The Magazine of the Halifax & Calderdale CAMRA Branch
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WWW.HXCALDERDALECAMRA.ORG.UK Campaigning For Real Ale, Pubs & Drinkers' Rights Since 1971 IN THIS ISSUE... • MICRO PUBS - A MINI REVOLUTION? • CALAN’S MICRO PUB • A GRAND DAY OUT IN NEWARK • ELLAND BREWERY VISIT • 40TH ANNIVERSARY CELEBRATIONS • Plus much more...
1975 to 2015
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Halifax & Calderdale Branch of the Campaign for Real Ale
2 | Issue 35
www.hxcalderdalecamra.org.uk
Halifax & Calderdale Branch of the Campaign for Real Ale
BRANCH OFFICERS: • • • • •
Chair: Edward Lee Treasurer: Alan Fearnley Social Secretary: Roger Bentley Membership: Richard Lee Pubs Officer & Webmaster: Vacant
• Main Branch Contact & Secretary: Edward Lee 01274 672165 / 07946 871124 e: Secretary@hxcalderdalecamra.org.uk • Caldercask Editor: Nigel Robertshaw e: caldercask@hxcalderdalecamra.org.uk POSTAL ADDRESS:
Halifax & Calderdale CAMRA, 11 Stainton Close, BD6 3TU
WEB: www.hxcalderdalecamra.org.uk DISCLAIMER - Views expressed in this publication are those of their individual authors and are not necessarily endorsed by the Editor, branch committee or the Campaign for Real Ale nationally. Halifax & Calderdale CAMRA accepts no liability in relation to the accuracy of advertisements; readers must rely on their own enquiries. It should also be noted that acceptance of an advertisement in this publication should not be deemed an endorsement of quality by Halifax & Calderdale CAMRA. The Editor reserves the right to amend or shorten contributions for publication. All editorial copyright © Halifax & Calderdale CAMRA 2015.
TRADING STANDARDS - Short measures, misleading advertising and other consumer complaints? Trading Standards (West Yorkshire Joint Services) PO Box 5, Nepshaw Lane South, Morley, LS27 0QP t: 08454 040506 www.wyjs.org.uk CAMPAIGN FOR REAL ALE (CAMRA)
230 Hatfield Road, St. Albans, Herts, AL1 4LW t: 01727 867 201 e: camra@camra.org.uk www.camra.org.uk
ESSENTIAL BRANCH INFORMATION BRANCH DIARY
Our forthcoming meetings
All Branch & Committee Meetings start at 8pm. Social event times vary. Please check website for more info. AUGUST 2015 1st Social
Blue Pig Beer Festival - (aka Midgehole Working Men’s Club), Midgehole Road, HebdenBridge.
6th Branch
Catholic Club, Halifax
12th Social
Red Rooster - 123 Elland Road, Brookfoot, Brighouse.
SEPTEMBER 2015 3rd Branch
The Works Sowerby Bridge.
OCTOBER 2015 1st Branch
Fox & Goose Hebden Bridge.
ADVERTISING: Reach 4000+ Readers
Advertising costs as little as £36 for 3 months! CalderCask distributes to all branch area pubs in the Halifax & Calderdale area, it’s never been easier to reach over 4000 people with your advertising. FULL PAGE £100.00 +vat Book 4 e ditions & HALF PAGE: £65.00 +vat receive 1 0% disco QUARTER PAGE: £45.00 +vat unt. Free desi gn. If you wish to advertise in future editions call Capital Media on 01636 302 302
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ARTICLES FOR CalderCask?
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Local beer related articles are always welcome!
DEADLINE FOR SUBMISSIONS to the next edition of CalderCask is 9th October 2015 Please note that for legal reasons that a full name and postal address must now be submitted with any contributions.
Please Recycle your copy of CalderCask! -
Why not pass to a friend, take it to work or leave it for others to read and enjoy. Issue 35 | 3
Halifax & Calderdale Branch of the Campaign for Real Ale
BAR THOUGHTS... At Last Some Good News
A
s we approach the mid-summer point of the year, a quick look back at the past 8 months shows that the pub, bar and brewery scene is romping ahead at some pace either locally, regionally or may I even suggest nationally. Locally - it is nice to report that for a change that the gloom of pub closures is showing signs of slowing and new pubs and bars are actually opening or re-opening after a period of uncertainty, this coupled with a new micro-brewery opening plus two of Calderdale’s Microbreweries celebrating significant anniversaries (10 years each) with another of Calderdale’s micros Elland, winning the coveted Supreme Champion Winter Beer of Britain competition organised by CAMRA (campaign for real ale) for their outstanding 1872 porter, the local Calderdale beer scene is now looking much brighter. Regionally - Yorkshire as a whole has 145 breweries with that figure growing every year so by the time the Good Beer Guide is released later this year (September),
don’t be surprised if that figure hasn’t increased yet again. City centre venues are once again attracting in the drinker to experience the new wave of brew pubs and trendy bars offering an expansive range of cask, craft keg, ciders and perries with a wide choice, styles and tastes to suit all palates. Many of these new wave venues have invested heavily into their new enterprises, clearly demonstrating the positive outlook and growth in this sector of the drinks industry.
