Beer Around Ere Oct-Nov 2021

beer AROUND ‘ERE

PETERBOROUGH & DISTRICT BRANCH OF THE CAMPAIGN FOR REAL ALE

Visit our website for up-to-date news: www.peterborough.camra.org.uk

213

FREE! PLEASE TAKE ONE

OCTOBER/NOVEMBER 2021

OCTOBER/NOVEMBER 2021

BEER AROUND ‘ERE

1

2

BEER AROUND ‘ERE

OCTOBER/NOVEMBER 2021

Visit our website for up-to-date news: www.peterborough.camra.org.uk

Editor’s Ramblings Walking between Ale Trail pubs on a sunny late August Saturday, it was almost possible to forget the unpleasantness of the previous eighteen months. We’ll never be able to erase those memories, but it was heartening to realise that if we are to regain something like the old routine - our real ales, and the establishments in which we drink them, are in safe and expert hands. Certainly the ales I sank that day made me realise how blessed we are in this Branch area to have such fine pubs and clubs and such dedicated licensees and brewers providing us with such quality! Pubs Officer Bill Taylor pays his own tribute in Pub News.

scratch – so please bear with me as I try to make this as “normal” an edition as possible.

We have some casualties to report, although they are not necessarily C*VID-related. Brendan Boyle, the Branch’s inaugural Chairman and the first Editor of BAE, is remembered on page 17 along with Pete “Flo” Talbott, Theresa Gallagher, Bernard Randall and Jeff Vernall.

It’s a fact that, living as I do in Stamford, I am not always as aware of episodes or events in the Peterborough area as I might be if I lived in the city, so I would ask you all to keep me informed as much as possible. I would rather six people told me about the same thing than none!

And finally – a few words about the Sober October challenge. Having lost my beautiful sister-in-law to cancer not that long ago, I am only too aware of the phenomenal work that MacMillan Cancer Support undertake. However – the challenge, if taken up, is certain to hit pubs just when they need our support most. There are other means of contributing to this worthy cause, and I’m sure you’ll all do the right thing.

Good luck!

Whilst on the subject, it’s worth remembering that these events don’t organise themselves! Mike Lane deserves great credit for bringing his organisational skills to bear on the Trail, and you can read his review of it on page 18.

Welcome back to Beer Around ‘Ere, then. They say it’s a long time between drinks, but it’s longer between issues of BAE…..Having NOT edited the magazine for almost as long as I DID edit it, I’m having to start almost from

Al

IN THIS ISSUE Welcome From The Editor Chairman’s Corner

Pub News Brewery News Train Trip To Reading

3

Obituaries

5

Ale Trail 2021

17

Pub of the Year Awards Process

23

18

Awards

25

Something Amies?

19

Quarts and Thoughts

26 - 27

9 - 11

Farewell to the Jolly Brewers!

19

Posh Pints

28 - 29

12 - 13

6-8

What are CAMRA playing at?

20

Diary Dates

30

WhatPub, Beer Scoring and GBG

15

Good Beer Guide 2022

21

Branch Contacts

31

Roving Row’s Review

16

Down Bath Row

22

Editor: Alun Thomas bae-editor@ peterborough.camra.org.uk Published by: Peterborough & District Branch of the Campaign for Real Ale. Designed & Produced on behalf of CAMRA by: Paper Red Media Neil Richards MBE - 01536 358670 n.richards@btinternet.com Matt Richards paperredmedia@outlook.com Distribution: Dave Binnington d.binnington@hotmail.com Alan Binnington alanbinncam2020@gmail.com

Printed By: Printed by Zenith Media Unit 9-13, Pontyfelin Industrial Estate, New Inn, Pontypool. NP4 0DQ Circulation: 6,000 copies distributed to pubs, clubs and members throughout the Peterborough and District CAMRA Branch area. A digital version of this magazine is available to view and download at: issuu.com

Views or comments expressed in this publication may not necessarily be those of the Editor or of CAMRA. The Editor reserves the right to alter or delete any content deemed offensive or inappropriate.

The next issue of Beer Around ‘Ere will be available on the 1st December. We must have your stories, news and advertisements by 5th November.

Beer Around ‘Ere is published by the Peterborough & District Branch of CAMRA Please send your stories and other copy to the Copyright © 2021, The Campaign for Real editor, Alun Thomas.

Ale Ltd. For all your advertising needs please contact Neil Richards MBE on 01536 358670 or n.richards@btinternet.com

Visit our website for up-to-date news: www.peterborough.camra.org.uk

OCTOBER/NOVEMBER 2021

BEER AROUND ‘ERE

3

Award Winning

d l e Ales f g i D brewed at Lilford Lodge Farm Barnwell Northamptonshire

01832 273954

ABV 3.9%

www.digfield-ales.co.uk

MONTHLY OFFERS £3 a pint

LIVE MUSIC

SEPTEMBER

Saturday 4th Sept THE GANGSTERS from 3pm Sunday 5th Sept JAZZ UNDERGROUND from 12pm Sunday 5th Sept THIRD STONE FROM THE SUN from 3pm Sunday 12th Sept OUTLAW EAGLES from 3pm Saturday 18th Sept THE DIZZY MISS LIZZYS from 10pm Sunday 19th Sept DIVISION from 3pm Friday 24th Sept VINYL NIGHT from 6pm Sunday 26th Sept MEG MCPARTLIN from 3pm Sunday 3rd Oct TRIBAL MISFITS from 3pm Thursday 14th - Sunday 17th Oct • CHARTERS OKTOBERFEST Friday 29th Oct LAST MINUTE BRIGADE from 10pm Check out our website for Full Entertainment Listings

OCTOBER

*not valid with any other offer.

£7.50

£10 Beer & Burger

14-17 October

The four day festival offers a wide selection of German draught and bottled beer.

follow us @

4

BEER AROUND ‘ERE

OCTOBER/NOVEMBER 2021

Visit our website for up-to-date news: www.peterborough.camra.org.uk

Chairman’s Corner Welcome back Welcome back to the newsletter of the Peterborough and District Branch of the Campaign for Real Ale after an absence of 18 months. Over this period we have seen the COVID pandemic force two lockdowns which has put tremendous strain on the food and drink industry… and most importantly meant we did not run the Peterborough Beer Festival in 2020 or this year. Over the past two months, visiting many pubs, I think the most common question asked of me is if and when the next Beer Festival will be held. It is of course our intention to run the Festival on the Embankment in August 2022… but there are a number of challenges we need to overcome to make this a reality is my answer.

Candidates for the position need to be known well in advance of the AGM when we will vote my successor in.

Pub of the Year and Annual General Meeting

I encourage all readers to please carry on supporting the pubs and breweries which are trying to recover after the massive challenge of the pandemic. As I write this I know of only a few which have closed but realise there are many more struggling who desperately need your support.

We decided that due to the lockdown there would be no voting for a Pub of the Year for 2021 or Annual General Meeting last December. However, we hope to have both this year with AGM set for Monday 6th December at the Yard of Ale on Oundle Road, and the voting forms for the Pub of the Year to be sent out to CAMRA members in late October. There will be more pubs to vote for than in previous years with the likes of the Goat at Frognall and the Ostrich in Peterborough in the mix. As well as asking for POTY votes we need your nominations for the 2023 Good Beer Guide so please go out and support the trade with your custom, telling us through these forms which you feel are best!

This year I have decided to stand down as Chairman, so am looking for any willing volunteers to take my place. If you have an interest in the position please feel free to discuss it with any of the committee (see details in the back of BAE) or email: info@peterborough.camra.org.uk.

Visit our website for up-to-date news: www.peterborough.camra.org.uk

Peterborough Pubs

I have tried to get around as many pubs as possible since lockdown was lifted and made all the pubs on the Ale Trail 2021 within a couple of days. A massive thanks to the Beer Festival Organiser Mike Lane for arranging the 2020 and 2021 trails with over 25 people completing them in each year.

There were a few pubs omitted from the trail due to numbers - these included the Fox and Hounds at Longthorpe, which hosted its first ever Beer Festival in August, and the Blind Tiger in Cowgate, which introduced real ales for the first time.

Closing Messages

I personally will carry on supporting the trade well after standing down as Chair and wish the Branch, its members and especially the wonderful committee all the best for the future.

Matt Mace Chair

Are you missing out?

Get Beer Around ‘Ere delivered to your door! For a year (6 issues) send £3.78 for second class or £4.32 for 1st Class or multiples thereof for multiple years.

Please send a cheque/PO payable to Peterborough CAMRA and your address to: Daryl Ling, 19 Lidgate Close, Peterborough PE2 7ZA

OCTOBER/NOVEMBER 2021

BEER AROUND ‘ERE

5

Pub News Pubs Officer’s Report

After 15 months without visiting a pub because of my lack of immune system, I am going to find it rather difficult to write a report worth a damn for this edition. Needless to say it was extremely difficult for a pub lover such as myself to forego the pleasures of a friendly pint in a local hostelry for so long, but not half as difficult as it was for the struggling publicans.

What the pubcos started, the pandemic has tried its damnedest to finish – the final demise of the local pub, the heart of the community, the best place on earth!

However, as the pubcos have discovered and what the pandemic has failed to do is down to the magnificent efforts of our innkeepers and landlords showing their Dunkirk spirit in the face of extreme adversity and governmental inadequacy. Without clear guidance and despite everchanging rules and regulations, many of our local pubs have managed to survive and hopefully will begin to thrive again when this bloody Covid thing dies down.

As I say, I have only recently, following a double jabbing, felt comfortable in visiting a pub and even then I have spent most of my time outside.

So, before I mention the few pubs I have visited I wish to hail all the local publicans who have worked so hard, have been so inventive, have fought against the odds to stay afloat in what must have been the worst year in the history of alehouses. You have been magnificent!

I know, through social media, that many locals continued to serve their loyal customers by running an off-sales service.

Personally I was able to maintain my ale intake thanks to the Nene Valley Brewery delivering to my doorstep during my imposed lock down. Not sure if any pubs did this but credit to them if they did.

