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Issue ssue 28 | Oc October ober - De ob D December ec ce em mb be ber 20 2015 5
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Inside... Snuggling in Carnforth How the Snug began
Ales Reach a Zenith Cross Bay Brewery history
Morecambe Meandering Part Two (Town & City Pubs) WWW. LU NES DA L EC A MR A .O R G .UK
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plus much more...
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Cliff Laine
F
estival time is upon us and in this issue you’ll be able to read about our very own Morecambe Beer Festival, the Lancaster Northern City of Ale initiative, and reports from elsewhere. As the nights draw in, Lancaster has much to offer as an alternative to sitting indoors with statesubsidised supermarket booze. Brewdog Brewery has got into a bit of hot water recently, with a petition being raised against its new promotional video, in a small section of which two men gyrate in a shop window intended to evoke the more louche areas of a Dutch city. The offence taken, is that this denigrates women and transgender people. I can’t see that myself, and in that face most of the video is about their commercial and brewing activities. However, it’s always easy to dismiss concerns when you are not part of the group raising them, and I do think that in general, the real ale scene has an almost unshiftable habit of shooting itself in the foot in trying to shed its its rather man-centred image, with various initiatives falling flat or putting off the very people to whom they are supposed to appeal.. These aren’t problems encountered in the drinking cultures of some other countries. As I write this I am on my way to the Brussels Beer Weekend, where about
430 beers -- all Belgian -- will be available in the Grand Place, or Groete Markt, depending on which side of the Belgian linguistic divide you inhabit. Belgian’s beer culture is justifiably world-renowned, but if we look beyond the actual beer and see the circumstances in which the Belgians drink, we can see something equally as encouraging. One thing that is striking about Belgian drinking culture is how women, including young women, drink beer all the time there. In fact, it is a drink enjoyed by all classes, genders and ages. Young people are never asked for ID. The legal drinking age for beer and wine there is 16, but, as a Wikipedia article notes, this is “rarely enforced”. The greater secret and treasure is how Belgium has managed to create a drinking culture in which even sole young women can sit at the bar and enjoy a drink or six. It’s strange that in the United Kingdom, women still do not have the freedoms taken for granted by men, to go out by themselves and sit in pubs without attracting sometimes unwelcome attention. And it’s an aspect of our drinking culture that needs changing..
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EDITOR’S COLUMN
Cliff Laine editor@lunesdalecamra.org.uk 078 1050 7602
Branch Contacts Chairman: Michael Dillon Branch Secretary: Martin Sherlock e: secretary@lunesdalecamra.org.uk t: 01524 66131 Treasurer: John Slinger Lunesdale Drinker Editor: Cliff Laine e: editor@lunesdalecamra.org.uk t: 07810 507602 (call for a postal address)
The Editor reserves the right to amend or shorten contributions for publication. All editorial copyright © Lunesdale CAMRA 2015. Disclaimer: The views expressed in articles are those of individual contributors and are not necessarily the views of the Lunesdale Branch, The Campaign for Real Ale Ltd. Lunesdale CAMRA accepts no liability in relation to the accuracy of advertisements; readers must rely on their own enquiries. It should also be noted that acceptance of an advertisement in this publication should not be deemed an endorsement of quality by Lunesdale CAMRA.
PUBLISHED BY Capital Media Group, 1st Floor, Central Buildings, Middlegate, Newark-on-Trent, Nottinghamshire, NG24 1AG t: 01636 302 302 • e: hello@choose.capital www.choose.capital
© 2015 Capital Media Group. All Rights Reserved. No part of this publication may be transmitted, reproduced, recorded, photocopied or otherwise without the express written permission of the copyright holder.
