CAMPAIGN for REAL ALE
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IN THIS ISSUE
Pub & Brewery News Small Beer Beer Festival Roundup Guide to ACVs Join CAMRA Behind the Bar: The Castle Tap
RUSS WOOD 1956 - 2015
See page 28 for the full story THE CAMRA MAGAZINE FOR READING AND MID BERKSHIRE ISSUE THIRTY FOUR • SUMMER 2015 • FREE - PLEASE TAKE A COPY
Branch Diary All events start at 20.00 and are open to everybody unless specified.
JUNE
Sat 13: Twyford Beer Festival. King George V Playing Field, Loddon Hall Road, Twyford, RG10 9JA. Gates open 12.00. Sat 20: Presentation of branch Pub of the Year award. Fox and Hounds, 51 Gosbrook Road, Caversham, RG4 8BN. Fri 26: Southall Curry Night. Meet 19.30 onwards for drinks at the Conservative Club, High Street, Southall, UB1 3HB, then Nagina Karahi restaurant at 20.45. Contact John Robinson on john.robinson@hotmail.co.uk / 0118 940 2787. Sun 28: Spoons Sunday – a crawl to help use up your left over 50p vouchers. Meet 12.00 at Baron Cadogan, 22-24 Prospect Street, Caversham, RG4 8JG. Then Fox and Hounds (not a Wetherspoons!) and Back of Beyond. JULY
Thu 2: First Thursday of the Month Social. Crown, 2 Church Street, Theale, RG7 5BT then visit other pubs in Theale. Wed 8: Branch meeting. Castle Tap, 120 Castle Street, Reading, RG1 7RJ. CAMRA members only, please.
Contact Us Useful contact details for this magazine, CAMRA and other important things… Mine's a Pint Circulation: 3,000. Outlets: Over 70 across the region. Editor: Phil Gill editor@readingcamra.org.uk 0771 455 0293 81 Addison Road, Reading, RG1 8EG Magazine published on behalf of Reading and Mid Berkshire CAMRA by:
Orchard House Media Ltd daniel.speed@orchardhousemedia.co.uk For advertising enquiries please contact Jane Michelson: 01778 382718 jane@orchardhousemedia.co.uk Reading & Mid Berkshire CAMRA www.readingcamra.org.uk Social Secretary: Quinten Taylor social@readingcamra.org.uk 07887 424232
Sat 11: Rebellion Brewery Open Weekend. Bencombe Farm, Marlow Bottom, SL7 3LT. 11.18 train from Reading (change at Maidenhead) arrives Marlow 12.01. 1.5 mile walk to brewery, Contact for all other branch matters: Katrina Fletcher so meet there approx 12.30. Contact Chris Hinton on contact@readingcamra.org.uk ck.hinton@virgin.net / 0118 987 3203. Fri 24 – Sun 26: Maidenhead Beer Festival. Desborough College, Shoppenhangers Road, Maidenhead, SL6 2QB. Doors open 12.00 each day. AUGUST
Thu 6: First Thursday of the Month Social. Goring and Streatley. Start at the Bull, Reading Road, Streatley, RG8 9JJ at 19.00. Contact Paul Dabrowski on 07747 644342.
0779 401 9437
Local Trading Standards Reading Borough Council: www.reading.gov.uk 0118 937 3737 West Berkshire Council: www.westberks.gov.uk 01635 519930
Sat 8: Pub crawl of Newbury with West Berks CAMRA. 11.48 Royal Borough of Windsor & Maidenhead: train from Reading, meet at Cow and Cask, 1 Inch's Yard, www.rbwm.gov.uk 01628 683800 Newbury, RG14 5DP. Contact Quinno (details below) or Tim Thomas 07941 582762. Wed 19: Branch meeting. Fox and Hounds, 51 Gosbrook Road, Caversham, RG4 8BN. CAMRA members only, please. SEPTEMBER
Thu 3: First Thursday of the Month Social. Woodley. Good Companions, 149 Loddon Bridge Road, Woodley, RG5 4AG. See www.readingcamra.org.uk for details of these events as they come available. For details of an event with no contact listed, to suggest an event or to receive regular e-mail updates of the branch diary, contact Quinten Taylor (Quinno): social@readingcamra.org.uk / 07887 424232.
Wokingham Borough Council: www.wokingham.gov.uk 0118 974 6400
The next issue of Mine’s a Pint will be published in September. Please feel free to submit copy or ideas by 9 August The opinions expressed in Mine’s a Pint are not necessarily those of the editor or the Campaign for Real Ale. © Campaign for Real Ale 2015.
