BAE 151

BAE 151 Prog:Layout 1 25/01/2010 22:09 Page 1

bae beer around ‘ere | Issue 151 | February - March 2010 |FREE, please take one

Mama Liz’s Wins Pub of the Year 2010!

Stamford Review

Real ale scene in Stamford thrives!

Overcoming Intolerance

Search for Gluten-free ale

Behind Bars

Face to face with the Hit or Miss

Peterborough & District Branch of CAMRA | www.peterborough-camra.org.uk

BAE 151 Prog:Layout 1 25/01/2010 22:09 Page 2

Three ales served from the likes of Oakham, Digfield, Ufford, Oldershaw, Castor, Newby Wyke or Grainstore Continental Lagers American bottled beer Cocktails

Opening Times 12 midday to 11.30pm, sunday, monday, wednesday, thursday, 12 midday to 2am friday and saturday, closed tuesday.

Peterborough CAMRA

PUB OF THE YEAR 2010!

Join us at the presentation evening - Weds February 24th • Complimentary LocAles • • Entertainment from Tex Longhorn and Red Deadwood • • In the Voodoo Lounge - ‘Speakeasy’ poetry evening • • In the Restaurant -Texas Hold’em Poker - £5 buy in •

Entertainment

Live music of all sorts in the voodoo lounge music club, a perfectly converted victorian cellar underneath the bar, jazz, acoustic, rock, folk, stand up comedy and the regions best DJs in the bar each weekend.

Food

The cuisine of new orleans, creole and cajun favourites such as jambalya, gumbo, blackened catfish and jerk chicken, ribs, wings and chilli and also an excellent steakhouse

Find Us

Mama Lizs Soul Food Shack And Voodoo Lounge Music Club 9A North St, Stamford Lincs PE9 1EL 01780 765888

www.mamaliz.co.uk

BAE 151 Prog:Layout 1 25/01/2010 22:09 Page 3

Campaigning | 3

The Fight for Fair Trading Continues

O

n 22nd December last year, CAMRA announced it will issue a legal challenge to the Office of Fair Trading’s decision to reject its super-complaint on anti-competitive practices in the UK pub market. CAMRA is pledging funds to the appeal, but is depending on consumers helping to raise further funds to ensure this vital legal challenge can stand the best chance of success.

In October CAMRA criticised the Office of Fair Trading (OFT) for failing to protect consumers by taking no further action to address consumer detriment in the pub market following CAMRA’s super-complaint submitted in July.

Under the Enterprise Act 2002, CAMRA is entitled to appeal the OFT’s decision to the Competition Appeals Tribunal, and has decided upon this course of action to continue fighting anti-competitive practices in the UK pub market.

From Tuesday January 5th 2010, CAMRA is calling upon consumers to visit the CAMRA website (www.camra.org.uk) and contribute to the Consumers v. OFT Pub Market Ruling Campaign Fund.

Mike Benner, CAMRA Chief Executive, said: “CAMRA has taken the decision to appeal due to the inability of the OFT to deal with the problems affecting the UK pub sector.

CAMRA’s super-complaint to the OFT was based on securing a fair deal for the pub-goer, and building a sustainable future for Britain’s remaining pubs.

However, we believe the OFT did not take reasonable steps to understand the pub sector, and more generally why over 50 pubs are closing per week across the UK. We’ve seen the consumer watchdog scrutinised in previous years with the success of the Association of Convenience Stores appeal in 2005 in overturning the OFT’s decision at Tribunal.

Pending the success of our appeal, CAMRA remains optimistic of Government intervention or a

referral to the Competition Commission for a full investigation into the UK pub market.”

Bob Young, a former member of the Monopolies and Mergers Commission and respected Principal of Europe Economics, has said: “The OFT’s response was as inadequate as CAMRA’s super-complaint was compelling. The OFT has not seriously considered whether there is fair competition at a local level which ensures that consumers, or pub landlords for that matter, get the best deal. This is a critical shortcoming in the OFT's response to CAMRA." Mike Benner concluded: “We now urge consumers and associated trade bodies to get behind our Consumers v. OFT Pub Market Ruling Campaign Fund in the New Year and support our appeal.”’

CAMRA, the Campaign for Real Ale, is a not for profit, independent consumer organisation which campaigns for real ale, real pubs and consumer rights. CAMRA currently has over 107,000 consumers as members.

CAMRA’s super-complaint, ‘A Fair Share for the Consumer’, was published in July and can be viewed at www.camra.org.uk /supercomplaint CAMRA’s super-complaint centred on the need to reform beer tie arrangements to prevent large companies exploiting tie arrangements that prevent tied publicans from buying beer on the open market at fair prices. CAMRA argued that the wholesale prices paid by tied publicans are considerably higher, around £20,000 per year for an average pub, than would prevail in a competitive market. The lack of competition, particularly in areas dominated by tied pub companies, mean that consumers pay higher prices, and suffer a reduced quality of experience and a restricted range of products. CAMRA has calculated that if beer prices had only risen in line with inflation since 1990 then collectively consumers would be better off by £2.5 billion a year.

Peterborough Branch Website |www.real-ale.org.uk

BAE 151 Prog:Layout 1 25/01/2010 22:09 Page 4

4 | Please support our advertisers

The Bluebell Inn 10 Woodgate, Helpston Peterborough, PE6 7ED 01733252394

Helpston. Offering a warm welcome and a typical English A pub atmosphere. The antidote to uncluttered “cool�. traditional country Inn set in the beautiful village of

Pictures by Michael Slaughter

We serve up to six real ales from national breweries and local microbreweries including Tydd Steam, Elgoods, Adnams, Fullers, Wells and The Grainstore Brewery. All changing weekly.

Permanently available, exclusive to us John Clare Bitter 4.3% from the Grainstore. Also sold in bottles.

www.real-ale.org.uk

Good home cooked food served Tuesday to Sunday.

Traditional Sunday roast served 12 - 5pm and daily 2 course lunchtime specials. New Menu Available.

Small parties can be catered for Funerals, christenings, birthdays etc...

Ample customer parking. Also conveniently close to the hourly Peterborough - Stamford bus route (mon - sat)

BAE 151 Prog:Layout 1 25/01/2010 22:09 Page 5

Chairman’s Corner | 5

Chairman’s Corner Hello folks.

Looking out of the window at the snow covered roads and footpaths whilst writing this, remind me of the reason why that during the festive season my travels were somewhat limited. Oh I’m not saying that I didn’t manage to get to the pub but, having slipped over three times, the limbs were crying out to the brain saying no don’t even think of going out afar. Two of those bone jarring falls were on the way to the pub before some jump to conclusions!

Many of our pubs did make a positive effort to attract customers in spite of stakes being stacked against them. If the continuing recession, bad weather and the return of VAT to previous levels were not enough to make any licensee cry in their beer, the traditional New Year slim period most likely will. These next few weeks are when our pubs need your support more than ever.

We come to the serious bit now. At our branch AGM in December we found ourselves in the position of being a bit short in numbers both by the attendance of members, and volunteers to serve on the committee. As we are supposed to be the largest branch of CAMRA in the country I found that very disappointing. We need some new members to join in the activities of the branch. Positions currently vacant are a vice-chairman (or woman), a social secretary to help organise our social events, and a Publicity Officer to liaise and communicate with the media. All of these posts can be taken on by any member of our branch with the appropriate guidance from the main officers. We also have a dedicated band of volunteers who take on the task of regularly delivering our by-monthly newsletter. Any additional help with this is always welcome.

It should come as no surprise that some pub licensees are up in arms in response to the decision by the OFT (Office of Fair Trading) to reject their and CAMRA’s super complaint over beer ties. Many have even gone as far as saying they will go and buy their beer on the open market in defiance to the Pubcos. One national newspaper predicted that if thousands of these landlords did carry out a threat of this nature, we could see our beer prices tumble! I wait with interest to see this occur.

Congratulations must be conveyed to our Pub of The Year (POTY) which for the third year running is again in Stamford! Mama Lizs in North Street has been nominated with this year’s accolade. Votes were cast by our members and the count was made early in January. The pub describes itself as a Soul Food Shack that serves three or more real ales, mainly from local breweries and holds our current LocAle Certificate. The pub has something for all tastes.

I must add that the votes cast were the closest we have had for many years.

That’s about it for now folks.

