slaughter Photos from top left: The inglenook fireplace at the Shuckburgh Arms and pub manager Roger Gutterige with his partner Helen Jefferies. 2. Exterior of the community owned pub. 3. The cosy interior.
Send us your news! Calling all landlords and landladies! Had a refurb? Got a great event on? Started selling a new range of ales or cider? Let us know and we will add your news to these pages. Just email John Temple at pubs-officer@real-ale.org.uk
OCTOBER / NOVEMBER 2014 | BEER AROUND ERE
10 | Pub news
The Black Horse, Nassington has re-opened its doors after a few weeks closure.
The Woodston, Belsize Avenue, Woodston has closed its doors for good. Another one bites the dust!
The Blue Bell, Helpston. After a period of restricted opening, the Blue Bell is now fully open which good news is for local drinkers. Staying in Helpston, The Exeter Arms is due to reopen before Christmas as a free house. George Sakkalli owner of The Golden Pheasant, Etton has applied for licence and will be working in partnership with John Clare Trust who purchased the building from Enterprise. George said that there will be four hand pumps for real ale and the aim will be have the same standards as those in place at The Golden Pheasant. Refurbishment will create a traditional, friendly, family pub and give the Georgian building a needed revival. George is also planning to have occasional music sessions with local bands. He has the support of the village which is an added bonus!
The Cherry Tree, Woodston had a charity music day in September to raise funds for the Teenage Cancer Trust. The proceeds from the raffle and donations from regulars and the landlady, Janet Goldswain Goldswain, raised over £600 for this great cause. The Cherry Tree holds regular events throughout the year. Check out the Facebook page ‘The Cherry Tree’ for updates.
The Heron, Stanground. The lease which was due to expire in September has been renewed. Good news for Rob and Meri plus the regulars. Don’t forget, Tuesday night is quiz night and Friday is music night.
On Saturday 13th September at the Honest John, Chatteris, Rebecca Andrews took the brave step of having her head shaved for Magpas Helimedix, the emergency medical charity. Rebecca, with the support of her partner Badger, together with her family, friends and fellow bikers, have raised, to date, over £700 with another £100 pledged in sponsorship. An eighteen inch long ponytail has been donated by Rebecca to “Little Princess Trust”, who provide real-hair wigs, free of charge, to boys and girls across the UK and Ireland that have lost their own hair through cancer treatment.
Brewery news|11
Brewery News Bexar County Brewery Bexar County beers have featured in many beer festivals over the last few months, both local and further afield. These have included PBF and the Birmingham Beer Bash. At PBF they won a silver in the Speciality Beer category for Cellarman’s Stout and a bronze in Barley Wine and Strong Ales category for Papa Steve. Blue Bell Private sales and bottled beers sales continue to grow however sales to pubs have now been static for 12 months Castor Ales Phew what a scorcher! Hot weather and soaring sales saw Castor Ales brewing to capacity over the spring and summer. The 37th Peterborough Beer Festival special: Treinta y Siete (thirty-seven in Spanish) was the surprise summer hit! At 5.5% it packed a punch and proved very popular at the PBF14 along with a great showing from Hopping Toad and 12th Man. The collaboration with Bexar County, under the brewery pseudonym of Castxar, Castor and Bollux, confused some, but the resulting love child went down well. Hopping Toad stormed the Coalheavers September beer festival selling out before the Posh match kicked off. Old Scarlett made a surprise appearance on BBC’s The One Show in August when local ale was drunk by celebrities, Louis Smith having the honour of supping Old Scarlett! Hop contracts have secured the future of the Castor favourites but look out for new beers in the next few months as the nights draw in.
Elgoods Brewery Indian Summer is the current seasonal and will be replaced by North Brink Porter in November. The Elgoods Brewery Beer Festival in conjunction with SIBA will take place as follows:Thursday 25th September 6.30 - 10.30pm. Friday 26th September 4-10.30pm. Saturday 27th September 12-10.30pm. There will be live bands including Dr Busker on Thursday and food will be available. Advance tickets £3.00 phone 01945 583160. Pay on door £4.00. King’s Cliffe Brewery (KCB) KCB are happy to report all three of their ales, 5C, No 10 and OBT, sold out at the Peterborough Beer Festival. This was the launch event for KCB and the feedback received was very positive. Jez the head brewer is now looking to supply Peterborough pubs and clubs on a regular basis, as part of CAMRA’s LocAle scheme. So please look out for KCB at your local. KCB is also looking to venture further afield and will be on sale at the Nottingham Beer Festival 8th - 11th October 2014 and at selected pubs in Nottingham during that period. Mile Tree Brewery Mile Tree Brewery beers made appearances during August at, Heron, Stanground, Grainstore Beer Festival, Vine Inn, Market Deeping and Peterborough Beer Festival, to name a few. Trade day at aforementioned festival was a great success for the brewery. September saw them at Letter B, Coalheavers Arms Beer Festival, Conservative Club Beer Festival, Melton Mowbray Beer festival and Elgoods/Siba beer festival. Demand is very high for thier bottled beers at the moment so they are looking to increase output in the near future.