From the Editor It’s been a busy few months for us here at Reading CAMRA, and a time of mixed emotions. The highlight of our year is always the Reading Beer and Cider Festival. This year’s event in early May was a great success, and you can read about some of the best bits in this issue. As we explained last time, it's probably the last festival to be held at King’s Meadow, so watch this space for more details of the plans for 2016 as they emerge. Sadly, we heard shortly before the festival of the death of one of our longest-serving members, Russ Wood. Russ had been active in CAMRA since the 1970s – in fact his membership number was 413 (compare that with the fact that CAMRA now has over 170,000 members). A pioneer of outdoor beer festivals, Russ developed many of the basic principles that are still in use today and underpin our own event as well as many others. He was a knowledgeable man and passionate about his many interests, as well as being a genuinely nice person. We will miss you, Russ. Reading CAMRA has a Pub Protection Group within it – Russ was a member – and in this magazine we have a special feature on Assets of Community Value. This is a great way to afford much-needed extra protection to community pubs, and you can find out about the process, how to nominate your local, and why it's important to take action. There's also a handy nomination form that you can cut out and use.
A UNIQUE, TRADITIONAL BAR
Serving London Pride permanently with weekly changing guest ales Bar Food Served
Friday Fish Supp er
Monday - Friday noon until 2pm
Hog Roast Specialists
only
£7.50
Ring for details
Regular Jazz Nights June 18th, July 9th and July 30th Marquee available for events Arborfield Road,Shinfield, Reading,Berkshire,RG2 9EA Tel: 0118 9884130
Contents Branch Diary
3
From the Editor
4
Pub & Brewery News
5-9
Behind the Bar
11
List your Local
12-13
Have a lovely summer, and here's to the Great British Pub!
Great British Beer Festival 2015
14
Asset of Community Value form
15-18
Cheers.
Small Beer
20-23
Reading Beer Festival Roundup
24-25
Russ Wood
28-29
Phil Gill - Editor editor@readingcamra.org.uk
Join CAMRA
Mine’s a Pint 4
30
Pub & Brewery News Pub News
READING
CAVERSHAM The CROWN ON THE BRIDGE now has four handpumps and regularly features at least one local ale from Loddon or West Berkshire, alongside two other regional or national choices. The beer garden is hidden away – many people don’t know it’s there – and is a good spot for a summer drink.
Real ales are going well at the FISHERMAN’S COTTAGE on Kennetside and we understand they are considering installing a fourth handpump. Three local beers were on offer on a recent visit – Cavalier from Two Cocks, Maggs’ Mild from West Berkshire and Brickworks from Binghams. The ALEHOUSE on Broad Street is making use of the former perry handpump for real ale, meaning that there are now nine draught ale choices (three from West Berkshire and six guests). The wide range of cider and perry is now all served from boxes behind the bar – see the whiteboard for details of what’s available.
Crown on the Bridge, Caversham At the TRAVELLERS REST on Henley Road they are asking real ale drinkers to nominate future guest ales. The range is mainstream, with Doom Bar, 6X, Reverend James, Brakspears and Landlord some of the choices, but it’s good to see them taking an interest in their beer range.
PLAYHATCH There’s a Real Ale and Cider Festival at the FLOWING SPRING running from Friday 12 to Sunday 14 June. Ten ales (six at a time) and five ciders and perries are on offer. The Saturday is a Jazz Day with a whole range of jazz acts performing outdoors and in the bar, starting at 1pm with a big band and ending with jazz funk.
Alehouse, Broad Street, Reading The HORNCASTLE on Bath Road has served its last pint and is reopening as a pet shop. A sad end to this pub which first opened in 1851. At least it's not another convenience store, though. We hear that the PURPLE TURTLE in Gun Street plan to buy the building next door and put a microbrewery in it.
CONTINUED OVERLEAF
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PUB & BREWERY NEWS CONTINUED The RED COW on Southampton Street had closed at the time of writing and was for sale freehold. We had heard that another town centre licensee was to take the pub on and make it into a real ale showcase but, for now at least, that doesn't appear to have happened.
A new roof, better toilets and a thorough repaint of the bar area were in progress. Judging by the three storey high banner, the pub seemed keen to get the message out that they were still trading! Six real ales were available when we visited including two from the local Binghams Brewery. They have also recently secured the services of a new Head Chef, with Tom Evans joining from the London Street Brasserie. Welcome to Paul Reidy and Peggy Stockham, the new licensees of the FORESTERS ARMS in Brunswick Street. They plan to have one monthly ale, a guest ale and a “landlord's special” at a lower price. They would love to see some CAMRA members visit the pub, try the beer and give them some feedback. Graham (ex- Three Guineas) is now in residence at the BUTLER on Chatham Street. He tells us that there will be some exciting changes to the pub, possibly including more handpumps. Music will continue to feature.
Red Lion, Reading Very close by and also on Southampton Street, the RED LION closed briefly but had reopened at the time of writing. As we went to press there were major refurbishment works going on at the LYNDHURST on the corner of Watlington Street.
The GRUMPY GOAT has won “Independent Business of the Year” in the Alt Reading Awards. This ale and cheese shop in the Harris Arcade has become established as a firm local favourite and the award is fully deserved – well done to Charlie and Anne-Marie.
THEALE The planning application to convert the RED LION on Church Street into housing was refused by West Berkshire Council.