We sell Specialist Bo le Beers from Yorkshire & Beyond, Specialist Arsan Spirits, Loose Leaf Teas, Coffee & Speciality Mixers & Tonics Opening Times: Wednesday to Saturday 10am - 6pm & Sunday 10am - 4pm 15 Market Street • Hebden Bridge • HX7 6EU 4 | Issue 35
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Halifax & Calderdale Branch of the Campaign for Real Ale
Nationally - it cannot be understated (if your political party got into power or not), that the three reductions in beer duty in successive budgets even if it’s only a penny off per pint is now having an impact down at the local level (the pub), with more confidence in the industry as a whole. With the drinks industry’s employment up, the chancellors tax revenue is increasing with more beer sold and significant investment into new breweries, pubs, bars or major refurbishments being undertaken. All sounds a rosy picture doesn’t it, but valued community locals are still being lost, although better protection is now being offered under strengthened planning legislation regarding ACV (Assets of Community Value). The message of course is don’t wait for a threat to come, get your favourite pub listed now! There is now better protection for hard working tied licensees of large pub companies with changes being brought in to the sector, like market rent only options, so licensees if they choose can purchase their beer on the open market. With all these positives is it now time to crack open that cherished Bottle Conditioned Ale and toast the Campaign for real ale successes? After all there have been some victories and through many years of dogged persistence campaigns have finally come to fruition. CAMRA’s working with the government has mainly paid off and results show that sometimes the way to alter things is to work from
within and not always from outside. So it will be interesting to see now that only one party is in government just how many election and manifesto pledges actually come to conclusion to benefit the consumer, licensee and the community. Five years is a lot of time, so to quote a wellknown phrase `Victories won but the war is still not over’ so toast those recent wins... for tomorrow we start again!
Don't forget our upcoming Beer & Cider Festival in November, details below >>>
OUR MAGAZINE COVER... 'Micropubs'
The magazine shows an image of `tree’ with reference to the rapid increase in the phenomenon which is the Micro-Pub. This introduction into the pub world offers would be owners a low start-up cost entry into the drinks sector, with a choice of location, competitive rent, Free of Tie on a fantastic range of cask ales from micro-breweries, yes the micro pub is a simple yet highly effective concept. One that appears to offer a viable alternative to the traditional route most people would feel obliged to take. Find a suitable empty shop premises in a good location, anything from a grocers shop to a newsagent, and convert it into a micro-pub following a simple philosophy of cask ales, seating, simple snacks and a loo and as they say in Yorkshire `just about now’t else’. No juke box, Bells and Whistles machines, no Alco pops or TV. Just good old fashioned conversation and possibly given the close proximity of one’s fellow punters an option you could become quite competent at (small talk) and on a broader range of topics than you thought possible. So with new micro-pubs opening up all over the place, you could be popping in for a pint and a chat sooner than you think! www.hxcalderdalecamra.org.uk
Issue 35 | 5
Halifax & Calderdale Branch of the Campaign for Real Ale
6 | Issue 35
www.hxcalderdalecamra.org.uk
Halifax & Calderdale Branch of the Campaign for Real Ale
40th ANNIVERSARY CELEBRATIONS The Halifax & Calderdale Branch 40th Anniversary Celebrations - The Results!
T
he Halifax and Calderdale CAMRA branch celebrated 40 glorious years of existence in style with quite a few drinks and buffet at the 3 Pigeons in Halifax on Saturday 30th May 2015. Here are a few photographs taken before the photographer got too inebriated to hold his camera steady! A very well attended event with current and past active members enjoying the atmosphere which is the 3 Pigeons. The branch took the opportunity of our anniversary party to present to
the 3 Pigeons’ landlady Tina Winterbottom the Branch’s `Pub of The Year’ certificate and high profile Banner, which is displayed proudly on the railings at the front of the pub at Sun Fold, Halifax. The photos also show the many regulars and visitors that were enjoying the 4 day beer festival that was being held over the weekend to commemorate the 10th anniversary of the 3 Pigeons in Ossett brewery’s ownership.
Landlady Tina Winterbottom receiving the commemorative `Pub of the Year’ certificate from Chairman Nigel Robertshaw. Beer and Pies – What more could you want!
The banner on the railings outside the pub A packed busy Saturday afternoon
Go on drop tha t Pie, I’m getting hung ry while waiting
Anybody know how this works?
eone, we Eat this food som bar. can’t get to the
www.hxcalderdalecamra.org.uk
Standing room only
Local CAMRA me mbers eating and drinki ng
Issue 35 | 7
Halifax & Calderdale Branch of the Campaign for Real Ale
MICRO PUBS... A Mini Revolution?
A
ccording the Micropub Association since the first ever micropub opened in Herne bay in Kent in 2005, (the Butchers Arms) the phenomena of the micro pub goes from strength to strength with number opened and trading already past 100. So what’s so attractive about the micro pub and why are so many now springing up with them making appearances in towns and cities across the land? Maybe the definition of the micro pub could have something to do with its success although the definition of a micropub is challenging. It is a set of ethics rather than a set of rules. A ‘micropub’, according to the Micropub Association, is defined as follows: ‘A micropub is a small free-house which listens to its customers, mainly serves cask ales, promotes conversation, shuns all forms of electronic entertainment and dabbles in traditional pub snacks’ For instance setting up your own micropub is a low cost entry into the market with so many traditional pub closures there is lots of pub and bar equipment available to buy at cut prices. Flexible locations, with the number of vacant retail units on the high street ensure a wide variety of potential sites. Landlords of closed retail units will be desperate to get their premises trading again so could be amenable to highly competitive rental deals. Products available with a massive range of micro-brewed cask ales plus traditional ciders and perries the only trouble could be fitting them all on the bar. Perhaps the micropub offers something that was lost or has been lost from the traditional boozer – the art of good conversation to converse with ones fellow drinker, one’s partner or work colleague, not having to shout to hear yourself heard or distracted by the TV blasting out the latest football score or some low budget reality show, perhaps having a game of cards or reading the newspaper or book whilst enjoying a quality pint or two of cask ale. This style of `micro’ licensed premises started slowly and in order to support the growth of the micropub movement, the Micropub Association was created in June 2012 by Stu Hirst and Martyn Hillier. The Micropub Association has been a key driver behind the movement, bringing these micropub enthusiasts together across the country to exchange information regarding all matters pertaining to the setting up and running of a Micropub. The micropub movement reached an historic milestone with the opening of the 100th micropub in 8 | Issue 35
the UK. This opened in December 2014 in Dover, Kent, which represents the latest in a long line of successful micropubs, which are changing the face of the High Street and reshaping pub culture. The original micropub, The Butchers Arms in Herne, Kent, was opened in 2005 by Martyn Hillier after spending several years as an off-licence. In 2009, Martyn gave a presentation to the AGM of Campaign for Real Ale (CAMRA), in Eastbourne, showing the simplicity of the ‘micropub’ model and encouraging other people to follow his lead; since then the movement has gone from strength to strength. 100+ micropubs are now listed in the Directory on the Micropub Association website with micropubs springing up all over the UK and they are changing the face of the high street as vacant shops are ideal spaces in which to base a micropub.
