Mad Cow Issue 72

August to October 2023

The Newtown Pippin harmans water

ed ecook m o H Food

We are a family run pub in Harmans Water.

Two years on and what changes we have made, In October of last year we landed ourselves the CAMRA Newcomer award which for a pub that "will never sell ale" was quite an achievement and 5 months later we have Branch Pub Of The Year!

We are now the main hive in our community with weekly quiz nights, fortnightly acoustic cafe music nights, charity events, raffles, parties, christenings, wakes, anniversarys, baby showers, Wi meetings and many many more events.

Our new patio has been finished and hosts Simon Bowers & his guitar on Sundays and Summer Sessions Saturdays throughout the Summer.

In addition to the above we do some amazing homecooked food, you may need to wait a while but it's definitely worth it and we will always have new ales to try to keep you occupied.

Lastly don't forget we are dog friendly and we are taking entries for our charity dog calendar!

And be warned, our pub dog Alfie can't control his licker!!

seberks.camra.org.uk

Chair's Welcome

Welcome to this 72 nd edition of Mad Cow ...

I hope that you and your families have been making the most of the warm summer and drinking real ale, cider or perry in one of the many excellent beer gardens within our branch area. Looking forward, don't for­ get to put the 6th and 7th October in your diary for this year's Ascot Beer Festival, which no doubt, will be as good as it has ever been.

You will notice on our front cover, our branch recently celebrated 20 years of active cam­ paigning in Berkshire South East, and whilst we have seen many changes in the industry over the past two decades, our passion and drive to keep the great British tradition of Real Ale thriving has never waned. We celebrated our anniversary at the Old Manor in Bracknell where I had the opportunity to raise a glass with our team and thank them for their dedication and hard work. You can read more about the event on page 6.

If you are a CAM RA member and have not been to one of our Branch Open Meetings re­ cently, we have purposely trimmed down our formal agenda to enable time to discuss a topic or two, so if you have something you are concerned about, please come and join us.

Kevin Lenton Branch Chair

Issue 72, Autumn 2023

The views expressed in Mad Cow are those of individual contributors and do not necessarily reflect the views of the Campaign for Real Ale.

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The Prince, Crowthorne

The Prince in Crowthorne has reopened after a significant, six-figure investment to upgrade both the interior and exterior of the pub. After being closed for around six weeks the Prince has been delightfully decorated with increased capacity and modernised facilities.

ambience, or to simply watch the world go by. A new decorative pergola is fitted with heaters for the winter months, but also provides a level of shade for those sizzling summer months. Also, no more queuing at the bar for those wanting to sit outside, with new outdoor payment stations now available. The expanded external area now seats up to 40 people.

The large function room, with capacity for 50-60 people, is great for sports lovers, with no less than seven large screens fitted.

A new improved menu has been created offering pub classics along with other weekly deals, including two main meals for £15.49 and cake and coffee for just £3.49. The pub now opens for breakfast at 9am. Children and dogs are welcome both inside and out.

Jay Cutler, General Manager of the Prince said: “The Prince is the perfect home away from home in the centre of Crowthorne. Whether you’re looking to catch up with friends or enjoy the live sports and events, you’ll always have good food and refreshing drink to look forward to”.

This Greene King owned pub is now brighter and fresher, with contemporary decoration and stylish furnishings creating a "modern, sociable atmosphere."

The bar has new seating, including some eye-catching booths, increasing the internal seating capacity to 100.

Outside, in the much-loved courtyard, the level of renovation and attention to detail continues to impress. A wonderful, relaxing place to sit and enjoy the

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“The renovation has brought a fantastic new energy to the pub, and with our improved facilities and exciting new sports area we’re really pleased to be able to offer our Crowthorne guests an even better drinking, dining and social experience. The pub hosts a regular programme of events, including Rock ‘n’ Roll bingo every Thursday, weekly boardgame and quiz nights, group dog walks every Sunday from 10:30, and a mum & baby morning every Monday.”

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Jagz Bar, Ascot

Former Jagz premises near Ascot sta­ tion now has a new licence and should be reopening soon, but we understand it will remain as a nightclub.

Kiki Bistro Bar, Sunningdale There is a new bar in Sunningdale op­ posite Waitrose called the Kiki Bistro Bar. This is more of a wine and cocktail bar and does not serve any real ale.

Restauranteur, Mark Hope, opened Pazzia, Sunninghill, as Kiki, with a soft

launch on Sunday June 4th. Plenty of cocktails are available, as well as a full new menu.

Thanks for having us!

CAMRA BSE offers thanks to the follow­ ing for hosting their recent branch meet­ ings: Newtown Pippin in Bracknell Hope & Anchor in Wokingham - ·, White Horse in Wokingham , .-, � ; �

the best-selling beer & pub guide

Issue 72, Autumn 2023

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20 Years of CAMRA in Berkshire South East Cover Story by Mike Smith

CAMRA members from across the branch celebrated at the Old Manor in Bracknell exactly 20 years after the branch was officially founded on 28th June 2003. It was a pleasure to catch up with Adrian Kirk who served on the original committee with me before moving out of the area and continues to volunteer at the Ascot Beer Festival.

An inaugural meeting held at the very same pub 22 years ago attracted huge interest with over 30 Real Ale enthusiasts attending and subsequently forming a sub-branch from the Reading and Mid-Berkshire branch to arrange a variety of campaigning and social events throughout Wokingham, Bracknell, Ascot, Sandhurst and the surrounding villages. I was appointed as Chairman at that meeting, having had experience within the West Berkshire branch in the same role, and was determined to build upon the initial interest and success.

After two years, the CAMRA National Executive ratified our request to become independent and the Berkshire South East branch was born. Very fitting that the number one song in the charts at the time was ‘Bring Me To Life’ by Evanescence. Subsequent chairpersons have included Sue Thirlaway, Nick Boley, David Richards and our current chairman, Kevin Lenton.

When we started, Real Ale choice in the area was limited to a few national and regional brands with landlords telling us their hands were tied on what they were allowed to order.

We set about encouraging landlords and pub companies to change their policy allowing their pubs to stock locally produced beers – especially the likes of West Berkshire Brewery, Rebellion Beer Co. and the newly founded Loddon Brewery. We launched the Mad Cow magazine in 2005 to help spread the word and have held beer festivals at South Hill Park and continue to run the hugely popular Ascot Beer Festival at the racecourse.

Branch membership has risen from an initial 200 to over 600 today, there are now many pubs serving LocAle and other guest beers, three new breweries have set up within the branch and we continue to enjoy a fantastic social calendar of events.

Come and join us and raise a pint of Real Ale to the next 20 years! join.camra.org.uk 20 years ago – Who’s who??

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Mike Smith

Issue 72, Autumn 2023

The Victoria Arms

Traditional English Pub Award-winning Fuller's real ales with 10% discount for CAMRA members Traditional home cooked food Live Sky and BT sports shown Comfortable surroundings and friendly atmosphere

Fun & Entertainment

Sunday night quiz and Regular live music Monday club - 15% off all drinks between 5pm & 7pm

A Warm Welcome

Large garden with heated huts Large heated marquee, free of charge for functions Dog friendly!