TIDMARSH
Lyndhurst, Reading
An old coaching inn on the Pangbourne to Theale road, the GREYHOUND is under the Fullers banner. It’s due to relaunch under new management as a Steak, Chop & Alehouse with a new menu featuring food from local suppliers. The ales are kept in good condition and include HSB, ESB, Oliver's Island and guest beers. The pub’s
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PUB & BREWERY NEWS CONTINUED new website gives more information on food and drink and up and coming events. At weekends it opens at 10.00 for brunch – worth a visit if you're passing that way.
to explore and members of staff will be on hand to answer any questions. There will be games and a raffle, with all proceeds going to the Chiltern and Thames Valley Air Ambulance Service. As an extra incentive, the Kennet Morris Men will also be dancing inbetween pints.
SIREN CRAFT
The Star in happier times
WALTHAM ST LAWRENCE Planning permission was refused by the Royal Borough of Windsor and Maidenhead to convert the STAR on Broadmoor Road into a dwelling. It remains closed at the time of writing. Brewery News
ASCOT ALES The brewery website www.ascot-ales.co.uk has had a much-needed revamp.
LODDON Reading Dark (4.2% ABV) made an appearance for May and could still be available at the time of publication. This is an interesting dark mild / porter hybrid described as “smooth yet roasty, mellow yet hoppy, guaranteed to delight your taste buds.” The next of the popular open days at the brewery is on 17 July from 7-11pm. Tickets cost £22.50 per person and include as many beers as you like and some great food (most likely a barbecue). The brewery will be open
Get down to the Nags Head on Russell Street on Monday 22 June for the latest Tap Takeover. Hosted by Siren Craft, it’s being held to mark the return of Head Brewer Ryan Witter-Merithew to the USA. At least ten brews will be on offer including rare specials, aged beers and collaboration brews. Best book the following day off work.
WEST BERKSHIRE June's special beer is Yaffle (4.1% ABV) pale in colour with a full hop flavour. This beer was first brewed in 2005 and is named after the Yaffle or green woodpecker, which can be seen and frequently heard in the Berkshire woodlands. For July and August Double Decadence (4.5%) is a double-hopped golden ale with a herbal and caramel nose and a hoppy, citrus taste, on offer in cask and bottles. September and October see Blindside Flanker (4.3%) available. This is brewed for the forthcoming Rugby World Cup and is a robust brown ale with bitterness and a full-bodied flavour. The brewery were overjoyed to be appointed the official ale supplier to this year's BWM PGA Golf Championship at Wentworth. Held in late May, the event was expected to attract over 100,000 visitors, and West Berkshire's Saazbrucker Pilsner and Good Old Boy were both available in the bars. It’s excellent to see real ale available at an inter-
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CONTINUED OVERLEAF
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PUB & BREWERY NEWS CONTINUED national sporting event for once, and for a local brewery this is a marvellous showcase. Another new outlet for the brewery's beer has been the House of Commons. Newbury MP Richard Benyon chose Mister Chubb's (3.7%) to go into the Strangers' Bar for a guest slot for a week in early May. Perfect timing for either celebration or commiseration, being right after the election.
provide more space for brewing, storing the beers and also a new tasting room. XT have been growing steadily year on year since their first pint in November 2011 and space has been getting more and more tight. Follow their Facebook page for more info and pictures when the work begins.
Finally, some advance notice for September. In their own words: “Keep your eyes open and ears pealed for news about our OktoberWest Festival – organised to celebrate our 20th anniversary. 19th & 20th September, held at the brewery – our beers – guest beers – music – great food – camping (TBC). It’s going to be great! Discount for CAMRA members.”
NEW BREWERY: DICKENS
WINDSOR AND ETON So far this year Windsor and Eton have celebrated their 5th birthday and their 1,000th brew – not bad going! A new outlet is Windsor Racecourse, where the new Duke Street Bar was opened in time for the first race meeting on 13 April. It stocks four of the brewery's beers and started with Guardsman, Knight of the Garter, Windsor Knot and Uprising. Windsor Knot (4.0% ABV) briefly became “Windsor Tot” to celebrate the birth of Princess Charlotte. It follows a similar renaming as “Windsor Cot” for Prince George.
XT Out of area for us but worth reporting – the planning permission for XT’s brewery extension in Long Crendon, Bucks has been granted. XT are looking to double the size of their brewery in the summer, which will
It’s a warm welcome to our latest local microbrewery. Anyone visiting Great Expectations in London Street recently can't have failed to notice the new brewkit where the pool table used to be, along with other refurbishment works to the pub. The brewery is now operational and the first few beers from the newly-christened Dickens Brewery have been on the bar. The one in the picture was Artful Dodger (4.0% ABV), with “a strong malty taste from the roasted barley but still holding a citrusy character.” Initially often only one beer has been available at a time, but we understand that they hope to build up the range over time. Others seen to date include Mr Bumble (3.8%), with a light, fruity aroma, and Old Curiosity (4.8%), described as being like a dry Irish stout.
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Behind the Bar Charlie Beatty, one of the team behind the Castle Tap, tells us about their new venture and plans for the future. new business with four rotating hand pumps and four rotating keg lines. There is also a large rotating bottle menu including local, Belgian, German and Dutch beers plus many more.