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12 | Brewery news continued
The “Travellin’ Tavern” (does what is says on the tin!) refurbishment is ongoing and the plan is to put in two hand pumps to serve real ale at future events. It made appearances during September and will be at Christmas Fayres/Markets during November/ December including Whittlesey Nov 30th, Ferry Meadows, March 7th Dec and Wisbech 15th Dec.
Mile Tree has been approached by several groups recently to host brewery tours/BBQ evenings this autumn at The Secret Garden Touring Park. They have also been nominated for Fenland Enterprise Business Awards and have been shortlisted in the final four! Awards take place on 10th October at The Braza Club in March. Melbourn Brewery Nothing new to report still producing four fruit beers, although their “Strawberry Fruit Beer” has been in short supply this year. Nene Valley Brewery Nene Valley have had a busy period with work going on apace in their “Tap and Kitchen”, the pub/restaurant on the same site as the brewery. The opening is scheduled for midNovember. The have also recently unveiled their new brewery logo (see above) and decided that all of their beers will now be known by their full names i.e. Nene Valley Bitter instead of NVB. The beer launched in November 2013 as “Starless and Bible Black” has been renamed “Bible Black” and will still be available in two strengths 4.5% and 6.5%. The mild (MLD) has been renamed “Dark Horse”, but otherwise remains unchanged. A new beer, “Starless Stout”, at 4.2%, was launched in June, and has been well received. A Festival Special “Double JIP” at 9.8% was brewed for Peterborough Beer Festival, as Jim Irving, after whom the original “Jim Irving Pale” was named, would have been 98 in July. Sadly, Jim, the brewer at Smiths of Oundle when it closed in 1964, died in November 2013. The brewery intends to brew a Jim Irving memorial beer each July. BEER AROUND ERE | OCTOBER / NOVEMBER 2014
Nene Valley had a trade stand on the first day of Peterborough Beer Festival where they were able to dispense tasters of some of their beers, and, of course, show off their new logo. Their hard work over the past months was recognised during the blind tastings for Beer of the Festival when “Bible Black” won in the Stouts and Porters category, beating 2013 CAMRA Champion Beer of Britain, 1872 Porter, from Elland Brewery, into second place. “Bible Black” went on to beat all of the other category winners, again in a blind tasting, to be crowned “Beer of the Festival”. When I called director, Dick Simpson, with the news, he was ecstatic and declared that they would be commencing a party immediately. Dick reports that their success at Peterborough has stimulated some interest among the customers they already serve but no new accounts have been opened as a result. He feels that this is not the season for a 6.5% porter but that sales will pick up as the year progresses. Oakham Ales Oakham takes silver as Bolt gets the gold! Oakham Ales came very close to repeating their success of 2001 at the recent 2014 Great British Beer Festival. That year they won Supreme Champion Beer of Britain with J.H.B. This time they had to settle for silver with Citra coming second to Timothy Taylor’s Boltmaker. Citra romped through to the final after it won the Golden Ales category. A great result for a fine beer which will surely raise its profile. It has been an award in waiting, as fans of the beer have been saying for the last couple of years that it is as good a beer of its type in the land. The awards ceremony will be held in Kettering at the end of October. The brewery will also be raising the beer’s profile as part of National Cask Ale week with a tasting session for Citra between 12 noon and 5pm at The Brewery Tap on Friday 26th September. Some new beers are coming our way soon. Kraken’s Ink will be familiar to some from the recent P.B.F. as it was the 6.8% Festival special & it is now on general sale.
Deep Thought, a deep chestnut coloured beer at 4.7% is the next Oakadamy beer for release and J.D. Wetherspoon’s autumn beer festival will feature The Great Gustav a 4.8% beer. Then that old favourite Asylum at 4.5% will be the last seasonal beer for the year. CAMRA’s Nottingham Beer Festival in October will feature 11 Oakham Ales beers.
Brewery news continued |13
Star Brewing Company The Star Brewery have suspended brewing Galaxy for the foreseeable future. They are going to run with just two core beers, Meteor and Comet. To compliment these they are brewing two monthly beers, one of them normally Astral 4.4%, (for the summer months), and the other being usually a recurring guest. They brewed a festival special for PBF 2014, which was Orion at 4.7%. Tydd Steam Brewery Gerry Wills, Deputy Chairman of CAMRA Kernow, Cornwall, recently visited to present four awards won at last year’s Falmouth Beer Festival. Piston Bob won Gold in the Best Bitters class and also won overall Champion Beer of the Festival. Golden Kiwi won silver in the Golden Ales class and Quench won silver in the Speciality Beer class. The beers will be returning to the Falmouth beer festival later this year. Bedford and Norwich Festivals are also going to feature Tydd beers next month. Swedish Blonde is about to return as part of the occasional portfolio and this will be followed by Dr Fox’s Cunning Linctus and Armageddon. Leveller is going to be brewed for November. Xtreme Ales The brewery has launched a new website: www.xtremeales.com and bought a new bigger plant from the Fool Hardy Brewery in Stockport. It is hoped the 2.5 Barrel Plant (see photo) will be installed in October.