Many pubs do not have much outdoor space, so found it difficult to serve customers under the regulations imposed by the government, but here I must make a mention of the fantastic adapting of their limited outdoor space by the Ostrich. I have not seen it yet myself but have it on good authority that it is pretty marvellous.

Pubs with the outdoor space have, in many cases, spent a considerable amount of time and money on developing it into an area for all the year round outside eating and drinking. Permanent marquees have been erected, new 6

BEER AROUND ‘ERE

OCTOBER/NOVEMBER 2021

outdoor tables and chairs have been installed, heaters are ready for use as the weather turns cooler. I am actually quite looking forward to sitting out in the midwinter cold under a tarpaulin cover with a patio heater singeing my hair and a blanket across my knees as I hold a pint between gloved hands. I know it does not sound as appetising as sitting beside a roaring log fire in the inglenook in the comfortable warmth of the pub interior but, having enjoyed drinking in Prague bars in December, I can assure you it is fun.

I have, over the last couple of months, enjoyed lunch at a number of pubs local to me on the western side of the area. My first lunch was taken on the raised patio overlooking the Nene at the King’s Head in Wadenhoe.

Lunch was good and the Nene Valley and Digfield ales were in good condition. The Chequered Skipper in Ashton was a joy, sitting under a large canopied area on new, good quality furniture with a peacock strutting around looking for titbits. The food was good and the ale was in fine fettle. Our lunch at the Montague Arms in Barnwell was very good too. They have a large covered area with a woodburning stove and a very good children’s play area nearby so you can send the kiddies off to play while you enjoy food and Digfield ales. The Black Horse in Elton was a very pleasant surprise as I have not been enamoured of this pub since someone tried to turn it into a Pink Pony! It has now a much-improved decor and the outdoor spaces are in abundance. They have a huge marquee on one side of the pub in a walled garden, but we ate in the compact but lovely courtyard. The service was excellent and the food pretty good too. They have 5 ale pumps but sad to say I have lost my notes so am unable to report what ales they had on. We recently tried out the newly refurbished Millstone in Barnack. Very smart interior and great raised outside courtyard with new furniture. Unfortunately it rained while we were there and the outdoor space has no cover. Each table has a sunshade but we were able to eat in the bar area close to the open door. The sandwiches were very good and filling although it was disappointing that the lunch menu was so restricted owing to shortage of chefs.

There was a choice of Ghost Ship, Boon Doggle or Round Corner Brewing’s Topside on the ale front.

I have to rely on friends’ reports for the White Swan at Woodnewton which did takeaway meals through the bad times, which were pricey but very well received by those who ordered them. Likewise the Willow and Brook in Apethorpe whose food is, I am told, excellent.

Unfortunately when I tried to book an outside table for lunch I was told they could not take specific bookings for outside. Why? Visit our website for up-to-date news: www.peterborough.camra.org.uk

Pub News Actually my first visit to any drinking establishment was on a hot summer day with some drinking pals in Stilton at the S Bar. Not a place I had visited before, but I was quite pleased with the courtyard and their ales were in excellent order. The first pub I sat inside was the Frothblowers on an afternoon when it was quite quiet so I did not feel too uncomfortable and the beers of course were excellent.

Relying on social media for my information, I can report that a number of pubs ran their own beer fests during the last week of August when the PBF would have taken place. There was also an ale trail to follow which many took advantage of and enjoyed the variety of ales on offer. I visited the Hand and Heart and sat in the garden enjoying some quality ales.

I apologise to all pubs I have not mentioned. I have restricted my report because I am sure that if I started naming some of the many great pubs who have done so well during this difficult time, I would be severely chastised by those I missed out. I hope to make it up to them by visiting them before writing my next report.

Finally, congratulations to the Ploughman in Werrington for being in the CAMRA Good Beer Guide for ten consecutive years and for raising nearly £2000 for charity during their beer fest. Also, congratulations to the Wonky Donkey for achieving Gold and LocAle awards.

All the best for the winter, Bill Taylor

Alun Thomas adds..

We’ll start in Barnack, where the Millstone reopened in July after a lengthy period of uncertainty following the decision by Everards to sell it. At a meeting in the village in September 2020, an encouraging 200 or so (out of about 2000 residents of Barnack and surrounding villages and hamlets) turned out to hear the thoughts of various parish councillors and interested parties. The happy outcome was the purchase of the pub by Stamford businessman Paul McSorley, who promptly ploughed an unspecified – but “more than he thought” amount into revamping the whole show. I grew up in Barnack and did much of my formative drinking in the ‘Stone (in its Ruddles days, shows how old I am) so I was enchanted on an early September visit to see the old place buzzing. Manager Paul Burke (recently of the nearby Visit our website for up-to-date news: www.peterborough.camra.org.uk

White Hart in Ufford) gave me a tour of the premises, which are to include a village store and a function room in the former Attic Bar. All three ales on the night were from the Adnams stable – Ghost Ship, Mosaic and Clipping Waves, and the range is expected to change with the addition of a fourth handpump. Both Pauls were keen to stress that ale, and the locals who drink it, are as important a part of their strategy as the food which was clearly being enjoyed by many.

There’s brave news from another Millstone, this time the one in Stamford’s All Saints’ Street. The pub had been closed for some time, having gained a dubious reputation, and its future seemed doubtful, but it is open and there’s light at the end of the tunnel, as it were. Jay Childs, whose CV includes running several pubs in Leicester, announced his intentions by making it clear to a number of people (who had landed the pub with its unwanted reputation) that they were no longer welcome.

A good start, and Jay and owner Chris are working closely with Lincolnshire Police to ensure that the problem stays away. On my visit on a September Sunday afternoon, Taylor’s Landlord and Doom Bar were on offer (the former a more-than-decent pint) and there are plans for two further handpumps. Hopes will be high for this splendid old building bang in Stamford’s historic town centre.

To complete a hat-trick of sorts, the Millstone at Ryhall, just outside our Branch area, has reverted to its former identity after a few years as the Wicked Witch. Worryingly, though (and back in our area), the nearby Hare and Hounds in Greatford remains closed. However, the Red Lion at West Deeping has been getting good reviews after a difficult time pre-pandemic and the Exeter Arms at Easton-on-the-Hill is very much up and running again. The leasehold of the nearby Royal Oak in Duddington is for sale at £30,000.

In the Barnack Millstone’s bar was a familiar face, Mick Thurlby of the Knead Group, who in a surprise move has relinquished four of his seven pubs. Bourne houses Smith’s and the Jubilee Garage, the Lord Nelson in Oakham and the Prince Rupert (Newark) are now in the hands of the Red Cat Pub Company, whose CEO is our old friend Rooney Anand, once of Greed Kerching. We wish regulars in those boozers luck – they’ll probably need it………The Knead empire now comprises its three Stamford houses – the Crown, Paten and Co., and the Tobie Norris. Congrats are due to the Crown – the AA has recently upgraded it from three stars to four.

OCTOBER/NOVEMBER 2021

BEER AROUND ‘ERE

7

Pub News Over in Barholm, Matt and Emma of the Five Horseshoes, whose service during lockdown included offering enough local produce to feed a small village, as well as a (very) wide range of ales and other beverages, had the honour of providing the bar at the Maxey Classic Car Show in August.

Reliant Regal van (not Robin as many people think) as well as a unit called Nelson Mandela House and a marquee named Peckham Place! Mangetout, mangetout………..

Planning permission has been granted in Market Deeping for the town’s first micropub, rumoured to be called the Thirsty Giraffe. Is this the next step towards Williams brothers global domination? Time will tell, but the brothers (who brought us the Frothblowers, Werrington and the Wonky Donkey, Fletton) were waiting for a licence as we went to press.

Al

The Shoulder of Mutton in Weldon closed its doors in April, and local information had it that it wouldn’t reopen as a pub.

Builders were in, bar had been gutted and so on. Not so – although Bogdan Vujnovic and Rada Dordevic and their family, and Mad Max the dog (after whom one of Weldon Brewery’s ales is named) have moved out (Bogdan will continue to work for the brewery). But the last I heard was that the pub has been reprieved and will open after intensive refurbishment. Here’s hoping….

And there’s more good news from that part of the Branch area. The 17th century White Swan at Harringworth, closed for about three years, is in the process of being restored to its former glory by local entrepreneur Tim Wilson and couple Patrice Lardon (originally from Lyon, the gastronomic capital of France) and Monika Peleckaite.

The emphasis is to be on British food – “more black pudding than cordon bleu” – apparently, and locals are said to be happy that the “Mucky Duck” is to be a village pub again, with “nice beers, pie and mash, and a good atmosphere”. Nice beers eh – let’s hope so….

Tribute should be paid to three of the area’s Wetherspoon pubs and their customers who donated food and PPE to a local care home, hospice and food bank during the pandemic. Well done the Draper’s Arms, the College Arms and the Stamford Post!

“Theme” pubs of course are nothing new, but Richard and Vicky of the Nag’s Head, Eastrea, took the genre to a new level in the summer by turning the pub and its outbuildings into an Only Fools And Horses tribute. Both are fans of the legendary series and features include the inevitable yellow 8

BEER AROUND ‘ERE

OCTOBER/NOVEMBER 2021

Visit our website for up-to-date news: www.peterborough.camra.org.uk

Brewery News

BEXAR COUNTY

www.bexarcountybrewery.com

BLUE BELL

www.thebluebell.net

CASTOR ALES

www.castorales.co.uk Loyal readers of BAE will no doubt be aware that we don’t take ourselves too seriously at Castor Ales, but the pandemic has had such an impact on the lives and livelihoods of so many people that our immediate thoughts are with them, and a return to our pre-pandemic irreverence will take at least another paragraph.

Or maybe not.

The enforced hibernation of lockdown provided the perfect opportunity to think about the future, which did include – if the truth be known – the brewers hanging up their hydrometers. But such was the demand for our beer during lockdown that retirement just wasn’t an option. Production was obviously scaled back dramatically, allowing the brewers more leisure time. There was even talk of a brewery upgrade, replacing the ageing brew kit with a brand spanking new state of the art kit, assessing and re-designing all marketing and point of sale material.