THE CASTLE TAP
Since opening, The Castle Tap has made a big impression on local residents as well as others from further afield. It’s quickly become a destination to get a top quality pint as well as a great tasting cheeseboard which is something that has been recently introduced. Further food plans are on the horizon such as meat platters, olives, scotch eggs, pies and roast dinners on Sundays. So watch this space! We still have further ambitions to improve the garden space at the rear of the pub to make it into an ideal summer drinking spot. Works are currently taking place, so pop by and check out the new improvements.
The Castle Tap (formerly The Horse and Jockey) on Castle Street opened under new management on Thursday 26 February to a sea of real ale and craft beer enthusiasts. There were queues trailing out the door all evening. The pub is owned by a group of four: Anne-Marie and Charlie Beatty (of The Grumpy Goat, Reading), Cara Sheldrake (formerly of the Alehouse) and Chris Wells, who have fully refurbished the grade two listed building giving it a classic warm feel. Real ale and craft beer are at the core of the
In addition, The Castle Tap will be hosting many forthcoming events throughout the year such as music nights and pop-up kitchen nights. There's also a grand plan to have an Autumn beer festival with a few surprises thrown in. Charlie Beatty
If you're a local landlord with big plans for your pub and want to tell us all about them, get in touch and you could feature in a future issue of Mine’s a Pint.
Mine’s a Pint 11
List your Local If you love your local pub and think it adds a lot of value to your community you can apply to give it extra protection from developers by registering it with the Council as an Asset of Community Value (ACV). Normally a pub can be demolished or change its use to a shop, restaurant or several other uses without the need for planning permission. But for pubs registered as ACVs, those rules don’t apply. That means that full planning permission is required to demolish an ACV pub or change its use, and it puts power back where it belongs – in the hands of the local community. A listing doesn’t even need to be fully confirmed to be effective – the protection kicks in as soon as a pub is nominated as an ACV. So there’s an exciting opportunity to protect pubs in our local area by listing them as ACVs. CAMRA has already successfully got five pubs in Reading listed: The Eldon Arms, Foresters Arms, Jolly Anglers, Retreat and Three Tuns. But we can’t do it all on our own and we need your help.
Three Tuns, protected by an ACV.
WHY SHOULD I WORRY? Pubs can come under threat at any time, for all sorts of reasons. Sometimes a pub will
genuinely become unviable, of course, if changing population levels and spending habits reduce its trade to an uneconomical level. But these cases are few and far between. Far more common is that the owner (usually a pub company) thinks it can make more money by selling the site for an alternative use. In some cases the owner may demolish a pub and leave the site vacant and uncared for, often for years. This both extinguishes the lawful use and means that people are eventually more likely to accept a redevelopment. But if the pub is listed as an ACV, demolition would need planning permission – so the lawful use would remain and the tactic is unlikely to work. The most extreme example lately comes from London. In Maida Vale, the Carlton Tavern had stood proudly since the 1920s and served its community well. It was the only building in the street to survive destruction in the Blitz, but on 8 April it fell victim to cynical developers. It was owned by a property developer, who had recently applied to replace the pub with a block of flats, but permission had been refused. What happened next shocked everybody. The licensee was told that she had to leave the pub for a day for a stocktake. When she returned, the Carlton Tavern was in ruins. With no regard for history, the local community or even anybody’s health and safety, the owners had had it demolished. Thankfully Westminster City Council has served a planning enforcement notice, ordering that
Mine’s a Pint 12
GUIDE TO ACVs the pub has to be rebuilt as a “facsimile copy” of its previous form. Most property owners aren’t as callous as that. But any owner will look to maximise his return on investment, which puts almost all pubs potentially at risk. You can help protect your local by nominating it as an ACV. Then the owner will know that demolition or change of use needs permission, and it puts the power back in your hands. The best time to nominate a pub is before it comes under threat.
5. Check the council’s website to see where the nomination needs to be submitted. Many councils have produced guidance explaining how they are accepting nominations. 6. Request a receipt from the local authority to acknowledge they have received the form, as planning protection will be granted at the point of nomination. Once a pub is listed as an ACV, the listing stays in place for five years. It can be renewed though, so make a note to re-apply in 4½ years time, to ensure the protection is not lost by accident. If you’re interested in nominating a local pub then please contact us first to make sure that we can work together and don’t duplicate each other’s efforts. You can e-mail us on contact@readingcamra.org.uk
The Carlton Tavern being illegally demolished, April 2015. Picture by John Carnaby, whose grandfather was the licensee of a previous pub on the site. Taken with permission from www.pubshistory.com © John Carnaby
Let’s work together and help save our pubs!
HOW DO I NOMINATE A PUB? 1. Decide who you are nominating on behalf of. You can either nominate as an unincorporated group of 21 local people, as a Parish Council or in connection with another local group. 2. Go to the website of the council where the pub is located, and look up the section on Assets of Community Value or Right to Bid. There you can download a nomination form. Or you can use the one in this magazine if you like. 3. Fill in the form with as much detail as you can on why the pub should be classified as a community asset. 4. If nominating as an Unincorporated Group, demonstrate that at least 21 people from the local community support the listing of the pub.