Cheers David Murray

ARE YOU MISSING OUT? Only the beer-stained copy left?

Get Beer Around Ere delivered to your door! For a year (6 issues) send a £2.10 cheque/PO payable to “Peterborough CAMRA” and your address to:Daryl Ling 19 Lidgate Close, Orton Longueville Peterborough PE2 7ZA

www.real-ale.org.uk

BAE 151 Prog:Layout 1 25/01/2010 22:09 Page 6

6 | Editor’s Rant

A Winter of Discontent

S

o once again we are at that lean time of the year, when pubs recovering from a mini-boom over the festive season, must now batten down the hatches and weather the storms on their way.

There are many reasons why regular pub goers tend to stay at home during the first few weeks of a new year. The weather is one of them, and while snow covered streets and paths may look nice on a card, they are not easy to traverse when the local authority fails to send out the gritting lorries in time. Some folk are already saving for their holidays; Then there is the annual economy drive, as people realise they went a bit over the top last month and struggle to make ends meet now that the supermarkets have stopped slashing their prices so much!

But by far the best excuse I hear for abstaining from one’s occasional tipple is that old chestnut – the New Year’s Resolution. Maybe one has put on a few extra pounds, and so shuns the pub in favour of a thrice weekly visit to the gym, I know that come the end of February though, everyone will have reverted to their normal behaviour and hopefully the pubs will be busy again, although that is when the next threat rears its ugly head. The breweries will put their prices up.

The major players, that is the global breweries and the greedy pub-cos, will not be bothering with sentiment when they announce increases of around 7% by the time you are reading this.

They will cite everything from a sharp increase in materials to the cost of gas & electric, and they will expect the customer to shut up and pay up. Most local pubs it has been noticed, managed to hold their prices the same, even with the VAT rate reverting back to 17.5% on New Year’s Day. Once the cost of beer goes up though, you can expect the price at the pumps to go up by another 10-20p a pint.

With almost 60 pubs a week now closing, the www.real-ale.org.uk

majority of them owned by Enterprise or Punch I might add, you would think that a slightly different strategy might have been employed to help protect those licensees that are now struggling to make even the most basic of incomes to exist?

But no, it’s just business as usual for the big boys, but just what do you expect from these people? They are quite capable of supplying a double order to the pub just before Christmas, so they don’t need to do deliveries in the week leading up to New Year, but on all subsequent deliveries there is never space on the wagon to remove the empty casks from your cellar, despite there being a national cask shortage!

You would have thought that somebody in an office somewhere might just have realised this and made provisions when doing the load planning, but no.

When these all too powerful companies are failing to correct even the most fundamental of their operational errors, you quickly realise how out of touch with reality the management of these pub-cos are. So, as CAMRA are set to appeal against the OFT’s decision not to look into the corrupt tied system there may yet be some respite for the honest punter who prefers visiting his local instead of drinking at home.

Whatever the outcome of CAMRA’s appeal, it still needs government action to protect an industry that has in recent years, been taxed to the hilt. But as you well know, there will be a general election in May, so everyone will now be promising you the earth in a desperate bid for your vote. So tell your prospective MP how you feel, badger and hassle them all you like, you never know, you might just get something to go your way. Perhaps, but an old cynic like me doubts it very much, and when you consider how much money the supermarket bosses will be ‘donating’ to the various parties’ election campaign funds... ...you get the picture. Fancy a pint anyone?

Bram

BAE 151 Prog:Layout 1 25/01/2010 22:09 Page 7

BAE 151 Prog:Layout 1 25/01/2010 22:09 Page 8

8 | Pub News

I

Pub News

t’s always good to start off with a bit of an apology I think. In our last issue I may have given the impression that the game of Push Penny is more or less centred around two pubs in Stamford, these being the Jolly Brewer and the Hit or Miss. I am indebted to Albert, long serving landlord of the St Mary’s Vaults who completed my education in this matter. It is known by local inhabitants (but not apparently by your Pubs Officer!) that the ‘Vaults’ has been hosting the game for more years than anyone cares to remember and locally is considered to be the ‘home’ of the game. The Vaults is one of two Sam Smith’s pubs in the town and is well worth a visit when in town.

Julie Perkins took over the running of this excellent pub a couple of years ago they have raised over £3,500 for good causes. Macmillan Cancer Support and the Whitefriars care home have both benefited from the pub’s help. Superb real ale is always available.

The Millstone is a pub that appears to be offering a valuable winter service to local pensioners. Pub owner John Conaghan is offering any OAP a bowl of soup and a roll free of charge; they don’t even have to buy a drink.

Mr Conaghan said ‘we just thought it was a nice gesture for the winter months’. Quite right too.

While we’re in Stamford I might as well mention a few other pubs that have come to my notice recently, mainly in the pursuit of charity.

The Northfields in Drift Road held their annual fishing competition to raise a few quid for the Cystic Fibrosis Trust. There’s always something reassuring about people standing around in old clothes lying about the size of a fish but I’m sure nobody perjured themselves at the event which raised £295. The pub also held a beer festival to keep the regulars contented and any money raised from the accompanying barbeque was donated to the British Legion.

A landlord on the up and up is Glenn Hill who, with a few buddies completed the three peaks challenge. Not content just to run the Hurdler pub he has to go and do something to stretch the legs and conquer the highest chunks of North Yorkshire. £750 was raised for WheelPower, a charity for wheel chair sport.

Tucked away in Maiden Lane you’ll find the King’s Head, a pub little in statue but large in charity fundraising circles. Since Graham and www.real-ale.org.uk

The Bull and Swan, Stamford

Other Stamford News We would like to welcome James Smith as the new landlord of the Bull & Swan who took over in October with his mum Maria. We wish them luck with their new venture.

The Daniel Lambert is now to become a shop.

It's a sign of the times and pubs are struggling as we know, but this ends a piece of history in the town. Originally called the Three Tuns the place was originally set up as a direct result of the 1830 Beer Act, an act that allowed any ratepayer to open a beerhouse. It changed its name in 1876 to the Reindeer before becoming the Daniel Lambert in 1983. There have been

BAE 151 Prog:Layout 1 25/01/2010 22:09 Page 9

Pub News | 9

seven pubs in St Leonard’s Street at one time or another, and now we have none. As many will know, it wasn’t the first pub in the town to be named after the big lad from Leicester, an earlier one being close to the Bull & Swan.

The London Inn, Black Bull and the Hole in the Wall are still closed at the time of writing, the latter two will probably reopen after a short while I suspect. The London Inn is however awaiting a massive refurbishment which will take a while. Owned by the same bloke who owns the Central Night Club, it will have a restaurant, bar and probably a night club upstairs but its early days yet so plans may still change.

Outside of Stamford The Oak in Easton on the Hill has been earmarked for conversion to a private house.

There is another very good pub in the village called the Blue Bell and Mick Thurlby is currently waving his magic wand around the Exeter Arms which has been closed for years.

London Inn, Stamford

A Fenland Town The town of March gets an occasional mention in these pages mainly due to Eric, our man on the scene. Our intrepid reporter always says good things about the King William IV so I

King William IV in March

thought I’d just mention that their Tim Taylor's Landlord is among the best in the area and if you need a nice, good value meal then this is the place.

The Ship, a Greene King pub on the river in the town centre has closed again. There are mumblings that it won’t reopen but never say never as they say. It’s a tiny place but ideally situated and as a well run free house it could be a winner. The Hammer & Anvil has opened and closed more times than my wallet on a teenage daughter’s shopping trip! They tell me now that the place has finally been sold and will reopen as a free house. I await further developments with interest. The Acre just off the High Street has a new lady behind the bar in the form of Heather Fossey, who was previously at the Seven Stars at the far end of town. While in town you should continue to visit the Rose & Crown where a fine pint will be assured as usual.