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PUB & BREWERY NEWS Your local update
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is the season for refurbishment. First up, the former Yates (Lancaster) reopened on Friday 3 July under the name of the “Crafty Scholar”. Little has changed visually apart from a coat of paint and prints on the walls, but there is a better choice of beers (four cask on opening night) and higher prices. Next, the Slyne Lodge (Slyne) reopened under the name “Lodge”. The bar, chandelier and fireplace are all still present and correct but a contemporary colour scheme has been applied and the dartboard and TV are gone. Now being managed by the owners of the Borough in Lancaster, the beer is currently the same (four from the Marstons group), but Borough beers and a 40p CAMRA discount are promised. Really soon now, possibly before you read this, the Morecambe (Morecambe) is due to reopen. The length of time the building work has taken, I can only expect it will be utterly transformed. The John O’Gaunt (Lancaster) is on a tighter timetable, closing for five weeks, but an extensive refurb is promised. We can say goodbye to the New Albert (Lancaster), which is to become student accommodation (how much more of this can a town take?) and the Britannia (Lancaster) which is for sale, probably as a non-pub. A little ray of hope: it seems that the Royal (Silverdale) will reopen as promised
as a premises licence has been applied for. The last time I was in Ingleton, I noticed two new bars had been opened, right next to one another. The Old Post Office opened apparently towards the end of last year. It describes itself as a “microbar”, which is presumably like a micropub without draught beer – in fact all the beer is in bottle, though some might well interest readers of this magazine anyway. La Cascada opened in the middle of this year, in what was formerly Duke’s off licence and gift shop, and serves proper meals but does have two handpumps. Both of these places have quite limited opening hours which make them difficult to visit using public transport. If I may digress, this does seem to be an increasing trend. It’s far from uncommon now for a pub to close for one or two whole days a week (as these two do), which hardly ever used to happen: not uncommon, either, to only open in the evenings midweek (ditto). This can be a nuisance if you are out walking, cycling, etc in the countryside (it would be a good idea if they didn’t all choose the same day to close), but you can expect to see the proprieters behind the bar most of the time in these establishments, which is generally a good thing.
FUTURE EVENTS
For more details keep an eye on our website: www.lunesdalecamra.org.uk
OCTOBER
DECEMBER
NOVEMBER
• Saturday 12th : Christmas Dinner, Merchant’s (Lancaster)
• Saturday 10th : 12.15pm : Branch Meeting, Woodlands (Silverdale) • Tuesday 10th : 8pm : Branch Meeting, Three Mariners (Lancaster) • Sunday 15th : Hike & Pint - The Lune Valley. Catch bus 81A at 11:15 from Lancaster Bus Station to Arkholme.
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• Wednesday 9th : 8pm : Branch Meeting, Borough (Lancaster)
Please send details of future events you would like to be included as early as possible. Send to Martin Sherlock at secretary@lunesdalecamra.org.uk
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THURSDAY 24TH TO SATURDAY 26TH SEPTEMBER Trimpell Club, Out Moss Lane, Morecambe LA4 4UP. Open Thursday 5 – 11, Friday and Saturday 12 – 11. CAMRA members £2/day, £4/ weekend, non-members £4/day, £8 weekend. Glass – £2 refundable.
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MORECAMBE BEER FESTIVAL 2015
Organiser Peter Morgan writes: We are looking to recruit volunteers to work at the festival in various roles (beer bar, cider bar, entrance/wristbands, tokens, refunds & general stewarding). We would appreciate it if anyone who wishes to give a helping hand to advise us of their availability via email (morecambebeerfestival@ gmail.com) and of any role they may prefer. Working at Beer Festivals is great fun, a chance to make new friends, chat to like minded people and have a laugh. Even if you can only spare a few hours... every little helps, you will be fed and watered dependant on hours worked so you will have chance to sample some of the excellent beers and ciders on offer. We will need help for the set up on the Mon/ Tues/Wed and take down on the Sun as well as when we are open to the public, so go on, get involved... I’ll drink to that!