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Low and No on the Up and Up

Ruth Mitchell

Elusive Brewing Managing Director versions of it's iconic Sussex Best and Old Ale while in Suffolk Adnams' Ghost Ship 0.5% is now their second biggest selling brand.

What is low ABV beer?

There are three categorisations that apply to low and no alcohol drinks produced in the UK: Of all the trends to hit the UK beer scene over the past few years, low and no (al­ cohol) has undoubtedly been the one to have made most impact. When I joined the beer industry in 2009, low ABV beer options were limited at best, the space mainly taken up with dusty bottles of Becks Blue with occasional welcome va­ riety provided by a 0.5% imported wheat beer.

Fast forward to 2023 and the UK boasts several dedicated low alcohol breweries producing a diverse range of styles from fruit sours to Black IPAs. In addition, many independent craft breweries have a low or no alcohol beer as part of their range and with the vast majority of larger breweries producing low alcohol versions of their best sellers, whether it be Heineken 0.0 or a no alcohol version of Guinness. In early July 2023 Diageo, owners of Guinness, an­ nounced plans to triple production of their 0.0% beer, investing £21 million to increase capacity at it's St James's Gate brewery in Dublin to meet growing demand, proof that from where the big players are sitting the market shows no sign of slowing.

Even the most traditional UK breweries have jumped on the low and no train with Harvey's Brewery in Lewes producing 0.5%

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Alcohol-free: no more than 0.05%ABV No alcohol: no more than 0.5% ABV Low alcohol: no more than 1.2% ABV So, what's driving this new trend?

While low and no alcohol beers currently only make up 0.7% of the UK market, in­ creased consumer desire for a more bal­ anced, healthy lifestyle is putting significant momentum behind this trend. According to Drink Aware 26% of people aged 16-24 in the UK are now teetotal.

In their 2023 study, KAM Media revealed that 5.2m fewer UK adults are drinking weekly in 2023 vs 2021, although to be fair 2021 may have been a bit of an anomaly!

What is more interesting is that 1 in 3 adult pub visits now don't include consumption of any alcohol, with 25% of customers default­ ing to water if they are not drinking. With that in mind it is in the best interests of licen­ sees to provide interesting and tasty no al­ cohol options, not only to keep their custom­ ers happy but because the profit to be made on a £3 can of low alcohol beer is signifi­ cantly better than on a pint of soda water.

While the rise of low and no is clearly driven by consumer demand, advances in brewing

Issue 72, Autumn 2023

seberks.camra.org.uk technology and technique mean that brewers are now more enthusiastic and confident when brewing this style, leading to a wider choice for consumers. Will Twomey, Head Brewer at Renegade Brewery in Yattendon comments “I was sceptical of low/no beer for a long time. How could beer with <0.5% alcohol taste any good? Fermentation is crucial for beer flavour and reduction of gravity, pH and volatiles all occur due to an active fermentation which are all nearly nonexistent in “brewed” low/no.” Will has found some new methods to get around these issues and to help brew a tasty beer at a lower strength. He continues “We use a couple of tricks to brew our own SOLO and Brewski AF. We reduce the fermentables by careful grist selection. Then we pitch a lazy yeast that leaves us with body and smoothness and then artificially scrub the gently fermented beer with co2. This mimics a regular fermentation and helps clean out the volatiles and graininess you sometimes find. A generous dose of dry hop helps to bring a bit more to the party, and we are also trialling some hop extracts and flavourings to build complexity into our AF beers we brew.”

Supermarkets have been quick to jump on the wider range of beers available in the low and no category which are being backed up by strong sales. Tesco reported a 25% increase in overall low and no sales in June 2023 vs January, a time when you would expect regular strength drinks to be taking the lead, and they are not alone in noticing this trend.

Will concludes “We have just

Issue 72, Autumn 2023

launched a new 0.5% peach pale into Marks and Spencer as part a range of 13 new low and no alcohol offerings which we are very proud to be part of.”

While the low and no trend shows no sign of slowing, the next year may also see an increase in beers of 3.4% and below as government duty changes which come into effect from August give a significant financial advantage to larger brewers to reduce the ABV of their beers – moving the ABV of a beer from 3.5% to 3.4% will offer a duty saving of more than 50%. This move will likely dramatically increase the number of beers available below 3.4%, whether classed as low alcohol or not.

If you’d like to explore the category for yourself, local breweries Renegade, Siren Craft Brew and Phantom Brewing Co all regularly produce low and no beers in a wide variety of styles. Alternatively you can check out Good Karma, Big Drop or Nirvana who all specialise in brewing tasty low and no beers. Whether you add a low or no beer to your regular beer mix or not, there is no doubt that this trend is here to stay and that the vibrant and growing mix of beer styles available mean even more people can find a beer they enjoy, whether they want to drink alcohol or not.

Ruth Mitchell is a qualified Beer Sommelier and Certified Cicerone. She is Managing Director of Elusive Brewing and has worked in the beer industry for over 13 years.

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Landlord’s Witter

By Barry Fenton

An interview with a landlord from a local pub. This time with Jay Cutler, who runs the Greene King pub, the Prince in Crowthorne High Street, with his wife Becky. I was last here in February 2016 to interview the then manager when the Prince had just been refurbished. And here we are again after another major refurbishment..

the pavement and we now have 30 at the side of the pub. So, much more space with two new service areas to speed up service.

Q. How long have you been in the pub business and at the Prince?

A. My parents took over a pub in Hastings when I was 10. After going to Catering College I took over my first pub aged 21 in Manchester. There followed a night club in Carlisle, pubs in Cardiff, Exeter, Southampton and others. I was given pubs to sort them out and then to move on. I left Greene King for a couple of years, Becky had our daughter and we then returned in March 2022 to run the Prince.

Q. What do you most like about the pub trade?

A. The customers. I love talking. I can talk for England. I meet new people every day. I get a buzz. (Covid lockdown was a problem as I wasn’t meeting people!)

Q. And the least?

A. Customers who don’t respect the environment or property.

Q. What has been done at the Prince?

A. Internally, we’ve taken a softer approach but using vivid colours and designs, all new furniture and lots of greenery/plants. The rear bar area is quieter with the TV only on for major sporting events. We have a new accessible toilet, (the only one in Crowthorne). A major part of the scheme is external, our new pagoda is fully heated, has soft furnishings, a big screen with speakers and is non-smoking and non-vaping. We have created an extra 16 covers on

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Issue 72, Autumn 2023

seberks.camra.org.uk seberks.camra.org.uk Q. Q. What What real real ales ales are are you you selling selling today today and and how how does does this this change? change?

A. A. Greene Greene King King IPA IPA (3.8%) (3.8%) Abbott Abbott (5.0%) (5.0%) and and Morland Morland Original Original (4.0%) (4.0%) IPA IPA isis always always available available and and others others rotate. rotate. II now now have have access access to to SIBA SIBA brands, brands, so so II will will ask ask customers customers for for suggestions. suggestions.