So would you open your own micro pub?
The hours do not have to be long, with many micropubs opening from noon till about 9pm weekdays and till 10pm weekends, so a reasonable income can be made and set up and running costs are low compared with a conventional type of public house. The usual set up for a micropub is: small size thus means low costs and maximum use of space; no music results in a friendly atmosphere with conversation prevailing and no costs for music licences; no food means less work and no additional costs plus less space needed; no keg products means no complicated equipment is needed, so saves bar space; so perhaps local ciders and perries could use this saved space better. Cask beers from micro-breweries should mean a vast range of tasty interesting ales available. No intrusive gaming machines with their associated flashing lights, bleep and bells noise: thus less space needed and I would suppose probably more reasonable prices, as an added attraction for customers, which should be able to maintain because of the low overheads. Location is important with plenty of footfall or nearby local attractions to draw in the crowds www.hxcalderdalecamra.org.uk
Halifax & Calderdale Branch of the Campaign for Real Ale
and good frequent local public transport that is easy to access, to bring in custom. So for what could be a relatively small outlay perhaps you could set up your own micropub? Lease/rent a small shop, an air conditioning unit/cellar cooler, lavatory, sink and a few tables and chairs. Compare this to leasing a conventional public house and the money needed to achieve it, soon sounds like a small lottery win! It not often that the licensing act as it stands does much to help those wishing to get into the drinks industry yet the birth of the micropub is, in a great part, thanks to the 2003 licensing act which permits the change of use from a shop to a public house. As more of our traditional public houses close thus resulting in communities and villages being deprived of their public houses I would suggest that there is room for the micropub, which with a small capital outlay coupled with the low running costs could be opened by someone with the right personality and dedication. The Micropub Association’s website slogan sums up the micropub revolution perfectly, it says... `open a micropub in your town before somebody else does’! For more information visit - www.micropub association.co.uk. Acknowledgements to the micropub
REAL ALE & GREAT PUB FOOD Always the warmest welcome
6 REAL ALES & 3 REAL CIDERS
- Rotating selection of Guest Ales & 3 Farmhouse Ciders on handpumps plus a wide selection of bottled ciders BAR OPEN EVERYDAY: 12 noon to 11pm FOOD SERVED ALL DAY, EVERY DAY Mon - Sat: 12 noon to 9pm, Sun: 12 noon to 8:30pm King Street, Hebden Bridge, Halifax HX7 6LU
association web site for extracts used in this article.
Tel. 01422 844 107
By APJ
www.stubbingwharf.com Find us on Facebook & Twitter
NATURALLY BETTER BEER
Little Valley Brewery Turkey Lodge Farm, New Road, Cragg Vale, Hebden Bridge, West Yorkshire HX7 5TT Tel: 01422 883 888 Fax: 01422 883 222
www.littlevalleybrewery.co.uk @LittleValleyAle www.facebook.com/littlevalleybrewery www.hxcalderdalecamra.org.uk
Issue 35 | 9
THE REAL CIDER COMPANY Halifax & Calderdale Branch of the Campaign for Real Ale
Proudly supplying Cider & Perry to pubs, bars and festivals all over Calderdale
The Real Cider Co is based in Cragg Vale, Hebden Bridge. We specialise in the wholesale of ciders and perries to food and drink festivals, pubs, wine bars, restaurants and retailers. If you love cider and perry we have a massive range to choose from so make sure you tell your local Pub or Bar Manager to give us a call.
We don't just supply Cider & Perry we offer a host of other 'Appley' services too: - Cider & Perry Tasting Sessions (great for Hen & Stag do's)) - Cider & Perry Staff Training through our 'Wise on Cider' r' scheme - A host your own Cider der
Festival Package - A Cider Cocktail Ser Service rvice (Very cool - think Tom Cruise Cruiise in a flat cap)
- Festival Guidance
& Advice
@Realciderco
10 | Issue 35
realciderco
Shhh!
Don't tell we've also anyone but s draught ci tarted doing d too. More er in kegs news follow. to
Loads going on so to p up with all our news keep and event events you'd best pay us a visit at w www.therealcider company.co.uk You can give us a tinkle on 01422 881315 o or email us at info@realciderco.co.uk info@
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Halifax & Calderdale Branch of the Campaign for Real Ale
‘REAL ALES’ IN A CAN? Produced in Halifax...Yes Halifax!