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Phil Gill
COMMUNITY RIGHT TO BID NOMINATION FORM Section 1 Q1
ABOUT YOUR COMMUNITY ORGANISATION
Name and address of your organisation
Organisation name: Address and postcode:
Registration number: (if you are a charity, company, CIC or social enterprise)
Q2
Please specify what type of organisation you are
Category
Tick 9
Parish/Town Council Unconstituted / unincorporated Community Group whose members include at least 21 individuals who appear on the electoral roll Neighbourhood Forum designated as pursuant to section 61F of the Town & Country Planning Act 1990 Industrial & Provident Society which does not distribute any surplus it makes to its members Company Limited by Guarantee which does not distribute any surplus it makes to its members Community Interest Company ZKLFK VDWLVÂżHV WKH UHTXLUHPHQWV RI 3DUW RI WKH &RPSDQLHV $XGLW Investigations and Community Enterprise) Act 2004 Charity
Q3
Who should we contact to discuss this nomination?
Name: Address and postcode:
Telephone number Email address
CONTINUED OVERLEAF
Section 2 Q4
ABOUT THE PROPERTY TO BE NOMINATED
Which asset do you wish to nominate?
Name of property: Address and postcode:
Name of property owner Address and postcode:
Telephone number Email address (if known) Current occupier’s name (if different from property owner)
Details of occupier’s interest in property
Section 3
DEMONSTRATING THE COMMUNITY VALUE OF THE ASSET
Q5 Why do you feel the property is an asset of community value? Please give as much information as possible about the current use of the asset i.e. what activities take place, what groups use the IDFLOLW\ FXUUHQWO\ RU LQ WKH UHFHQW SDVW HWF &RQWLQXH RQ D VHSDUDWH VKHHW LI QHFHVVDU\ 'H¿QLWLRQ RI DQ DVVHW RI FRPPXQLW\ YDOXH can be found in the guidance document. Note: Any information entered into this section only may be copied and passed onto the owner of the property you are nominating.
Q6 What do you consider to be the boundary of the property? Please give as much detail as you can and include a plan if possible.
Attachment checklist Ƒ
Copy of group constitution (if applicable)
Ƒ
Names and home addresses of 21 members registered to vote in nomination area (if group is not constituted)
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Site boundary plan (if possible)
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Evidence of current community use e.g. activity programmes, website links etc
Declaration , FDQ FRQ¿UP WKDW WR WKH EHVW RI P\ NQRZOHGJH WKH LQIRUPDWLRQ FRQWDLQHG LQ WKLV QRPLQDWLRQ IRUP LV FRPSOHWH DQG DFFXUDWH
Signed: . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Print Name: . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Position in Organisation: . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Date: . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
CONTINUED OVERLEAF
COMMUNITY RIGHT TO BID NOMINATION FORM GUIDANCE NOTES These guidance notes are provided to help you complete your Community Right to Bid nomination form. 7KH JXLGDQFH LV VHW RXW TXHVWLRQ E\ TXHVWLRQ IRU HDVH RI XVH
Q1
Section 1
Section 3
ABOUT YOUR COMMUNITY ORGANISATION
DEMONSTRATING THE COMMUNITY VALUE OF THE ASSET
Your organisation
Q5 Why do you feel the property is an asset of community value?
Enter the name and address of your organisation in this section.
Q2
Type of organisation
It is important you state which organisation type you are as only those shown here are currently eligible to nominate and all but unconstituted community groups are able to bid. Unfortunately any nomination received from any other body will not be accepted. x Parish/Town Council Neighbourhood Forum – designated as pursuant to section 61F of the x Town & Country Planning Act 1990 x Industrial & Provident Society which does not distribute any surplus it makes to its members x Company Limited by Guarantee which does not distribute any surplus it makes to its members x Unconstituted/unincorporated Community Group whose members include at least 21 local people who appear on the electoral roll within the local authority, or a neighbouring authority. x &RPPXQLW\ ,QWHUHVW &RPSDQ\ ZKLFK VDWLV¿HV WKH UHTXLUHPHQWV RI 3DUW 2 of the Companies (Audit, Investigations and Community Enterprise) Act 2004 x Charity
In here you need to put why you feel the property currently boosts the social interest and social wellbeing of the local community or if it had in the past why it is realistic to think that it could in the future. 'H¿QLWLRQ RI DQ DVVHW RI FRPPXQLW\ YDOXH A building or land is deemed to be of community value if, in the opinion of the council: its actual current use furthers the social wellbeing and interests of x the local community, or a use in the recent past has done so; and x x
x
that use is not an ancillary one; and for land in current community use it is realistic to think that there will continue to be a use which furthers social wellbeing and interests, or for land in community use in the recent past it is realistic to think that there will be community use within the next 5 years (in either case, whether or not that use is exactly the same as the present or past); and it does not fall within one of the exemptions e.g. residential premises and land held with them.
Social interests include (a) cultural interests; (b) recreational interests; (c) sporting interests. Social well-being relates to social interaction and engagement. It is a sense of involvement with other people and their communities
If you are a charitable organisation or company you must provide your charity number. Q6 What do you consider to be the boundary of the property? Q3 Who to contact about the nomination Contact details The contact name must be the same as the person signing the declaration overleaf. Ideally, this will be a member of the management team (chairperson, secretary or treasurer).