Werrington's good fortune The residents near to the Werrington Centre await with eager anticipation, for the Tesco juggernaught to descend upon them and demolish their local store and replace it with something unfeasibly large and hideous. But as the steam roller of progress seems to have hit a pot hole in the road and shuddered to a halt they will have to wait a bit longer. The good news here though is that the Ploughman has had a reprieve. For those of you not ‘in the know’ allow me to enlighten you as to what is on Continued Overleaf

www.real-ale.org.uk

BAE 151 Prog:Layout 1 25/01/2010 22:09 Page 10

BAE 151 Prog:Layout 1 25/01/2010 22:09 Page 11

Pub News continued | 11

offer in this unassuming boozer. Run by expert licensees Andy and Stuart Simmonds it is a haven for the world weary shopper who fancies some rather good ale. The pub is now free of tie and Andy is a keen enthusiast, and with his newly acquired LocAle kit firmly in his hand he’s supplying exactly what the customer ordered. 3 ales are on offer with Oakham featuring prominently but not exclusively and with plans to get 5 up and running soon it looks like super news for those of us who don’t live that far away! As I spoke to Andy he let it slip that a real cider will be on offer more often than not, so for people who prefer their tipple to have pips in, it might be worth a look. We all like a bit of activity with our beer and Andy is no different so he’d like to invite prospective darts, dominoes, pool and crib players to the pub with the aim of forming teams. The pub has a function room which is available at reasonable rates. So, on behalf of the local CAMRA branch I’d like to extend our best wishes to Andy and Stuart and hope they do well, which I’m sure they will. Contact the pub on 01733 327696 Other Pub Stuff The village of Yaxley has a pub down at the bottom of the hill called the Duck & Drake which for sometime has been a bit neglected or so they say. News that local man David Rayner has bought the place, done a bit of a makeover and installed 5 real ales is very welcome. At the time of writing details were a bit thin on the ground but it sounds like a bit of good news for the village.

The Windmill in Orton is now open and doing well after five weeks of refurbishment. The new owner Steve Haslam has more plans for the pub including an adventure playground for the summer and possibly an outdoor cinema! Real ale is on offer but as to what it is or how much it is I have yet to find out.

Pubby Snippets The Moorhen in Hampton is 1 year old.

The Cock Inn in Werrington reopens after being closed for four months

Steve Burge, previously of the Elmtree Tavern in Dogsthorpe has returned to the Bell in Sawtry and is looking for local bands to perform.

The Greyhound in Eye Green is now an Indian restaurant.

The Verve pub, ex White Lion ex Lion is now owned by Prezzo and they will be converting it to a Mexican restaurant.

Pub chain Wetherspoons are looking to open more pubs in and around the city. Whether the vacant and semi derelict George in Whittlesey is part of their plans is anyone's guess.

Ramsey Forty Foot, a bit out of the way but worth the trip Not so long ago The George at Ramsey Forty Foot was on the very edge of closure. The owners were looking for a new couple to take it over and no-one seemed to be in the least bit interested. It appeared that The George would go down in history as just another pub that had gone to the wall. It reached a stage when it was no longer a pleasure to use, the beer was mediocre, there was no atmosphere and the customers were there just because they felt it their duty - then along came Steve and Janet Upex, and now it would be a challenge to recog-

(

)

“The pub is now a popular place that is alive, warm and inviting as a good local should be”

nise the place! Steve & Janet have transformed it into a vibrant and busy pub that is a pleasure to go into. They have a range of ales that changes regularly, and so it’s always worth putting your head around the door to find out what's on the pumps. They have developed a menu of good wholesome food which is also proving popular, and all of this in such a very short time.

Continued Overleaf

www.real-ale.org.uk

BAE 151 Prog:Layout 1 25/01/2010 22:09 Page 12

12 | Pub News continued

The pub is now a popular place that is alive, warm and inviting as a good local should be, and people who would never have been seen in the place can be seen beating a path to its door.

Give the George a visit when in the area, and if you’re not then take a detour.

Oakham in Rutlandshire England’s smallest county looks to have many things going for it not least the town of Oakham.

I’d like to thank Jason Faulkner the landlord of The Merry Monk in Church Street for letting us know that we may be missing something good in town. The Monk now has two ales on tap with JHB on permanently. James suggested I have a look at their Facebook page which I did and found a pub that has a good local following with over 200 people in their particular group.

On Thursday you can get a homemade pie and a pint for under £7 but food is served Tuesdays onwards, lunchtimes and early evenings. There is regular live music and I like the idea that James describes the place as ‘probably the best pub in the world’ so those who disagree will have to visit and prove James otherwise! Have a look on Facebook under the heading of The Merry Monk, Oakham and see for yourself. You see landlords, it’s not difficult to get yourself a web presence or a mention in these pages, just an email to say hello is a good start.

From the best pub in the world to the best pub in the universe - the Grainstore Brewery - a brewpub situated so close to the railway station it should have its own ticket office. Most of us know about their beers and drink them when they’re to hand, favourites of mine being the Rutland Panther and the Ten Fifty, the latter reminding me of a long gone beer that was made locally until the 1990’s. What I didn't know was that the bar staff like to do their bit for charity.

A cutting from the Stamford Mercury showed that barman Rick Pheonix revealed slightly more than usual, for a calendar! The idea behind such things was no doubt inspired by the WI calendar some years ago which spawned www.real-ale.org.uk

Honest John in Chatteris

a film about the idea. So if you like the idea of the Rutland & Leicester Calendar Boys 2010 to hang on your kitchen wall then you can purchase one in the Grainstore. You might need a couple of pints of Ten Fifty to get you over the nakedness perhaps...

A pattern emerges OK, there may be a theme to this part of the pub news but I’d like to give the regulars of the Honest John in Chatteris a mention. In order to raise money for the town’s Christmas Lights Fund the loyal, brave and photogenic customers of the pub bared all for...you’ve guessed it, a calendar. The pub has raised money for the Lights Fund in previous years but this was the first time they have resorted to disrobement in front of the lens. Well done brave souls.

This idea of stripping off in the name of a good cause probably has some mileage in it. Is it time that our CAMRA branch took up the challenge and produced something in a similar vein?

Perhaps we could do something for the RNLI at the beer festival with members of the Committee draped over an Atlantic Class rescue boat semi clad in wet weather gear! Admittedly some of the Committee could be mistaken for life buoys and that soft focus would have to be pretty bloody soft to obscure what father time has made less palatable to the viewing public!

Your ideas as usual on a postcard or why not join my Facebook Peterborough Pubs Group and leave photos, messages, views and rants!

Steve Williams

BAE 151 Prog:Layout 1 25/01/2010 22:09 Page 13

Please support our advertisers | 13

The

Ju s Pe On t off ter ly t bo six he A rou m 15 gh iles Lunchtime specials Cit served Monday to Friday yc en 12-2pm Great food at great prices tre Also available during Early Bird Monday to Friday 6-7pm

3 Real Ales

GOLDEN

Pheasant

fro m

Winter Warmer - the £5 plate - tasty and filling Monday to Friday lunch and early evening Saturday food Noon – 9pm

Open Daily: Mon – Thurs 12-3pm and 6-11pm Fri/Sat 12-11pm Sun 12-11pm

What’s On: Valentine’s Party in the Marquee Saturday 13th Live Music with band ‘NIGHTGAMES’- hot buffet £15 per head book ten places get one free!

In the pub - Dinner for two, seated and unplugged guitarist, special menu

Easter 2010

St Patrick's Day party in the marquee Saturday 13th March - Please ring for more information

Four Day Beer Festival 1 Main Road, Etton, Peterborough PE6 7DA Tel 01733 252387 Email kateshinkins@hotmail.com Web www.thegoldenpheasant.net

Traditional Town Centre Pub with a Warm Welcome!

5 REAL ALES + CIDER Including Wherry, Bombardier, Abbot, London Pride and an ever-changing guest beer Real Inglenook Fire Pub games including Crib, Dominoes and Darts

Open all day everyday from 11 am

Good sized Car Park. Heated smoking shelter

March 17th - St Patrick’s Day The Jolly Sailor, 43 Great Whyte, Ramsey PE26 1HH Tel 01487 813388

Special drink offers + food Acoustic music Club every 2nd and 4th Thursday of the month – all welcome! www.real-ale.org.uk

BAE 151 Prog:Layout 1 25/01/2010 22:10 Page 14

14 | Please support our advertisers

BEER FESTIVAL Wed 24th March to Sun 28th March Over 20 Real Ales

www.real-ale.org.uk

BAE 151 Prog:Layout 1 25/01/2010 22:10 Page 15

BAE Gones| 15

BAE Gones 20 years ago

Boddington sold its brewing operations to Whitbread, well known for taking over and closing breweries. However the Strangeways Brewery survived for another 15 years before InBev, who had bought Whitbread, pulled the plug.