Owners Mike and Neil met up with Mark Wood from Fool Hardy in August to learn how to brew on the new plant. They also recommend The Hope Inn if you find yourself in Stockport. Peterborough Beer Fest was a great success, showcasing their beers for the first time at their home beer festival. The festival special “Funky Pigeon” sold out within three hours, the second special “Upon this Black Rock” sold out early on the second day. The other two beers, Pigeon Ale and Chocolate Stout, sold out on the Thursday and Friday respectively. Apart from Peterborough, the brewery has also supplied festivals at the Jolly Brewer Stamford, Melton Mowbray, Hand & Heart Peterborough and Nottingham. A special beer “Screamer” was brewed for the birthday of Bram of the Hand & Heart, and was available at their festival.
OCTOBER / NOVEMBER 2014 | BEER AROUND ERE
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BEER AROUND ERE | OCTOBER / NOVEMBER 2014
PBF 2014 Round-Up |15
Peterborough Beer Festival 2014 Round-Up The organisers of the 37th Annual Peterborough Beer Festival are hailing 2014 as another great year with up to 30,000 visitors making their way to the Embankment for the annual five day event. The event got off to a flying start on Tuesday 19th August with the opening Trade Session and a raft of invited guests from the beer industry. The Tuesday afternoon session has now become a key meeting place for landlords, brewers, and industry insiders to network and gain access to the emerging trends within the real ale market. At 5.30pm the doors opened to the public and the large queues already forming poured in to sample the 400+ real ales and numerous ciders, foreign bottled beers and English wines that were on offer. By the end of day one 140 casks of 18 gallons each – over 20,000 pints – had been consumed. Champion Beer judging took place from 11am Wednesday and the results were made available by late afternoon. This year the overall winners were: Gold – Nene Valley Brewery (Oundle): Bible Black
Silver – Bad Seed Brewery (Malton, North Yorkshire): Expresso Stout Bronze – Dunham Massey (Altrincham, Cheshire): Chocolate Cherry Mild As well as the local success from Nene Valley there was recognition in the awards too for Bexar County of Peterborough and Xtreme Ales of Whittlesey, both proving that new and innovative microbreweries from the area can compete against national competition. Full details of all of the winning beer categories can be found on the Peterborough Beer Festival website at www.beer-fest.org.uk. Throughout the week the Festival played host to many live acts from the region. The Rocket Dogs, Tin Pigeons and Motor City Vipers were amongst 12 bands that kept the crowds entertained and the popular Open Mic night on the Tuesday once again proved a draw for talented local performers to get up on stage in front of a big audience. It wouldn’t be the Peterborough Beer Festival without a few challenges however, but the odd
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PBF 2104 Round-Up continued |17
spot of rain did little to dampen everyone’s spirits. Perhaps the biggest problem came on Friday when a section of drainage to the Embankment became blocked – it is thought by a tree root collapsing a main sewer - and as a result half of the toilet blocks on site had to be closed off for health and safety reasons. The Festival organisers worked tirelessly to establish essential maintenance with the local council and water supplier. In the end outside contractors had to be called in order to keep the site running, and by early evening all the issues had been resolved. In summing up the overall view of the Festival organisers, the opinion is that 2014 was another successful and well-managed year. Three years of increasing attendance and good beer sales have shown that Peterborough leads the way in running an event of this size. Mike Lane, chair of the Festival Committee said after the event: “The amount of beer left over at the end of this year’s Festival was very low indeed and this is really good news for Peterborough Beer Festival. This will certainly help us when we come to prepare for next year’s festival with CAMRA.” Next year’s festival is due to take place between 25th – 29th August and planning is due to start almost immediately with a public “wash-up” meeting taking place in October to discuss all aspects of this year’s Festival. For more details check the Peterborough CAMRA website for regular updates. Karl Simpson Peterborough Beer Festival Press Officer 07737 297072 Karls74@hotmail.com
Photos kindly provided by and copyright Bruce Ferguson
18 | Membership is not just for the Beer fest!
Membership Matters Although I was not involved in manning the Membership Stand at the Peterborough Beer Festival, some sterling work by those involved resulted in 111 new members (71 in this branch; 40 from other branches as far apart as Dover, Manchester, York and Pembroke Dock, South Wales) and 14 in-branch renewals. I extend a warm welcome to CAMRA to all of those who joined at the Beer Festival. Please don’t let the Beer Festival be your only experience of CAMRA. In addition to the various social activities within the branch area, organised by our Social Secretary, John Hunt (see contact details on page 30), there are a number of other groups and pubs which organise their own beer/brewery related activities further afield. Our monthly meetings take place at various pubs within Peterborough, and are a good way to meet and get to know other members. All branch activities are to be found on the Diary page of our website (www.peterborough-camra.org.uk). You can, of course, volunteer to help with the set-up and running of next year’s Beer Festival and see what it’s like from the other side. We look forward to meeting some of you at a meeting soon. Bob Melville Membership Secretary
CAMRA Cricket News |19
Peterborough CAMRA Cricket Team: Tour 2014 Canterbury 14 tourists, three matches to play, two brewery visits, 20 real ale pubs and a T20 Blast game between Kent and Hampshire to watch, the story of the cricket team’s tour to Canterbury! Friday 4th July 9:30am: 12 players set out in a minibus supplied by our sponsors The Coalheavers Arms, on the long journey to Littlebourne to play the village team. Being forced into drinking before the game by the opposition, a mixed display in the field followed with the highlight being John Walker’s throw to the keeper which only missed its target by a mere 100metres! Twenty overs finished, Littlebourne had amassed 177 for seven.