Q. Q. How How important important are are real real ales ales to to your your pub? pub?

A. A. They’re They’re everything! everything! II enjoy enjoy them them myself. myself.

We We even even have have dimple dimple glasses! glasses! I’ve I’ve noticed noticed more more ladies ladies drinking drinking ales ales recently. recently.

Q. Q.What Whatare areyour yourimpressions impressionsof ofCAMRA CAMRA in in the the area? area?

A. A.All Allgood! good!IIshould shouldremind remindmembers membersof ofthe the 10% 10%discount discount on on ales. ales.

Q. Q. What What plans plans have have you you got got for for the the Prince Prince in in the the next next year? year?

A. A.Following Followingthe therefurb, refurb,we wewant wantto tobring bringthe the community community back back in in to to the the pub. pub. We We have have events events every every day, day, bands, bands, acoustics, acoustics, karakaraoke oke and and silent silent discos. discos.

Q. Q.What Whatdo doyou youthink thinkis isthe thenext nextbig bigthing thing in in the the beer beer and and pub pub trade? trade?

A. A. The The further further growth growth of of craft craft beer, beer, espeespecially cially with with the the ladies. ladies. New New products products Level Level Head Headand andFlint FlintEye Eyeare aredoing doingwell, well,and andNeck Neck Oil Oil continues continues to to do do so. so.

Also, Also, sales sales of of Italian Italian sounding sounding lagers lagers seem seem to to be be on on the the increase. increase.

Q. Q.What Whatwould wouldyou youlike liketo toget getover overto toour our readers readers to to encourage encourage them them to to come come to to your your pub? pub?

A. A. We Weare areaayoung youngfamily. family.We Wewant wantto togrow grow in in the the community community and and to to bring bring up up our our child. child.

Post Post refurb refurb we we want want to to put put the the community community

Issue Issue 72, 72, Autumn Autumn 2023 2023

feel feel back back into into the the Prince.

Prince. We We will will give give good good service serviceand anddevelop developthrough throughword wordof ofmouth. mouth.

We We now now open open at at 9am 9am for for breakfasts. breakfasts. Meal Meal deals deals are are available available and and food food isis served served until until 9pm.

9pm. Sunday Sunday lunches lunches are are important, important, and and you you are are advised advised to to book. book. This This can can be be done done online. online.

Q. Q. What What celebrity celebrity would would you you like like to to work work behind behind your your bar bar and and why? why?

A. A.Billy BillyConnolly.

Connolly.He’s He’saalife lifestories storiesman manand and will will keep keep us us all all amused. amused.

Thanks, Thanks,Jay. Jay.ItItwas wasgood goodto tomeet meetyou. you.IIwish wish you you well well in in the the “new” “new” Prince.

Prince.

Cheers, Cheers, Barry Barry Fenton Fenton

Page Page 11 11

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A Very Peculier Rebel

By Timothy Hampson

A new brewing collaboration is bringing the disruptors and establishment together to celebrate cask ale. T&R Theakston and Tiny Rebel have joined forces for a brewing event designed to highlight the craft, beauty and taste of cask beer and grow consumer interest in the category.

As part of the collaboration, brewers from Tiny Rebel took over Theakston’s historic Victorian tower brewery in Masham to craft their tribute to arguably one of the country’s most famous cask beers, Old Peculier. Led by Tiny Rebel’s head brewer Mark Gammons, the team brewed a radical interpretation of the classic, using chocolate malts, pure cocoa, Fuggle and Progress hops, to create the distinctive Chocolate Old Peculier.

During the same week, Theakston’s head brewer, Mark Slater and his team took a trip to Newport, South Wales to create a Yorkshire expression of Tiny Rebel’s famous Cwtch Beer. With the

Issue 72, Autumn 2023

original getting its distinctive red colour as a result of the use of rye, Slater and the Theakston team turned it gold. A blonde, hop-forward beer, Cwtch Gold is made by using Munich and other specialist pale malts to impart not only a different colour but also add subtle, more malty flavours to the Welsh classic.

Theakston joint MD Simon Theakston said: "Brewing is in our blood and so when given the chance to develop a beer in collaboration with the highly creative and innovative brewing team at Tiny Rebel, one of the most successful brewers of the modern era, it was too good an opportunity for us to miss. We are incredibly excited at the prospect of tasting the two new beers."

Tiny Rebel chief demand officer Mo Syed said: "In the world of cask beer brewing they don’t come much bigger than Theakston’s of Masham, so to be associated with them in a collaboration, is a matter of enormous pride to us. We look forward to the outcome of our brewers’ skills and hopefully further brewing collaborations between us in the future."

The two beers, Chocolate Old Peculier (5.6 per cent ABV) and Golden Cwtch (4.6 per cent) will be featured in a number of special seasonal ale programmes during the months of July and August. Further details will be found at theakstons.co.uk and tinyrebel.co.uk.

The beers will also be available in Tiny Rebel’s Brewery Bars in Newport and Cardiff, and Theakston’s Black Bull in Paradise in Masham.

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Campaigning

for you

Real ale is just the start...

We support everything from pubs, clubs and drinkers’ rights, to licensees and breweries, the list is endless. United in the story we all love, our great tradition.

So why not join us?

Save on beer when you visit the pub with our voucher and discount schemes. Plus save on entry to 100s of beer festivals too, just a few perks of our CAMRA membership.

Make our story part of yours.

Join at camra.org.uk/join

Real stories, real people, real ale

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08/06/2023 12:57:39

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16th Ascot Beer Festival (6th & 7th October 2023)

By Mike Smith

Get your autumn weekend off to a great start by combining top class flat racing and an extraordinary choice of over 160 real ales, ciders and perries at the 16th Ascot Beer Festival to be held on Friday, 6th and Saturday, 7th October.

Sheffield. Multi-Award winning Tutts Clump and Mr Whitehead will lead the charge on the cider front with many other renowned producers both locally and from around the country.

Bars are open from 11am to 6pm (subject to last race times) and CAMRA members can benefit from discounted entry when buying their tickets in advance from ascot.com quoting CAMRA2023. Accompanied children, 17 & under, can attend free of charge.

Ascot Railway Station is only a 7-minute walk (slightly longer on the way

Ascot Racecourse and CAMRA have teamed up to deliver premium horse racing whilst quaffing the best real ale and cider in the area. Our bars will be situated on the main concourse, so you won’t have to step far to be in the thick of the action.

Local breweries including Elusive Brewing, Bond Brews, Siren Craft, Stardust, Rebellion, Loddon and Windsor & Eton will feature, and we hope to reintroduce the guest regional bar this year showcasing the best beer from

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back!).

We are seeking volunteers to help run the CAMRA bars again this year, no experience is needed, just visit our online sign-up at ascotbeerfest.org.uk

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BREWERY NEWS Mysterious Brewing This new brewery was recently launched, based in Silchester near Reading. They had a busy launch weekend at the end of May including events at the Nags Head in Reading, The Hoppy Place in Maidenhead and The Hive in Crowthorne. Additionally they were at the Bracknell Beer Festival, where they had a couple of beers on cask and key keg and

where a few branch members were able to meet the team behind the brewery to hear their plans. At the moment they are doing their brewing using spare capacity at

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another brewery, however they hope to move to their own premises and tap room next year. Their initial production of cans included several Pale Ales, as well as Black and Red IPAs, all of which sold out quickly.