We were worried that we may not have been able to hold the 13th Peterborough Beer Festival as the Wirrina was earmarked for demolition to make way for a hotel.

David Murray took over as editor of BAE from Derek Gibson who had been editor since issue one in 1985.

15 years ago

GEORGE INN OUNDLE - 01832 272324

COUNTRY PUB ON THE EDGE OF TOWN Offering a selection of real ales, including local ales, fine wines and a good selection of lagers and ciders.

FOOD IS SERVED LUNCHTIMES AND EVENINGS (except Sunday evening and Monday) All food is cooked fresh to order on the premises using locally sourced products.

Sunday lunch is carvery time where there is a slection of 3 roasts and 8 vegetables

Tuesday to Saturday 2 dine for £10 We have a large car park and there is a large decked area where you can enjoy al fresco dining, bbqs and live music.

Our speciality is the black rock grill where you cook your steaks etc. on a superheated granite rock the way you like it.

BAE carried articles about the use of swan-neck handpumps, plastic sparklers, smoothflow beers, “draught” beer in a can, keg fonts made to look like proper handpulls and a helpful article called “Beer for Beginners”.

10 years ago

Two local breweries were celebrating. Oakham Ales were presented with the gold medal in the bitter class and the silver as overall Champion Beer of Britain with JHB. Elgoods were presented with the silver medal for Black Dog in the mild class. Black Dog has also been chosen as overall champion beer at Peterborough Beer Festival for the second time.

On the down side, Deeping Ales ceased trading after just two years in business.

Greene King decided to close Morland’s Abingdon Brewery, Shepherd Neame subjected King & Barnes to a hostile takeover bid and Punch Taverns decided to close the in-house breweries at 24 Firkin Pubs.

We also cater for weddings, Birthdays and other functions so give us a call or pop on down to be assured of a warm welcome. www.real-ale.org.uk

BAE 151 Prog:Layout 1 25/01/2010 22:10 Page 16

16 | Stamford Ale review

Spotlight o

get the chance to call in on during our trip on a very cold snowbound Friday at the beginning of January.

The Bull and Swan

H

ello readers, and welcome to the first in a series of special features highlighting all that is good in the world of real ale in the various parts of our branch. These articles are compiled as a joint effort between the BAE production team of Dan, Chris & Bram and the LocAle officer John Rice, along with a few local members for support. In each issue we shall visit a different location and call in on a selection of licensees, so if you would like us to come and see you when we are in town, please drop us a line.

The wonderful Georgian town of Stamford in the South-West corner of Lincolnshire is home to a fantastic selection of pubs, with something to suit everyone’s taste and requirements, so this seemed like as good a place to start as any. The main problem is that Stamford has just a few too many decent pubs in such a small town to be able to visit them all, so apologies in advance for those we didn’t

www.real-ale.org.uk

The advance scouting party of Dan & Chris decided to check out a few establishments on the south of town and meet up with the rest of us later, so I’ll hand over...

The rear entrance to the George Hotel (which is the nearest entrance from the station) was lined with christmas trees covered in twinkling lights. Combined with the recent snowfall, this centuries-old hotel was a perfect setting to start a Friday reviewing some of the real ale pubs of Stamford.

Directly by the back doors there is a comfortable and covered outdoor seating area with several large outdoor heaters, perfect for weather hardened smokers. After entering the hotel we went straight to the pannelled and cosy front bar. This oak-beamed room has a lovely real fire and period fixtures and fittings in keeping with the historical feel of the establishment. Roger the barman had two real ales on offer from Adnams and Grainstore Brewery. Roger told me the regulars enjoy these two breweries range of ales so they rarely change.

BAE 151 Prog:Layout 1 25/01/2010 22:10 Page 17

17

t on Stamford The next port of call was the Bull and Swan on the high street, easily found by leaving the George Hotel by the front entrance, turning right and walking up for about 100 yards and crossing over the road. Taken over in September by mother and son, Marie and James Smith, the Bull and Swan is a lovely stone building with three separate rooms, each with its own fireplace, two of which were lit on arrival creating another lovely warm place to enjoy a leisurely hour or two with a book and a pint or two! Although the establishment is Punch owned, Marie had managed to negotiate a free-of-tie arrangement and hopes to be stocking a selection of LocAles shortly. At our visit the range consisted of Adnams Bitter (in good condition), Abbot and Ruddles.

(

The wonderful Georgian town of Stamford in the South-West corner of Lincolnshire is home to a fantastic selection of pubs

)

After a swift pint Chris and I moved on through the snow walking like Hercule Poirot (why does everyone walking on snow and ice in this country do this?) to The Otters Pocket on All Saints Street. Run by a father and son team for the past six years. The junior of the family, Justin Wilson, balances this with the ‘day job’ as a pilot for a civil airline. The pub has a big following among the sporting fraternity (the Wilson’s are keen fans of Liverpool FC), and has six handpumps on at all times. On our visit the standard fixtures, London Pride, JHB (on good form), Bishops Farewell and Black Sheep were supplemented by guests, Cottage Broadgauge and Phipps IPA. Justin has plans to extend the pub with a view to putting on live music events in the future.

Here Chris and I join Bram and the rest of the gang, over to you Ed...

What with the price of tickets and the unreliability of the trains during the freezing cold weather, the bulk of the party decided to travel in the convenience of a warm taxi, arriving at the Green Man pub in Scotgate shortly after noon. As always, an excellent range of seven beers, plus a selection of ciders, perries and bottled beers were on offer. We each managed to sample a few halves while chatting to the guv’nor, Tony Shilling, who was his usual jovial self. We had almost persuaded him to buy a round by the time Dan & Tony’s brother Chris joined us, but by then time was pressing so we made our way via the rear entrance and a short stroll to our next port of call, the Hit or Miss, which we had chosen to be the first victims of another new feature ‘Behind Bars’ on page 23.

The Hit or Miss is at the top of Foundry

Some of the team at the Green Man, Scotgate

Road, and each year they co-host a beer festival in October with t’pub at the bottom of the hill and our next port of call, the Jolly Brewer. Having won so many awards in recent years for completely reviving the fortunes of a once neglected pub, we were all in a hurry to Continued overleaf

www.real-ale.org.uk

BAE 151 Prog:Layout 1 25/01/2010 22:10 Page 18

see mine hosts Dean & Gill once again, which was just as well as most of us got in a spot of rapid skiing practice in navigating the sharpness of the hill!

The first thing that greets you as you enter the pub is the warmth from the coal fire situated about twenty feet from the door, and the coldness of the British winter is instantly forgotten.

Amazing the effect a real fire can have on people, as the pub was very busy for a lunchtime! Once again, an excellent choice of five ales to salivate over, including Sharp’s Doom Bar Bitter which is one of the two permanent beers, the other being JHB. We also chose to have our food stop here, and most of us went for the pasta with chicken & peppers at a very reasonable £6 a head. (I had the ricotta and spinach crepé and it was very good for the vegetarians out there! - Dan).

Regrettably, we had to leave our Branch Pub of the Year 2009 and make the short 5 minute walk to our newly elected 2010 winner, Mama Liz’s Soul Food Shack on North St. I mentioned in the preamble about Stamford having such a wide variety of good drinking establishments, and you would have thought by now that every avenue had been explored and every corner covered – and then along comes Mama Liz. Many outlets that sell good ale have diversified over the years to accommodate either live music, or good food. In this instance the decision to open a venue specifically to promote live music and good wholesome food, in conjunction with selling an excellent selection of locally sourced real ales has really caught the imagination. Barely a year old and already our branch POTY – what an accolade!

We were warmly greeted, and immediately offered refreshments that yours truly had to decline as I still hadn’t worked off the pasta from a few minutes ago! Beers from Oakham; Tydd Steam; Newby Wyke and Digfield are regularly on offer and the latter’s seasonal offering, Merrie Monk, was in fine form on our visit.

Continued overleaf

4

5 6

Ales on Offer at Mama Liz’s

7

BAE 151 Prog:Layout 1 25/01/2010 22:10 Page 19

8 7

9

3

10

1

Key: 2

1 - George Hotel 2 - Bull and Swan 3 - Otters Pocket 4 - Green Man 5 - Hit or Miss 6 - Jolly Brewer 7 - Mama Liz 8 - Dolphin 9 - Tobie Norris 10 - Kings Head

BAE 151 Prog:Layout 1 25/01/2010 22:10 Page 20

20 | Stamford Ale review continued

There are several distinct drinking areas at Mama’s including a spacious cellar bar where most live acts perform, such that other drinkers and diners are not forced to experience loud music at levels uncomfortable enough to mar their enjoyment. An excellent and deserved winner, and I for one will be visiting on a regular basis.