with its great selection of real ales and welcoming locals, the Bell & Crown which served arguably the best beer and The Canterbury Ale’s The Knights Ale. Meanwhile over in Selling it was a story of missed chances with stand-in wicket keeper, James Hilton Robinson, dropping Nick Myers on zero who then went on to make 84 in Selling’s total of 192 for 8. In response CAMRA could only make 155 for nine, with Richard Voisey top scoring with 39. That evening all the team had a meal at the Dolphin, a few drinks at the Bell & Crown before drinking The Foundry dry into the early hours.
In response CAMRA were bowled out for 149, with Chairman Pete Jex top scoring with 42. Following a quick tea, the team headed to Premier Inn, Canterbury, to drop bags off and head on to Kent vs Hampshire. Following a disappointing loss by Kent, and the availability of only keg Shepherd Neame Spitfire, the team ended the evening with visits to GBG (Good Beer Guide), pubs The Phoenix and The Foundry Brew Pub.
Sunday started with breakfast and skipper Nick Bradbury looking like Davy Jones in Pirates of the Caribbean, due to one too many in The Foundry. At 11am we received a call from Dover Cosmos informing us that the afternoon’s game was cancelled due to “moisture”. The team then headed into town to sample the remaining pubs on the list and watch the tennis on TV. The evening finished with a night in The Unicorn, the Kent CAMRA Pub of the Year, playing bar billiards and participating in the Sunday night quiz.
Saturday started with breakfast and the team splitting, with the majority of players, including Gary Barrett and Pingu, who had travelled down independently, off to the game with Selling Cricket Club, whilst Neil Holmes and Matt Mace went around Canterbury to sample the local pubs. During the pub crawl 15 local establishments were sampled with the highlights being the New Inn
Monday morning the team loaded up the minibus and headed for two brewery trips, the Mad Cat Brewery just outside Faversham and Kent Brewery in West Malling. A few beers and banter later, the team made its way back to Peterborough following a mixed few days...roll on the Huddersfield tour in 2015! Matt Mace OCTOBER / NOVEMBER 2014 | BEER AROUND ERE
20 | Xtreme Ales Brewday
Brewing Fenland Style It was a lovely warm summer morning a few weeks ago when I got a text from the head brewer at Xtreme Ales to say he was going to brew that day for the up and coming Peterborough Beer Fest 2014 and did I want to go and have a look to see how it was done. Within twenty minutes I was off to Turves about five miles east of Whittlesey in the Fens, where Xtreme Ales are based. Upon arrival Mike Holmes was already into the brew process with the liquor in the mash tun and sparging about to take place Mike started the brew a couple of hours earlier in order to get the liquor up to the correct temperature. He has a 100 litre portable plant based in his garage with all the facilities of a full size plant on hand to brew beer. Today’s brew was Funky Pigeon, a special for PBF2014. With the wheat and malt percolating in the mash tun, the sparging began with the liquor slowly pumped into the copper for the boil. As this takes a while, Mike said it was time to sample a bottle of beer. This turned out to be a beer called Never Again - a light hoppy refreshing beer of 4.2%, just right on a warm summer’s day! This had been brewed for a friend who was getting married for the second time hence the name! Things do not move at a great pace in the Fens so time out was taken to look at a Mustang aeroplane that was flying about the area doing a few aerobatics. Mike flies a bit himself, so was able to inform me about the aircraft that was flying around above. By now the liquor was on the boil, so in went the first of the hops. After ten minutes the boiler began to spill over, but a quick lift of the lid to let the froth go down did the trick. Thirty minutes passed and more hops were added and the boil continued. At this point the mash tun was cleaned out and the spent grain went for chicken feed. The boil continued for another hour or so with BEER AROUND ERE | OCTOBER / NOVEMBER 2014
hops being added at varying points until the timer went off and it was flame out time. More hops are added at this point and a recirculation of the new beer around the plant brought the temperature down to the right level in readiness for the transfer to the fementer, with water being pumped all around the plant. Eventually the liquor tank became full, Mike explained that this would form the next brew. The beer was pumped into the fementer and the OG (Original Gravity) checked. Mike was happy with the results and so the yeast was added to the brew. With nice ambient temperature the beer would be ready to barrel in a few days time and then put into the cold store. From here it would be sent to the fast approaching Peterborough Beer Festival. The whole process took around five hours and the hardest job of the day was cleaning the kit afterwards, washing down and disposing of the spent grain. I had a very nice day spent brewing at this little Fenland micro brewery and would like to thank Mike for the opportunity to see the brewing process and for the hospitality provided. Paul Fuller
3 real ales, 1 real cider and 6 draught beers Game room, Sky & BT sport Freshly prepared food Tuesday to Sunday.