E
arlier this year I had arranged with Oates Brewery’s head brewer Anthony Barrett to go over to Halifax to assist with the brewing of a beer. I rang him the day before to confirm and he said that there had been a change of plan and that instead of brewing they were canning. My initial response was “Oh, that won’t interest me then”. Anthony then explained that a mobile canning unit was coming to can Oates APA and Caragold XB and that it was to be “real”. Not quite believing it – I was now very interested especially when he said that the canning was to be the first commercial run in the country. My standpoint was now “count me in”. It might sound like a simple thing to do but there were many hurdles to jump over and hoops to climb through by provider “WeCan Solutions” to reach this stage. After eighteen months planning and testing and following successful trials at Brains and Everards breweries, I was indeed about to witness the first commercial canning run for real ale in this country. Challenges such as scaling down and developing the canning unit to become mobile, making it flexible to operate in breweries of all shapes and sizes, keeping it sterile, seaming and capping the cans, labelling issues had all now been overcome. Indeed Andy Hughes, co-director of WeCan Solutions commented “the easiest part of this project was to buy the machinery - the hard part was to figure out a range of solutions to make the service easy for the brewers“. Thus on a bright sunny day I arrived to find Andy Hughes and Martin Forder from WeCan Solutions setting up their unit in the main area at Oates brewery as an expectant Anthony watched on, waiting
for the word to connect the line from his beer. After a short period of setting up and correcting a few glitches the beer was flowing immediately, disappearing into the top of the machine, filling the cans through a set of nozzles and then being sealing by the special caps. Amazing!! The manner in which beer is put into the can is critical to ensure that additional oxygen is kept to a minimum. The previous tests carried out at Brains and Everards had shown excellent results in terms of fill level consistency, sanitization, carbonation and Dissolved Oxygen levels. As this was the first run WeCan provided the cans with adhesive labels but will in future have them printed on directly. So what is the point of canning quality beer and real ale in particular? It enables microbrewers to enlarge their product distribution, whilst allowing discerning drinkers who are not able to go to the pub for a multitude of reasons to drink real ale. Environmentally, only the unit is travelling not the beer thus reducing beer miles following brewing. Recycling is also more efficient when compared to bottled beer. On the first runs around 400 cans of APA and 800 of Caragold XB were filled. The APA is a 6.11% ABV real ale in a can to the style of an American pale ale, made with five of the finest malts and three fruity hop varieties. The Caragold XB is at 4.5% ABV a slightly stronger hoppier version of the best selling brand made with fine English malts, Target and Bramling Cross hops and is packed full of flavour. It should be remembered that as these beers are can-conditioned they will need time to settle and need to be poured carefully to leave the sediment in the can. The cans are available via the brewery website: www. oatesbrewing.co.uk and the intention is also to have them available in specialist independent beer shops, farm shops and delicatessens. No doubt there will quite some discussion as to whether these beers are “Real Ale”. By BFH (The bloke from Hull)
www.hxcalderdalecamra.org.uk
Issue 35 | 11
Halifax & Calderdale Branch of the Campaign for Real Ale
CALAN’S MICRO PUB Calderdale’s First Micro Pub
C
ALAN’S - Calderdale first Micro pub opened its doors officially on 25th April although it was open and trading a couple of days earlier. Calan’s is a new breed of drinking establishment, quite some distance of the traditional back street boozer that most of us are familiar with. Calan’s contains all that you would require in a pub but in a condensed space with internal dimensions of 20 feet x 20 feet yet it contains a traditional bar, various seating and a toilet and really not much else. Squeezed into this space is also the `cellar’ where beers are racked and stored ready for service with most of casks in the beer cabinet are on the floor (only 4 on auto tilt on the gantry). The type of extraction for those on the floor is the use of Cask widge. This is a flexible hose with a floating head that has filter attached and is inserted in to the top of the upright cask after it’s been tapped and vented. The use of this method of drawing beer is according to Alan Binns, the licensee, is that it allows much more beer to be drawn off for serving with minimal ullage (beer left in the cask). What Calan’s lacks in space it certainly makes up for in the friendliness and warm welcome of the owners, (Calan’s is co-owned by Alan’s partner Alyson) this combined with the range of cask beers available (up to five available) with the beers coming from local and regional microbreweries, not just from Yorkshire and Alan trys to have included in his weekly range of casks at least one Calderdale based micro beer. This range is complimented with two real ciders, dispensed straight from the box plus a range of soft drinks, wines and a small selection of traditional bar snacks, crisps, nuts etc. and may at look at doing pies in the future if there is space. I asked Alan about his journey into the micro pub scene and why Hebden Bridge? He explained that he had been down in Folkestone on the Kent coast in January 2014. Visited a micro pub there and was impressed by what he saw, the set up and Owners of CALANS -Alan & Alyson
12 | Issue 35
the idea of the micro-pub; his excursions took him further up the coastline and brought him into Margate and 2 more micro pubs visited, this convinced Alan that running a micro pub is something that he could do, he joined the Micro Pub Association and then set about designing his venture into the micro pub world. Alan enrolled on to a Business studies course and using his Micro pub idea tailored the study course around a micro pub venture. This allowed Alan to thoroughly test out the potential of setting up and running his future business and with some professional assistance was able to design and build up a fully costed out business plan. Alan had to then decide if he was going ahead with his plan for setting up his `pub’ but where? He looked at various towns and cities throughout Yorkshire but was already quite familiar with Calderdale so concentrated his efforts in and around this area. Hebden Bridge soon became his first choice, he did look at other sites and places within Calderdale but none compared with Hebden Bridge. Once the right premises was found, in this case just off Bridge Gate in Hebden Bridge centre an approach to the building’s owner with his idea of the business, they discussed his fully worked out plan and then to Calderdale Council for planning permission. Alan admits that there were `some planning concerns’ but with some reassurance as to the type of business he was intending to run, permission was granted. So with the go ahead from Calderdale Council and with finance in place Alan employed contractors to make the necessary internal changes and when you visit you’ll see that they have done an amazing job to maximise the space available thus allowing up to two dozen customers inside comfortably with some standing and some limited outside alfresco drinking. I asked Alan about any pros and cons to running a micro pub, he replied that it has been non-stop since opening in April and has already got a regular customer base, which means that his targets on cask ale sales has www.hxcalderdalecamra.org.uk
Halifax & Calderdale Branch of the Campaign for Real Ale
been surpassed which was clearly evident with a pile of casks awaiting to go on stillage in the bar on the evening I visited. The word of mouth has got around and even the quiet evenings have been busy, he continued and I’m hoping this will continue all summer long , as for any cons Alan replied that running a micro pub is not your regular 9-5 job with early starts and late nights including the weekend but ultimately rewarding. Would he recommend any one setting up their own micro pub? Yes definitely, but do your homework first and get a professionally designed business plan. I finally asked about the name `CALAN’S’ and how the name came about, Alan explained that it’s named in honour of one of Alyson’s young granddaughters who passed away after battling illness for most of her life and was unable to say `Uncle Alan’ and so said instead `C-alan’. This name was decided for the new micro pub as tribute to her brave but short life and both Alyson and Alan are supporters of the `Forget me not’ Children’s Hospice and in this little amazing pub there is a book shelf with possibly 100 books of all descriptions from general romance novels through to action and adventure or comedy books all of which can be bought for a minimum 50p donation going to the children’s hospice. So if you find yourself in Hebden Bridge for the day, evening or night, I would call into this fantastic little `pub’ and enjoy a good ale (or two) in the good company of Alan & Alyson.