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New Inn
TOWN & CITY PUBS Part Two by Lawrence Bland
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ur walk around Morecambe continues past the Winter Gardens. It was the venue for the first three Morecambe Beer Festivals and is a late Victorian theatre which still needs millions spending on it to bring it back to its former glory. Behind the War Memorial was the site of the former Swimming Stadium and the old railway station which was sited here before Promenade Station opened in 1907. At no. 10 Northumberland Avenue there was a Station Inn, a former vicarage for the Parish Church, and at no 2 was the Bath beer house (I believe there were baths in a nearby summer garden), both replaced by the present Bath Hotel, a popular music bar, although I’ve not seen real ales on recent visits. Returning to the Promenade, no real ale at the Crown and Tivoli, with the Office/Whistling Oyster (this was formerly the Queen’s Temperance Hotel) having closed. Opposite the statute of the town’s favourite son Eric Morecambe is the large King’s Arms, providing everything you want, beer, food music, sport, etc. Almost
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next door is the Royal Bar, a pub which is both the Visitor and our local CAMRA branch Pub of the Year. On the corner of Euston Road, the Oasis amusement arcade was the site of the former West View Hotel, which was demolished in 1936 to build a Burton’s. Euston Road used to lead to the former L. & N. W. Railway and bus station. It now hosts the resort’s Wetherspoons, one of the better ones, the Eric Bartholomew (Eric’s Morecambe’s former name). On the left looking towards the Post Office, is the site of the former Royalty Theatre, now the Arndale Centre entrance. The Victoria, on the street of the same name is closed and being replaced by housing. A short walk up Pedder Street and you find the Chieftain (note the head of a 18th century British soldier over the door), a popular beer and food pub. Back to the Promenade, the Palatine, the Lancaster Brewery tap, was originally the Leeds Hotel before being rebuilt. Opposite the clock tower is the Queen’s, probably the oldest hotel and pub on the promenade, built around 1860, having s e v e r a l n a m e s , including
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Pacha nightclub and Baroque in recent times, now a late night music pub with limited opening days. Although I have found real ale on, I suspect people aren’t going in specially for the beer! Almost next door is the Pier (S & N) opposite the former Central Pier. Queen Street, ‘or locally, the Barbary Coast’, being an ancient thoroughfare to Lancaster, had naturally lots of pubs. Looking right, there is currently no real ale at the Lord Nelson on Nelson Street nor left at Smoky O’Connor’s (‘Smoky Joe’s) on Back Morecambe Street Note the stone engraving on one of the buildings, now the Old Town Hall Mews. Neither can one find real ale at Coast (former Mason’s Arms), Nowhere (formerly the Ship, built in 1864) or in the Bradford Arms (formerly the Railway Tavern/Inn). The Plaza cinema was on the right, and the next port of call for the ale drinker is the Joiner’s Arms, a good traditional Thwaite’s pub. Going up Deansgate, the Bull on Lines Street is worth a visit. We are now moving into the old Poulton-leSands, full of old fisherman’s cottages with sides of some houses painted with murals. At 41 Poulton Road one such depicts shows some shrimpers at work., and in a children’s playground on Poulton Road there is an old stone doorway (13th century) from the old Poulton Hall (17th century). Despite the age of the building and the fact that ancestors of George Wa s h i n g t o n lived here, the building was demolished in 1932 to make a market and car/coach park.
The recently re-opened Smuggler’s Den, claiming to be the oldest pub in Morecambe, is full of history, delightful stained glass windows and historical artefacts with tales of underground tunnels. The police station is built on the site of the Punch Bowl from 1641, just in front of the Holy Trinity, the parish church of Morecambe. Going back to the seafront along Lord Street, we pass the Morecambe Hotel, another old establishment (1828), undergoing major refurbishment and hopefully will have reopened with real ale by the time this edition of this magazine is printed. St. Mary’s, the last Catholic club in the area, closed recently. Retracing our steps, we pass the shrimp shop and the traditional and cosy New Inn in Poulton Square. On Thornton Road, we pass the site of the Queen Victoria Hospital and the former Odeon Cinema (now a furniture shop) and over York Bridge to the York Hotel, a Mitchell’s community pub well run by Mick Dennison. Note there was originally a level crossing before the bridge opened in the 1930s and the entrance to the pub would have been in what is now the cellar. Go down Out Moss Lane or James Street and we come the Trimpell Club, venue for the 2015 Morecambe Beer festival.