Instead, in a surprise move and armed with more leisure time, we invested in paddle boards and we are exploring opportunities of delivering beer by paddle board once the art of staying upright has been mastered. As ever, ahead of the curve and safeguarding the brewery against future (and current) shortages of HGV and delivery drivers.

In a farsighted move to avoid the inevitable shortage of isinglass post-Brexit, Castor Ales has taken the decision to Visit our website for up-to-date news: www.peterborough.camra.org.uk

stop fining our beers. So, the next time you have a pint of Hopping Toad - and it doesn’t look like a mass-produced lager – the landlord will be telling the truth if he says “it’s meant to be like that”.

It is important to acknowledge that the impact of the pandemic on Castor Ales has been far less than for many other brewers and publicans (and, most importantly, the imbubers). After all, this not our “day job”. Having said that, our thoughts are very much with everyone who has been affected during these dreadful times.

Thanks to the Branch for their award to Castor Ales for supplying beer, during the lockdown, to pubs for takeaways and other customers. Thank you for your continued support and here’s to better times in the near future.

Cheers!

Duncan Vessey

DIGFIELD ALES

www.digfield-ales.co.uk After the difficult time of Covid lockdown and the extended period of hospitality closure, Digfield Ales are back in full production and recently had beers at one of the major beer festivals in the area - at Northampton. Also, during this time, they have revamped their website.

Dave Waller

ELGOOD’S

www.elgoods-brewery.co.uk Elgood’s Brewery is currently only fully staffed for three days a week.

They are only brewing Cambridge, Black Dog and Lighter Shade of Ale, and Greyhound from August for three months. The current state of the cask beer market means Elgood’s cannot plan any more seasonal beers, but they are brewing keg Black Dog and keg Cambridge.

Jonathan Boyall

HOPSHACKLE

www.hopshacklebrewery.co.uk Well, that was a bit of a rollercoaster ride, and it hasn’t stopped yet so we can get off! I was in New Zealand when it became apparent that things were going OCTOBER/NOVEMBER 2021

BEER AROUND ‘ERE

9

Brewery News to get really bad with Coronavirus. Exited New Zealand just after they’d closed their borders to all non-residents and arrived back in the UK mid-March. My daughter, who was travelling independently, followed a few days later and was on the last scheduled flight out and subsequently had armed guards escort them out on the last flight from Dubai airport before they shut it and locked it up!

The first lockdown was particularly tough, with beer delivered to pubs previously being collected – when it was permitted – and brought back to the brewery. With special dispensation allowed by HMRC, this was disposed of down the drain, not an easy thing for a “tight” Yorkshireman to do at all!

Things soon improved though, with the website being updated (including an online shop) and the bottles soon started going out rapidly, particularly with the trend to “Bring the Pub into your Home” with a selection of beers, bar snacks and a glass. Bottled beer sales remained steady as the lockdown continued, reaching a frantic pace as Christmas approached and then the New Year celebrations, which again were mostly spent at home.

Things have gradually got better recently with the removal of lockdown and pubs and bars opening again. Cask sales have steadily picked up, and combined with the continued bottle sales the future looks promising. Let’s hope that this year we can all celebrate Christmas in the way we fondly remember it before the pandemic.

Nigel Wright

KINGS CLIFFE

www.kcbales.co.uk Kings Cliffe beers are now available in local pubs, and four beers were available at the recent Northampton County Beer Festival. During lockdown, the brewery sold beers directly and online.

Don Rudd

MILE TREE

www.miletreebrewery.co.uk We would like to thank everyone who has continued to support us through an extremely difficult trading period over the last 18 months.

Since the end of lockdown, Mile Tree Brewery has increased the production of cask and bottled beers. This is due to the support of local pubs and retailers who have stocked our beers, the increase in bottle sales and the opening of the Potting Shed bar and beer garden at the Secret Garden Touring Park, Wisbech.

The opening of the Potting Shed bar has been really successful and has drawn in both on-site campers and local residents. They have regular Friday and Saturday night entertainment and street food vendors. Mile Tree Brewery beers are always available on draught as well as guest beers, which are sourced by Mile Tree, including those from Tydd Steam, Xtreme Ales, Three Blind Mice, Potbelly Brewery and others.

We have recently invested in a new six head bottle filler, pneumatic crown capper and two head bottle rinser, all of which will help to increase bottle production and product consistency. We plan to produce a range of special one-off beers in 330ml bottles, some of which will be available this Christmas either through events or direct from the brewery.

The middle of September saw us take delivery of a new 1000l unitank from Gravity Systems, Orton Southgate.

This vessel will allow us to produce an unfiltered pilsner which will be available at the Secret Garden Touring Park and a few other local outlets in the New Year. Our 1000l pilot brewery has been used extensively to brew experimental test brews over the last 18 months, and from these test brews we have developed two new beers which we intend to release early next year.

We wish our customers all the best for a brighter future!

Richard and Karen Matthews

NENE VALLEY

www.nenevalleybrewery.co.uk

MELBOURN

www.allsaintsbrewery.co.uk

10

BEER AROUND ‘ERE

OCTOBER/NOVEMBER 2021

The brewery has been very busy since pubs reopened earlier in the year and we have invested in a new fermenting vessel to help keep up with demand. We have just brewed two old favourites : Bang Goes String Theory and Supersonic, and in early September we went to Worcestershire and picked up fresh Pilgrim hops which had been harvested that day.

We brewed with them that evening when we got back. This green hopped beer will be 4.2%.

The shop has also been very busy with sales of cans, bottles, 5L mini casks and 4 pint refills, and we take preVisit our website for up-to-date news: www.peterborough.camra.org.uk

Brewery News orders for 10L, 20L and firkins for bigger events. The shop is open on Fridays from 1130 – 1300 and 1400 – 1730 and on Saturdays from 1200 – 1600.

Will Fry

TYDD STEAM

www.tyddsteam.co.uk

XTREME ALES

OAKHAM ALES

www.xtremeales.com

www.oakhamales.com

ROCKET ALES

www.rocket-ales.com Rocket Ales are brewing back at full capacity again, and had beers at the recent “Booze On The Ouse” Beer Festival in St Neots.

Don Rudd

THE ADDISON ARMS G L AT TO N

The Xtreme Ales team have had a busy 2021 so far. The brewery has expanded to have a larger cold store and they are offering online ordering of beers for collection and delivery across a selection of 10+ bottled beers. A new bespoke bottle label service is also available for birthdays and events (even Christmas) if you require something different!

Mark Wroe

The village of Glatton’s Addison Arms is a traditional country pub serving great food, real ale, fine wine and scrumptous homemade desserts.

Food at the Addison is second to none, prepared with the utmost care and attention to detail. The chefs source the best quality seasonal produce so it’s no surprise that the menu showcases a wide range of enticing dishes.

The Addison has become a Sunday lunch destination, with tables booked weeks in advance.

They offer at least three different locally sourced meals, a wide variety of vegetables and desserts, and also cater juniors and smaller appetites.

FULLY ENCLOSED CHILD-FRIENDLY GARDEN WITH PLAY EQUIPMENT TO KEEP LITTLE ONES AMUSED

BAR MONDAY 12 - 6pm TUESDAY - SUNDAY Noon - 11pm FOOD WEDNESDAY - SATURDAY 12 - 2:30pm & 5:30pm - 8:30pm SUNDAY Noon - 3pm T 01487 830410

Glatton, PE28 5RZ E contact@addison-arms.co.uk

Visit our website for up-to-date news: www.peterborough.camra.org.uk

W www.addison-arms.co.uk

OCTOBER/NOVEMBER 2021

BEER AROUND ‘ERE

11

Train Trip to Reading Saturday 8th February 2020 Mick had originally planned a trip to Worcester on this date; however, due to a problem with train tickets, a trip to Reading was arranged instead. Fifteen of us met up at the station for the 8:54 train to King’s Cross; from there it was a tube to Paddington and then a 25-minute train journey to Reading.

The first pub of the day was The Greyfriar, a corner street building just west of the station. Eight ales were on offer here, and I had the Refractions Session IPA. Shortly after our arrival at 11.30, several other groups came in, presumably doing the 19th Reading & Mid-Berkshire Ale Trail which was launched that day. With Reading FC playing at home plus the Six Nations on TV, it looked like it was going to be a busy day in the pubs!

The Moderation

Heading north, the next stop was The Moderation, a light and airy pub/restaurant run by Thais, with some interesting decor and artwork on display. Beers here were Landlord, Doom Bar and Marston’s Angels With Dirty Faces (always good to find a beer that shares its name with a hit single, in this case Sham 69).

After a walk over the Thames into Caversham, a northern suburb of Reading, pub three was the local CAMRA award-winning Fox and Hounds. There were six real ales and seven craft keg lines, all conveniently displayed on a large screen. I had the Arbor Mosaic, which was very good. I’ve heard they do great pizzas as well.

A plaque on the outside wall commemorates a gig by John Lennon and Paul McCartney as the Nerk Twins, in April 1960, when Paul’s cousin was running the pub.

Fox and Hounds

Taxis were ordered for the next pub, the Jolly Anglers, a friendly freehouse located on the eastern side of Reading by the Kennet & Avon Canal. Most people opted for the White Horse Arion in this pub, which I imagine gets very busy in the summer.

Sweeney & Todd, Castle Street 12

BEER AROUND ‘ERE

OCTOBER/NOVEMBER 2021

A ten-minute walk brought us to our next destination, a gem of a traditional, back street local called The Retreat, one of CAMRA’s Real Heritage Pubs. There were six real ales on the small bar, with Harvey’s Sussex Best Bitter proving very popular. An unused front door on the right Visit our website for up-to-date news: www.peterborough.camra.org.uk

is a reminder of the former off-sales. From the bar, a short passage leads to the rear lounge, which would have been two small rooms in the past.

It was time for lunch now and we headed to the Back of Beyond, one of two Wetherspoons in Reading (there were four), named after its location on the edge of the old town.