We look forward to sampling more of their beers at pubs and beer festivals in the area soon!

Indie Rabble Another new brewery that is opening soon is Indie Rabble, located in the arches in Windsor. This is from the team behind the Hoppy Place bars. They are currently in the process of setting up the brewery and tap room and have been busy producing a number of collaboration brews, including one with Elusive brewing and another with Stardust. We look forward to visiting soon - with Two Flints brewery next door, Windsor and Eton down the road and many good nearby pubs there is already talk of a potential “Windsor Beer Mile”.

Mike Dixon

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Bond Brews Bond Brews celebrated its 8th Anniversary with a beer festival on 17th June. Over 150 people attended and £200 was raised in donations for Prostate Cancer UK. The festival special was a Coconut Mild.

Another of the monthly Tap Yard events was held on 8th July, with a hog roast and a vegetarian option provided by A Bit Of A Do. These will continue until September, with the remaining dates for 2023 being: • •

different combination of hops to the last batch of Kiwi Pale, which was brewed in 2021.

Bond Brews beers will make an appearance at Ealing Beer Festival and at Sherfest in July, the Wokingham Festival and at Blackwater Cask & Cork on August Bank Holiday, Newbury Beer Festival in September and our own branch’s Ascot Beer Festival on the 6th & 7th October.

Throughout the year, the shop at the brewery and the online shop will be open to take orders.

For further details and current beer availability, visit www.bondbrews.co.uk.

Saturday 12th August, 12-6pm, with Pizza from TT Catering.

Saturday 9th September, 12-6pm, with Asian food.

A new beer was brewed to celebrate King Charles’ Coronation in May. Called ‘King Slaker’, the first batch ran out quickly and a second batch was brewed soon after.

Lite Sabre is the seasonal ale for July and August. This is a very rare beer style known as Golden Mild.

Wheat-A-Bier will make a reappearance for September and October. It has the typical herbal and pine flavours of a classic German-style wheat beer.

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Wild Tiger, which is a variant of Bengal Tiger will be brewed in October once the locally-harvested wild hedgerow hops have been picked. This gives the beer earthy aromas and a fresh, fruity hoppiness on top of the already complex IPA style, making it a very tasty and enjoyable beer.

Night Screamer Stout will be brewed again for the Halloween and Guy Fawkes firework season.

Depending on demand and capacity, another New Zealand-style pale ale may be brewed later in the year, this time using a Issue 72, Autumn 2023

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seberks.camra.org.uk seberks.camra.org.uk

The Good Beer Guide 2024

Beer Guide Guide is is the the The Good Good Beer The UK’s best-selling best-selling beer beer and and UK’s To celebrate the inclusion of a forepub guide guide and continues to pub and itit continues to word by the the frontman lead represent the best of ofand the best best represent best the singer ofbrewing Iron Maiden we are in the the brewing and hospitalhospitalin and pleased to announce a special exity industry. industry. ity clusive Hardback Edition of The Good Beer Guide 2024.

With 4500 pubs, bars, and and With 4500 pubs, bars, clubs selected selected by by unpaid unpaid volunvolunclubs Thisteers edition is a down must-have for folteers up and and down the country, country, up the lowers of thebest CAMRA Beer this is is the the best guideGood for pubgopubgothis guide for Guide ers interested interested in in being being served served aa ers good pint pint of of real real ale ale as as well well as as good • who Hardback bound those who wish to to find find aa local local those wish Striking Maiden Inspired near• them them thatIron is welcoming welcoming near that is cover design and has has many many other other benefits benefits and Foreword that•may may appeal.by Bruce Dickinson that appeal.

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Exclusive Hardback Edition

Page Page 18 18

Silver foiling on the lettering Red bookmark

Each entry entry contains contains aa short short dedeEach scription as as well well as as details details of of scription regular beers beers that that can can be be regular linked to to the the brewery brewery section section linked to discover discover local local beers, beers, as as to well as as some some treasured treasured well national favourites. national favourites.

Exclusively available from CAMRA on pre-order only: This guide guide is is compiled compiled by by This consumers for consumers and consumers for consumers and Deadline 24 July 2023 is the the most most independent independent and and is complete guide guide to to find find good good complete beer. beer.

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The Beer Festival Guide

By Simon Grist

Updates on our website. Go to bit.ly/MCbeerfests 1st – 5th August 2023: Great British Beer Festival gbbf.org.uk CAMRA’s flagship beer festival held at Kensington Olympia. Expect many hundreds of real ales, craft beers, ciders and perries. Also, live music, numerous tutored tasting events, and the announcement of the Champion Beer of Britian. Reduced entry for CAMRA members.

5th August 2023: Fleet Beerfest fleetlions.org.uk/beerfest This beer festival is run by the Fleet Lions in aid of local charitable causes. Over 40 real ales and 10 ciders are advertised both local & from afar. Customers are requested to bring their own lined glass.

25th– 28th August 2023: White Horse Hedgerley Beer Festival facebook.com/whitehorsehedgerley A Bank Holiday beer festival for this delightful country pub. Expected to feature 25 to 30 rare and unusual ales over the course of the weekend.

Also ciders, perries and foreign beers.

26th– 28th August 2023: Wokingham Festival wokinghamfestival.co.uk A beer festival held as part of a wider community festival. The beers are organised by those nice people from Twyford beer festival. Expect around 50 local ales and craft beers, plus 12 ciders and perries over the course of the weekend.

26th– 28th August 2023: Hungerford Club Beer Festival hungerford-club.co.uk/?event=hungerford-club-beer-festival-3 The annual Bank Holiday beer festival at this club not far from Hungerford station. Around 12 real ales both local and from afar are expected, plus some ciders.

1st– 2nd September 2023: Blackwater Valley Cask & Cork Festival caskandcork.co.uk Charity festival with around 30 beers, plus wines and ciders. A 30 min walk from Sandhurst station, but bus 3 from Blackwater gets closer.

Free beer token for CAMRA members showing their card on entry.

1st– 2nd September 2023: Haslemere Beer Festival haslemerebeerfestival.co.uk Located just a short train journey beyond Guildford, this festival advertises 40 carefully selected beers (mostly local) plus around ten ciders and perries. Also, a spirits bar this year.

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seberks.camra.org.uk 9th September 2023: Newbury Real Ale Festival newburyrealale.co.uk This charity festival is located a 15-minute walk away from Newbury station, just down the line from Reading. Expect around 140 real ales, and 100 ciders & perries. To simplify serving, all the drinks are given a sequence number in the programme so you order a beer by its number.

22nd– 23rd September 2023: Burghfest burghfest.org.uk A beer festival within a village festival, held in aid of Thames Valley Air Ambulance. It is accessible on the 2 bus route from Reading, and promises 25 real ales, 10 craft beers and 10 ciders. Funfair rides and live music make for a great day out.