By now, our hastily scribbled timetable had been consigned to the bin, and with just an hour before our carriage was due to return us home, we still had three more establishments to pay a quick call upon.

The Dolphin is barely a stone’s throw along North St from Mama’s so it would have been rude not to have called in to say hello. Well kept Charles Wells ales are the order of the day, and they also offer a decent food menu at very reasonable prices. After a quick half, we navigated the narrow passageways and back streets until we arrived in Maiden Lane, just off High St towards the end of the shopping precinct.

Dean and Gill of the Jolly Brewer

The Kings Head has only recently reopened, and is now another fantastic friendly and welcoming pub on the circuit. The beers are predominantly Greene King plus a couple of guests, and the Woodfordes Wherry I had was excellent, even if just a tad pricey. The locals quickly made us feel at home and I can see a big future for this pub, where the customer always comes first.

Our final stop was at the Tobie Norris, our branch 2008 POTY, and at 6pm on a Friday night, they were packed in there like sardines.

We appreciated how busy they were, so just managed to grab a quick drink and say hello before we were being whisked away back to Peterborough.

Once again, apologies to all those fantastic establishments close to the centre we didn’t get a chance to visit this time around, but rest assured, you haven’t been forgotten, and we will be back!

Kings Head, inside and out

The next edition of BAE will feature the pubs of Bourne. If you would like the team to come and visit you on our survey trip in March, then please get in touch with us by email.

Cheers Bram, Dan, Chris & John

www.real-ale.org.uk

BAE 151 Prog:Layout 1 25/01/2010 22:10 Page 21

Please support our advertisers | 21

We Support Home cooked food Live Football Live Music Saturday nights Quiz every Sunday

Milking Nook Friendly ‘Home from Home’ pub with well kept Real Ales at sensible prices!

REAL ALES including an Oakham Ale on at all times plus a changing Guest Ale JUST £2.40!!

‘Happy Hour’ special prices on Lagers, Ciders and ‘Smooth’ (Mon-Sat 4pm-7pm) Open: Mon-Fri 4 -11pm; Sat 12 -1am; Sun 12 - 11pm Food: Weds/Thurs/Fri 5pm-8pm; Sat/Sun 1pm-5pm Milking Nook, Werrington, Peterborough PE6 7PP

Tel 01733 811953

THE GREEN MAN 29 Scotgate, Stamford 01780 753598

Established in 1796 as one of the ORIGINAL Stamford Ale Houses - Providing Accommodation, Lunch Time Meals,

Minimum of SIX Real Ales and SIX Real Ciders Real Ales from mainly small microbrewers and independents, a range of European beers and twenty Belgian bottled beers.

OPEN ALL DAY EVERY DAY from 11am until Midnight (from 12 noon Sunday)

Lunchtime food 12.00 - 2.30pm Monday, Friday, Saturday sandwiches available Tuesday to Thursday

EASTER BEER FESTIVAL Friday 2nd April – Monday 5th April

IN S R A R YE BEE EN D TE OO DE! R G I U FO THE GU www.real-ale.org.uk

BAE 151 Prog:Layout 1 25/01/2010 22:10 Page 22

BAE 151 Prog:Layout 1 25/01/2010 22:10 Page 23

Behind Bars | 23

The Hit or Miss, Stamford

D

arren and Bex have been at the Hit or Miss for 3 years now, taking the pub from an occasionally trading pub to a thriving community local, offering everything a good pub should.

Winning the Stamford Mercury’s ‘Pub of the Year’ 2008 as well as Batemans awards for ‘cellar management’, ‘Beautiful beer’ and ‘best pub website’, Darren and Bex continue to strive for improvement in the pubs fortunes and have built up a customer base of loyal locals who cross town to enjoy all that The Hit or Miss has to offer.

With over 20 years in the trade between them they have used their extensive knowledge to raise the fortunes of the Oldest Pub outside of the town wall. They now have 5 darts teams a pool team and a pushpenny team, all of which are the life blood of ‘The Hit or Miss’. The pub now offers a selection of cask ales from Batemans as well as a regular LocAle from the NBC (Grainstore, Oakham). The reason Darren is in the trade in because of his passion for Real Ale and the peace and quiet that his cellar affords him. Bex is the pubs chef and offers the town’s only specialist sausage only menu.

Another of the couple’s interests is live music, so you can now see and hear some of the best live pub bands in the area every Friday night, with music styles ranging from Folk, Rock ‘n’ Roll, Jazz to Classic Rock and Heavy Metal.

With a large number of musicians using the pub it is not unusual for Darren’s guitar to be picked up and a mini jam session begins!

Darren and Bex are keen marketers of their pub and use all forms of modern media to communicate with their customers, having a pub website, myspace and facebook groups as well as an email mailing list.

Darren came to the industry 10 years ago in a mad panic when the pub he called his local closed down, after a few phone calls to Enterprise and the reassurance from Bex (who has been in the trade since leaving school) that he could do it and a big fat cheque to the Pub Co, they opened their first pub. A baptism of fire is an understatement, but grit and determination made the pub a success. As the Pub Co increased rents and beer rates it soon became clear that they needed to move on.

Sometimes known as the UN-PC Landlord, Darren is one for saying at he sees it! Although never offensive he can be quite outspoken, which makes for regular light-hearted debate with likeminded customers, some of who have started the ‘Hitters Victor Meldrew Appreciation Society’ who meet regularly to argue for the sake of it!

Darren also writes the regular Sunday night quiz, which like everything else the couple do is clearly aimed at having fun, so not to hard but a bloody good laugh! The regular quiz goers came up with the pubs T-shirt design for this year, ‘I took my girlfriend up the Hitter....... and she loved it’.

As I said not the most PC pub in town, but a great place for people who enjoy great beer, in great company and who love to laugh!

The next move was for them to take over the stewardship of Peterborough Milton Golf Club.

After 4 years at Milton the call of the public became to strong and they negotiated a deal with Batemans and took over the Hitter. www.real-ale.org.uk

BAE 151 Prog:Layout 1 25/01/2010 22:10 Page 24

24 | Please support our advertisers

Incorporating East Restaurant Thai and Pan Asian cuisine

Art and Soul Live Nights (Free Entry)

Saturday 6th February Acoustic music from 9pm followed by The Whisky Jaxs and True Beat Saturday 6th March Acoustic music from 9 pm followed by The Rich Hall Band and Siren Saturday 3rd April Acoustic music from 9pm Bands TBC.

Easter Beer Festival

Thursday 1st to Monday 5th April 30+ Real Ales, Ciders & Perries Great Selection of bottled Belgian & Continental Beers Pan Asian Cuisine

The perfect riverside setting to meet, eat, drink and enjoy Town Bridge, Peterborough | Tel / Fax: 01733 315700 Email: charters.manager@oakagroup.com | www.oakhamales.com

Cambridge Bitter 3.8%

Gold Award Champion Bitter of Britain 2006 Available all year round:

SEASONAL ALES Thin Ice 4.7% Jan/Feb Old Wagg 4.0% March/April Double Swan 4.5% May/June Mad Dog 4.4% July/Aug Barleymead 4.8% Sept/Oct Old Black Shuck 4.5% Nov Snickalmas 5.0% Wenceslas Winter Warmer 7.5% Dec

North Brink Brewery, Wisbech, Cambridgeshire www.real-ale.org.uk

Tel: 01945 583160

BAE 151 Prog:Layout 1 25/01/2010 22:10 Page 25

Rhythm and Booze | 25

Rhythm & Booze

F

or those of you who wonder why The Ostrich gets more coverage in this column than other venue, the answer’s quite simple. Jacqui the Landlady always provides me with a list of bands that she’s putting on and anyone else wanting a mention is welcome to follow the instructions at the foot of the page.

Del Boyd on February 5, Oak – February 19, The Road Crew – February 26, Feet to the Fire – March 5, Skroo Loose – March 6, Laughton’s Last Stand – March 12. Slide to Open – March 19, Short Notice – March 20, Twenty4 – March 26 and The Dogs on March 27th. For those of you who like a little bit of ritual humiliation, there’s also Karaoke on February 12.