The beer garden overlooks the Kennet & Avon Canal, and, unusually for a Wetherspoon, the toilets are on the ground floor!

After lunch, we headed west to The Alehouse (formerly the Hobgoblin), an old, popular pub in the centre of town.

The small bar area, decorated in pump clips, was packed, so we enjoyed our West Berkshire Mister Swift in one of the quieter wooden booths at the back. Some of the party visited the Allied Arms which has two small rooms with 1950s fittings. Eight real ales were on sale here (at a notably higher price than other pubs we visited).

The award for most unusual pub of the day has to go to Sweeney & Todd, on Castle Street. At the front is a pie shop, selling a wide variety of excellent pies to eat in or take away, then there is a bar area (four ales available including St Austell Proper Job), with a restaurant at the back and a rabbit warren of further rooms downstairs. The decor is unpretentious and basic, which adds to the charm.

From here, some of the group headed off in a taxi to Phantom, a new local microbrewery (only craft keg beers), but Nikki and I decided to head straight to the railway station and a visit to the final watering hole, the Three Guineas. Designed by Isambard Kingdom Brunel in 1840 as a ticket office adjacent to the station, this is a busy and impressive place, which has been completely refurbished by owners Fuller’s. Eight real ales available, including a number of Fuller’s plus a few guests, and there is a discount for CAMRA members.

All in all, a great day out in Reading with some great pubs visited and tasty beers imbibed, the only sour note being one of the group sustaining a broken ankle outside the Butler. I hope to revisit the town soon and spend some more time in my personal favourites (Fox and Hounds, Retreat and Alehouse), sample some of the pies in Sweeney & Todd and to visit some pubs which sadly had to be skipped due to lack of time, e.g. Hop Leaf and Weather Station, to name just two.

Jason Hart

Opposite the Sweeney & Todd I noticed a BrewDog pub, which wasn’t on the itinerary, but not having visited one before, decided to take a look. Opened in March 2018, it’s a large, spacious, warehouse-type place on two floors, with an industrial vibe, booths and pinball machines. Twenty taps dispense all the BrewDog craft keg beers plus a few guests.

Two pubs on the western side of the town centre visited by some of the party included the Castle Tap, selling four real ales. It had some old-looking bar fittings which look like they came from another pub. Also, the Nags Head which was very busy with a Six Nations match on the TV screen.

This pub has the largest selection of real ales in Reading with twelve from microbreweries, usually including a Mild and a Stout.

Time was growing short now, and we headed towards the Butler, a Grade II-listed building on the outskirts of the town, named after the Butler family who ran a wine merchants on the premises before selling to Fuller’s in 1976 (it is now owned by a local consortium). During our early evening visit it was busy with mixed clientele enjoying the rugby, but the pub is also well known for its live music.

Visit our website for up-to-date news: www.peterborough.camra.org.uk

OCTOBER/NOVEMBER 2021

BEER AROUND ‘ERE

13

The Little Ale House Wellingboro’s first Micro Pub Promote it! Micros Limited

No Mu s No TV ic, Just a meet n chance to ew like pu friends bs us to be! ed

Always 4 to 5 Real Ales 9+ Bottle/Draft Ciders, 40 Premium Gins, 6 Malts, Plus Wines & Soft Drinks

CAMRA Members 20p off Ales

(must show current card)

General Knowledge Quiz Nights, first Tuesday of every month at 7pm Cheese Night, every Thursday

Opening Times: Tues - 5pm-9pm FIND US Wed - 12 noon-9pm Thurs - 12 noon-9pm M: Fri & Sat - 12 noon-11pm E:14tracie@thelittlealehouse.co.uk Sunday 12 noon-5pm OCTOBER/NOVEMBER 2021 Visit our website for up-to-date news: www.peterborough.camra.org.uk BEER AROUND ‘ERE

14A High Street Wellingborough Northants NN8 4JU

07870 392011

WHATPUB, BEER SCORING AND THE GOOD BEER GUIDE You are probably aware of the Good Beer Guide, National CAMRA’s flagship publication which lists the best real ale pubs in the UK. But what you may not know is how those pubs are selected to appear in the Guide. The answer is that it is largely via beer scores submitted by CAMRA members from all over the country. So - if you are a CAMRA member, you can send in beer scores. If you’ve ever wondered why your favourite pub isn’t in the Guide, it’s probably because you, and others, haven’t entered scores rating the quality of the beer there! By beer scoring you can contribute to the process of selection of pubs that go in the Good Beer Guide.

So How Do I Score The Quality Of The Beer?

You don’t have to be an “expert” to begin scoring your beer. However, it is not about your personal favourite beer receiving the highest scores! You may try a beer that isn’t to your normal taste, but what you need to consider is the quality of that beer, how well the pub has kept it and served it, and score it according to the general guide below. It is a simple 0 to 5 point system, with half points being used if your opinion of the beer falls between two categories.

0 1 2

3

4 5

No cask ale available.

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

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

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

Very Good. Excellent beer in excellent condition. You stay put!

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

Visit our website for up-to-date news: www.peterborough.camra.org.uk

How Do I Submit My Scores?

In order to submit your scores, you need to log in to

CAMRA’s online pub guide www.whatpub.com either on a computer or by smart phone. Here you will find a list of almost 36,000 real ale pubs from all over the UK; these are not all Good Beer Guide pubs, merely pubs that serve real ale. In order to start submitting scores via What Pub you need to: 1 Log in. To do this you need your membership number and your CAMRA password.

2 You can then search for your pub by name.

Be careful here as there are many pubs in the country which share the same name. My advice is to search by the pub name and the town or postcode. The What Pub smart phone web page also gives you the option to search for real ale pubs nearby - very useful if you are in an unfamiliar town.

3 Once you have found your pub a “Submit Beer Scores” box will appear on the right hand side of the screen (or on the tab bar underneath the pub photo if you are using a smart phone).

4 Simply fill in the date and your score. Then, as you begin typing, the brewery name should appear automatically underneath where you are typing. You do not have to enter the name of the beer you are drinking, but if you wish to do so, once you have entered the brewery name, you should be able to click on the arrow in the beer box and a drop-down list of that brewery’s beers should appear. In some cases, the beer you are drinking may be a new one or one-off by the brewery, so may not appear on the list. If this is the case, you can simply type in the beer name. Select the correct one, click “Submit Score” and your score will be entered into the database.

It is as simple as that! An added bonus is that it will keep a record of your scores so you can look back to see what beers you have had and how you rated them.

Cheers!

Daryl Ling OCTOBER/NOVEMBER 2021

BEER AROUND ‘ERE

15

ROVING ROW’S REVIEW Tour of Stamford Some sad news to start with. I have to report that our Thomas family matriarch and my stalwart fellow “Rover”, Kathleen, passed away in January. She is very much missed, but I was able to call on other family members to join me for a short break in Stamford, with a view to spending precious time together and, of course, to have the opportunity to visit some of our favourite pubs in the town.

We arrived at our digs in Austin Street on a gloomy afternoon, made more so when I noticed the neighbouring street is named Melancholy Walk – I half expected to see Memory Lane too, as this family gathering was bound to be full of reminiscences.

We soon cheered up when we got into our cosy terraced “house of historical importance” in Austin Street, close to Austin Friars, a medieval monastery.

We settled in and enjoyed a pizza and pasta supper, washed down with a mouth-watering selection of ales, including Conwy Brewery and Cheddar Ales, prosecco and, of course, excellent company.

Next morning, we set off to meet our Stamford Tour Guide at the Town Hall, who gave us a fascinating insight into the history of the town, with particular attention to the town’s pubs, both past and present. The tour began outside medieval St Mary’s Church with its C14 broach spire, beyond which we could see the Statue of Justice, the crowning glory of the Stamford Hotel, originally the Black Bull inn, redeveloped by Sir Noel of Exton.

Sadly, the Stamford Hotel was described as being “too grand for its restricted site” and the business failed. All very interesting and, considering our family had lived in Barnack for more than 30 years, there was still a lot we didn’t know about Stamford, or Wittering for that matter, as we discovered that the village had a quarry of Wittering Pindle stone, used extensively in the building of Stamford.

16

BEER AROUND ‘ERE

OCTOBER/NOVEMBER 2021

St Mary’s Street has enough material to merit its own separate tour, including more former pubs, the George and Angel, an inn built in the Middle Ages, and the Eagle and Child, now The Vaults. This pub’s name was changed because of the Nazi connotations.

St George’s Square next to the Assembly Rooms was full of interesting facts and here we learned where the phrase “losing face” comes from. In Georgian times, men and women used goose fat to lighten their skin and hide blemishes. The dances held at the Assembly Rooms were usually packed with people and as the evening went on, the fat would melt and drip off their faces, hence they “lost face”.

After the tour, we popped in to The Crown on spec, and dropped lucky with a table in the marquee, enjoyed a delicious light lunch and pints of London Pride and Landlord. We continued our stroll and later called in to the Tobie Norris, where we sat in what was formerly a shop window in this quirky medieval building. We had a shock when the bill came for four pints – over £50! Fortunately, the waiter had given us the tab for his previous customer by mistake.

Back to Austin Street for a quick freshen up and then it was early doors at the Jolly Brewer. A real treat! Jill made us very welcome and spent time explaining about the available ales. We felt for her, such hard work with Covid restrictions, what with cleaning, track and trace, serving, clearing tables, but all the time somehow managing to keep up cheery banter with her customers.

Dean appeared shortly afterwards to relieve her for her night off.

We tottered off home for a nightcap or two, to dream of the monks passing by along the cobbled street, with their donkeys laden with ale from the Austin Friars brewery.

Row *Editor’s note: Clearly this visit was before Jill and Dean vacated the Jolly Brewer.

Visit our website for up-to-date news: www.peterborough.camra.org.uk

OBITUARIES Gone but not forgotten DEREK GIBSON REMEMBERS “THE QUIET CAMPAIGNER”

I am sorry to announce that Brendan Boyle, Peterborough CAMRA’s first Chairman and the first Editor of BAE, passed away in early June. Shortly before his passing, Mick Slaughter and I travelled to visit him at his Darlington home, but he was taken to hospital while we were en route.

