Darlington Drinker - Issue 189 - Winter 2013 by Capital Media

Darlington Drinker N E W S L E T T E R O F T H E D A R L I N G T O N C A M PA I G N F O R R E A L A L E

E! FRasE e take Ple a copy

ISSUE 189 | WINTER 2013

REGIONAL SUCCESS! Darlington’s nominations reap the rewards in CAMRA’s regional competitions!

IN THIS ISSUE... • ANOTHER CITY BIMBLE • SUPPORT FOR TAX REDUCTION • WORK LIKE A VICTORIAN Plus Much More....

The Quakerhouse, The Crown Inn & Darlington Snooker Club www.dar locam r a.or g.uk

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Darlington Drinker

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DARLINGTON CAMPAIGN FOR REAL ALE

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DARLINGTON CAMPAIGN FOR REAL ALE

FROM THE EDITOR

Darlington Drinker

The Buck Inn Thornton Watlass, Bedale

Country Inn Overlooking the Village Green

elcome to Issue 189 of Darlington Drinker. Firstly congratulations are in order!. We entered Darlington Snooker Club and the Quakerhouse into the North East Club of the Year and North East Pub of the Year competitions respectively and they both ended up being the overall winners - well done indeed!. However, the branch were denied a hat trick of regional wins as The Crown at Manﬁeld, our entry in the Yorkshire Pub of the Year and a winner of the competition back in 2005, was pipped by the No 7 in Barnsley to this year’s award. It’s fair to say it would have been an amazing feat had all three entries been winners, something which I imagine has never happened on a branch scale in CAMRA’s history. Since the “Real Ale Renaissance” in our last issue, it’s sad to report one pub having closed and applying to be converted into housing. Another pub which has been closed for a while is rumoured to be also applying for a conversion. CAMRA’s Pub Watch Survey found 18 pubs per week closed permanently last year, and it is hoped that in our branch area we won’t be adding to this year’s statistics. The British pub remains a vital part of community life where people meet up for a drink and socialise. Pub closures lead to job losses along with the loss of a meeting place. On a much happier note, it’s pleasing to report another brewery in the branch area. The nano brewery at The Half Moon in Northgate is now up and running, thus bringing brewing back into Darlington itself once more. I’ll drink to that!

Ian Jackson Editor, Darlington Drinker

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FIVE REAL ALES ALWAYS ON PUMP

including local independents Quality Home-Cooked Meals Lunch & Evenings 7 Days A Week | Bar Open All Day Beer Garden | Children’s Play Area | Function Room

En-Suite Accommodation

SUNDAY LUNCHTIME JAZZ

November 3rd - New Orleans Wiggle November 17th - The Bill Goyder Quartet December 1st - Frisco Bay Hot Stompers December 8th - John Pashley & Friends December 22nd - Brian Carrick & the Heritage Hall Stompers January 5th - The White Eagles

Call 01677 422461 or Visit www.buckwatlass.co.uk CONTACT DARLINGTON CAMRA Website: www.darlocamra.org.uk Twitter: @darloCAMRA Facebook: DarloCamra

OTHER CONTACTS Campaign for Real Ale Ltd. 230 Hatﬁeld Road, St. Albans, Herts, AL1 4LW t: 01727 867 201 • e: camra@camra.org.uk • www.camra.org.uk Trading Standards t: 01325 388799 • e: tradingstandards@darlington.gov.uk

PUBLISHED BY Capital Media Midlands Limited 2 Halifax Court, Fernwood Business Park, Cross Lane, Newark-on-Trent, Nottinghamshire, NG24 3JP. t: 01636 302 302 • e: darlingtondrinker@thisiscapital.com www.thisiscapital.com Disclaimer: The views expressed in articles are those of individual contributors and are not necessarily the views of the Darlington Branch, The Campaign for Real Ale Ltd. Darlington 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 Darlington CAMRA. © 2013 Capital Media Group. All Rights Reserved. No part of this publication may be transmitted, reproduced, recorded, photocopied or otherwise without the express written permission of the copyright holder.