Section 2 ABOUT THE PROPERTY TO BE NOMINATED
Q4 Which asset do you wish to nominate? Enter the full name and postal and address of the property you wish to nominate. Owner It is very important that you include the details of the owner of the freehold interest in the property as the Council will need to contact the owner to inform them of the nomination and allow them to comment.
Current occupier The current occupier may not be the same as the property owner so it is important we advise all affected should the property be registered. You should therefore provide details of all tenants/occupants at the property.
,W LV SDUWLFXODUO\ LPSRUWDQW WKDW WKLV TXHVWLRQ LV FRPSOHWHG DV FRUUHFWO\ DQG accurately as possible as this could delay the assessment of your nomination.
We need to know the extent of the property you are nominating; this may include the car park area as an example. However, it should be noted that any area which is in the ownership of a statutory undertaker (i.e. electricity substation) cannot be registered. If possible please include a plan with the boundary marked on it.
3 West Berkshire Ales 6 Guest Ales German & Belgian Beers Real Cider, Perry and Mead Local CAMRA Pub of the Year 2014 Runner Up Local CAMRA Cider Pub of the Year 2013 & 2014
A Community pub in the e heart of Reading e
Pub quiz first Monday of the month
2 Broad Street Reading, RG1 2BH
01189 508119 the-alehouse-reading.co.uk enquiries@thealehousereading.co.uk
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Small Beer A roundup of news and information... BEER DUTY CUT AGAIN In the March budget the Chancellor announced an unprecedented third cut in beer duty, in addition to a 2% cut in cider duty. Jackie Parker, one of CAMRA’s National Directors, said: “This is another monumental success and testament to the thousands of CAMRA members who have supported this Campaign. Working together, CAMRA campaigners like you secured the support of 114 MPs, which mounted huge pressure on the Chancellor to deliver another Budget for beer drinkers. As CAMRA members we should be incredibly proud that our efforts are having such a positive effect on the industry as a whole. Independent research by the Centre for Economic and Business Research estimates that the price of a pint will now be more than 20p cheaper than it would have been had the Beer Duty Escalator remained in place. We will now be urging brewers and pub companies to pass on these savings to consumers.”
for several years previously, the Nags Head, was a close second. On hearing of his win, Fox and Hounds landlord Kevin Durkan said: “It’s a great night for our customers and staff. Thank you to all of you who have supported us over the last 3 and a half years. We are so proud … we couldn’t have done it without you!” The Fox’s win reflects a steady stream of small improvements over the years that have combined to make a great pub experience with, of course, top quality real ale and cider. To celebrate their win, Kevin and Kerri are putting on a Hop Fest between 18-21 June with 30 of the hoppiest real ales and 10 real ciders. Featuring a quiz on Thursday evening and DJ night on Friday. Saturday sees live music and an all-day barbecue, plus a bouncy castle and face painting, with the award presentation at 8pm. Sunday is recovery day with a special roast at lunchtime.
Huge thanks to everyone who supported the campaign by lobbying their MP in the run-up to the budget. Could we make it four in a row next year?
PUB OF THE YEAR Reading and Mid Berkshire CAMRA are proud to announce that their Pub of the Year for 2015 is the Fox and Hounds in Gosbrook Road, Caversham. The winner
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SMALL BEER
SUPERMARKETS
LOCALE 2015 Three more pubs have received LocAle accreditation since the list in the last issue: Caversham: Crown on the Bridge Reading: Lyndhurst Woodley: Good Companions This brings the total number of outlets in our branch area to 30. Appropriately, the criterion for accreditation is “Real ale brewed within 30 miles of Kings Meadow is ordinarily on sale at all times”. Although accreditation is done afresh each year, we can add and remove outlets at any time so, if you know of somewhere that meets the criterion above and isn't on the list, or even the other way round, please let us know.
To illustrate why it's important to list our locals, new CAMRA research shows that 85 UK pubs were converted to convenience stores last year, with a further 24 under immediate threat. The worst offender for this used to be Tesco, but now Co-op is the surprising new leader in the league table of shame. 29 community pubs were lost to become Co-op stores in 2014 with a further 12 under threat, and the position is certain to get worse because of the pubs which New River Retail bought last year from Marstons – 63 of these are being leased to the Co-op either for conversion to stores or for shops to be built on their car parks and gardens.
ASSETS OF COMMUNITY VALUE
The Co-op has a supposed commitment (in its “Group Values and Principles”) to Social Responsibility and Caring for Others. It's hard to see how a strategy of actively targeting and closing community pubs fits with this rhetoric, and CAMRA has asked the group to reconsider its business practices in the light of this anomaly.
With five local pubs listed as Assets of Community Value, it's time to make another push to offer more places the protection afforded by ACV status. Currently we have the Eldon Arms, Foresters Arms, Jolly Anglers, Retreat and Three Tuns listed, which means the normal rules that allow a pub to be demolished or to be turned into a shop, restaurant or various other uses without needing planning permission, don't apply.