We were, however, allowed to see him there and at least were able to speak to him.

Brendan became Chairman when the Branch was formed in May 1975 and was a brilliant campaigner at ground level. He launched a newsletter called Brews News, but after a couple of issues a competition was held to rename it, and it was always a source of embarrassment to Brendan that his wife Sue was the winner – with Beer Around ‘Ere! Brendan (pictured with Sue) had a Beer Festival planned in a marquee on the Embankment in June 1977.

Twelve years later that came to pass, but back in ’77 not a single landlord would back us with a licence, simply saying it would not work! Brendan Boyle was certainly ahead of his time…….

THEY ALSO SERVED……

Sadly Brendan wasn’t the only Branch stalwart to leave us in recent months. Pete Talbott, known to most as Flo, passed away in the early days of the first lockdown. Flo was a major player and innovator at Peterborough Rugby Club, amongst others, and was heavily involved at every Peterborough Beer Festival (right back to when the event was held at the Rugby Club), where his invaluable practical skills and great good humour were his trademarks. He was also the owner of a far, far more striking blazer than mine!

Another who contributed selflessly to numerous Beer Festivals was Bernard Randall, who departed in August and who leaves behind a host of fond memories.

We also pay tribute to Theresa Gallagher, who for some years contributed heavily to the local pub scene through her involvement in the placing of managers and staff in pubs in the city. These included the Lime Tree, The Cock Inn and the Dragon. Her input cannot be underplayed. Rest in peace Theresa.

When I first met him in December 1976, Peterborough only had six pubs selling real ale, but things improved before Brendan moved away to Sheffield in September 1977 – and then to Darlington, where he formed their CAMRA Branch in 1982 and launched another newsletter, this time the Darlington Drinker (it is not known whether or not Sue was responsible for the name this time!). I kept in touch and he revisited from time to time. Many madcap trips to Belgium ensued!

In the Peterborough Standard, local beer columnist Harry Giltrap referred to Brendan as “the Quiet Campaigner” and it was a wonderfully apt name. I have lost a good friend – and CAMRA have lost the Quiet Campaigner.

Please raise a glass to one of our most famous members and wonderful campaigners – Brendan Boyle!

Equally mourned by the CAMRA family will be Jeff Vernall, whose natural expertise and sympathetic views were brought to bear on the refittings of the Bumble Inn (Westgate), the Frothblowers (Werrington) and the Wonky Donkey (Fletton). Jeff was also a Beer Festival volunteer and he, like everyone else in this sobering article, will be sorely missed.

Our thoughts are with the families and friends of all the above.

Al

Derek Gibson Visit our website for up-to-date news: www.peterborough.camra.org.uk

OCTOBER/NOVEMBER 2021

BEER AROUND ‘ERE

17

Ale Trail 2021 For the second year running we have had to cancel the Peterborough CAMRA Beer Festival due to the unpredictability of the restrictions associated with the COVID 19 pandemic. PCBF is such a major player in CAMRA’s Beer Fest calendar that we have to make commitments with our key suppliers as early as the February preceding the event and at that time in both 2020 and 2021 there was absolutely no possibility to predict the restrictions 6 months down the line leaving us no choice but to cancel.

To mark the build week and the festival week we decided to put together an Ale Trail based loosely around two key bus routes from Peterborough city centre venturing north and south. In 2020 we included 14 pubs on the “Back to the Pub 2020” Ale Trail and in 2021 we increased the challenge to 18 pubs on the “Is there anybody out there” Ale Trail.

I’m pleased to confirm that both years proved equally successful in so much that we had 29 completed entries in 2020 and coincidently 29 completed entries again this year.

As well as completed entries a dozen or more participants managed to complete either town and north or town and

NOODLE SPECIALS All dishes

£9.80* each

*An additional £1.95 for each king prawn dish.

south, so well done to all participants for making both ale trails a success. Winners included participants from as far afield as Norwich, Newcastle and Nottingham.

It is also important to give a big thank you to all of the licensees of the participating venues and the local brewers who donated prizes which were drawn early in September with the winners all now notified. Please continue to support your local pubs, they’ve had an horrendous couple of years and it’s not just a case of clicking a switch and returning to normal, our on-going support will be needed for a long time to come. REMEMBER …. Use Them or Lose Them.

Will there be an Ale Trail in 2022….who knows, BUT given the public health developments over the last 18 months or so, we can confirm that the River Embankment site has been booked for a much delayed 43rd Peterborough CAMRA Beer Festival and subject to CAMRA approval will take place from Tuesday 23rd to Saturday 27th August 2022.

We look forward to seeing you there. We have an awful lot of catching up to do.

Mike Lane

FREE LIVE MUSIC SEPTEMBER

SUNDAY

Lunch & Dinner

£12.95 for a 2 course meal *dine in only

Friday 3rd Mr Nash presents ‘Thank Funk it’s Friday’ from 9pm Saturday 4th Drum and Bass Night from 9pm * Sunday 5th Open Mic Night from 6pm Friday 10th Sessions with DJ TK & Telsy from 9pm Saturday 11th DJ Rick Allen presents Saturday Night Groove from 9pm Friday 17th Dusk Till Dawn from 10pm Saturday 18th DJ Rick Allen presents Saturday Night Groove from 9pm Friday 24th Groove Cartell from 10pm Saturday 25th Mr Eddie Nash presents the Get Down from 9.30pm

OCTOBER

MONTHLY SPECIALS

£3 a pint

SEPTEMBER OCTOBER *not valid with any other offer.

FIRST SUNDAY OF EVERY MONTH

From er 5th Septemb 6pm

Friday 1st Mr Nash presents ‘Thank funk it’s Friday’ from 9pm Saturday 2nd DJ Rick Allen presents ‘Saturday Night Groove’ from 9pm Sunday 3rd Open Mic Night from 6pm Saturday 9th DJ Rick Allen presents ‘Saturday Night Groove’ from 9pm Friday 15th L’aristo’s Revival from 8.30pm * Saturday 16th DJ Rick Allen presents ‘Saturday Night Groove’ from 9pm Friday 22nd The Lazoons from 10pm Saturday 23rd DJ Rick Allen presents ‘Saturday Night Groove’ from 9pm Fri 29th Diggin’ for Diamonds from 10pm * £5 entry applies Check out our website for Full Entertainment Listings

01733 358500 thebrewery-tap.com

80 Westgate, Peterborough PE1 2AA

18

BEER AROUND ‘ERE

OCTOBER/NOVEMBER 2021

Visit our website for up-to-date news: www.peterborough.camra.org.uk

SOMETHING AMIES? I must first tell you that I am not a beer drinker - never have been and never will be. However, I really enjoy reading BAE and when I found myself in a real ale pub in Somerset I decided I should tell you about it. The Halfway House, Pitney, Langport TA10 9AB is a most appealing country pub with hops over the bar, CAMRA awards on display and good selection of beers, and local ciders.

FAREWELL TO THE JOLLY BREWERS! Just over two years ago, BAE ran a sumptuous and well-deserved twopage tribute to Dean and Jill of the Jolly Brewer, Stamford, as they prepared to vacate the pub. Unfortunately the deal fell through at the eleventh hour, leaving the couple high and dry with some hefty legal bills. In typical fashion, though, they put that disappointment behind them and continued to offer the area’s drinkers the same high-quality ales, food and ambience that had become their trademark.

Everything comes to those who wait, however, and in July Jill and Dean (who in the interim had found time to get married) finally called time at the pub where they had spent almost sixteen years at the helm.

The publican had agreed to open an hour early for our group of 40 and to provide teas and coffees along with the usual alcoholic beverages. The pub was just delightful with friendly and attentive staff.

There is a large car park where many of us left our cars for the day whilst we went off in relays in a minibus to our destination. The publican would not accept any monetary contribution for parking.

You will not be disappointed in this hostelry.

Website: www.thehalfwayhouse.co.uk

Regulars Liz and Nick Harding organised a whip-round among customers and it is testament to the hard work put in by the Bakers that a whopping £1,700 was collected and presented to them at a leaving ceremony, along with a bespoke farewell print.

Jill explained that she and Dean felt they had done everything they wanted to at the Brewer, so they will now concentrate on their brewery (Baker’s Dozen in Ketton) where three new pressurised tanks have just been added as production is expected to double from 4,000 to 8,000 pints per week.

Dean and Jill will be missed as licensees but of course will remain very much a part of the local real ale scene. Good luck both!

Al

An unusual hobby I know, but I collect photographs of toilet signs and I couldn’t resist this one at the entrance to the facilities in the Halfway House.

Judith Amies Visit our website for up-to-date news: www.peterborough.camra.org.uk

OCTOBER/NOVEMBER 2021

BEER AROUND ‘ERE

19

CAMRA Branch meetings were the next to undergo baffling instructions. On the 15th May, shortly after HQ launched a “Get Back To The Pub” campaign, we were told that “CAMRA have forbidden all in-person Branch meetings” – this despite drinkers being allowed back into boozers a couple of days later….. So – we could go into a pub, sit down and have a pint – but not if it was at a CAMRA meeting. That’s clear then!

In the midst of the unknown entity of the pandemic and the often baffling advice we were fed by the government, we might justifiably have expected some support and backup from CAMRA HQ , whose message, after all these years, is still as relevant as ever it was. Sadly, though, it was not to be as a veritable series of perverse instructions was issued…..

Lastly – as part of CAMRA’s 50th birthday celebrations, the organisation was offering eleven bottles/cans of ale, selected by a cast of what seemed like thousands of experts but was actually only nineteen (!). All this for fifty quid!

Personally I felt that, at a time of hardship for many, the automatic assumption that everybody had fifty sheets to spare was very disappointing – if not entirely unexpected.

And – as far as I could see – not many of the eleven ales involved were bottle-conditioned. Black mark, CAMRA. Very big black mark………..