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REGIONAL SUCCESSES by Ian Jackson

esults for the North East Club of the Year and Pub of the Year have been announced. And it’s been a success on both counts with our entries scooping the top prizes! The Quakerhouse, became the winner of North East Pub of the Year for the first time following up its third place in last year’s competition. Brian Dourish, co-owner of the Quakerhouse was described as being “blown away” at winning the award. Runner up was the Tap & Spile in Framwellgate Moor, while The Boathouse at Wylam, winner in 2009 and 2011 finished third. It is the first time that Darlington has won North East Pub of the Year when Number Twenty-2 triumphed in the competition back in 1999. In the North East Club of the Year competition, it was victory again for Darlington Snooker Club making it the ninth time it has won the award and on hearing the news proprietor Peter Everett was reportedly “buzzing”. Runner up in the award was the Comrades Club at Haltwhistle in Northumberland while Durham City Rugby Club in Durham finished third. Meanwhile there was success in another competition for one of our real ale pubs. The Foresters Arms in Coatham Mundeville recently won the Regional Community Hero Award organised by Enterprise Inns. Licensee Kate Umpleby was thrilled to win the award thanking her staff and to customers for nominating the pub. Kate hosts many events to raise

Darlington Snooker Club (top)The Quakerhouse (left) & The Crown Inn (right) 4

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money for local charities and the pub is also a drop off point for donations to a local animal sanctuary. Customers have had the opportunity to have their say on the community awards website about Kate’s work in the community and charity fund raising events, not to mention also being a landlady offering excellent hospitality! The winner of the national award was due to be announced just as we went to press and hopefully Kate and the team at the Foresters Arms will have scooped the national award. It would be well deserved. It was also good news in the Yorkshire Pub of the Year competition as The Crown Inn at Manfield finished third overall. The winner of the award was the No 7 in Barnsley while the Ferryboat in Thorganby near York, winner in 2010 was runner up. Licensees Peter and Karen Hynes were “gobsmacked” at The Crown Inn finishing third in the competition, a competition which they won back in 2005. Darlington Snooker Club and The Quakerhouse now go forward into CAMRA’s Super Regional round where they will be up against pubs and clubs from the north of England and Scotland. A presentation to Darlington Snooker Club was made on the afternoon of Saturday 2nd November while details of presentations to The Crown Inn and Quakerhouse will be announced in the coming weeks. Check our website for further details. Meanwhile, Darlington branch area can now boast CAMRA’s best real ale club and pub in the North East along with the third best real ale pub in Yorkshire plus Enterprise Inn’s best community pub in the region. Enough said!

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Darlington Drinker

H O M E C OOKE D F OOD S E RVE D DA ILY Eat In Or Take-away

LIVE MUSIC @

22 Galgate Barnard Castle County Durham DL12 8BH

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All Live Music is on Saturday night @ 9pm unless otherwise stated Nov 2nd - Nightrain (GnR Tribute) Nov 9th - Fu Fighters Nov 16th - Police Cover-up (Police Tribute) Nov 23rd - Uncle Gilbert

Nov 29th - Adam Night, Comedy Hypnotist (Friday Night) Dec 7th - Evidence Based Dec 14th - Rabble Rousers Dec 21st - WunderDogs Dec 28th - Krank it up

Jan 1st - Spectrum (6pm) Mar 1st – Ordinary Affair Mar 8th - The Arrival Mar 15th - The Stolen Stones (Rolling Stones tribute) Mar 22nd - New Age Jam (Acoustic Weller) Mar 29th - Steve Gilroy Band Apr 5th - Six Nowt April 12th - We Steal Flyers (Acoustic Duo)