• Food Served Daily • 12-3pm Monday - Sunday 6-9pm Friday & Saturday Sky HD and BT showing Football and Rugby
t. 01780 755141 w. jollybrewer.com Foundry Road, Stamford, Lincolnshire PE9 2PP
Our garden, bars and restaurants are available for your Wedding, office or birthday party. Coming up:
Oct 11th The Big Squeeze Oct 31st Halloween Party Live Music Nov 8th Bon Fire Night Extravaganza 9 High Street, Easton on the Hill, PE9 3LR. Tel: 01780 763003 Email: info@thebluebellpub.com Find us on Facebook: The Blue Bell
OCTOBER / NOVEMBER 2014 | BEER AROUND ERE
22 | Please support our advertisers
The Bluebell Inn Helpston Are we the only pub to have two different images on our pub sign?
We’re like to think we’re different for other reasons too – we’re a proper village local with a really warm welcome to all. We serve great local cask conditioned ales (always a choice of 4 including our own bitter) and some great lagers and cider. We also stock a range of non-alcoholic drinks and brew a good cup of tea! Serving fresh, seasonal, locally sourced produce, our menu offers something for everyone. We hope you’ll visit soon.
The Bluebell, Woodgate, Helpston, Peterborough PE6 7ED Tel: 01733 252394 Email: hello@bluebellhelpston.pub
BEER AROUND ERE | OCTOBER / NOVEMBER 2014
Top Tips |23
TOP TIPS The Bicycle Bell Illustration by Kenny Baker
Fed up with being ignored in a crowded pub? Why not try your bicycle bell? I have found this a most useful tool for scattering tiresome pedestrians from the pavement. So when I arrive at a crowded pub I merely detach the bell and take it in with me. One tweak and I get served immediately. A second tweak and I summon the barperson back for the inevitable top up. Trouble is the last time I tried this my bicycle disappeared. Rupert Rudkin
other Do any e any av h s r reade r hints fo l fu e s u e th ing enhanc g drinkin ? nce ie r e p ex
ITV Live at the Beer Festival
ITV cameras were live at the 37th Peterborough Beer Festival on Wednesday 20th August. An initial visit by an ITV camera crew on Monday during the “build” filmed footage for transmission on Tuesday's breakfast bulletin, I was contacted early on Wednesday by Matthew Hudson, from ITV Anglia News, who requested a live broadcast from the festival for the 6pm Anglia News programme.
Matthew spent the afternoon speaking to staff and the public to get a feel for the unique atmosphere of Peterborough Beer Festival prior to the broadcast. During his tour he met the South Korean Team of DK and Cheko. They were in the UK to brew their IPA as part of the Ohdol Beer Project, which involves the Iceni Brewery and the East Anglian Co-operative.
The wine bar manager, Pamela Baines, was interviewed and altogether nearly an hour of footage was shot for the introduction. Mid-afternoon we received a call from ITV Central News who requested a recorded interview and our very own Chairman, David Murray, valiantly agreed.
The live broadcast was not without tense excitement, two minutes into the broadcast the camera battery failed so they had to cut to the weather girl. Happily we were able to resume and complete the interviews with both David Murray and Paul Langley of Oakham Ales. A big thank you to Matthew and ITV Anglia and ITV Central for their support of the Festival from everyone at the Beer Festival. Mike Blakesley Press Officer OCTOBER / NOVEMBER 2014 | BEER AROUND ERE
24 |Peterborough Morris
Dancing Around ‘Ere Historical records reveal that Morris featured at court and church events from the 15th century, but later became the dance of ordinary village folk. The modern revival of Morris dancing was initiated by the publication of a set of instructions by Cecil Sharp, in 1907. Sharp collected dances from a number of villages in the counties of Gloucestershire, Oxfordshire, and Northamptonshire, which had produced their own steps and dances, now known as the “Cotswold traditions”. Peterborough Morris was formed in 1979 with an aim to learn and perform the dances, whilst also providing a club for like-minded individuals to meet together over a beer or two. Over the last thirty-five years, we have danced at festivals both far and near, including a number of international tours. In 2013 alone, Peterborough Morris attended festivals in Yorkshire, Leicestershire, and Norfolk, to name only a few. And, as with the Morris dancers of old, it's a great excuse to visit different pubs, as we do every Tuesday evening
throughout the summer months. The pleasure from dancing the Morris is not easy to describe but it’s something to do with mastering a skill, being part of a team, maintaining a tradition, and blending exercise with friendship in enjoyable surroundings. We’re always looking for new dancers, young or old, to join us. Could you be the man we need? We would love you to come to one of our practice sessions, just to try Morris with us. Practices take place each week under the guidance of our expert instructor, and particular help is afforded to new men in finding their left foot from their right one! We meet every Tuesday evening at the Fletton Ex-Service and Working Men’s Club in Fletton, from 8.30pm until 10pm. See our advert below for more details.