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New Inn
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The Sunshine Ale proves a little strong for our Eric
ALES REACH A ZENITH ACROSS THE BAY Peter Cross introduces a bit of Sunshine into Morecambe
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ross Bay Brewery was formed in the summer of 2011 by Peter M Cross. We produce four core beers, Sunset, Nightfall, Dusk & the award winning Zenith. In addition to this there is a series of seasonal ales, which are released throughout the year. These ales have been carefully formulated by an award winning brewing team, who produce fine handcrafted beers by blending together creativity, skill, and premium, natural ingredients. Cross Bay Brewery’s visually appealing branding, with both contemporary and traditional designs of the pump clips catch the eye of customers, therefore creating intrigue, which encourages trial and repeat purchases. Cross Bay refers to the local history of Morecambe Bay and the dangerous guided route across the sands which was nevertheless the main trading and passenger route before the rail network was developed. Crossing the Bay could be perilous, due to the quicksands and changing tides. Many travellers owe their lives to the Guides who found and made the safest routes across the sands with laurel branches. The route was used by Royalty on their travels North and to Scotland and today there is still an official Queens Guide who takes groups across the sands for walks and runs, often for charity. Dangerous as the Bay can be it produces the famous and incomparable Morecambe Bay sunset, with the fantastic views of the the Lakeland Hills, which are the inspiration behind Cross Bay Brewery ales. Cross Bay brewery are proud of the local heritage and landscapes, which led them to name the beers after different times of day that the sun crosses the sky over the Bay. However, it is not only landscape
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that informs our beers. Next year marks 75 years since local son Eric Morecambe and Ernie Wise first performed together. Eric Morecambe Day will be held on 26th July 2016, and many events are planned leading up to this day. We at Cross Bay Brewery are pleased to have been asked to produce “Sunshine Ale”. as a tribute to Eric Morecambe. A financial contribution from all sales will be made towards the bronze artwork of Eric and Ernie that is to be sited in The Sunshine Garden of Fame on the promenade in Morecambe opposite the Winter Gardens Theatre. This is the only official beer produced in tribute to Eric Morecambe and is endorsed by sculptor Graham Ibbeson. It is light blonde in colour with a smooth malt taste and red berry additions from UK grown hops. The first brew was produced in April and sold very quickly. A second brew was produced in June and a third was sold in the first week, and so we have decided to keep it as a permanent beer in the portfolio. It is available in 9 gallon casks, 500ml Bottles and Eric Morecambe Gift Packs with 2 bottles and an exclusive etched Eric Morecambe Statue pint glass. Bottle and Gift packs can be purchased from The Wineyard & Deli, Princes Crescent, Morecambe or can be ordered by email wineyardbare@gmail.com or online www. wineyarddeli.co.uk. For Cask Ale orders call Morecambe Bay Wines Limited on 01524 39481. You can also visit the CrossBay Brewery Website www.crossbaybrewery.co.uk for more information on the brewery and its beers and for more information on Eric Morecambe Day and Sunshine Ale, please visit the official Eric Morecambe Statue website www.ericmorecambestatue.org
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Inside The Snug
SNUGGLING DOWN IN CARNFORTH How Gregg Beaman went off the rails
T
he Sunday Times, on the first Sunday in March 2012, carried an article about micropubs, largely concentrating on the Butcher’s Arms in Kent, the very first micropub. That was it, I wanted one, and thankfully Julie (my wife) was as enthusiastic as I was. We both enjoy good beer and wine and have very clear ideas on what makes a good pub. No music, as one man’s concerto is another man’s cacophony. No gaming machines or TVs, as we want a pub, not an amusement arcade cum cinema. No fizzy lager or shots, indeed no spirits. We just wanted good beer, wine, decent cider and quality soft drinks for the driver. We didn’t want a restaurant either so we only offer pork pie, cheese and biscuits and the usual crisps, peanuts and pickled eggs. Next we visited three other micropubs in Hartlepool, Ramsgate and Newark and were hugely impressed by all three. Around the same time a unit became available at Carnforth Station, the perfect location. That was it, the Station Trust were happy for us to rent Unit 6 and we got the necessary planning and licensing applications into the City Council. But there was no cellar, which could be a problem. During this process I was invited to a Business Network International meeting to talk about our plans. I’d had the idea of building a refrigerated cellar behind the bar but had no idea how to design and build it, I just thought it was feasible. From that meeting I was introduced to the man who would design and build the cellar which is a wonderful feature in The Snug