CALAN’S opening hours are; Monday, Tuesday closed all day (except bank holidays) from 12 noon till 9pm Wednesday & Thursday. With Friday & Saturday, noon till 10pm and Sunday noon till 8pm. 3 The Courtyard, Bridge Gate, Hebden Bridge, West Yorkshire, HX7 8EX. By Allan Whitehead
Who Sung That Record from 1975...the answers
In the previous edition of Caldercask I teased you, the reader with songs from the year of 1975. But who sung them, well here are the answers perhaps some you knew maybe some you didn’t but checking out the answers didn’t half make me feel old!
The Answers: Bye Bye Baby, Bay City Rollers. Sailing,
Rod Stewart. Whispering grass, Don Estelle & Windsor Davies. Stand by your man, Tammy Wynette. Give a little love, Bay City Rollers. Hold me close, David Essex. The last farewell, Roger Whittaker. I only have eyes for you, Art Garfunkel. Tears on my pillow, Johnny Nash. I’m not in love, 10cc. Barbados, Typically Tropical. If, Telly Savalas. January, Pilot. A space oddity, David Bowie. And finally if you didn’t get this one well what can I say - Bohemian Rhapsody, Queen.
CA L A N ’S
Calderdale's first Micropub
UP TO 5 REAL ALES ALL SOURCED FROM MICROBREWERIES CRAFT CIDERS & WINE No music or TV. No keg lager, spirits or shots. Just a pleasant place to relax and meet friends... old and new. OPENING HOURS Mon/Tues closed except Bank Holidays Wed/Thurs 12 to 9pm • Fri/Sat 12 to 10pm • Sun 12 to 8pm
Email: calansmicropub@yahoo.com
www.calansmicropub.com 3 The Courtyard | Bridge Gate | Hebden Bridge | HX7 8EX www.hxcalderdalecamra.org.uk
Issue 35 | 13
Halifax & Calderdale Branch of the Campaign for Real Ale
A GRAND DAY OUT IN NEWARK-ON-TRENT An Ale Trail and a Beer Festival!
N
ewark! you may say, that’s not Yorkshire and you’d be right but when thinking of a day trip out to celebrate ones better half’s birthday and avoid all the usual places that we have been to before and will re-visit again it had to be something different. Newark is an ideal place to visit and it hits all the pointers as far as I/we were concerned. Good pubs, a nice few shops, a bustling open market, good public transport links and historical interests like the castle and National Civil War Museum, What more could we want? - Oh and it just so happened on the weekend we decided to visit to be holding its annual Newark CAMRA Beer Festival with 150 ales to try - well I could not be pleased better, although my better half did not see it that way! Needless to say we didn’t get to the festival but from what I heard since, it was an outstanding success. Getting onto the pub scene, Newark has it all with many of the hostelries we visited serving an excellent choice of ales, in the seven hours we had to explore we tried to get in to a good few places as well as the usual couple of hours plus, looking around the shops and market. Many of the pubs in Newark centre are featured in a handy leaflet produced by Capital and PINT (Pubs in Newark Together) about the Civil War and features two trails, one visiting and exploring historical sites and buildings that played an important part in the three deadly sieges during the English Civil war of 1642 -1646 - battles which have left their mark upon the town. And the second one, an ale trail featuring 10 pubs and bars to visit with many having historical links to the Civil war and of course
14 | Issue 35
excellent cask ales, craft keg beers, ciders and perries. Of the six visited on the day the particular highlights areThe Castle Barge - a pub on the water, moored near to Newark castle on the river Trent. A converted 80 year old grain barge now a pub serving a range of three cask ales with the Lincoln Green Marion 3.8% being my preferred tipple. I’ve drunk beer in many different places, but on a river barge - well it was a first for me. The Flying Circus (as in Monty Python) with its Monty themed memorabilia and classic Python quotes adoring the walls with photos and those caricature cartoons. This pub contains just about everything to do with Monty Python, serving a range of up to 10 cask ales, traditional ciders and perry plus an extensive range of bottled beers, as for the beer to try well it had to be Newark Brewery’s Norwegian Blue 4.0%. Just Beer Micro Pub - an award winning Micropub with no spirits, keg, alcopops, TV, pool or gaming machines just excellent cask ales from micro-breweries and good conversation plus a small selection of quality bottles, snacks and pies - What more could you want? As for my tipple it had to be the one from my home town of Hebden Bridge, Vocation Brewery’s Bread & Butter 3.8%. The Organ Grinder - a pub I knew well although I’ve not visited this one but the sister pub in Nottingham whilst I attended the Annual Members Weekend and National CAMRA AGM in April. Very similar in layout and style with the country pub feel and of course the delicious Blue Monkey beers available as for my choice it had to be Blue Monkey PG Sips 4%. The Prince Rupert - a very historic pub in the heart of Newark, recently restored with parts dating back to 1452, where the beamed, vaulted ceiling of the original Wealden House can be seen. A pub of several rooms, from open areas to little snugs. Six hand pulls dispense an ever changing range of cask ales with real cider www.hxcalderdalecamra.org.uk
Halifax & Calderdale Branch of the Campaign for Real Ale The Organ Grinder and the Flying Circus