Apr 19th - Police Cover-up Apr 26th - Suspect Device May 3rd - The Bandits May 10th - Ordinary Affair May 17th - Shake the Snake May 25th - Fu Fighters (Sunday 9pm) May 31st - Miss D'Mina Jun 7th - Heavy Mod Jun 14th - Four Letter Word Jun 21st - Sheik Ya Mojo

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w w w. m a r s t o n s p u b s . c o . u k / t h e c o a c h a n d h o r s e s ISSUE 189 | WINTER 2013

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DARLINGTON CAMPAIGN FOR REAL ALE

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Darlington Drinker

SUPPORT FOR TAX REDUCTION by John Clark

he different rates of tax levied on pubs as compared to supermarkets were highlighted recently by national pub chain JD Wetherspoon with its ‘Be Fair To Pubs’ campaign, which featured prominently at the Tanners Hall on Skinnergate in Darlington at its recent beer festival. Supermarkets subsidise the price of alcohol just as they do with bread or beans, to act as a lossleading incentive to draw customers in. It’s no worry to them that the alcohol is cheap – it ensures they pay a proportionately lower amount of tax too. They don’t have to worry either about the consequences of the binge pre-loading that their mass sales enable. Sophisticated marketing ploys are then used to ensure we part with more of our cash on their untaxed food offerings. Pity the hard pressed pubs. In many cases alcohol sales are their prime income source so subsidising its price from food sales is not an option. Even where food is a viable option, the poor publican is clobbered by a 20% VAT levy that the supermarkets avoid. And when the supermarket alcohol kicks in and the unruly behaviour kicks off,

it’s the publican, not the supermarket that cops the blame and the rest of us who pick up the bill. Wondering what other publicans feel about JD Wetherspoon’s initiative, I asked proprietors in four of Darlington’s cask ale pubs for their views. Unexpectedly, I found a remarkable consensus amongst what outwardly appear otherwise rival businesses and a willingness to support the campaign with comments and good-naturedly join in with some self-effacing pictures of support!. Garry Hewitt, co-owner of the Quakerhouse, Darlington CAMRA Pub of the Year and CAMRA North East Pub of the Year believes “VAT should be geared to the size of the business - after all it is an income tax”. At the multi-award winning Number Twenty-2 on Coniscliffe Road, Ralph Wilkinson has been forced to cease full meal service, precipitating redundancies following the 20% VAT burden. He agreed with Garry; “All we’re saying is give business a chance”. Sue Carr, landlady of The Britannia on Archer Street added “It’s so unfair. VAT, excise duty and all the others. They’re a huge burden” James Buxton, of the Old Tapas Yard in Bondgate explained, “In addition to all the taxes, pubs incur costs not levied on off licence retailers through having extra security and trained licensed staff to police the result of the supermarket’s largesse when people turn up inebriated”. So there you have it. High taxes close pubs to the beneﬁt of supermarkets who sell alcohol without restriction or repercussion and when it all unwinds, the pubs get the blame and along with the rest of us the ﬁnancial cost. Showing their support for the “Be fair to Pubs” campaign. Top right: Ralph Wilkinson (Number Twenty-2). Bottom Group, Top Left: Garry Hewitt (Quakerhouse), Bottom Left: Sue Carr (The Britannia), Bottom Right: James Buxton (Old Yard Tapas Bar).

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DARLINGTON CAMPAIGN FOR REAL ALE

DARLINGTON CAMRA BEER FESTIVAL

by Ian Jackson

ince the closure of the Arts Centre in Vane Terrace last year which was a longstanding venue for the branch’s beer festivals, Darlington CAMRA hosted a beer festival at a new venue, this time at the Northern Echo Arena, home of Mowden Park Rugby Club on Neasham Road back in August. Held in the President’s Suite, over 50 real ales plus ciders and perry were available. Darlington CAMRA member Andy Scott, pictured below, had the honour of being served the ﬁrst pint at the new venue. As with previous festivals, punters enjoyed an excellent selection of real ales from brand new and existing microbreweries, thus bringing in the “beer ticking” fraternity!. A number of specials were produced for the festival