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storing our casks, ciders, wines and soft drinks behind glass, fully visible to customers. Micropubs are seen as the modern equivalent of the old alehouses, which we were happy with but didn’t want the spit and sawdust. So we went with a cross between a pub and a continental bar. We chose high tables and chairs in the hope that we would fill our 300 sq feet with customers and those standing would still be able to converse at the same level with friends who are seated. Thankfully that is the case and it works. We opened our doors on 1st August 2012, a five month process from start to finish. Since then we have met some fantastic people and formed some tremendous friendships. We’ve had birthday parties, a wedding proposal and various events such as a gin tasting evening, as well as raising over £3000 for Help for Heroes. In December 2012 we ran a trip to the Marble Arch pub, Marble Brewery and the Manchester Christmas Markets. We booked a mini-bus but ended up filling a 65-seater coach. Outings are now a quarterly feature of Snug life and sixty-two of us recently went on a jolly to the Hawkshead Brewery at Staveley and on to Cartmel. We now have our annual beer festival, this year on 20th and 21st November, with
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ropub c i M g tion nu The Sat Carnforth Sta inks Soft Dr Wine & V , le A l music, T ve Rea r, spirits, machines No lage We ser ing or gam
Open Tuesday to Saturday 12 noon - 2pm & 5pm - 9pm & Sundays 12.30pm - 5pm
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around thirty beers and six ciders. For the beer festival we also utilise the Midland Hall in the Heritage Centre. But with five handpumps at the Snug, every day is like a mini beer festival anyway. We change our beers constantly, although some come back more regularly than others, and we now have three ciders on draught too and a range of quality Belgian bottled beers. We also have a ukulele group that perform publicly at our beer festivals. We were the seventh micropub nationally and the first in the North West. There are now over one hundred. Many of us have never worked behind a bar before let alone run a pub. You really need enthusiasm, a love of good beer and enjoy a good get-together. We often lock up and say to each other on our walk home how much like a party the night has been. I never thought that my life would be changed by a newspaper article, but thankfully it has been and for the better. We love it and looking at the reviews, articles, as does the Good Beer Guide and plenty of other people too.
Call: 07927 396861 Blog: thesnugmicropub.blogspot.co.uk Email: the.snug.carnforth@gmail.com Facebook: www.facebook.com/thesnugmicropub
24 St George’s Quay, Lancaster 01524 388808
Traditional Pub, Boasting 6 Guest Ales Large South-Facing Beer Garden
Catering for party bookings on request
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Hikers await the outcome of the ouija session at the Hill Inn.
HIKE & A PINT Lawrence Bland gets high - Ribblehead to Ingleton Hike
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ive hikers left on the ‘Northern Dalesman’ bus route 830/832 from Lancaster at 09:15 and joined up with some people from Keighley and North Craven Branch. The main party had a walk around the Ribblehead Quarry, part of the Ingleborough National Nature Reserve, whilst waiting for the Station Inn to open. Two hikers ascended Whernside and we met up later, but we thought them rather wimpish not to reach Ingleton via the top of Ingleborough. A dry day was forecast, but there the drizzle got heavier as the afternoon progressed, typical weather in the Yorkshire Dales start of August! In the Station, most of the party tried the Tet’s Summer Ale, before starting the walk under the viaduct and across Low Sleights, to Chapel-le-dale and the
Hill Inn, for some Dent Aviator. We took the old Roman Road to Ingleton. At the Wheatsheaf, Lees MPA was sampled by most of the party until it ran out. Next door, the Post Office micropub was unfortunately closed until the evening. In the next port of call, the Three Horseshoes, the Thwaites 20 Summers was sampled. I left slightly earlier on the 17:25 bus to Lancaster, the only passenger. Whether North Yorkshire’s policy of removing some Sunday services from the National Concessionary Pass is having an effect is open to debate. The rest of the party visited the Craven Heifer (Thwaites) and the Ingleborough Working Men’s Club (always known as the Top Club in Ingleton) with Taylor’s Golden Ale, returning on the busier 18:35 bus.