23rd September 2023: Sherfield on Loddon Beer Festival sherfieldbeerfestival.org.uk Located in the village of Sherfield on Loddon (on the A33 NE of Basingstoke). Expect around 40 mostly local beers and a few ciders. There is a free evening taxi service back to Bramley station.

6th– 7th October 2023: Ascot Beer Festival ascotbeerfest.org.uk Your local Berkshire SE branch of CAMRA’s own festival, organised in collaboration with Ascot Racecourse. We expect to feature over 140 real ales and 25 ciders/perries. A race meeting runs in parallel with the festival, with CAMRA discounts for advance bookings.

19th– 21st October 2023: Swindon CAMRA Beer Festival facebook.com/SwindonBeerFestival Swindon & North Wilts CAMRA’s beer festival is conveniently located in the STEAM museum near Swindon station (which is less than half an hour’s journey from Reading). Expect around 90 real ales, plus 25 ciders and perries.

2nd– 4th November 2023: Teddington Beer Festival teddingtonbeerfestival.co.uk A second beer festival at this location after a successful first running last year. Easily accessible by bus or train from Twickenham. Over 60 real ales and 15 ciders are expected.

9th – 11th November 2023: Egham Beer Festival eghambeerfestival.co.uk Another charity festival at Egham United Services Club. Expect around 50 ales, plus a good selection of ciders & perries. Reduced entry for CAMRA members. A short walk from Egham station.

16th– 18th November 2023: Twickenham CAMRA Beer Festival facebook.com/TwickenhamBeerFestival Run by Richmond & Hounslow CAMRA, this festival is expected to feature around 35 real ales and 8 ciders & perries. It is located close to St Margarets station (along the Reading to Waterloo line). Reduced entry for CAMRA members.

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Bracknell’s Boozers

A pub tour from Martins Heron to Bracknell

By Mike Dixon

This is a one way walk from Martins Heron to Bracknell Train stations, taking in five different pubs along the way. The total length of the walk is around 4.5 km, and is mostly urban so includes solid paths and pavements and is suitable for any time of the year. If you wish to reduce the walking distance, there are several busses that can be used for parts of the route (especially between pubs 1 and 2).

These pubs typically serve 2 or more real ales, with the Newtown Pippin and Old Manor particularly being of note as entries in the current Good Beer Guide. A number of the pubs also serve food; however it is best to check the pubs web pages and social media for latest opening hours and food serving times as these can vary. While this is planned as a walk between the 2 train stations, several of the pubs also have parking, or there are a number of public car parks in Bracknell town centre.

Parts of this walk was used for one of our previous branch social events. If you’d like to join us in future then please check out our website and social media for details of upcoming events!

Map © OpenStreetMap Contributors (https://www.openstreetmap.org/copyright).

Issue 72, Autumn 2023

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The Walk A.

Leave Martins Heron station via the exit at the end of platform 2 (platform heading to Reading). Go down the ramp, turn right and follow the footpath running parallel to the train line.

On reaching a T junction turn left and then immediately right over a bridge crossing a small stream and on to Blewburton Walk, which leads to Uffington Drive.

Turn left on Uffington Drive, the right onto Lobury and left on Cumnor Way. At the end of this road turn right (passing a small playground) and follow this path past some houses and flats, coming out by a small row of shops. On reaching the library turn left onto Ralphs Ride and then you will see the first pub.

1.

The Newtown Pippin. This pub had a new landlord in 2021 who has been keen to refurbish the pub and increase the range of beer. It has since become a CAMRA favourite gaining entry to the Good Beer Guide, Most Improved Pub award in 2022 and branch Pub of the Year in 2023. There are 2 bars normally serving 3 real ales, and they occasional have a beer festival on.

On leaving the pub turn right and return along Ralph’s Ride. Continue all the way along Ralphs Ride, going under the railway bridge, until reaching Broad Land. Here turn right at the Stop & Shop Newsagent. At the end of Broad Lane take the underpass under the roundabout take the exit directly opposite, signposted to Lilly Hill Drive.

[Optional: there is another pub, The Running Horse, if you take the exit on the right, although this is more focussed on being a family friendly food-oriented pub rather than stocking many real ales].

Go up onto the A329 London Road and follow this, past the petrol station until reaching pub number two on the right.

2.

The Royal Oak. This is a deceptively large pub, with pool tables, and sports regularly shown on

the TV screens.

Leave the pub when finished and turn right down Bay Road. Continue along Bay Road until reaching Bay Drive, here turn left and then shortly after right down New Road. At the end of New Road there is a small footpath which brings back onto the A329. Here turn right and follow the dual carriage way until reaching another roundabout with an underpass. Here go under the A329, and back up next to Bracknell College. Carry on past the College, a short distance there is then another underpass (near the college entrance) under Church Road. As you exit this underpass take the steps immediately on the right which will bring you up to 3rd pub.

3.

The Old Manor. Built in the Tudor era this charming pub stands out in contrast to the more recent buildings of Bracknell. It is part of the Wetherspoons chain, and has 2 bars regularly serving around 6 or more real ales.

When you have finished here exit back down the steps to the path from the underpass, but this time continue along the path following signs for Town Centre (High Street) Continue along the High Street through the pedestrianised area of Bracknell until reaching the next pub on the right.

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seberks.camra.org.uk seberks.camra.org.uk 4.

4.

The Bull.

Bull. This This is is aa popular popular town town centre centre pub, pub, which which The features aa number number of of Youngs Youngs beers. beers. features

When finished finished here here go go back back the the way way you you came came but but When this time time turn turn right right down down Braccan Braccan Walk Walk (just (just before before this Primark). Continue Continue all all the the way way down down Braccan Braccan Walk, Walk, Primark). out of of the the shopping shopping area area and and under under another another out underpass. Here Here turn turn right right up up the the ramp ramp before before the the underpass. bus station, station, cross cross 22 zebra zebra crossings crossings and and you you will will see see bus the final final pub pub in in front front of of you. you. the 5.

5.

The Market Market Inn. Inn. This This is is aa handy handy final final stop stop for for aa The last drink drink –– as as when when you you have have finished finished you you just just need need last to cross cross the the road road to to reach reach Bracknell Bracknell Station Station (B).

(B). to

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Festival Ciders in 2023 Cider is a favourite summer drink in pubs, and you can find a good selection of still ciders in many of our local pubs along with more regular fizzy ciders and fruit ciders in bottles.

Another great place to find a good selection of Real Ciders is at CAMRA Beer and Cider Festivals. The Great British Beer Festival (GBBF) at London Olympia takes place from 1st to 5th August this year. This festival will have a great selection of Ciders as well as National and European Beers. More information is found at: gbbf.org.uk Our Branch Beer & Cider Festival, the 16th Ascot CAMRA Beer & Cider Festival, will take place on Friday 6th October and Saturday 7th October this year. Apart from the many casks of Real Ales and Key Keg Ales this is always a good opportunity to sample a broad selection of Real Ciders. This year we will have Apple Cider, Pear Cider (Perry) and Fruit Cider (Apples with other fruit mixes), many locally produced.