In the meantime, allow me to remind you that The Ostrich, North Street has live music every Friday and Saturday from 8.30 pm. Admission is free and highlights include; The Lloyd Watson Band – February 12, Citizen Smith – February 27, Dr A’s Blues Consortium – March 6, Mighty Quinn – March 26 and a special appearance from Chelle Dean on February 6.

Any promoters, venues or bands wanting to be featured in the April/ May edition should send their details to simonstabler@aol.com, before February 27.

Simon Stabler

If you fancy some mid-week entertainment, then a visit to The Crown Inn, Elton should be enough to satisfy your appetite. They hold Irish music nights every second Thursday and an Open Mic Night the first Monday of the month.

Hosted by John Stokes and starting at 8.30pm, participants just need their instrument as the sound equipment is already set up.

Robert Penn and Dwight Edwards play on February 26 and March 26, respectively - at Stamford Arts Centre with more information at www.stamfordartscentre.com Talking of Stamford, The Hit or Miss, Foundry Road has a packed programme for the months ahead. Live music comes from Shadows tribute

Castor, Peterborough Tel: 01733 380222

© Mick Slaughter 2009

With its own brewery, regular blues nights and a welcoming pub that is The Prince of Wales Feathers, Castor has the ethos of this column in spades. While supping on a pint of Serene Nene or Castor Oil, you can take in the delights of “the Feathers” who host Porky Pig on February 13, Feet to the Fire - February 27 and Frankly My Dear on March 13.

The Prince of Wales Feathers

Award winning village local in historic Castor.

Close to the Nene Valley Railway & Ferry Meadows.

Serves 5 guest ales & real cider. Walker & dog friendy.

Homecooked food served every lunchtime.

BEER FESTIVAL May 7th-11th 30+ Beers and Real Ciders plus Live Music NEW HOME OF CASTOR ALES details at: www.princeofwalesfeathers.co.uk

www.real-ale.org.uk

BAE 151 Prog:Layout 1 25/01/2010 22:10 Page 26

26 | Gluten Free Beer

Overcoming intolerance

R

ecently, after several years of suspecting but ignoring the symptoms, I have gone to the doctors and been diagnosed with Wheat Gluten intolerance.

This is a particular pain in the arse as aside from being a lover of all things bready...I also happen to be the publisher of dozens of CAMRA beery based publications. This labour of love inevitably leads to many beer festival visits and pub reviews around the UK. How, I now ask myself, am I to survive! Not only without my favorite alcoholic beverage in the entire world but also the ability to mix work and pleasure - its going to be quite hard to discuss the merits of a selection of pubs in a reviewing article, whilst whacked out my mind on several glasses of house plonk which I must consume as every other reviewer sups the ale in each hostelry on the review trip.

After going on several Gluten Intolerant forums I see pub socialising is big issue amongst fellow sufferers, many ex-beer drinkers find it hard work in a pub environment to avoid their once-favourite tipple so stay away entirely.

It does seem that all is not lost though as several micro breweries have seen this gap in the market and started to produce Gluten Free Ales, many are available in bottled and cask form so hopefully with a bit of persuasion my local pubs will start stocking me a gluten free offering.

Hambleton Ales www.hambletonales.co.uk/gfa.htm This breweries website says they offer two ales GFA at 4.8% and GFL at 5.2% There is a list of several stockists dotted around the North which isn’t much help here in Peterborough BUT they do have a home ordering facility - might be worth a try and then ask the local to stock it.

Greens www.glutenfreebeers.co.uk/ Producing their beers from pseudo-cereals Sorghum, Millet, Buckwheat and Brown Rice; Greens have distribution world wide in bottle form but I can’t find any reference to a cask

(

Here are the current findings of my research.

As I am tentitively feeling my way in this subject, it would be interesting to know if there are any fellow ‘GI’s’ out there reading this magazine who know of a pub locally which stocks Gluten Free Ale or, who have a particular favourite which I should hunt out - let me know, contact details are at the end of this article. www.real-ale.org.uk

Main CAMRA website. www.camra.org.uk/page.aspx?o=glutenfreebeers This lists a selection of breweries producing Wheat Gluten Free beer, the list also includes contact details and tasting notes.

“many ex-beer drinkers find it hard work in a pub environment to avoid their once- favourite tipple so stay away entirely”

)

version being available. Bottles are available from the web site and larger orders available from the UK distributor 01274 714664 .

St Peters Brewery www.stpetersbrewery.co.uk/range/BottledBeers.asp?

CatID=1 G-FreeTM - St Peters Gluten Free Beer - was launched in 2007 and seems to be stocked in many farm shops and pubs throughout Suffolk and Norfolk. It says that Smiths of Oundle currently stock it too - can anyone in Oundle let me know if this is the case?

)

BAE 151 Prog:Layout 1 25/01/2010 22:10 Page 27

Competition Winners Wold Top Brewery www.woldtopbrewery.co.uk/speciality.html This Yorkshire Coast based micro have started brewing ‘Against the Grain’ at 4.5% Voted the most ‘beer like’ by the CAMRA Fine Ale Club from a selection of Gluten Free ales.

Again, this is available through the web site or at a selection of Yorkshire retailers.

Well, after an hour’s browsing on the web it does seem there is a selection of Gluten Free beers out there, only problems are I will have to go on a bit of a journey to drink one in the pub, or I need to order a case and sit at home - which is not the point is it really?!

For the next issue of BAE I hope review a selection of the available beers and feature a pub in Peterborough which would like to trial a gluten free beer.

Again, it would be good to hear from any BAE beer lovers with the same issues, or pubs which currently stock a Gluten Free offering. Contact me at dan@tamoko-design.co.uk.

Now, i’m off to bake a rye brick...I mean loaf.

If it’s too hard I’ll soak it in wine to soften it up.

Bye for now.

Daniel Speed

The unanimous winner of the ‘Pub Names for the Modern Age’ competition we set in BAE149 was Jim Martin, examples of his work featured in the last issue. Jim wins a copy of the 2010 Good Beer Guide.

In our 150th celebration edition, I compiled a short story based loosely around the ‘Famous Five’ and challenged you to find the hidden breweries past & present that were hidden in the text. I purposely inserted 80 different breweries into the story but realised there may have been one or two that I had unintentionally included... ...Full marks then go to Jon Dewhirst who must have spent his entire Christmas break ploughing through his beer history books to send me a list with 116 acceptable answers! John Norman of Ipswich was runner-up with 67, and if you two gentlemen would care to get in contact with me I will arrange for your prizes to be despatched to you. I also received commendable entries from Nigel Halton (62) and Adrian Mellow of Bradford Branch with 45. It’s very nice to know that Beer Around ‘Ere is enjoyed in many distant parts of the country.

I will set another competition in the next issue, but in the meantime you may wish to concentrate your artistic efforts on designing a logo for the next Peterborough Beer Festival in August?

Designs should ideally use no more than 4 colours; bearing in mind the final design will be used on glassware; T-shirts and promotional material. There is a generous cash prize for the winning logo design.

www.real-ale.org.uk

BAE 151 Prog:Layout 1 25/01/2010 22:10 Page 28

28 | Please support our advertisers

The Cambridge Blue 85-87 Gwydir St Cambridge CB4 2BY 01223 471680 www.the-Cambridgeblue.co.uk

FESTIVAL OF WINTER ALES

WEDNESDAY 24TH TO SATURDAY 27TH FEBRUARY

50+ REAL ALES • HEATED MARQUEE IN THE GARDEN • COME AND TRY A DARK WINTER WARMER! NEW Pub Opening Hours

Different Real Ales sold from 17.10.07

1350

Sun 12 - 10.30pm Mon 12 - 2.30pm and 5 - 11pm Tues - Sat 12 - 11pm Food service Mon - Fri 12 - 2, 6 - 10pm Sat 12 - 4 and 6 - 10pm Sun 12-4 and 6-9pm

Live Entertainment Diary Live Entertainment Every Friday Night and a Meat Raffle / Karoake 1st Saturday in every month Special Events: Monday 25th January - Burn’s Supper - toast the Haggis with a free tot of whisky - featuring a Highland Piper Haggis, Tatties and Neeps - book now for a great evening - starts at 8.00pm till late!