PUBS WITH CAMRA DISCOUNT This list is believed to be accurate, but may of course change without notice. Some pubs don’t give discount on half pints. Email any errors or omissions to editor@lunesdalecamra.org.uk LANCASTER • Bobbin (LA1 1HH) - 30p off a pint • Borough (LA1 1PP) - £1 off a pint of their own ales only • Fibber McGee’s (LA1 1UP) - 30p off a pint • George & Dragon (LA1 1RB) - 10p off a pint • Greaves Park (LA1 3AH) - 30p off a pint • Juke Joint (was Lord Ashton) (LA1 1NY) - 10% off • Merchants (LA1 1YN) - 10p off a pint • Pendle Witch (LA1 1XN) - 10% off • Penny Bank (LA1 1XF) - 10p off a pint • Penny Street Bridge (LA1 1XT) - 30p off a pint • Robert Gillow (LA1 1HP) - 10% off • Study Room (LA1 1LH) - 10% off • Tap House (LA1 1UH) - 10% off • Three Mariners (LA1 1EE) - 10p off a pint
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• Water Witch (LA1 1SU) - 30p off a pint • White Cross (LA1 4XT) - 10p off a pint MORECAMBE • Smuggler’s Den (LA4 5HB) - 50p off a pint of house ale • Royal Hotel (LA4 4BJ) - All ales £2 a pint GARSTANG • Th’Owd Tithe Barn (PR3 1PA) - 30p off a pint • Wheatsheaf (PR3 1EL) - 20p off a pint GALGATE • Plough (LA2 0LQ) - 40p off a pint HEYSHAM • Royal Hotel (LA3 2RN) - 10% off INGLETON • Wheatsheaf (LA6 3AD) - 10% off
Members need to be in possession of a current valid CAMRA membership card to claim the discount.
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ThreeLancaster's Mariners Original Inn Fantastic selection of real ales
Traditional home cooked food, served seven days a week
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The
Small functions and gatherings catered for
Three Mariners | Bridge Lane | Lancaster | LA1 1EE | t. 01524 388 957
w ww.thethreemarinerslancaster.co.uk
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Liverpool
TADDY’S TRAVELS Tadeusz Szczepanski discovers that talking to strange men in unknown pubs is always a good idea ORMSKIRK With temperatures in West Lancashire pushing 17 degrees C, The Welsh Rarebit and I thought it prudent, for health and safety reasons, to seek solace on the terrasse at The Court Leet, Wetherspoons new-ish pub in the town centre. As we luxuriated on the “authentic-look” Astroturf with our pints of Burscough Priory Gold (3.8%, £2.10) we got into conversation with two Scousers. They listened to The Welsh Rarebit’s heart-rending tale of how the desperate conditions of Methodism and an almost complete lack of vowels in her home town in North Wales, forced her to abandon her own country with nothing but the blouse on her back, a second class railway ticket and two Pickfords vans, to seek a better life abroad in a city that could offer a brighter future. Unfortunately, the monoglot Welsh gangmaster she had paid in cash had never been further than Prestatyn in all his life, and deposited her in Birkenhead. After dabbing his lachrymose eyes at this immigrant’s tale, one of the Scousers told us he was organising a historical and literary tour of the pubs of Liverpool, and would be delighted if we joined him in exploring the city a few weeks hence. LIVERPOOL We turned up at Ye Hole In Ye Wall in Moorfields at the time appointed, to find that no-one in the pub knew anything about the tour. We thought we’d just make one up ourselves by pooling our half-cock memories and blurry recall of the city’s pub geography. In the Ship and Mitre, we got chatting to a tightly-shirted couple about the
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Eurovision Song Contest, and dipped into its magnificent beer range. I had Ay Up, Dancing Duck (3.9% £2.80), Paxton’s Peculiar, Peerless (4.1% £2.90), Leftfield Heavy Industry, Bragdy (4.5% £3.00) – which was my ale of the day, despite it coming from the phlegmy side of the Dee – and Lemon Dream, Salopian. (4.6% £3.00). The Dutch Europop fans left most of their Spicy Chips so we found that Godlike, they moved in a mysterious way – onto our table. In The Dispensary, we shared a table with a couple of old fellows. “Eh, lad, I could take you places where you’d get change out of two quid.” Here we had a central part of any traditional day’s boozing – boring your lass by finding a man in a pub who also likes cricket. We had Hawkshead’s NZPA (6% £3.00) and White Rat, from Rat Brewery from Ossett (4.0% £2.60). We also got to the Roscoe Head and the Philharmonic. The Philharmonic was overpriced and polluted with canned music, full of roaming Japanese tourists photographing everything but not trying the beer. Things picked up on the train home. We got talking to a couple at the next table. I found out the female half was originally from Morecambe, and the fact that we’d asynchronously gone to the same school turned us into bestie mates. She lit up a cigarette. A teenage boy came over and told her that she couldn’t do that. “Oh it’s OK, love, don’t worry about that.” They invited us back to their house in Wigan where we all had sex in five equally satisfying positions. I jest of course. They were from Chorley...