More information about the Ascot Beer & Cider Festival, which takes place during a full card of Horse Racing, can be found at: ascot.com/horse-races-and-events/autumn-racingweekend/saturday There will be discounted ticket prices available for CAMRA Members.

Mike Lee – CAMRA Cider Rep - Berkshire South East - cider@seberks.camra.org.uk

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The Crispin

45 DENMARK ST. WOKINGHAM RG40 2 AY

Quality Cask Ales Proud to serve from locAles, including:

A well-respected free-of-tietraditional pub in the heart of Wokingham.

 Charity quiz nights;  Jukebox;  Dog friendly;  Bring Your Own Food, settle down with a takeaway (china etc. provided);  BT Sport - great place to watch rugby union and the Champions League.

Other sports shown;  Live music events (for dates see posters or facebook)  Large beer garden (with TV and flamingos ).

 Hogsback  Rebellion  Loddon  White Horse  Ascot  Palmers  Stardust

Rugby World Cup 23

8th Sept – 28th Oct Come and join us in a proper rugby pub

seberks.camra.org.uk

Whitbread - The demise of a brewing behemoth

by Anthony Springall

Business flourished (especially after the introduction of laws to prevent the spread of gin production) and in 1770 he was able to buy out his partners for £30,000 (now £7m). By now a wealthy individual he became an MP as well as High Sheriff of Hertfordshire and on his death in 1796 the brewery was the largest brewer in the world and he left an estate of more than the equivalent of £100m..

Samuel Whitbread was born in 1720 in the small Bedfordshire village of Cardington and when he was 16 his parents paid £300 (today around £47,500) to have him apprenticed to John Whiteman, master brewer in order to learn the trade.

He quickly picked up on the knowledge required so that by 1742 he was in a position to go into partnership with George and Thomas Shewell and it was his business acumen that saw him move production in 1750 to a site on Chiswell Street in order to produce the very fashionable drink of Porter. He was a fast adopter of modern technology and installed a steam engine in the brewery which helped increase production volumes.

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The brewery struggled under his son and in 1812 merged with the Lambeth brewery of Martineau & Bland who provided management expertise although one of the partners John Martineau suffered an accident at the brewery and drowned in a yeast vat !.

Business again flourished throughout the 19th Century and in 1870 it introduced the novel concept of bottled beer and expanded production In 1889 the company went public and by 1905 it had increased production to almost 700,000 barrels.

Business suffered under both World Wars, not least by the damage and

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destruction to over 500 pubs during WW2 but in a post war world the brewery went on a huge acquisition drive called the “Whitbread Umbrella”.

It was designed to give smaller brewers comfort by Whitbread taking a stake in the business to prevent a hostile takeover but in reality it gave them a seat on the board and a toe in to leverage a buy out. Famous breweries that were acquired included:• Flowers (Stratford and Luton) 1961 • Tennant Brothers (Sheffield) 1961 • Norman & Pring (Exeter) 1962 • Starkey, Knight & Ford (Bridgwater) 1962 • West Country Breweries (Cheltenham) 1963 • J Nimmo & Son (Castle Eden) 1963 • Strong & Co (Romsey) 1968 who themselves had bought out Wethereds of Marlow in 1949 and Mew, Langton & Co of Isle of Wight in 1965 • Fremlins (Maidstone) 1967 • Brickwoods (Portsmouth) 1971 • Boddingtons (Manchester) 1989 In the post war period Whitbread took over 30+ breweries, acquiring their pubs and inevitably closing down the brewing operation. Between 1961 and 1971, Whitbread's output increased from 46 to 160 million imperial gallons (2.1 to 7.4 million hectolitres) and it became Britain's third-largest brewer

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by output. Business flourished and it diversified into such companies as Beefeater Steakhouses, Pizza Hut, TGI Fridays, Cafe Rouge, Bella Pasta & Pizzaland. In the early 1990's the company was forced to sell 2,500+ pubs to comply with 1992 Supply of Beer (Tied Estates) orders but in 2001 the company decided to sell all its breweries and brewing operations to Interbrew (now ABInbev) and the year after it sold its pub estate to Enterprise Inns to focus on other business areas.

Wethereds, Marlow in 1988

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Jean and Phil Lacey welcome you to their cosy English pub and restaurant in the heart of Winkfield.

Just 4 miles from Windsor Castle and 3 miles from Ascot Racecourse.

Large welcoming bar and separate restaurant area.

Excellent Lunch and Evening menu, £9 for Fish and Chips on Fridays.

Beautiful outdoor eating area and garden.

Read a free newspaper over a coffee, or gather round a table and play one of the many games available.

Real log fire when it is cold outside.

Children very welcome with a special menu available for them.

The White Hart, Church Road, Winkfield, Near Ascot & Windsor, SL4 4SE

Call - 01344 882415 Email - thewhitehartwinkfield@outlook.com

seberks.camra.org.uk

The Emperor's New Clothes?

By Matthew Curtis takes one disappointing pint to put someone off the category for life.

Making my way to a table just in front of the bar at my new local, Stockport's the Magnet, I take a seat and watch a near constant stream of people approach the bar as I sip my pint. The vast majority of these customers - more than 90 per cent at a guess are ordering meticulously kept, cask-conditioned real ale. Such is its popularity at this family-owned free house that at busy periods it is served across no less than 14 hand pulls. It's a joy to have a pub like this on my doorstep.

The Magnet is not unique in that it represents how well cask can be presented if it is done properly with a focus on quality, and the high level of throughput required to maintain that standard. In a national sense, however, it's not an accurate depiction of how the majority of pubs treat real ale. In many cases the quality of the end product can be something of a lottery, and it only

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There are numerous reasons why this is the case, with high staff turnover and lack of proper cellar training among some of the more obvious challenges real ale has to overcome. Low wages are another, as who wants to add extra responsibility to an already busy, tiring job when you're being paid minimum wage to work 40-plus hours per week?

There's also that word again: quality.

Why take a gamble on a locally brewed beer in cask, when you can turn to a tried and trusted keg beer that will probably taste exactly how you'd expect it to?

Nationally, sales of real ale are in decline. According to data provided by the British Beer and Pub Association (BBPA) on-trade sales volumes of cask beer have nearly halved over the past few years, from 15 per cent of the total market in 2015, to 8.6 (according to figures last updated in 2021 ).

I don't believe this is "the end of cask beer" - there are many examples like the Magnet where it is evidently thriving - but supporters of the category should be concerned.

Producers of real ale are reacting in different ways to ensure their businesses can survive. One example - Devon's Otter brewery - has even claimed to have developed an entirely

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new category as a result. Christened Fresh Ale, this recently developed beer is aimed at pub-goers who: “are looking for beer to be slightly cooler than traditional cask ale, flavoursome and gently carbonated”, according to the product’s description on its website.

Digging in to the description a little deeper, it admits that this is a keg beer – not real ale – before explaining how the beer is brewed the same way as Otter’s cask brews but is instead force carbonated at the brewery (instead of being naturally conditioned in a pub cellar). The beer itself is an amber ale, immediately different from the usual line up of pale lagers that grace a typical keg font. Its point-of-sale material is perhaps the smartest element of the idea, with the long, orange tap handle designed to look just like a hand pull, despite actually dispensing beer from a chilled keg.