D.D. TEN YEARS AGO... It’s amazing how some of the biggest brewing companies find it difficult to do what the very smallest do simply. Like putting draught beer into containers. Scottish Courage, the brewing arm of Scottish & Newcastle – global giant, in the top ten by sales in the world – has announced it is to cease filling barrels at its Tyne Brewery in Newcastle at the end of the year because the process has become “less viable”. The filling of carbonated kegs will be contracted out to the workingmens’ clubs-owned Federation

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including T.E.A. Break from Just A Minute Brewery in Spennymoor along with Fossdale from Yorkshire Dales in Askrigg. Mowden First from Mithril Ales was another festival special and this ale ended up winning the Beer of The Festival award. However, with the festival being held in early August coupled with the warm weather, attendances were down compared with previous festivals held at the Arts Centre. Despite this we received great comments who praised the excellent choice of beers available along with transport links to and from the venue. Besides the local bus services, transport links included a shuttle bus running from the town centre to the arena organised by Darlington Sea Scouts, our chosen charity at the festival. Over £160 was raised by punters for this charity. Plans are now being made to possibly stage a beer festival in spring next year in a venue yet to be decided, and hopefully there will be more details of this in the next issue. Clubs Brewery across the river in Dunston. The ﬁlling of real ale casks will remain inhouse but at the company’s John Smith Brewery at Tadcaster, 100 miles down the A1. The beers - all Theakston’s Best Bitter and Cool Cask and a proportion of other Theakston products are produced in Newcastle - will be carried there in bulk by tankers. Which means that brands heavily marketed as being from one brewery (Theakston’s original in Masham) will be brewed at a second (Tyne) but racked into casks at a third (Smith’s). Peculier.

A ro

Foste selec spirit

We a winn awa from

We p chec • • • •

Ac Ro Bu Blu Wr • La La

Open Clos

Darlington Drinker Issue 148, Autumn 2003

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DARLINGTON CAMPAIGN FOR REAL ALE

The Quakerhouse

REAL ALE & ROCK / BLUES BAR - LIVE MUSIC EVERY WEEK NOV

4th 11th 18th 25th

Wal and Dawn Paul Dannett and Friends Marc Atkinson Dave Cadman & Friends

DEC

2nd 9th 16th 23rd 30th

Phil Fingers Paul Dannett & friends Eddie Miller Dave Cadman & friends Alex Fawcett

JAN

ACOUSTIC MONDAYS

6th 13th 20th 27th

Paul Dannett & friends Howling Matt Dave Cadman & friends Paul Liddell

10 hand pulls - 9 real ales & 2 real ciders.

We pride ourselves in the beer, the service and our music. Please check out the events page on our website for further information. • • • •

Acoustic Night - Mondays Rock Night - Wednesdays (Free entry before 8pm - £4 after 8pm) Busk-It - Monthly open mic night on first Tuesday + live backing band Blues Thursdays Lounge Sessions (hosted by Alex Fawcett & Danny Wragg) - Monthly open mic night on a Thursday for blues music • Laid Back Sundays - Bluegrass/Skiffle Night (with Willow Creek) Last Sunday every month

Open 7 Days a Week - from 11am. Closing Times Vary - M - 11:30pm / Tu, Th & Su - 11pm / W, F & Sa - Midnight

NOV JAN DEC

Busk It The Quaker Folk Gathering (with members of Steam Radio)

3rd 24th

Busk It The Quaker Folk Gathering (TBC)

7th 28th

Busk-It The Quaker Folk Gathering (TBC)

ROCK WEDNESDAYS NOV

We are proud to be the Darlington CAMRA Pub of the Year 2013 winner for the ninth time. We are also honoured to have been awarded CAMRA North East Pub of the Year 2013 following on from a Bronze Award in this competition in 2012 and 2009.