also available. My choice of beer it had to be one of my all-time favourites, JHB from Oakham Ales 3.8%. The final stop of the day was The Ram - Bar & Brasserie, a recently refurbished pub (January 2015), with comfortable surroundings and a colonial feel to the interior with elegant lounges and in the winter time roaring fireplaces with views to the outside of the magnificent Newark Castle. Eight hand-pulls dispense a wide range of independent cask ales, with two beers tried in this, our last pub of the day both from the local brewery Newark with its brewery premises only a few yards from the Ram. Pale 3.8% and Summer Gold 4.5% were my choice and very good they were too. Time was against us with a quick bite to eat and a train to catch back to Leeds and then onto home turf. Yes Newark made for a different day trip out with less than one hours travel from Leeds mainline station on the Virgin East Coast service with advance ticket prices coming in just over a shade of £7 each, one way (with our two together rail card) this coupled with fine beer, fine pubs, fine weather and plenty to see and do I can forecast another trip out to Newark in the near future. As a resource of information the CAMRA Whatpub.com app can help you plan your visit or why not find out more by visiting www. visit-newark.co.uk
BEER FESTIVAL 20th - 22nd November
1ST CO-OPERATIVE PUB IN WEST YORKSHIRE & CAMRA WINTER PUB 2015 • Locally Brewed House Beer 6 Rotating Guest Ales & Ciders • Large range of Bottled Lagers & Ciders • Lined glasses to ensure a full pint • Quiz - Mondays 9:00pm • Regular Music Sessions • Sunny Beer Garden •
Open from Noon Daily
www.foxandgoose.org 7 Heptonstall Road, Hebden Bridge HX7 6AZ
By Allan Whitehead
A BIG THANK YOU...
From the Halifax & Calderdale CAMRA Branch The Halifax and Calderdale CAMRA branch would like to thank the following establishments for allowing us to hold our meetings – Stubbing Wharf, Hebden Bridge. Red Rooster, Brighouse. The Works, Blind Pig, Sowerby Bridge. Three Pigeons, Big 6, Halifax. Cross Keys, Siddal. Sportsman’s, Ploughcroft.
& From the Editor of CalderCask
The Editor is grateful to the following for their contributions to this edition of Caldercask. C. Dyson. L. Smith. AP.J. A. Whitehead. BFH. www.hxcalderdalecamra.org.uk
Issue 35 | 15
Halifax & Calderdale Branch of the Campaign for Real Ale
VOCATION BREWERY PHASE TWO FOR THE MASTERPLAN
O
ur in-house bottling machine is now at full rip, and bottles of ‘Heart & Soul’ and ‘Pride & Joy’ are starting to hit the shelves across the North. As planned, we’re keeping all the bottling in-house and utilising small bottling runs to make the beer as fresh as possible. To get us off the ground, we’ll be bottling manually and in limited batch sizes. This is going to be very labour intensive, but we’re determined to manage the process ourselves from end to end, to make sure we get the quality of product that we want. The reason for small batch sizes is that we’d rather our beer be consumed as fresh as possible, rather than having massive production runs that then sit in a warehouse for months at a time. All our bottled beers will be unfiltered and never pasteurised, so we’re confident that they’ll retain the delicate hop aromas and flavours that can sometimes be lost in the bottling process. We’re not filtering or pasteurising our beers because we want to keep as much fresh flavour in the beer as we can. That’s why you’ll notice that every box we send out has STORE COOL & DRINK FRESH stamped in big letters on the side. We’re doing the same with our kegs - never filtered, never pasteurised and as fresh as we can get it. If you’re a fully committed cask ale drinker then please do keep an open mind and try some of our beer in keg - keg
PUB NEWS Hare & Hounds, Todmorden
T
he Hare and Hounds, Todmorden unveiled its new look in early June, after undergoing a £150,000 refurbishment in partnership with award-winning Lancashire brewer, Daniel Thwaites. In a bid to create a more modern, family atmosphere within the pub, Thwaites, along with new licensees, Tiffanie and Richard Carlton, have overseen extensive repairs and improvements to both the interior and exterior frontage. Everything from the bar and dining area to the toilet cubicles have been ripped out and replaced, giving the pub’s interior a revitalising facelift. Richard and Tiffanie who recently sold their cafe in Todmorden Market to new owners in the spring and are 16 | Issue 35
will never replace cask for our more mainstream beers, but I think it allows the beer to shine in different ways, and there’s definitely a place for both formats. As if we are not busy enough, the next phase of our plan will see us branching out into some more weird, wonderful and boundary pushing beers. Cask sales have been fantastic, and we’re really grateful for the support we’ve received from pubs both locally and further afield. We’re already working flat out to keep up with demand, and things are about to get busier! Our beer ‘Pride & Joy’ had the honour of being the first to be bottled, and based on the feedback we’ve received for our first cask batch, we’re upping the hop rate and tweaking the dry-hop process so that the beer should be absolutely bursting with hop character. Our online bottle shop will be launching imminently, so visit the brewery website www.vocationbrewery.com for an announcement soon. A report by Allan Whitehead, Vocation Brewery Liaison Officer from the brewery’s web site now looking forward to the new challenge. Richard said: “My wife and I have lived in the area for years and felt like we’d be a match made in heaven for the Hare and Hounds. As soon as we stepped through the doors we knew what we wanted to achieve.” Tiffanie said: “With so many schools and parks nearby we wanted to incorporate a well-rounded, family atmosphere” The official unveiling of the new look Hare and Hounds took place on Saturday June 6th. When I visited the pub on the weekend of the Annual Todmorden Agricultural Show (20th June) the place as you would expect was packed with families and drinkers. There are 5 cask ales available from the Thwaites portfolio, with the Thwaites Original my favourite and at £2.50 per pint went down very well. The food side was busy with a very good imaginative menu and I’m looking forward to dining there in the near future. Buses (592 589) stop right-out side the pub on Burnley road or it is only a short walk from Todmorden Centre. www.hxcalderdalecamra.org.uk