Otter is bold enough to consider this an entirely new category. But those with reasonably good memories will know that the often-contentious Scottish brewery, BrewDog, released a product to almost the exact same specifications called Live Beer in the summer of 2016.

The idea was that, although definitely not cask beer, it would be the closest thing to it within the brewery’s chain of bars. It can’t have been a success because it hasn’t been available for several years. It turns out that if people want to drink real ale, then they will simply go to places where it is actually being served.

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Otter’s Fresh Ale is not even close to reinventing the wheel. There are hundreds of small producers up and down the country who produce artisanal keg beers, served at lower levels of carbonation, that cover a full range of beer styles, from stout to pale ale. The kicker here is that very little of this is actually real ale. The difference between Otter and everyone else is that it’s not pretending to be, either.

I’m a believer that real ale's strengths lie in its heritage and tradition, and that the breweries who are still managing to sell it, and make a profit, are those who are leaning as hard as possible into this. For many drinkers, buzzwords like “fresh” will never replace quality and consistency, and the majority of them will either happily continue drinking keg beer, or real ale, with hopefully a few great pints of the latter winning a few converts, one round at a time.

As for Otter’s Fresh Ale, I’d be very surprised if it’s still being served in 18 months' time. It’s all well and good telling consumers you’ve invented a brand-new category, but actually convincing them is another thing entirely. I think I’ll be sticking to lovely pints of cask beer in the meantime.

Matthew Curtis is an award-winning beer writer, podcaster and photographer, and co-founder of Pellicle Magazine. Based in Manchester, England, he is as enamoured with a fresh glass of West Coast IPA as he is with a good pint of bitter!

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Branch Social Diary

Visit our branch website for the latest diary updates. We welcome your suggestions for a future social visit. Contact our social secretary, Clive Doran at: social@seberks.camra.org.uk

Thursday 3'd

AUGUST

CAMRA SWM Social - The Bear, Maidenhead.

Meet from 12. 30pm. More details can be found on swm.camra.org.uk.

Friday 4th

CAMRA BSE Social - Great British Beer Festival, Olympia - London. Meet from 1pm.

Thursday 10th

CAMRA BSE Social - The Duke of Edinburgh, Wood Side Road, Woodside. SL4 2DP. Meet from 7:30pm.

Saturday 12th

CAMRA SWM Social - Swan Fest 2023, Wind­ sor. Meet from 1pm. More details can be found on swm.camra.org.uk.

Thursday 14th

CAMRA BSE Social - The Crispin, 45 Denmark Street, Wokingham. RG40 2AY. Meet from 7:30pm.

Thursday 21 51

Afternoon Social with the U3A Beer Appreciation Group Meeting - Venue to be confirmed. Meet from 1pm.

Monday 25th

Lunchtime Social with the BRATS (Bracknell Real Ale Tipplers) at Old Manor, Grenville Place, Bracknell. RG12 1 PB. Meet from 12 noon.

Thursday 2sth

CAMRA BSE Social - The Prince, 2 High Street, Crowthorne. RG45 7AZ, (we will also visit the Crowthorne Inn). Meet from 7:30pm.

Thursday 17th

Afternoon Social with the U3A Beer Appreciation Group Meeting - A walk to Dog & Duck, Emmbrook Inn and Rifle Volunteer. Meet from 1pm.

Thursday 24th

CAMRA BSE Social - Queens Head, 23 The Ter­ race, Wokingham. RG40 1 BP. Meet from 7:30pm.

Monday 28th

Lunchtime Social with the BRATS (Bracknell Real Ale Tipplers) at Old Manor, Grenville Place, Bracknell. RG12 1PB. Meet from 12 noon.

SEPTEMBER

Saturday 2 nd

CAMRA BSE - Ascot Beer Festival Helpers Trip More details to follow.

Wednesday 6th

CAMRA Berkshire South East AGM Meeting - Old Manor, Grenville Place, Bracknell, RG12 1PB Commences at 8.00pm. Members only.

Thursday 7th

CAMRA SWM Social - The Bear, Maidenhead.

Meet at 12.30pm. Details on swm.camra.org.uk.

Issue 72, Autumn 2023

Friday 6th and Saturday 7 th

Ascot Beer Festival.

Thursday 19 th

Afternoon Social with the U3A Beer Appreciation Group - Venue to be confirmed. Meet from 1 pm.

Monday 23rd

Lunchtime Social with the BRATS (Bracknell Real Ale Tipplers) at Old Manor, Grenville Place, Bracknell. RG12 1 PB. Meet from 12 noon.

Thursday 261h

CAMRA BSE Social - Thirsty Thursday Minibus Trip (East of Branch). Details to follow.

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Next Edition Deadline

No 73 (Nov'23-Jan'24 Edition) 6 th Oct'23

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So you think you know your crisps?

By Anthony Springall

add to the crisps. Taken over by Nabisco, they eventually ended up owned by Pepsi Co who rebranded a number of their snack foods as Walkers.

Is there anything better to go with a pint of beer than a bag of crisps?

Slightly salty they quicken the thirst and are a guilty pleasure to eat, shared by 98% of the UK population that said they liked crisps.

The story behind the big producers echoes what happened with breweries in the latter part of the 20th Century with big players taking over the operations of smaller rivals. In this article there will be two names that re-occur, Pepsi Co of the USA and Intersnack from Germany who between them now dominate this once home-grown industry.

Walkers – Founded in 1948 in Leicester they were taken over by Frito-Lay, a subsidiary of Pepsi Co in 1989. Producing 11 million bags a day using 800 tons of potatoes, it fills the bags with nitrogen to keep things fresh. The largest crisp producer in the UK. Smiths – Founded by Frank Smith in the early 1920's in Cricklewood, London they dominated the market for over 40 years with a 95% market share, they introduced a small blue bag of salt to

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Golden Wonder – Founded in 1947 in Edinburgh it was Golden Wonder that knocked Smiths crisps from its dominant position by introducing a whole plethora of novel flavours. Taken over and sold many times it was bought in 2006 by Tayto Crisps of Ireland who were eventually bought by Intersnack.

Tyrrells – Having an upmarket image it was founded in 2002 on a potato farm in Herefordshire as a way of diversifying as the wholesale price of potatoes set by supermarkets was so low. Sold in 2013 it was eventually bought in 2018 by KP Snacks who are a subsidiary of Intersnack.

Tayto – The inventor of flavoured crisps, Joe “Spud” Murphy founded the company in Ireland in 1953 and quickly developed the technique to introduce flavouring (Cheese & Onion) to crisps.

A national treasure in Ireland it was sold to Intersnack in 2015.

Pipers – Created in 2004 by three farmers to produce high quality crisps from Lincolnshire it was purchased in 2018 by Pepsi Co to add to their portfolio of snack food products.

McCoys – Introduced in 1985 as a thicker, crinkle cut crisp by KP Snacks it eventually ended up, like it's parent company, owned by Intersnack.