Al

Firstly, after months of umming and ahhing about whether or not to make What’s Brewing an online-only publication, it was suddenly announced (despite a flood of opposition from members) that the April edition would be the last paper one. One of the reasons given was that news appearing in WB was often out of date – but CAMRA then announced that a section of WB’s sister publication, BEER, was to be given over to WB news “to keep our readers up to date with the most important CAMRA news”. So – news appearing in a monthly newsletter (What’s Brewing) was likely to be out of date, but news appearing in a quarterly publication (BEER) wasn’t! I’m not sure which is worse – riding roughshod over members’ feelings or expecting said members to accept the corporate claptrap trotted out to justify the decision!

The scaling back of the Good Beer Guide was another source of embarrassment. A missive was received by Branches which told of plans for a reduced Guide which would feature 900 fewer pubs than usual. In our Branch area alone, the five East Northamptonshire pubs in the GBG were to be reduced to four and the seven South Lincolnshire pubs to five. You can see the letter I wrote to the powers-that-be on the opposite page. Now, I can’t take the credit for the U-turn that followed, but follow it did, almost immediately, so one has to assume that a lot of letters in a similar vein were also sent in!

20

BEER AROUND ‘ERE

OCTOBER/NOVEMBER 2021

Visit our website for up-to-date news: www.peterborough.camra.org.uk

Good evening.

I am a CAMRA member of many years’ standing and also the editor of the Peterborough and District Branch newsletter, Beer Around ‘Ere. I must stress that what follows are my own views and not necessarily those of the Branch.

The Good Beer Guide has long been recognised as the ale drinkers’ bible, particularly when visiting uncharted territory, and a reduced edition, with 900 deserving pubs missing, CANNOT accurately be described as a Guide.

In our Branch area, the seven South Lincolnshire-based pubs in the 2021 Guide are to be “culled” to five; the five East Northamptonshire pubs to four. I regard the landlords and ladies of the pubs near my Stamford home as personal friends, so please don’t expect me to look three of them in the eye and tell them that, while they have grafted for years to attain GBG status, they are to be excluded from the 2022 issue on a whim – “but don’t worry, you’ll be back in next year!”

The reasoning that we don’t know what pubs will be reopening after lockdown doesn’t hold water – as long as the Guide has been going, we’ve NEVER been able to state, with any certainty, that ANY pub will still be open as the Guide goes to press.

Equally, the recommendation to submit “plenty of reserve entries this year” is pointless – surely all the pubs that didn’t survive the “cull” would be the reserves, wouldn’t they?

No, CAMRA! I urge you in the strongest possible terms either to press ahead with an edition as usual – it did, after all, work last year under equally strange and restrictive conditions – or have a “fallow” year, with no Guide (understandable under the jackboot of COVID) – or publish an online Guide, which could presumably be updated regularly and would not incur printing costs.

I cannot – and indeed will not – have a hand in a reducedsize Good Beer Guide. If the proposed cull – and I don’t believe that to be too strong a description – does go ahead, I won’t be cancelling my CAMRA membership (and therefore having to resign as Beer Around ‘Ere editor), but there wouldn’t be much in it. A bit like the proposed Good Beer Guide 2022, in fact….

Regards Alun Thomas

Visit our website for up-to-date news: www.peterborough.camra.org.uk

OCTOBER/NOVEMBER 2021

BEER AROUND ‘ERE

21

Down Bath Row CAMRA’s Oldest Columnist, Gordon Bunting, continues his look back over life in a Stamford pub during the post-war years…..

Down Bath Row, a short walk from our pub (the Burghley Arms in Sheepmarket), was the Bath House.

The building is still there. In those days, many lorries parked overnight in Bath Row and the drivers sought Bed and Breakfast in the pubs. My mother had her regulars – and they all had to have a bath before their supper!

Most pubs today take central heating for granted, and should you see a fire in a pub it’s probably gas or electric.

The Jolly Brewer and Lord Burghley in Stamford are exceptions. But during the post-war years it was coal – and, later, paraffin. Coal came in various grades from quickburning “Bright” to slow-burning stuff that never seemed to take until it was time to go to bed! Most landlords could only afford the low grade, and in one of my regular haunts the landlady kept the fire going on potato peelings and any other vegetable waste ; I never saw any flames there, only smoke.

The winters seemed much colder then – most of the old chaps never took their overcoats off, and there was always a poker in the hearth to warm up their pints. They all smoked pipes and all took snuff – and they all had brown hankies……………….

Gordon Bunting

Mrs. Rose owned the baths and she was not one to argue with. You sat in a sparse waiting room in strict number order and waited to be called. There were only two bathrooms, and unless you took your own towel and soap you paid an extra copper to use hers. You got a starched towel (that could strip paint) and a chunk of Sunlight soap. The bathrooms were cathedrallike and when Mrs. Rose opened the door you were engulfed by dense steam from the previous occupant. The whole process was scary – the baths were huge and once in you all but disappeared!

You were allowed ten minutes, after which Mrs. Rose would knock on the door : “Time up!” By this time the steam was like a pea-souper and you were lucky to find your clothes before she hustled you out. Many a time you were out in the street still tucking your shirt in! It was worse in winter as the fog from the Meadows immediately cooled you down………

22

BEER AROUND ‘ERE

OCTOBER/NOVEMBER 2021

Visit our website for up-to-date news: www.peterborough.camra.org.uk

PETERBOROUGH CAMRA PUB OF THE YEAR AWARDS PROCESS For reasons that are surely obvious, the decision was taken at a recent Branch meeting not to go ahead with the Pub of the Year Award. Quite the correct verdict, and it’s difficult to imagine how the awards could have gone ahead. But the system had become complicated and had been in need of an overhaul for some time, and back in February 2020 a working party comprising Don Rudd, Mike Lane, Dave Murray and Dave Waller put their wise heads together and came up with the following review:

BACKGROUND Following the meeting of the appointed review subcommittee, we have reached the following conclusions and recommendations to improve our Pub of the Year Award.

The current system is open to manipulation by nominees influencing their CAMRA member customers to vote online in their favour, which is not in keeping with the intention of the system. The pub receiving most votes is not necessarily the pub deserving the accolade, but the pub most successful in self-promotion.

It is generally understood and agreed that we must observe and respect the CAMRA guidelines for the Branch POTY selection process, which we believe our recommendations conform to.

Firstly, we need to review the voting situation to level out the playing field, ensuring that pubs that don’t necessarily have a hardcore customer base of CAMRA members are not disadvantaged by this fact.

Secondly, history tells us that out-of-town pubs can be disadvantaged by the current process, as most voters have not visited, or do not visit, these more rural pubs.

Unfortunately, we seem to have a general apathy to venture out to far-flung pubs, apart from the presentation night of either a POTY or Merit award.

RECOMMENDATIONS For the future we would propose that the Branch consider THREE Pub of the Year awards to cover the following: CITY PUB OF THE YEAR Pubs within the Peterborough city area.

RURAL PUB OF THE YEAR Village pubs.

The Branch membership will be asked to vote for one pub from each of the sections (assuming there is a nomination).

Once the result is finalised, then the Branch committee ONLY should meet, with each member entitled to one vote, to determine the overall winner to be put forward to the CAMRA National competition. In the event of a tie, the Chairperson will have the final decision.

This will prove to be an opportunity to ensure that there has not been any perceived impropriety.

Throughout the year, all Gold and Merit Award recipients will be included as candidates for the POTY award.

The Branch awards for Cider Pub of the Year and LocAle Pub of the Year should continue to be nominated by the Branch rep for approval by the committee, prior to being announced, but not included in the above.

It was the feeling of the group that, at this point in time, with only three micropubs in the Peterborough area, we should include micropubs in the mainstream competition – but with a rider to reconsider in the future. Some Branches have introduced a separate award, but typically where there are a larger number of micropubs to make the award more competitive.

PREJUDICIAL OR VESTED INTEREST If any attendee at a Branch meeting has a “Prejudicial or Vested Interest” in a discussion topic then they should be excluded from the meeting while any discussion directly associated with that subject takes place.

Certainly such attendees should not be privy to the voting decision of Branch committee members.

Specifically, this applies to any landlords’/licensees’/ employees’ involvement with topics such as POTY, Gold and Merit Awards voting and any policy changes to such topics that involve their business.

TOWN PUB OF THE YEAR Pubs in towns such as Stamford, Wisbech, the Deepings, Bourne, Ramsey, March or Oundle.

Visit our website for up-to-date news: www.peterborough.camra.org.uk

POTY Review Sub Committee 13th February 2020 OCTOBER/NOVEMBER 2021

BEER AROUND ‘ERE

23

The Ramblewood Inn ‘The pub in the woods’

The all day venue – Open for meals and snacks 12pm to 9pm daily

A conservatory restaurant with food served all day, nooks and crannies in the old stables, outdoor seating and extensive parking, plus a selection of Real Ales.

Real food, Real ales, Real pub Orton Hall Hotel & Spa, The Village, Orton Longueville, Peterborough, PE2 7DN Tel: 01733 391111 For special offers, news and travel directions visit www.traditionalinns.co.uk

24

BEER AROUND ‘ERE

OCTOBER/NOVEMBER 2021

Visit our website for up-to-date news: www.peterborough.camra.org.uk

Awards Of course the pandemic and its effects played havoc with the CAMRA awards system, with many either being cancelled or having to wait a long time for presentation.

Just over a year ago (27th September 2020), the Goat at Frognall received a well-deserved Gold Award and a Real Ale Heroes certificate. The pub was proposed for the awards by regular Terry Alexander and presented

by Mark Smith, who are pictured with landlord Richard Barrett.

Goat at Frognall

Charters, by Peterborough’s Town Bridge, was the deserving 2020 Cider Pub of the Year and our photo shows Warren Allett receiving the award from Kirsten England on 17th September 2020.

More recently, the Ploughman in Werrington was honoured with an Award for appearing in the Good Beer Guide for ten (count ‘em) consecutive years, a notable achievement in challenging times for the industry – and don’t forget that the Ploughman has had its own obstacles to overcome. Andy Simmonds is pictured receiving the award from Mike Lane.