Halifax & Calderdale Branch of the Campaign for Real Ale
www.hxcalderdalecamra.org.uk
Issue 35 | 17
Halifax & Calderdale Branch of the Campaign for Real Ale
ELLAND BREWERY A Tasting Panel Visit
S
aturday 27th June was a date for the diary for a much delayed visit to Elland Brewery for the Halifax and Calderdale CAMRA Branch tasting panel. Richard Lee our tasting panel chair had organised this visit to `update’ CAMRA’s database of beers and ales from the Halifax and Calderdale area breweries. Saturday arrived and being June it was not raining for a change! The sun was out and shining strongly with the warmth gradually building up. Lucky for the dozen or so CAMRA members assembled the `cold room’ in Elland brewery provided an escape from the heat of the mid-day sun. Richard greeted us with the list of beers that he wanted us to taste and a list of others that he also wanted us to confirm earlier tasting results. Elland is a multi-award winning brewery with brewing accolades and many CAMRA awards covering most walls within the brewery, which can be found on a small industrial estate off Heathfield Street Elland, West Yorkshire. Elland has won the coveted title of CAMRA Supreme Champion Beer of Britain and has won the title of CAMRA National Winter Ales Champion no less than three times, firstly in 2010 then again in 2013 and recently this year 2015, I think you’ll agree an `outstanding success’ Elland is no stranger to winning awards with many SIBA awards for their strong beers and bottled beers with 2 Gold and 1 Silver and 1 bronze all coming in 2011. Elland Brewery started brewing originally in 2002 called Eastwood & Sanders (fine ales) Ltd this was the result of the amalgamation of Barge & Barrel brewery and West Yorkshire brewery. In 2006 the name changed again to Elland to reflect the brewery’s close links to the town. The brewing capacity is of 200
The cold
firoom rkinsat Elland or brewery
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50
Richard centre
surrounded by barrels per eager tasters.
week or to put that in another term that’s nearly 15,000 pints per week that keeps the drinkers of Yorkshire and further beyond hopefully satisfied. Keeping the assembled group of tasting `experts’ satisfied with a delicious range of ales to try you would think be easy but as Richard our chair stressed, “remember to try only a small amount of ale to taste” (something I remembered from the taste training earlier in the year at the Fox & Goose) “And not to go diving into a full pint no matter how tempting that prospect would be, a smaller amount like a couple of fluid Oz should be sufficient to get the aroma, taste and mouth feel of the beer and then record your scores in the appropriate part of the scoring card or in this case the printed sheet as HQ have sent the wrong taste score cards”. The beers which we tasted were: White Prussian 3.9% - A clean crisp beer made with lager malt and German hops, a delicious fruity flavour with a light floral note and spice and citrus aroma. Elland Blonde 4.0% - A dry and aromatic blonde beer, soft bitterness and a light citrus note with a combination of English and American Hops. Other beers that Richard wanted us to try were the multi-award winning 1872 Porter 6.5% - A rich and complex dark ruby porter it has an old port nose and coffee and bitter chocolate flavours. Beyond the Pale 4.2% abv. A pale golden bitter with English and German malts to give a rich flavour. The final one for us to `try’ is one of my personal favourites, Nettle Thrasher 4.4% - A copper coloured flavoursome beer, quite complex and fruity, made with a combination of 6 malts and English hops to give a smooth fruity character and slight blackcurrant aroma. Admittedly I didn’t personally get all the ingredients listed but I would agree with the term `flavoursome’ and `fruity’ and I know www.hxcalderdalecamra.org.uk
Halifax & Calderdale Branch of the Campaign for Real Ale
why I always drink it when I see it in the pub! Our` tasting time’ was soon up and we had to depart out from the cool comfort of the cold storage area out into the blazing sun of an extremely hot Saturday afternoon. Richard said thanks to the Brewery manager Mike Hiscock and his team for allowing us to occupy the brewery for our tasting session and praised Elland for the quality and range of beers with a special mention given to the range of `seasonal’ beers. A couple that caught my eye and I will be seeking out to try a pint or three were - Pacifica 4.6% for July and the Hoptomiser 6.5% to come in August. (The other seasonal for July is Savannah 3.8% and Rakau Pale Ale 4.6% for August). Elland has recently redesigned all the pump clips to give a more uniform appearance; they explained there was a need to make their pump clips less busy and communicate with the customer clearly to ensure easy and immediate identification by pub customers
when reaching the bar to make a choice, the shape has been retained but softened with rounded corners. Five key points are now quite evident across the range: the brewery: the beer strength (abv): the beer colour: the beer type (brief description): and the beer name. This uniformity should lead to the brand becoming far more recognisable and hopefully appealing to both traditional and new customers including the newer generation of cask ale drinkers. For further information on Elland Brewery please visit www.ellandbrewery.co.uk
The Staff of Life Inn at Eagles Crag
Nestled ‘neath the shadow of Eagles Crag we offer good real ale with constantly changing guest beers and great innovative meals from a themed weekend menu, supported by seasonal main menus on which we try to support local producers of quality products.