CAMRA GOLD AWARD WINNER February Ales: Potbelly Crazy Daze Abbeydale Absolution Newby Wyke 2nd Refit Grainstore Rutland Beast Thornbridge Jaipur

Meet your local Police team at the Red Lion Monday, 8th Feb 10.00 - 12.00 Open Forum - free refreshments - Your

Saturday 30th January - Charity Race Night - Free Buffet and a chance to win a few bob, some spot prizes and raise some money for charity.

opportunity to find out what your local Beat Officer can do for you and what you can do for them

Food served 7 days a week

Book now for a fantastic

Pensioners Lunch - £6.00 for two courses Monday - Friday Early Bird Menu - £6.00 for a main course 6-7pm Monday to Friday Saturday and Sunday open all day for food Sunday - All DAY ROAST plus an additional wide menu choice

Valentines Day Dinner

www.real-ale.org.uk

free hand-made chocolates made by our own chef

01778 347190 48 King Street, West Deeping

BAE 151 Prog:Layout 1 25/01/2010 22:10 Page 29

News from Oakham Ales | 29

S

This Year’s Beers from Oakham Ales

o 2010 is upon us and the doom and gloom predicted for us all a year ago still lingers, so what can lift the spirits then? Well beer of course and good beer at that, so who better to give us their angle on what’s good for the year than the good folk of Oakham Ales.

The four core beers remain but White Dwarf is no longer an English wheat beer, but an English bitter.

The high percentage of wheat in the beer has been lowered to give the beer more consistency.

June - Chinook 4.2%; July - Beer Monster 4.8%; August - Red Neck 5.2%; September - Amarillo 4.2%; October - 3 Witches 4.4%; November - Haka 5.7% and December - Simcoe 4.2%. So some old favourites joined by 4 new single hop variety beers.

For further information on all the beers mentioned and details of the Oakademy scheme check on the brewery website at www.oakhamales.com.

Cheers, Dave Allett.

The six seasonal ales for 2010 are Tera (Queen of the Succubi) 4.2% abv for January & February; Chaos Engine 4.1% abv for March & April; Asylum 4.5% abv for May & June; Endless Summer 3.4% abv for July & August; Akhenaten 4.9% abv for September & October and finally Mompesson’s Gold 5% abv for November and December.

Four specials will be available at different times of the year, Black Hole Porter, Oblivion, Attila and a new beer called Tranquility - a golden hop monster at 6.5% abv. These beers will often have been aged in cask for several months for what brewer John Bryan calls his vintage range.

The Oakademy of Excellence, a scheme for pubs that sell at least one Oakham Ales beer on a permanent basis, and then have to pass a stringent beer quality test, was set up in early 2009 with the aim of getting over a hundred pubs involved in the scheme. Membership of the scheme then gives the licensee access to the Oakademy list of beers brewed on the sparkling mini plant behind the looking glass at the Brewery Tap. The Oakademy beers for 2010 are as follows: January - Gravity 5.1%; February - Kaleidoscope 4.7%; March - Nelson Sauvin 4.2%; April - 12 Monkeys 4.8%; May - Midnight Mild 4%;

OAKHAM ALES APPOINTS NEW SALES & MARKETING DIRECTOR Oakham Ales are delighted to announce the appointment of Adrian Posnett to the newly created position of Sales and Marketing Director.

Adrian brings with him a wealth of experience having spent the last 17 years working as a Regional Director at national drinks distributor WaverleyTBS . www.real-ale.org.uk

BAE 151 Prog:Layout 1 25/01/2010 22:10 Page 30

30 | Please support our advertisers

The Jolly Brewer Peterborough & District CAMRA Pub of the year 2009 Lincolnshire CAMRA Pub Of The Year 2009 • 5 real ales • Food served daily 12-3pm Monday - Sunday 6-9pm Friday & Saturday Foundry Road, Stamford, Lincolnshire PE9 2PP t. 01780 755141 w. jollybrewer.com

Pig n Falcon - St Neots ALES TO DATE

LIVE MUSIC

220

WED, FRI + SAT

FROM 9/4/09 Huntingdonshire CAMRA

3 large heated

MOST IMPROVED PUB OF THE YEAR

smoking areas

2010 ‘Rock and Ale’ every weekend with up to 16 Ales & ciders from £1.85 per pint as at January 2010 Open 10am (11am Sunday) til’ late Monday - Sunday!

www.PignFalcon.co.uk Tel 07951 785678 – New St, St Neots – PE19 1AE www.real-ale.org.uk

BAE 151 Prog:Layout 1 25/01/2010 22:11 Page 31

Brewery Awards in Falmouth

B

ack in October I made my usual visit to work at the Falmouth Beer Festival. With over 200 beers on offer it was pleasing to see 18 of our local beers on tap. Congratulations must go to Nobbys Brewery for winning Champion Beer of the Festival with their Wild West Ale, although not one of our LocAle beers, it was delivered with our beers. Other Award winners were Potbelly who picked up Gold for Beijing Black; Tydd Steam collected Silver for Barn Ale and Digfield Ales also won Silver for their IPA. Once again it was a well organised festival and although there were more beers than before we still ran out before 10.00 Saturday night.

While there on Thursday which is Sponsors Night I presented Steve Skinner of Skinners Brewery with the Silver Award for Cornish Knocker won at Peterborough Beer Festival 2009.

John Rice

Terms & Conditions • The coupon is only valid when £25 or more is spent on food. The discount does not apply to spend on drinks. • The coupon is valid for food purchases only and cannot be exchanged for cash. • The coupon is valid until Sunday 28th March 2010 (excluding Dec 13th - Jan 3rd) • No party booking in excess of 8 people • The coupon cannot be used with any other promotion.

www.traditionalinns.co.uk

BAE 151 Prog:Layout 1 25/01/2010 22:11 Page 32

32 | Right to Reply

Letter to the Chairman

www.real-ale.org.uk

BAE 151 Prog:Layout 1 25/01/2010 22:11 Page 33

Please support our advertisers | 33

Unique Brew Pub Award winning Cask Ales Authentic Thai Cuisine ‘Tap Room’ Function Suite available for Private Hire

Winner of the Good Pub Guide 2009 ‘Own Brew Pub of the Year’ award Comedy Nights on Tap - Saturday 30th Jan Tickets now on sale - Hurry limited availability - see our website for further details 80 Westgate, Peterborough Tel: 01733 358500 For forthcoming events please visit our website www.oakhamales.com

Chairman’s reply:

Mr. Morgan, you do not seem to have grasped the point of our Locale campaign in support of our local brewers. This clearly states that the pub sells a beer that is brewed within a thirty mile radius from the pub – hence a locally brewed beer. To compare a small area of our region selling what is considered a very good local beer; with the exWatney empire is a ridiculous comparison.

You mention in your letter competition. What better can you get than a locally brewed beer sitting alongside larger regional or even nationally brewed ale on the bar? It’s an undisputed fact that all the pubs that have started to sell a locally brewed beer together with their other brands, report an increase in sales overall in real ale. Surely from a beer drinkers point of view that cannot be a bad result!

As you live in Oundle I suggest you explore the range of beers available within the town’s pubs.

You may find to your surprise that they are not all Digfield brewed beers. I can qualify this comment as I’m a regular visitor to the town!

David Murray - Branch chairman

The Nags Head at Eastrea Enjoy a warm welcome at this lovely traditional village local Three cask ales including Woodfordes Wherry, GK IPA and a higher gravity Changing Guest.

Good reasonably priced food served Lunch and Evenings Tuesday-Saturday Traditional Sunday Lunch (12-4pm) Curry Night Tuesday Home Made Fish & Chips in Beer Batter Friday nights 28-seat restaurant available for functions Live entertainment Saturday nights Quiz nights Monday Open Mon 4.30-11pm, Tues-Thurs 12 noon3pm and 4.30-11pm, Fri-Sun ALL DAY Noon-Midnight 402 Eastrea Rd, Eastrea, Whittlesey PE7 2AR

Tel 01733 203333 www.real-ale.org.uk

BAE 151 Prog:Layout 1 25/01/2010 22:11 Page 34

34 | Dates for your Diary

Diary Dates FEBRUARY Sat 6th Heritage Pubs Trip by train to Beverley, contact Mick Slaughter for further details.