Charters, by Peterborough’s Town Bridge

In September, there was another double presentation at the Wonky Donkey in Fletton High Street. The micro won LocAle Pub of the Year for 2021 and was also accorded a Gold Award for “creating a new, charitysupporting community pub with excellent real ales and ciders”. Say no more! It was also Pirate Night; Dave and Andy Williams are seen receiving the awards from Matt Mace, whose words were almost drowned out by shouts of “Aaaaarrrrrrr!” and “Ye scurvy dogs!” from various villainous-looking buccaneers (including regular Jim Atkinson, who proposed the pub for the Gold), while the risk of decapitation by Dickie Bird’s outsize tricorn hat was a constant worry………..

Visit our website for up-to-date news: www.peterborough.camra.org.uk

Al

Ploughman in Werrington

Wonky Donkey in Fletton High Street

OCTOBER/NOVEMBER 2021

BEER AROUND ‘ERE

25

QUARTS AND THOUGHTS This Q’s and T’s will, of necessity I’m afraid, be a bit of a mishmash! I’ve lost track of when exactly I went to some of the pubs that follow, but hope that they are all still with us and that my experiences in them still hold good………

Just outside our Branch area, in Empingham, I attended the Cricket Club’s rugby-related Beer Festival. The ales offered by Russ Hibbitt and his staff never fail to include half a dozen that I have never heard of – and this was no exception! My pints – for once I wasn’t driving – were Grey Trees Caradog (3.9%) from Aberdare, Neepsend Haliphron (4.5%) from Sheffield and Old Sawley Plummeth The Hour (4.5%) from Long Eaton. I was also treated to a number of tasters before I committed the heinous crime of sitting in the chair (nearest the bar) reserved for Chairman John Hibbitt! And - worse – he was about to occupy it prior to a crib match. Not so many years ago I’d have been justifiably marched to the village stocks…..

In BAE 212 – it seems, and indeed is, a long time ago – I mentioned a visit to Ilkeston, where I was unable to visit either the Burnt Pig or the Dewdrop.

I was able to spend time in both in the ensuing weeks and in the former (the Bont Pig if you’re a local) I enjoyed Dark Star Pale Ale, Dorking Black Noise, C.O.B. Ordinary Bitter and Neepsend Demeter (6.0%). The enthusiastic landlord (who was familiar with Peterborough, Stamford and Oakham pubs) insisted that I sample a house speciality – battered chips! The pub also sells Belgian and German “strongies” plus pork pies, pasties, sausage rolls, cheeses and the like.

You had to feel sorry for the licensees in the Dewdrop.

They only took the pub on about six weeks before the first lockdown and had just begun to build up trade when – well, you know the rest. However, on my visit in August, ales from Oakham (including Green Devil, which has been on every time I have been in), Horbury, Dancing Duck, Acorn and Blue Monkey were on offer in a house where the Erewash Valley Branch of CAMRA was formed in 1996.

In Redcar, Cleveland, I was horrified by the lack of masks/ social distancing/sanitiser in the Plimsoll Line. The town, following the closure a few years ago of the steelworks, is, these days, as grim as a factory wall – if you’ll pardon 26

BEER AROUND ‘ERE

OCTOBER/NOVEMBER 2021

the analogy – but I discovered a beacon of light in Rita’s Pantry, a micropub in a former amusement arcade. Two ales on – Swoon from the Revolutions Brewing Co. and Durham Brewery Two Wise Monkeys. Amusement followed a few days later when a work colleague misheard my reminiscences and thought I’d been “in Rita’s panties” in Redcar…..

Spent a weekend in Hayfield, Derbyshire (birthplace of Arthur Lowe!), in August as restrictions were all-too-briefly lifted. Our hotel (the George) was a Marston’s establishment – so expectations were limited – but we were to discover the value of having a seriously good cellarman. Pedigree, Forty Niner, Hobgoblin Gold and even Banks’s Bitter were a tribute to him!

Also in the village was the Pack Horse, where pints of Taylor’s Boltmaker were sunk before we headed to the nearby Royal, where we dined on the second evening. Available ales here included Wincle Brewery’s Lord Lucan, an ale that’s “bound to disappear” apparently.

And disappear it did – from my list of “Ales To Drink Again”.

Whilst in the area, we called in at Redwillow Buxton, an outlet for the Redwillow Brewery of Macclesfield and situated in a former bank.

Our pints and halves of Breakfast Stout were mouthwateringly moreish.

Spent an evening in Thirsk recently and will probably visit again, bearing in mind the fact that almost every other building seems to be either a drinking or eating establishment. A highlight was my excellent pint of Brew York’s Jarsa at the Little 3 Real Ale Bar and Kitchen.

At the end of the first lockdown I ventured into one of my regular Manchester haunts, the Old Cross in Radcliffe.

Sadly the news about masks and sanitiser didn’t seem to have got through; I ordered a pint of Holt’s Bitter and fled into the garden – where evidence of occupation by a large dog with very loose bowels saw me make an even sharper exit…..

Visit our website for up-to-date news: www.peterborough.camra.org.uk

QUARTS AND THOUGHTS I should thank my employers, M & J International Freight Ltd of Corby, for allowing me to store several thousand copies of BAE 212 free of charge in their warehouse (it helps when the boss is a CAMRA Life Member). Incidentally, people occasionally express surprise that a lorry driver can edit a magazine – or that an editor can drive a lorry! Here’s the proof….

Tina and I had a lovely ten days or so in Suffolk in July, initially in Aldeburgh where some old haunts were enjoyed, including the town’s White Hart and Mill as well as the remote Eel’s Foot at Eastbridge. Moving up the coast, we stayed in Bungay, where we luxuriated in the Green Dragon’s own Mild and Bitter and where we dined royally at the Fleece (ales from Green Jack and St. Peter’s). We also spent an evening at the Racehorse in nearby Westhall, where we were entertained by a number of musical acts who were raising money for a worthy cause - Race For The Racehorse as the local community aims to buy the pub and save it from closure. Green Jack Trawlerboys was my tasty ale of choice on the night.

and was very pleasantly surprised to be offered two ales from Kings Cliffe Brewery, dispensed by gravity. A pint each of 5C and No. 10 set me up nicely for the rest of the day!

Was enjoying a pint of Rooster’s Yorkshire Pale Ale in Stamford’s King’s Head when I was introduced to Rupert Gibson, whose Drum and Monkey brewery is based at his house on the site of the former pub of that name on Stamford’s Casterton Road. Rupert’s products are available in the King’s Head and I enjoyed sampling It’s A Bromance and Ohhh My Gooseness, a 6.7% gooseberry sour ale.

Steve Alcock, entrepreneurial landlord of the King’s Head (who launched Stamford Beers Direct during the first lockdown) is offering 10% off ales on a Sunday evening if you take a board game into the pub. It is possible he has a monopoly on the scheme…….

Al

Whilst in Bungay, a chance conversation with an elderly resident led to us visiting a brewery (Stow Fen) tucked away on the town’s outskirts. The brewer, known locally as “Cabbage” (I didn’t like to ask) showed us around and the tour – like the ales that followed it – was a very pleasant diversion!

The first weekend in September saw me in Beer Festival mode at the Crown in Great Casterton. This is a pub with a burgeoning reputation for its ale – their Bass is exceptional – and twenty ales were available in a busy atmosphere. I chose not to drink anything too strong on the day, although I finished with a Thornbridge Jaipur to complement preceding pints from Digfield, King’s Cliffe, Round Corner, Dark Star, Rudgate and Titanic.

Sometimes it’s the unexpected ale that gives the most pleasure, and that proved to be the case as I strolled round the Diversity Festival on Stamford’s Recreation Ground on August Bank Holiday Monday. Feeling the need for refreshment, I approached the bar not sure what to expect,

Visit our website for up-to-date news: www.peterborough.camra.org.uk

OCTOBER/NOVEMBER 2021

BEER AROUND ‘ERE

27

POSH PINTS AND AWAY WE GO.....

It has been a predictably tough start to the season, in a higher division, for Darren Ferguson’s men, but – as we all know – the season is a marathon, not a sprint!

Saturday 16th October (League)

MIDDLESBROUGH KO 1500 DR. PHIL’S REAL ALE HOUSE

10 Pilkington Buildings, Linthorpe TS5 6DY Local CAMRA Branch multiple award winner, this micropub in the suburb of Linthorpe is tiny but offers three changing ales, usually featuring a porter or stout. Honesty box snacks available on Saturday lunchtimes.

INFANT HERCULES

84 Grange Road TS1 2LS Another micro in the town’s original solicitors’ quarter, offering four changing ales. Third-pint tasting bats available. No food though.

ISAAC WILSON, 61 Wilson Street TS1 1SF

Close to the railway station, this former Wetherspoon outlet is under private ownership but still offers lunchtime grub alongside two regular ales and three local guests.

RITA’S PANTRY

1 Esplanade, Redcar TS10 3AA Recommended by the BAE Editor! About three miles from the Riverside sits another micro, this time in a former amusement arcade. Three draught ales and bottled Belgian beers are to hand as a warm welcome is extended to CAMRA members. The landlord of this recent local CAMRA award winner is a keen Boro (of the Middles variety) supporter.

Wednesday 20th October (League)

HULL CITY KO 1745 HOP AND VINE, 24 Albion Street HU1 3TG

Atmospheric basement bar free house stocking three changing guest ales, served in oversized lined glasses.

Lunchtime nosh, including home-baked bread, is available and the pub is a former CAMRA National Cider Pub of the Year.

28

BEER AROUND ‘ERE

OCTOBER/NOVEMBER 2021

MINERVA HOTEL

Nelson Street HU1 1XE This famous inn, overlooking the Humber estuary and Victoria Pier, was built in 1829 and features photos and memorabilia celebrating Hull’s maritime past. Five changing ales and lunchtime food available.

WHALEBONE, 165 Wincolmlee HU2 0PA

A rare gem sited in the old Greenland whaling trading area, and a quiet room in the pub showcases whaling industry artefacts. Licensed since 1791, the current pub dates from 1890 and has been a free house since 2002. No food offered, but the pub was local CAMRA City Pub of the Year in 2019.