The Star in Caversham – a pub no longer
You can read more about ACVs and how to apply to list your local in a special feature in this issue. Included is a handy template that you can fill in and send to the council. If you're interested in nominating your local then please let us know, so that we can work together and avoid any duplication of effort. Let's work together and help to save our pubs!
CIDER TASTING Paul Scrivens has arranged to run a tutored cider tasting at the Alehouse on Sunday 5 July from 35pm.
CONTINUED OVERLEAF
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SMALL BEER - CONTINUED It will be free of charge and cover a variety of different cider styles along with some explanation of the process of cider making. All welcome - you don't have to know anything about cider to join in! For enquiries please contact cider@readingcamra.org.uk
BEER FESTIVALS Loved the Reading Beer and Cider Festival? Want to know where else to visit? Here are some ideas for other great days out in the local area.
Maidenhead: 24-26 July A new venue for this festival – after being based for a few years at Maidenhead football ground, its new home is Desborough College on Shoppenhangers Road, just south of the station. 100+ beers, 20+ ciders, food and music available over the three days. Open 12.00 – 22.00 Friday / Saturday and 12.00 – 19.00 Sunday. www.maidenheadbeerfest.org.uk
Twyford: 13 June A one-day festival, now in its sixth year, raising money as ever for the Orchid Men’s Cancer Charity. This is the first year that the festival has moved outdoors and, as they say, it's “held in a dry marquee so you can get wet inside”. 30 real ales, cider, wine, food and eight live bands. Open 12.00 – 21.00. www.twyfordbeerfest.co.uk Woodcote: 11-12 July A beer festival with a difference, this one is held as part of a steam rally and country fair. Woodcote is one of the oldest steam rallies in the world and the beer tent is an essential part of the show. Real ale, cider and wine. www.woodcoterally.org.uk
HAS YOUR LOCAL RECENTLY HAD A CHANGE OF LICENSEE? If so, let us know, so we can call in and introduce ourselves. We in CAMRA want pubs to succeed and so have formed a local “New Licensees Group” with the aim of engaging with those new to the area or to the licensed trade. We have many useful contacts in the beer, cider and brewing world we can share, are able to supply publicity material, promote events and even loan out equipment for pub beer festivals. Helping new licensees to provide good quality real ale and cider mutually benefits them as a business and us as customers. You can make contact with us via the Branch Contact on contact@readingcamra.org.uk
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Reading Beer and Cider Fes Well, what a successful event that was! The 21st Reading Beer and Cider Festival was the 20th and probably last to be held in King's Meadow, and certainly one of the best yet. 12,987 people came through the gates, which was marginally down on last year but then 2014 had the advantage of much better weather on the Sunday. The crowds enjoyed face painting, Morris dancing, some great live bands and, of course, a fantastic array of over 550 real ales and some 200 real ciders and perries, not forgetting a great range of foreign beers and English wines. The LocAle of the Festival competition was keenly fought with over 70 beers entered. The overall champion was named as Gravitas from Vale Brewery, a 4.8 per cent single hopped premium pale ale with citrus flavours. Bellinger’s Gallipoli came an incredibly close second. Rahul Rashisht of getreading joined a group of publicans and CAMRA members on the judging panel and explained, “We judged each beer on four categories: appearance, aroma, taste and aftertaste. Each category scored a mark out of 10, except taste which
was out of 20.” Rahul was part of a panel judging milds and he continued, “Though we were tasting it blind, Triple fff's Pressed Rat & Warthog was by far the most popular beer on the table. A very rich, dark colour and a strong, almost sweet aroma with a hint of bitterness. Taste-wise it was an absolute treat.” The festival can't exist without many, many volunteer CAMRA members who help to organise and run the event. Everybody you see working at the festival, from stewards to gate staff, from bartenders to rubbish collectors, has given up their free time to help make the event a success. Every year the Alan Tunnicliffe award is made for “newcomer of the year”, and this time the winner was James Moore, who was working at his first festival and managed the CAMRA Products stall. James said, “Everyone was awesome, definitely volunteering again next year. We recruited 68 new CAMRA members, sold all 2015 Beer Festival t-shirts and hoodies, sold all of last year's stock and even sold some of the surplus Ale Trail t-shirts!”