THE VINE Market Deeping
Gold Award Winner
Free House with 5 Real Ales 2 Regular Ales Vine Ale, Sharps Doom Bar 3 Guest Ales Stockist of Hopshackle Beers
Beer Garden • Large Patio Telephone: 07501 465 646 19 Church Street, Market Deeping BEER AROUND ERE | OCTOBER / NOVEMBER 2014
Live music in a pub new you |25
Gig guide September Sat 27th Triple 7 Blue Boar, Eye The Lurkers Mama Liz, Stamford Kamikaze Hotshots Straw Bear, Whittlesey
The Fedz Iron Horse, Deeping Sun 28th Roadrunner Crown, Uppingham
October
29 North Street, Stanground PE2 8HR. 01733 753544
Friendly village pub with riverside mooring.
Sat 4th Junk Yard Rats Pig & Falcon, St Neots The Fedz Straw Bear, Whittlesey Sun 5th Swing & Jazz Pig & Falcon, St Neots Mon 6th Shake Hands Eric Charters, Town Bridge Tues 7th Open Mic The Dragon, Werrington Wed 8th Open Mic Pig & Falcon, St Neots Fri 10th Alan’s Jam Pig & Falcon, St Neots Oct Grounded The Dragon, Werrington Sat 11th Zeb Roots The Dragon Werrington Whiskey Twist Straw Bear, Whittlesey Treble Damage Pig & Falcon, St Neots Sun 12th Jacen Unplugged Pig & Falcon, St Neots Sun 12th Intermezzo Woolpack, Stanground Wed 15th Open Mic Pig and Falcon, St Neots Fri 17th The Crystal Ship Pig & Falcon, St Neots The Steradents The Dragon, Werrington Lazoons Charters, Town Bridge Sat 18th League Of Mentalmen The Dragon, Werrington
Ben Callanan Charters, Town Bridge Up & Atom, Pig & Falcon, St Neots Kickback Straw Bear, Whittlesey Sun 19th Blues & Jazz Pig & Falcon, St Neots Jazz Jam Brewery Tap, Westgate Wed 22nd Open Mic Pig & Falcon, St Neots Fri 24th Alan’s Jam Pig & Falcon, St Neots Under Covered Dragon, Werrington Sat 25th Band on the Run, Pig & Falcon, St Neots Circa 73 Straw Bear, Whittlesey Sun 26th Jacen Unplugged Pig & Falcon, St Neots Wed 29th Open Mic Pig and Falcon, St Neots Fri 31st Ghost Repeaters Pig & Falcon, St Neots Hooker Dragon, Werrington
Up to 4 Real Ales available Large Garden • Dogs Welcome • BT Sport
Food Served: Tues to Sun 12 - 2.30pm Mon to Sat 6pm - 8pm
Live Music Sunday 12 Oct Intermezzo (String Quartet) 4pm - 6pm
November Sat 1st JPR Trio Dragon, Werrington Children of the Revolution Straw Bear, Whittlesey
Chris Hatt Charters, Town Bridge High Rollers The Dragon, Werrington Sun 2nd Steve Bean Woolpack, Stanground Fri 7th White Spirit The Dragon, Werrington Sat 8th The Rocket Dogs Straw Bear, Whittlesey Fri 14th Jimmy Doherty Charters, Town Bridge Sat 15th On The Ceiling Straw Bear, Whittlesey Leon The Dragon, Werrington Sat 22nd Thunderhead Straw Bear, Whittlesey On the Ceiling The Dragon, Werrington Thurs 27th Matt Howard Brewery Tap, Westgate Fri 28th Dave Jackson Brewery Tap, Westgate The Brays The Dragon, Werrington Sat 29th Tallawah Straw Bear, Whittlesey Sun 30th Red Wine Blues Brewery Tap, Westgate Best of Unplugged Charters, Town Bridge OCTOBER / NOVEMBER 2014 | BEER AROUND ERE
The Ramblewood Inn ‘The pub in the woods’ The all day venue – Open for meals and snacks 12pm to 9pm daily A conservatory restaurant with food served all day, nooks and crannies in the old stables, outdoor seating and extensive parking, plus a selection of Real Ales.
Real food, Real ales, Real pub BEST WESTERN PLUS Orton Hall Hotel & Spa, The Village, Orton Longueville, Peterborough, PE2 7DN Tel: 01733 391111
50% OFF
All food purchased when you spend £25 or more
Name Email Postcode Terms and Conditions - Coupon valid only when £25 or more is spent on food, cannot be exchanged for cash, does not apply to spend on drinks cannot be used in conjunction with any other promotion, not valid for parties in excess of 8 people. Valid until Tuesday 25th November 2014. If you do not wish to receive further promotions please tick here.
For special offers, news and travel directions visit www.traditionalinns.co.uk
Events and beer festivals |27
Diary dates October
Monday 6th at 8.30pm Branch Committee Meeting Coalheavers Arms, Woodston PE2 9BH. All members welcome, please bring membership card. Wednesday 15th at 8.30pm PBF Wash-up Open Meeting The 2014 PBF Wash-up open meeting to be held in Brewery Tap. All volunteers welcome to attend. Sunday 19th The Awards presentation to the Jolly Sailor, Ramsey and the Letter B Whittlesey which was postponed from the 31st August.