B&B - Recently renovated double en-suite rooms available
550 Burnley Road, Todmorden, OL14 8JF For Bookings & Accommodation
call 01706 819033
Staff-of-Life-Todmorden
www.hxcalderdalecamra.org.uk
@staffoflifeinn
www.staffoflifeinn.org.uk
Issue 35 | 19
Halifax & Calderdale Branch of the Campaign for Real Ale
20 | Issue 35
www.hxcalderdalecamra.org.uk
Halifax & Calderdale Branch of the Campaign for Real Ale
REAL ALE, REAL MUSIC
The Pump Room
Good Beer, Good Music, Good TImes
Y
ou can never take anything for granted, both good and bad. I have been to a couple of places recently where I wasn’t expecting any decent beer and yet, to my great delight, it has materialised. A week or two ago, I went to Square Chapel in Halifax, for the last few years host of the Halifax and Calderdale Beer Festival, and really enjoyed the Square ChapAle - brewed by Little Valley - when I went to see singer-songwriter Chris Wood, who enjoyed a pint himself in the second half of his performance. Then this weekend, I was invited to my good friend Des’s birthday at the Hipperholme and Lightcliffe Bowling Club. Again real ale was readily available, this time Stod Fold Blonde – badged for the club - and Taylor’s Boltmakers, both in tip top condition. This contrasts with the sad demolition in the last couple of weeks of what was not that long ago one of Halifax’s iconic pubs, the Pump Room, at the bottom end of the town on South Parade. I first knew it as the Druids Arms, it then became the Overdraught, before its time as the Pump Room. We used to go in regularly before, and after football, when mine host of the time Eddie Geater would supply us with free pies and sandwiches whatever the result from the Shay. But gradually and sadly it lost its way over the years, closed and with the eventual decision to demolish the faded buildings surrounding it, its demise was assured. Nothing lasts forever... Pubs do come and go though, the nearby Cross Keys at Siddal is a shining example of how a pretty humdrum pub can be transformed into a great real ale destination with plenty of TLC, hard graft, and commitment. The Victorian Craft Beer Cafe has also added a different dimension to drinking in Halifax with its range of real ale and craft beers in a tasteful setting. And with the recent opening of the excellent Calan’s micropub and the revitalisation of the Fox and Goose in Hebden Bridge, there is plenty for us local beer drinkers to celebrate. Musically, aside from seeing Chris Wood as mentioned above, and the Peatbog Faeries at the Met in Bury, my recent highlight has been seeing Blood, Sweat and Beers at the Beck Beer and Music Festival on the Spring Bank weekend. Local Brighouse legends, they kept a large crowd of people happy for hours with their mix of blues and rock from the likes of the Stones, Doors and (Sir) Van Morrison. The Beck, too, is a pub that has been getting better with a good selection of real ales and regular music over the www.hxcalderdalecamra.org.uk
past couple o f
years and with new landlord Paul Dickinson at the helm it is going from strength to strength. Long may they all run...in the meantime, in the words of Neil Young, ‘Keep on rockin’ in the free world’.... If you want to read more about this and various other ramblings please feel free to visit my blog: Real Ale, Real Music: www.chrisdyson55.blogspot.com In the meantime... keep on rockin’ in the free world... By Chris Dyson
Issue 35 | 21
Halifax & Calderdale Branch of the Campaign for Real Ale
BEER APPRECIATION AT OATES BREWERY Halifax Wine Circle branches out!
A
bout a dozen members of Halifax Wine circle spent a thoroughly enjoyable evening recently tasting the excellent beers on offer at Oates Brewery, Halifax. The first thing to impress was the warm welcome from the new Bar Manager who gave us all the low down on each of the beers available for us to sample. I include all the CAMRA Good Beer Guide 2015 descriptions of the various beers on offer. • Liquid Equinox (3.8%) Straw coloured refreshing session ale. Soft, delicate and fruity ideal for a summer’s day. The finish is smooth with a light hoppy bitterness. • APA (5.3%) Smooth and very highly hopped beer in the style of an American IPA. Hops, malt and fruit combine to make a robust mouthwatering strong ale. • OMT Bitter (3.8%) Light straw coloured beer with a hoppy nose and light fruity flavour followed by a strong bitter aftertaste. • Summit (Best Bitter) (4.5%) Full bodied amber best bitter, fruity caramel nose. Hoppy with bitterness mellowed by a fruity aftertaste. • Caragold (Best Bitter) (4.1%) Gold coloured refreshingly light ale. Honey scented with a clean and fresh fruity taste. Hints of astringency in the finish. • Wild Oates (Best Bitter) (4.3%) Rich malty beer with complex fruit and bitter notes followed by a clean light satisfying finish.
Personally I appreciated the lovely variety of beers available. Everyone enjoyed the Wild Oates which was in the style of a clean dark bitter, popular before the onset of blond, light beers. I must admit to having a liking for lighter bitters and I found the Liquid Equinox so quaffable as to merit an evening session solely spent on drinking and appreciating it. However, I felt that I must try the others as, on the evidence of these two beauties other visits were very much on the cards. The OMT was another excellent pale bitter to sample before I went on to try the Summit Best Bitter I found the Summit to be a mouthful of fruit which lingered pleasantly in the aftertaste. One of our members obviously agreed as he purchased a case of eight bottles to take home for later. My plan was to start with the lowest alcohol and work up to the highest. This came to a climax with the APA American IPA which did everything it claims in the description. An ideal finish to an excellent tasting. It must have been a good evening because I don’t remember the Caragold being available. We were shown round the Brewery, as a favour to like-minded alcohol producers. We all enjoyed the comfortable surroundings of the bar, as did other customers during the evening. The Brewery is expanding its opening hours starting on the Friday 10th July with its new Bar Manager and Brewer. Its hours of opening will be: Wednesday to Friday, 4pm - 11pm; Saturday 12 noon - 11pm; Sunday 1pm - 6 pm. New members are always welcome. We meet on the first Tuesday of every Month at the Maurice Jagger Centre in Halifax at 8p.m. If you require more details please email the wine circle chairman Richard Lee, Richardsmithlee55@ gmail.com By Leyland Smith
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Halifax & Calderdale Branch of the Campaign for Real Ale
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Halifax & Calderdale Branch of the Campaign for Real Ale
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