stival - Roundup As for what's happening next year, watch this space. We're confident there will be a festival but it's almost certain to have to move to a new site, and a group of people are looking at the various options. As and when things are confirmed then we'll let people know on www.readingcamra.org.uk as well as our Facebook groups and, of course, in Mine's a Pint. Here’s to next year, whatever it may hold! Phil Gill
Falcon at Theale 31 High Street, Theale, Reading RG7 5AH Tel: 01189 302523
Three Real Ales ~ Large Car Park ~ Food served Mon - Fri 12-2pm ~ Beer Garden with covered decking area
~ Families Welcome ~
A charming country pub. The friendly & relaxed atmosphere welcomes locals, families, walkers, dogs & cyclists alike • Cosy seating area with wood burner • Ideal for walks & to hack to, very near the Knowl Hill bridle path • Home-made food served Mon - Fri 12-3pm & 6 - 9pm, Sat - Sun 12-9pm • Sunday Roast from 12 noon to 3pm • Beer garden overlooking fields
Live Music & Events
01628 822 010
Check Facebook for details
Knowl Hill Common, Berkshire, RG10 9YE
falcon.theale
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Russ Wood: 1956 - 2015 So many people knew Russ Wood and shock hardly expresses the reaction when they learned that he had passed away on Friday the 17th April. Feeling unwell, he went into hospital on Easter Monday; after tests they discovered he had advanced cancer and it was all over in eleven days. I suppose one can at least take some comfort from the fact that it didn’t prolong the agony unnecessarily. He would have been only 59 in July. Russ was one of those cheerful characters liked by everybody. Being a Yorkshire lad, he was known for saying what he thought, but at least you always knew where you were with him. Russ also had a bit of an impish trait as, trading on his Yorkshire roots, he used to enjoy giving the impression that he was extremely parsimonious whereas, in reality, he was extremely generous. Russ was a man of many talents and interests, the main ones (apart from his work as a Chartered Engineer) being CAMRA, Real Ale and pubs; football, Reading Royals in particular; horology (electrical clocks and precision timekeeping); TVR cars and any antique electrical or mechanical thing. Oh, and loud music. However real ale was VERY high up the list and an integral part of his life to the point that, after his wife Carrie, his family and work, I would say it has been right at the very top for the whole of the last 40 years. His CAMRA membership number was 000413. I first met Russ in August 1975, less than a year after the establishment of CAMRA in the Reading area, in the middle of a large
sloping field beside the A4 at Knowl Hill. Before CAMRA came on the scene in the early 70s, beer festivals were virtually unknown in the UK and even in 1975 there were only a handful in places like Ealing, Cambridge and Peterborough, usually held in Town Halls or similar buildings. Our branch was looking to hold some sort of event and got to hear that a local pub had lost money selling Keg Whitbread Trophy from a tent at the then popular Knowl Hill
Russ (centre) helping to build the stillage at Knowl Hill Steam Fair, 1979 Steam Fair. To cut a long story short, our offer to set up an event with a range of cask ales was accepted and we were provided with a canvas marquee. Russ, it seems, had got a summer job with ICL, then a big manufacturer of computers, in Reading. Somehow he had got to hear of our “Beer Festival”, found his way to Knowl Hill and offered to help. Soon he was spiling and tapping casks and coming up with suggestions on how to keep the beer cool on what that year were very hot summer days. Luckily, John Keeley, the man behind the steam fair, was a vegetable and potato merchant with his yard nearby and was able to lend us lots of used hessian
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RUSS WOOD - BEER FESTIVAL PIONEER potato sacks which we soaked and put over the beer. Equally luckily, nobody noticed the stink of old potatoes! This was ground breaking stuff. Apart from the fact that, as far as I know, any sort of beer festival had never been held west of Ealing, Brakspears – then the holy grail of real ale – were extremely uneasy about their live beers being sold in the middle of a hot dusty field and almost refused to supply us. So concerned was Mike Parsons, the Head Brewer, that he paid us a visit and was rather relieved to find all his casks nicely cooled with wet sacks, sitting on nice solid scaffolding. All the same he insisted on siphoning some out from each one and refilling with an extra dose of finings! Any way, the event was a success and we became a permanent fixture at Knowl Hill.
it up as they were going along. It would be fair to say that methods pioneered by Russ back then have been handed down and are still in use at the Reading Beer Festival as well as having permeated outwards to be used by many other branches. Having soon discovered that we shared many interests (though, I have to admit, not football) besides CAMRA, pubs and beer, Russ and I became firm friends and I shall miss his banter terribly. It goes without saying that his wife Carrie and his children Cat and Mike will too. Russ’s love of beer and pubs undoubtedly stems from the fact that his parents ran pubs “up north” when he was a child and many will know that this tradition lives on: Mike can usually be found behind the bar in the Nags Head, one of Reading’s leading Real Ale pubs.
Next year Russ was back again and got stuck into looking after the beer. Although he came from far away he sort of became part of the Knowl Hill team. I don’t remember the exact details but I understand that when Russ finished his degree sponsored by ICL they then announced they didn’t have any jobs going. Casting around for something else, Computer Analysts & Programmers Ltd (popularly known as CAP) offered him a job in their Reading office, which I like to think he accepted because of his involvement with the Steam Fair. Thus he became a member of the Reading & Mid Berkshire CAMRA branch, having already made a name for himself as an expert in looking after beer in a field. Over the years he held many posts within the branch but from that time in the late 70s it was always Russ who was in charge of the beer at any event we did right up until the first few of the current Reading Beer Festivals. When we first set up at Knowl Hill there was no central pool of CAMRA beer festival expertise – in fact hardly any expertise at all. All organisers of such events were on their own and, like us, had to make
My image of Russ will always be of him in an old tee shirt and shorts complemented either by a blue lab coat or his black apron with pouches bulging with spiles and bungs, holding a brass beer tap in one hand and brandishing a mallet in the other.
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Laurence Hansford