Tue 16th Branch Committee Meeting, Brewery Tap, Westgate, 8:30pm Sat 20th East Anglia Regional Branch Meeting, Brewery tap, Westgate, noon MARCH Mon 29th Branch Committee Meeting, Coal Heaver’s Arms, Park Street, 8:30pm

APRIL Fri 16th – Sun 18th CAMRA Members’ Weekend held at Villa Marina, Isle of Man Please contact Dave Murray for bookings or further details, except where stated otherwise NB. The branch does not currently have a Social Secretary to organise events such as brewery visits or campaigning crawls. If you should like to be considered for this role, please contact the chairman.

Selected Beer Festivals (CAMRA events are shown in bold) FEBRUARY Thu 4th – Sat 6th 9th Derby Twelfth Night Winter Beer Festival, Darwin Suite, Assembly Rooms, Market Place, Derby. Over 90 ales, check www.derbycamra.org.uk for further details Weds 24th to Sat 27th The Cambridge Blue Festival of Winter Ales, 85-87 Gwydir Street CB4 2BY. 50 plus winter warming ales. Check www.the-cabridgeblue.co.uk for further details.

Fri 26th & Sat 27th 1st Chappel Winter Beer Festival, East Anglian Railway Museum, Chappel & Wales Colne Railway Station, Chappel, about 60 ales. Check www.essexcamra.org.uk for further details MARCH Wed 10th – Sat 13th Leicester Beer Festival, The Charotar www.real-ale.org.uk

Patidar Samaj, off St. Margaret's Way, Leicester, about 220 ales. Check www.camra.org.uk /leicester or the advert in this issue for further details Thu 18th – Sat 20th Booze on the Ouse, St Neots Beer Festival, Priory Centre, Priory Lane, St Neots, over 50 ales. Check www.huntscamra.org.uk for further details APRIL Wed 14th – Sat 17th 34th Newcastle Beer Festival, Student Union, Kings Walk, Newcastle Upon Tyne, 115 ales. Check www.cannybevvy.co.uk for further details Would any pub or organisation within our branch area that is planning a beer festival during 2010, please contact Chris Shilling or Bram so that it can be added to the branch diary for future reference. Thanks.

BAE 151 Prog:Layout 1 25/01/2010 22:11 Page 35

Please support our advertisers | 35

132 Great Whyte, Ramsey PE26 1HS

Serving a selection of Real Ales: Abbot Ale, Wells Bombardier, Woodfordes Wherry and one ever-changing guest ale.

Live Music

Now With Free WiFi Large Beer Garden

Find us in the Good Beer Guide 2010

01487 812597

Ales always available The Plough 1 Jekil’s Bank, Holbeach St Johns Spalding, Lincolnshire PE12 8RE

Tel: 01406 540654

www.real-ale.org.uk

BAE 151 Prog:Layout 1 25/01/2010 22:11 Page 36

36 | Campaigning

Pub Merit Awards & Gold Awards The committee feel that pubs outside of Peterborough are missing out on Gold Awards and so they have introduced a new Merit Award for pubs that are continuously outstanding. If you know of a pub in our area that deserves a Merit Award or Gold Award then please complete the following form and send it to our Secretary.

Pub name:

Pub address/town/village:

Reason for award:

Your name:

Your phone number or e-mail address:

Your membership number:

www.real-ale.org.uk

BAE 151 Prog:Layout 1 25/01/2010 22:11 Page 37

Please support our advertisers | 37

Job Opportunities Freelance Magazine designer required Tamoko Design has need of an experienced magazine layout artist to assist with several of our CAMRA publications throughout the year.

Candidates need to be able to offer the following: • At least one years experience of working within the magazine publishing industry • Full home set up including Apple Mac and broadband connection, QuarkXpress version 8 or above, Adobe Acrobat Professional; Adobe Photoshop and Adobe Illustrator.

• Ability to work on their own after initial design brief and templates are supplied.

In return we are able to offer a competitive page rate and regular work throughout the year.

All enquiries and work examples to: dan@tamoko-design.co.uk Closing date for enquiries: March 25th 2010 Do you have Telesales experience and knowledge of the Licenced Trade?

Shilling Media Services are looking for an Advertisement Salesperson to sell space within a portfolio of publications including ‘Beer Around ‘Ere’, the Peterborough Beer Festival Programme and other CAMRA magazines.

If you’re a self starter and can combine a polite but confident telephone manner with an ability to think quickly and creatively, we would be interested to hear from you.

Contact Chris Shilling on 01778 421550

www.real-ale.org.uk

BAE 151 Prog:Layout 1 25/01/2010 22:11 Page 38

38 | Branch Contacts

Branch Committee Secretary: Harry Morten 49 St Margarets Road, Peterborough PE2 9EA 01733 764296 07900 056940 08707 620848 (fax) info@real-ale.org.uk Chairman: David Murray 01733 560453 chairman@real-ale.org.uk Treasurer: Paul Beecham 01733 311981 07710 008693 treasurer@real-ale.org.uk

Beer Around ’Ere Editor: Paul (Bram) Brammer 07922 604988 bae-editor@real-ale.org.uk Distribution: David Murray (see Chairman on the left) Advertising: Chris Shilling 01778 421550 chris@shillingmedia.co.uk Magazine & Advertising Production: Daniel Speed 0845 838 7581 dan@tamoko-design.co.uk Postal Distr: Daryl Ling 01733 235881

Vice Chair: Paul Brammer 07922 604988 vice-chair@real-ale.org.uk

Brewery Liaison Officers Blue Bell: John Hunt 01406 330453 Castor Ales: Mike Lane Social Sec: Situation Vacant 07850 334203 social-sec@real-ale.org.uk Digfield: Paul Brammer Pubs Officer: Steve Williams 07922 604988 07802 896641 Elgoods: John Rice pubs-officer@real-ale.org.uk 07759 342702 Hopshackle: Noel Ryland Press Officer: 07944 869656 Situation Vacant Melbourn: Lew Clayton press-officer@real-ale.org.uk 01780 765063 Young Members: Alix Botton Oakham Ales: Dave Allett 07806 625574 07966 344417 young-members@realTydd Steam: John Hunt ale.org.uk 01706 330453 Ufford Ales: Matt Mace Membership: Daryl Ling 07809 629241 01733 235881 membership@real-ale.org.uk Trading Standards Festival Org: Mike Lane 07850 334203 festival-organiser@realale.org.uk LocAle Officer: John Rice 07759 342702 locale@real-ale.org.uk

www.real-ale.org.uk

08545 040506 www.consumerdirect.gov.uk Check out our new website at: www.real-ale.org.uk or www.peterborough-camra.org.uk

The next issue of BAE will be available on: 26th March We must have your stories, news and advertisements by: 5th March Late copy cannot be guaranteed entry.

Please contact Chris Shilling 01778 421550/07736 635 916/chris@shillingmedia.co.uk for all of your advertising needs.

Steve Williams pubsofficer@real-ale.org.uk or 07802 896641 is always looking for pub news.

Please send stories and other copy to Bram (Paul Brammer) bae-editor@real-ale.org.uk 07922 604988 Beer Around ‘Ere is published by Peterborough & District Branch of CAMRA Copyright © 2010, The Campaign for Real Ale Ltd. Views or comments expressed in this publication may not necessarily be those of the Editor or of CAMRA.

BAE 151 Prog:Layout 1 25/01/2010 22:11 Page 39

A T HOLYOAK PLUMBING & HEATING CORGI REGISTERED 01733 208437 OR 07860 569389 192 STONALD ROAD

WHITTLESEY THE SPINNING WHEEL Baston Popular Village Local Serving

Traditional Ales including Charles Wells Bombardier and Changing Guest Ales.

Traditional Food Tues-Sat (lunchtime + eves), Sunday Lunch Weds is Pizza Night (eat in or takeaway), Thurs is Steak & Rib Night Quiz night every Monday • Poker Night every Wednesday Open Microphone Night last Sunday of each month,

Six Nations Rugby shown here!

Valentines Day Menu available * CALL FOR DETAILS * 4 Church St, Baston, Lincs PE6 9PE Tel 01778 560395 Email spinningwheel@talktalkbusiness.net

BAE 151 Prog:Layout 1 25/01/2010 22:11 Page 40

ue s ) en ne 4th y t v ti h/1 a rea len 13t D s G b Va (Fe er’ 4th) for end oth h 1 rc ek we d M (Ma n A