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OUT & ABOUT
Chief Photographer Lawrence Bland
Our 3am girls having disappeared in Magaluf, our roving reporter Lawrence Bland gets wild and wet in Silverdale & Garstang
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oss & Frazer organised the first Garstang Beer Festival at the Kirkland Memorial Hall in Churchtown from Friday 4th to Sunday 6th September. There were 40 beers and ciders, which included some interesting beers, the Avid Brewing Co, a pilot brewery based in St.Michaels-on-Wyre, with an American Pale Ale, they plan to start commercial production in 2016; Snowhill Gold from Scorton, other new breweries for me were the Parker Brewery of Southport, Seven Brothers Brewery of Manchester. Other breweries were:- Allgates, Borough, Bowland, Burscough, Dark Star, Goosnargh, Fuzzy Duck, Hart, Lancaster, Lytham, Old School, Prospect, Waen (Snowball at 7% an award winning brew from Llanidloes) and York. Ciders from Gwynt y Draig (Pontypridd), Moles (Somerset) and Mr Whitehead’s (Hampshire).
J
uly saw Silverdale Golf Club open the 19th hole for their Summer Beer and Golf Festival.
As this magazine goes to p r e s s , back in Lancaster we will be enjoying t h e Lancaster North City of Ale Festival – this very small selection of beer from those that will be available gives you an idea of the unusual nooks and crannies that we will be able to explore: at the Penny Street Bridge you’ll be able to try Off Beat, Odd Ball Red 4.2%, Ilkley Black 3.7% and First Chop, Caramel IPA 5.2%. The Tap House’s offerings will include The Five Points, Hook Island Red 6.0%, Red Rye-PA. Northern Monk Monacus Pale 4.5%, and The Points, Railway Porter 4.8% – the latter also appearing at the Ring o’Bells. Thirty pubs are participating and around 180 beers will be available – photos and reports next time.
Reach 6000+ real ale drinkers and pubgoers The Lunesdale Drinker is the only local magazine to reach more than 6000 discerning real ale drinkers and pubgoers in North Lancashire. Best of all, advertising costs as little as £3.45 per week. 16
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Call 01524 220 230 or visit www.lunesdaledrinker.com
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GRANGE OVER SANDS
Our 4 Cask Marque Quality ales have got even better!! Now featuring our regular and popular Cask bitters, Wainwrights and Theakstons Best, plus 2 great tasting guest ales which change every week. Friendly, family run pub which overlooks Morecambe Bay, just 5 minutes walk from Grange Railway station.
W W W. L U NES D ALE CAM RA. O RG. UK
COMMODORE INN
Excellent home made food served daily in our bar and first floor bay view restaurant. Newly introduced “Great British Bar Tapas” menu available until early evening. Sky Sports & BT Sports shown in our 2 separate TV lounges on large HD screens. An eclectic mix of Folk, Jazz, Blues, 50’s to Modern Day, featuring live local bands & artists most weekends.
OPE N A L L DAY – E V E R Y DAY
Main Street, Grange over Sands, LA11 6DY • T: 01539 532381 • www.thecomminngrange.com
Traditional Real Ales
Westmorland CAMRA POTY 2011 Issue28 |
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THE GEORGE & DRAGON HOTEL
Discounts on Real Ale given upon production of valid CAMRA Membership card. Issue28 |
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W W W. L U NES D ALE CAM RA. O RG. UK
Westmorland CAMRA Cider & Perry Pub of the Year 2013/2014 Westmorland CAMRA Real Ale Pub of the Year 2014
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