CAMRA meetings and socials
Minibus will depart the Brewery Tap at 12.00 and return by 8pm. Cost £8.00. For those who live locally, the presentation to the Jolly Sailor will take place at 1.30pm and the Letter B presentation will take place at 4.30pm. To book places please contact John Hunt, Social Secretary. Please try and support events and contact Social Secretary by e-mail, text or phone. (see contacts listing p30.) Please book as soon as possible in order to aid the planning process.
November
Tuesday 11th at 8.30pm Branch Committee Meeting The
Beer Festivals October
Friday 3rd - Sunday 5th Octoberfest Beer Festival at the Prince of Wales Feathers, Castor
Friday 3rd - Monday 6th The Bartons Arms, 144 High Street, Aston, Birmingham Autumn Beer Festival, 20+ ales. see www.thebartonsarms.com
Wednesday 8th – Saturday 11th Bedford Beer & Cider Festival (CAMRA). Corn Exchange, St Pauls Sq, Bedford, MK40 1SL 100+ real ales, 40 ciders + perry, draught & bottled foreign beer www.northbedscamra.org.uk
Ploughman, Werrington, PE4 6NA. All members welcome, please bring membership card.
December
Saturday 6th CAMRA Christmas Party, The Ploughman, Werrington, PE4 6NA. Entertainment from The Nuggets. For tickets please contact David Murray (chairman@real-ale.org.uk) Wednesday 10th at 8.30pm Peterborough Branch AGM, Brewery Tap, all members welcome, please bring your membership card.
CAMRA and other beer festivals in the coming months
Wednesday 8th – Saturday 11th Nottingham Robin Hood Beer Festival (CAMRA) Nottingham Castle, NG1 6EB 1,000+ cask beers, 200+ ciders & perries Friday 10th – Sunday 12th Cider festival. Woolpack, North Street, Stanground, Peterborough PE2 8JF. Local ciders and sausages of all flavours. Live music. Thursday 30th – Sunday 2nd November 2014 Halloween Spooktacular. Dragon, Hodgson Centre, Hodgson Avenue, Peterborough PE4 5EG. Live music all weekend. Hell Pit BBQ.
Thursday 30th October – Sunday 9th November Pig n Hog Autumn Festival. Pig n Falcon, St Neots 40 real ales, ciders and craft beers.
November
Thursday 27th - Sunday 30th Winter Beer Festival at the Ploughman, Werrington Centre Thursday 27th - Sunday 30th Brewery Tap, Westgate. Winter Beer Festival. 30+ Ales and guest ciders. Live music each evening. Free entry.
OCTOBER / NOVEMBER 2014 | BEER AROUND ERE
28 | Please support our advertisers
PALMERSTON ARMS 82 Oundle Rd www.palmerston-arms.co.uk
14 Ever-changing, gravity fed real ales Wood burner for winter
VINYL NIGHT Bring down your favourite records Check Facebook for next event
UKELELE NIGHT Every Thursday from 7.30pm
PHILOSOPHY NIGHT Check Facebook for next event
LAZY SUNDAYS
Opening Times Mon - Thurs 3-12pm Fri and Sat 12 - midnight Sun 12-11.30pm
from 4pm
For information on live entertainment go to:
Palmerston Arms
from 4pm
BEER AROUND ERE | OCTOBER / NOVEMBER 2014
Berlin trip |29
Beer - lin!
Having just returned from a mini break to the wonderful city of Berlin, I thought I would risk boring you all with the details. Judged to be one of Europe’s best value destinations, it certainly proved to be a very worthwhile trip for a low cost three day City Break. The flight from Southend, although affected for 4 hours by those pesky French air traffic controllers, took a mere 1 hour 20 minutes before landing at Berlin, Schonfeld. The city has a really good transport system, you can travel by rail, underground rail, trams and buses, all on one ticket. This can be purchased for 1 journey, for a day, a week, a month, or as we plumped for the 3 day pass for 25.5 Euros. Despite the great transport system, we spent a lot of time walking, but there are plenty of City Tours on buses, segways, bikes, boats and Trabants. The river boat trip is an excellent way to see all the sites of the city, but it is more than amusing to see the highly decorated Trabant Safari chugging noisily along the streets. Street food, bars and restaurants are everywhere, catering for all the usual styles, but we can guarantee that the Kebab houses are generally of excellent quality & good value. “Currywurst” is on offer on most street corners and must be tried. It consists of a large German sausage, sliced, covered in a curry tomato ketchup and served with bread. Of course the main reason for our trip was to sample the beers on offer, along with embracing the culture and cuisine at the same time. The highlight of the ale scene was a bar / restaurant in the Charlottenburg district called the “Mommsen-Eck” which boasted over 100 bottled beers on sale from all over Germany, and 15 beers
East Side Gallery Berlin. Photo: Gil.K / Shutterstock.com
on draught. Put alongside some really nice traditional German grub, it made the evening very pleasant indeed. The beers were all of good quality, with some excellent light and dark Weisbeers, Bitter beers, Pilsners and Helles, (beer style), all priced at around 2.95 - 4.45 Euros for half a litre. We obviously sampled our fair share whilst feasting on Bratwurst, Sauerkraut and Potato Salad.