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Seabrooks – Founded in Bradford in 1945 by Charles Brooks it is said that the name derived from a clerical error that rather than C Brooks, a printer produced Seabrooks and the name stuck.Potatoes are sourced from an area of 50 miles around the factory and in 2018 the company was sold to Calbee Snacks of Japan Kettle Chips – Another upmarket crisp, it is owned by the Campbell Soup Co. Burts – Founded by Richard & Linda Burt in 1999 after a trip to the USA it aimed to produce a thicker, hand fried potato chip (crisp). Based in Devon it lost it's independence in 2014 but in 2021 was bought by Europe Snacks of France.

Pringles – A 2009 ruling determined that Pringles are a crisp notwithstanding they only contain 42% potato however this was overturned in 2016 which classified them as a biscuit for VAT purposes. The hyperbolic paraboloid

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saddle shaped snack were created by Proctor and Gamble and started to be sold in the USA in 1968. Made up of a potato dough mixed with wheat starch, corn and rice flour plus vegetable oil emulsifier it is extruded into the familiar shape, mm sounds tasty. Now owned

by Kelloggs.

Gone but not forgotten - A number of companies have bitten the dust but the two most famous ones were Tudor who were snapped up by Walkers and Riley's who became part of Golden Wonder.

British Crisps - Now some honourable mentions. If you are trying to find a truly British crisp then Real Crisps were founded in South Wales in 1997 and remain family owned. Two Farmers Crisps was founded in Herefordshire by the eponymous two farmers and is the only UK company to use compostable crisp bags to reduce waste and litter.

Anthony Springall

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National Beer Scoring System

Have you ever wondered how pubs are selected for the CAMRA Good Beer Guide?

Scoring beer in pubs is really easy!

The National Beer Scoring System (NBSS) is a 0-5-point scale for judging beer quality in pubs. It is an easy-to-use system that has been designed to assist CAMRA branches in selecting pubs for the Good Beer Guide and also monitor beer quality by encouraging CAMRA members from any part of the world to report beer quality on any pub in the UK. If you are a CAMRA member, we want you to tell us about the quality of beer in the pubs you visit. If you are not a member, why not join Europe's most successful consumer organisation? As an incentive, when you score a beer you get entered into a prize draw to win free CAMRA books!

How do I score my beer?

You can score your beer online at home or if you have a smart phone in the pub!

To submit your scores just visit whatpub.com.

Log into the site using your CAMRA membership number and password. Once you have agreed to the terms and conditions and found a pub on the site, you can start scoring.

You can find out more here whatpub.com/beerscoring

What do I need to record?

• The location and name of the pub (WhatPub mobile can work this out).

• The date you visited the pub • A score out of 5 • The name of the beer • We will also need your name and membership number, but once you have registered these are recorded automatically in WhatPub

What do the scores mean?

0. No real ale available 1. Poor

Beer that is anything from barely drinkable to drinkable with considerable resentment.

2. Average

Competently kept, drinkable pint but doesn't inspire in any way, not worth moving to an­ other pub but you drink the beer without really noticing.

3. Good

Good beer in good form. You may cancel plans to move to the next pub. You want to stay for another pint and may seek out the beer again.

What if I can't decide on a score?

The NBSS allows you to enter half scores

How do I edit my scores?

To edit your scores, go to data. beerscoring.org.uk.

�WHAT?UB RE:��LE

National Beer Scoring System

4. Very Good Excellent beer in excellent condition.

5. Perfect

Probably the best you are ever likely to find. A seasoned drinker will award this score very rarely.

How is the information being collated?

Once beer scores have been submitted online, CAMRA branches can download them and use them to help in the CAMRA Good Beer Guide selection process.

For more information, CAMRA members can go to: members.camra.org.uk/group/branch-nbss-coordinator/dashboard

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seberks.camra.org.uk Your CAMRA Branch would love to receive your comments about the pubs you visit either by email to: madcow@seberks.camra.org.uk

alternatively submit an update at: www.whatpub.com LocAle is a nationwide CAMRA campaign to encourage pubs to stock at least one locallybrewed real ale, of acceptable quality.

Here in Berkshire South-East, we have a number of breweries which, although not right on our doorstep, we can easily classify as local. For our branch purposes, we have defined “local” to mean within 25 miles driving distance from the centre of our branch in Bracknell.

We now have an increasing number of pubs in our area regularly selling beers from these local brewers. But there are still plenty more yet to participate in the LocAle campaign.

Accredited LocAle Outlets Ascot Barkham Binfield Bracknell Eversley Finchampstead Sandhurst Winkfield Wokingham

Royal Foresters Thatched Tavern Bull Stag & Hounds Cannie Man Newtown Pippin Old Manor Tally Ho Elusive Brewing Tap White Swan White Hart Crispin Emmbrook Inn Hope and Anchor Lord Raglan Ye Olde Leathern Bottel The Outhouse Brewery * Queen’s Head Rifle Volunteer Station Tap

LocAle Breweries

(Within 25 miles of Bracknell)

Andwell (Andwell, Hampshire) Ascot Brewing (Camberley, Surrey) Big Smoke Brew Co. (Esher, Surrey) Bond Brews (Wokingham, Berks) Brightwater (Claygate, Surrey) Craft Brews (Frensham, Surrey) Elusive Brewing (Finchampstead) Hedgedog Brewing (Stroude) Hogs Back (Tongham, Surrey) Indie Rabble Brewing Co (Windsor) Little London (Tadley, Hampshire) Loddon (Dunsden Green, Oxon) Longdog (Basingstoke, Hants) Malt the Brewery (Prestwood, Bucks) MoogBrew (Taplow, Bucks) Mysterious Brewing (Silchester) The Outhouse Brewery (Wokingham) * New Wharf (Maidenhead, Berks) Park Brewery (Kingston Upon Thames) Phantom Brewing (Reading, Berks) * Rebellion Beer (Marlow, Bucks) Renegade Brewery (Yattendon) Sherfield Village (Sherfield, Hants) Siren Craft (Finchampstead, Berks) South Oxfordshire Brewery (Ipsden) Stardust Brewery (White Waltham) Thames Side Brewery (Staines, Middx) Thurstons Brewery (Horsell, Surrey) Tillingbourne Brewery (Shere, Surrey) Twickenham Fine Ales (Twickenham) Windsor & Eton (Windsor, Berks) Zero Degrees (Reading, Berks)

19 9 20 5 22 20 9 10 16 10 21 13 25 22 10 19 6 13 22 13 15 24 19 9 22 6 12 12 21 21 10 13

* Supplied in Key Keg Only

We wish to accredit more pubs under the LocAle scheme that are selling locally-brewed beers, of good quality. We want to help promote LocAle, by campaigning for pubs to stock a local beer, and to provide point of sale material in support of this.

But it is also down to you, the drinker, to make your voice known about local beers. Ask the licensee at your local to try and obtain a beer from one of the breweries listed on this page – many will be very pleased to supply if they are allowed! And, if your local pub DOES put one of these fine ales on, please let us know. The best way to do this is to contact the Branch LocAle Coordinator. We can then publicise it on our website and in this branch magazine.

Issue 72, Autumn 2023

Page 35

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14/07/2023 11:28