WHITE HART

109 Alfred Gelder Street HU1 1EP Identified by CAMRA as having a nationally important historic interior, the Hart is the tap for Crafty Little Brewery but also showcases more progressive local breweries.

Runner-up local CAMRA Pub of the Year 2019. Again, no food available.

Saturday 30th October (League)

SWANSEA CITY KO 1500 BRUNSWICK ARMS

3 Duke Street SA1 4HS Side-street boozer with a relaxing atmosphere and up to six ales - one of which is dispensed by gravity - usually available. Food served daily.

NO SIGN BAR

56 Wind Street SA1 1EG Historic narrow bar dating from 1690 and reputedly a haunt of Dylan Thomas! Quality food and up to five real ciders.

QUEEN’S HOTEL

Gloucester Place SA1 1TY Vibrant free house near the marina and a rare outlet for Theakston Old Peculier. Local CAMRA Pub of the Year, the home-cooked lunches are very popular.

Visit our website for up-to-date news: www.peterborough.camra.org.uk

Saturday 20th November (League)

STOKE CITY KO 1500 HOLY INADEQUATE

67 Etruria Old Road ST1 5PE Recommended by the BAE Editor! This popular house has a covered beer garden and offers three regular (one from Joules) and five changing ales plus an in-house brewery. A four-time winner of the local CAMRA Pub of the Year award. Scotch eggs and pork pies available all day.

COACHMAKERS ARMS

DRUMMERS ARMS

65 King William Street BB1 7DT Single-roomed bar adorned with breweriana and offering classic tunes from an eclectic jukebox. Three B’s Stoker’s Slake is backed up by four changing ales. Again, no food offered.

HARE AND HOUNDS

78 Lammack Road BB1 8LA Adjacent to Old Blackburnians FC, should you decide against the walk to Ewood Park, this estate pub offers four changing ales, usually from local breweries like Moorhouse’s. No food!

65 Lichfield Street ST1 3EA A hidden Victorian gem offering Draught Bass plus three guests and featuring a drinking corridor and small snug plus a real fire. Opposite Hanley bus station. No grub, sadly.

Al

VICTORIA LOUNGE

5 Adventure Place ST1 3AF Family-run for 36 years, this pub has a well-established reputation for quality. Again, Bass is the long-standing house ale and is complemented by four changing guests.

Lunchtime scoff available.

CONGRESS INN

14 Sutherland Road ST3 1HJ A convivial, multi award-winning, two-roomed pub in Longton, where “it’s hard for the real ale fan to go wrong”. Adnams Broadside, Castle Rock Sheriff’s Tipple, Townhouse Styrian Pale and six changing ales. But no food.

LONDON ROAD ALE HOUSE

241 London Road ST4 5AA Quirky, one-roomed boozer (you enter via a telephone box door) offering six changing ales plus a range of ciders, bottles and cans. Again, though, no grub.

Is your local pub under threat?

CAMRA has the tools to help you save it

Wednesday 24th November (League)

BLACKBURN ROVERS KO 1945 BLACK BULL

Brokenstone Road BB3 0LL A pub for those who appreciate fine beer and friendly conversation, this independent award-winning family-run inn has a brewery attached. Eight handpumps, one of which dispenses the exclusive Black Bull Bitter. No food offered though.

Visit our website for up-to-date news: www.peterborough.camra.org.uk

camra.org.uk/saveyourlocal

OCTOBER/NOVEMBER 2021

BEER AROUND ‘ERE

29

Diary Dates

CAMRA meetings, socials and beer festivals

OCTOBER

DECEMBER

Monday 4th at 2030 BRANCH MONTHLY MEETING at the Ostrich, 17 North Street, Peterborough PE1 2RA All welcome but please bring your membership card!

Monday 6th at 1930 BRANCH AGM Yard of Ale, Oundle Road, Peterborough PE2 9PA Please attend if you can but bring your membership card!

Wednesday 6th – Saturday 9th BEDFORD BEER FESTIVAL Corn Exchange, 13 St. Paul’s Street MK40 1SL Saturday 9th DEEPINGS AND BOURNE CAMPAIGNING CRAWL Delaine buses, see website for details, all welcome.

FORTHCOMING BAE DEADLINES: BAE 214, covering December and January: deadline 5th November, out on 1st December.

BAE 215, covering February and March: deadline 7th January, out on 31st January.

Wednesday 13th – Saturday 16th NOTTINGHAM BEER FESTIVAL Trent Bridge, West Bridgford NG2 6AG Friday 15th – Sunday 17th CHARITY BEER FESTIVAL, IRON HORSE, MARKET DEEPING Raising funds for Sue Ryder Thorpe Hall Hospice.

Real ales and ciders, live music!

Thursday 14th – Sunday 17th CHARTERS OKTOBERFEST Town Bridge PE1 1FP Enjoy a wide selection of German draught and bottled beers.

Saturday 23rd – Monday 25th NORWICH BEER FESTIVAL St. Andrew’s and Blackfriars Hall NR3 1AU

NOVEMBER Monday 2nd at 2030 BRANCH MONTHLY MEETING at the Palmerston Arms, 82 Oundle Road PE2 9PA All welcome but please bring your membership card!

Thursday 4th – Saturday 6th ST. WULFRAM’S BEER FESTIVAL Church Street, Grantham NG31 6RR 70 ales, ciders and perries, gins, meads, food and music.

30

BEER AROUND ‘ERE

OCTOBER/NOVEMBER 2021

Visit our website for up-to-date news: www.peterborough.camra.org.uk

Branch Contacts Branch Committee

Campaigns Officer: Andy Simmonds 07949 181737

Secretary: Dickie Bird 74 Ellwood Avenue, Peterborough PE2 8LY 07731993896 info@ peterborough.camra.org.uk

Press Officer: Raeanne Elliott press-officer@ peterborough.camra.org.uk

Chairman: Matt Mace 07809 629241 chairman@ peterborough.camra.org.uk

Cider Officer: Andy Stone 07816 893997 cider@ peterborough.camra.org.uk

Treasurer: Paul Beecham 01733 311981 07710 008693 treasurer@ peterborough.camra.org.uk

Young Members: Ryan Murray young-members@ peterborough.camra.org.uk

Vice Chair: Vacant BAE Editor: Alun Thomas 07870 847536 bae-editor@ peterborough.camra.org.uk Social Sec: James Sheppard

07852 772394

social-sec@ peterborough.camra.org.uk Pubs Officer: Bill Taylor 07903 078340 pubs-officer@ peterborough.camra.org.uk

Membership: Karen Quinn membership@ peterborough.camra.org.uk Festival Org: Mike Lane 07850 334203 festival-organiser@ peterborough.camra.org.uk LocAle Officer: Mark Wroe 07595 549388 locale@ peterborough.camra.org.uk Webmaster: Dickie Bird 07731993896 webmaster@ peterborough.camra.org.uk

Minuting Secretary: Jonathan House 07305 764604 /01733 260005 jonathan.house0807 @gmail.com

Brewery Liaison Officers Bexar County Brewery: Dave Botton 01733 345475

Blue Bell: Situation Vacant bluebell-blo@ peterborough.camra.org.uk Castor Ales: Mike Lane 07850 334203 Digfield: Dave Waller 07768 085441 Elgood’s: James Sheppard

07852 772394

Hopshackle: Jonathan House 07305 764604 Kings Cliffe Brewery: Don Rudd 07806 731765 Melbourn: Don Rudd 07806 731765

Mile Tree Brewery: Steve Williams 07756 066503 Nene Valley: Bill Taylor 07903 078340 Oakham Ales: Dave Allett 07966 344417 Rocket Ales: Don Rudd 07806 731765 Sneaky Peacock: Don Rudd 07806 731765 Tydd Steam: Dickie Bird

07731 993896

Xtreme Ales: Mark Wroe

07595 549388

xtreme-blo@ peterborough.camra.org.uk Visit our website at: www.peterborough. camra.org.uk Advertising: Paper Red Media Neil: 01536 358670 n.richards@btinternet.com

Trading Standards Contact Citizens’ Advice on 03454 040506 www.citizensadvice.org.uk

Pub Merit Awards & Gold Awards Does your pub have excellent beer, friendly staff, a great atmosphere, community spirit, or have they introduced additional hand pumps? If so, nominate them for an award. Gold Awards are for pubs that make exceptional efforts to improve. The Merit Awards is for pubs that continue to maintain high standards. If you know of a deserving pub within the branch area, please complete the form below indicating Gold or Merit and post to the secretary or email nominations to info@real-ale.org.uk

Pub name: Pub address/town/village: Reason for award: Your name: Your phone number or e-mail address: Your membership number:

Visit our website for up-to-date news: www.peterborough.camra.org.uk

OCTOBER/NOVEMBER 2021

BEER AROUND ‘ERE

31

The Farmers

SO MUCH MORE AT THE FARMERS

SUCCULENT ROAST MEATS ALL DAY GRILL MENU DELICIOUS DESSERTS VEGGIE OPTIONS SPECIALS BOARDS

SATURDAY BIG BREAKFAST

From 8am - 11am. Start your Saturday with a full English from the carvery. Help yourself!

Only £6.95

FOUR CHANGING REAL ALES PREMIUM LAGERS GREAT WINES COFFEE

TEA

WE ARE NOW TAKING BOOKINGS FOR CHRISTMAS AND NEW YEARS Two fantastic function areas for hire. The Green Room is a covered area that brings the outside in. The Broadway Suite upstairs will hold a maximum of 75 seated and up to 120 party style depending on layout. Perfect for business meetings, conferences, funeral wakes, weddings, civil ceremonies, parties and all of lifes occasions.

Large outdoor space for wiling away the last few days of summer

200 BROADWAY, YAXLEY WWW.THEFARMERSYAXLEY.COM TEL: 01733 244 885 THEFARMERS@BTCONNECT.COM 32

BEER AROUND ‘ERE

OCTOBER/NOVEMBER 2021

Visit our website for up-to-date news: www.peterborough.camra.org.uk