The following day after visiting Alexander Platz, Berlin Cathedral, Brandenburg Gate, Berlin Wall, Checkpoint Charlie, Jewish memorial and other attractions, we happened upon the atmospheric “Aufsturz Bar” on Oranienburger Strasse. This was close to the River Spree, 5 minutes from Friedrichstrasse Station and also offered over 100 bottled beers from all over Germany and Belgium. Of course, we had to stop and sample a few of these and they went down very well. This place seemed quite trendy with the locals and tourists side by side, plus very helpful bar staff. On our last day there we had a really nice beery lunch, (selection of German sausages with grated horseradish & German mustard), in the “Weihenstephaner” bar outside Hackescher Markt station. This brewery claims to be the Oldest Brewery in the world, originating in Bavaria in the year 1040. The ambiance here was really good as all the staff wore traditional Bavarian costumes. They served some really refreshing beer, outside, in a bustling little square, which was full of bars, buskers and happy people, enjoying the glorious sunshine! We can’t wait to return. Dave McLennan OCTOBER / NOVEMBER 2014 | BEER AROUND ERE
30 | CAMRA Contacts Branch Committee Secretary: Dickie Bird 4 Cissbury Ring,Werrington Peterborough, PE4 6QH 01733 574226 (tel & fax) 07731 993896 info@real-ale.org.uk
Chairman: David Murray 01733 560453 chairman@real-ale.org.uk Treasurer: Paul Beecham 01733 311981 07710 008693 treasurer@real-ale.org.uk
Vice Chair: Matthew Mace 07809 629241 vice-chair@real-ale.org.uk Social Sec: John Hunt 07923 489917 social-sec@real-ale.org.uk
Pubs Officer: John Temple 07905 051 312 pubs-officer@real-ale.org.uk
Press Officer: Mike Blakesley 01733 390828 (h) 07747 617527 (m) press-officer@real-ale.org.uk
Young Members: Kara Williams young-members@real-ale.org.uk
Membership: Bob Melville 07941 246693 membership@real-ale.org.uk
Festival Org: Mike Lane 07850 334203 festival-organiser@real-ale.org.uk
LocAle Officer: Dave McLennan 01733 346059 (h) 07854 642773 (m) locale@real-ale.org.uk Webmaster: Harry Morten webmaster@real-ale.org.uk
Brewery Liaison Officers Blue Bell: John Hunt 07923 489917 Bexar County Brewery & Mile Tree Brewery: Steve Williams 07756 066503 Castor Ales: Mike Lane 07850 334203 Digfield: Dave Waller 07821 912605
Elgoods: John Hunt 07923 489917
Hopshackle: Noel Ryland 07944 869656
Kings Cliffe Brewery: Mike Blakesley 07747 617527
Melbourn: Lew Clayton 01780 765063
Nene Valley: Bob Melville 07941 246693
Oakham Ales: Dave Allett 07966 344417 Tydd Steam: John Hunt 07923 489917
Star Brewing Company: Dave McLennan 07854 642773. Xtreme Ales: Matt Mace 07809 629241
Trading Standards
08545 040506 www.consumerdirect.gov.uk Check out our website at: www.real-ale.org.uk
Pub Merit Awards & Gold Awards Does your local pub have excellent beer, friendly staff, a great atmosphere/ community spirit, or have they introduced additional hand pumps? If so nominate them for Gold or Merit Award. The new Merit Award is for pubs that are continuously outstanding, so if you know of a deserving pub within the branch area, please complete the form below indicating Gold or Merit Award and post to the secretary or email nominations to info@real-ale.org.uk. Pub name: Pub address/town/village: Reason for award: Your name: Your phone number or e-mail address: Your membership number:
BEER AROUND ERE | OCTOBER / NOVEMBER 2014
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More than just a Carvery! A great welcome awaits you at The Farmers, Yaxley. We are famous for our fresh vegetables and great carvery meats, succulent and served with all the trimmings, then finished off with a tantalising hot or cold dessert!
Open Every Day 10am - 5.30pm All Day Menu & Coffee Midday - 2:30pm Carvery & Specials Menu 5:30pm - LATE Carvery & Grill Menu Sunday Open From 12 Noon - 9pm All Day Carvery
Check out our lunch-time grill menus and our everchanging specials boards. Put it all together with three fine cask ales and you have the perfect place to enjoy dinner with friends or a family celebration. We have a self -contained function suite which is ideal for parties, weddings and all of life’s celebrations. So if you’ve not been before give us a try and you’ll be pleasantly surprised.
Planning a wedding or special family event? We have lots of packages available including our new Green Room facility. Please call for further details. 200 Broadway, Yaxley Tel: 01733 244885 Email: thefarmers@btconnect.com
www.thefarmersyaxley.co.uk