5th 26th

6th 13th 20th 27th

Coldflame Mollies Treat Jump The Gun Sods Law

DEC

Fosters, Strongbow, Stella 4, Guinness, Westons ‘Old Rosie Cider’ plus a selection of bottled ciders, lagers, and Vitis Mead also available. Wines and spirits also on offer.

TUESDAYS

4th 11th 18th

The Russ Tippins Band Area 40 Karma Heart

JAN

A rotating selection from all around the country.

8th 15th 22nd 29th

The Alex fawcett Band (TBC) Nee Botha On The Rocks Jump The Gun

BLUE THURSDAYS

WWW.QUAKERHOUSE.CO.UK

Nov 28th, Dec 19th, Jan 16th

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DJ Dennis (Rockabilly & Modern Americana) DJ Wal's 'One Love Reggae Sounds' Michael Lee Tribute Night featuring Spectrum & Tyne lizzy

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Darlington Drinker

DARLINGTON CAMPAIGN FOR REAL ALE

The Old Well Inn

Darlington CAMRA’s ‘Teesdale Pub of the Season Winner 2011, 2012 & Runner Up 2013’

Drink well, eat well, sleep well...

Welcoming bar and lounge, private diningg room room, airy conservatory & a lovely enclosed beer garden. 10 en-suite bedrooms are beautifully and individually furnished with character and charm. Well behaved dogs & children welcome

5 Cask Ales always kept in tip top condition

• Acoustic Music Evening - Thursdays from 8.30pm • Quiz night - Tuesdays from 8.30pm • Real Ale & Music Festival - Every Easter & Late October

The Old Well Inn | 21 The Bank | Barnard Castle | DL12 8PH | 01833 690130

www. t h e o l d we llin n . co . u k

BREWERY

All English Traditional Ales

The brewery donates 3p per pint to RNLI Scan here to discover the origins of our beer names and RNLI links

www.cullercoatsbrewery.co.uk 10

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Darlington Drinker

WORKING LIKE A VICTORIAN by John Winterburn

hen I started work in 1961, jobs were ten-a-penny. You could walk in to a job on Monday and if it didn’t suit you, you could walk out and get another job the next day. When I heard there were jobs going at Simpsons Maltings on Neasham Road in Darlington, pictured below, I thought “Why not give it a try?” When I arrived for the interview, the size of the building was unbelievable and the smell of the damp barley was off putting to say the least. I was offered a job and started the next day. The building was built in 1874 so it was like going to work in Victorian times because nothing had been altered or changed. Everything was shifted manually with shovels or wheelbarrows so to me it was a challenge. Every day the workforce gathered in a small room to be given their orders and where to go. The first job was to put on our wellies and go to wherever we were working, which in my case was to go and rake the malt floor. The barley had been soaked over the weekend to increase germination, then on Monday morning the water was run off and the malt was conveyed to the malt floor which was about the size of a football pitch.

The next job was to spread it all over the ﬂoor to a depth of about eight inches. We then had these huge wooden rakes which we had to use to turn the barley grains to stop the roots tangling. The barley was also sprinkled with water from a watering can to keep it moist and fool the grain into germinating (known as green malt). After about four to ﬁve days the barley was swollen to half its original size which meant the grains were now full of starch. We would then proceed to shovel the malt into wheelbarrows to go to the drying ovens where it was kilned for a certain length of time which determined the type of malt. Malts such as roast barley and dark crystal malt were kilned longer to achieve the darker colour whereas pale malt required only a small of amount of kilning. The varying types of malt were then bagged up and go to the breweries for use in the brewing process. During my time at Simpsons Maltings plenty of malt went to Jameson’s in Dublin and to Camerons Brewery in Hartlepool even though they had their own maltings. The maltings closed in 1968 and the site is now occupied by Matalan on a small retail park near to Darlington Station.

REACH 6000+ REAL ALE DRINKERS & PUBGOERS Simpsons Malt’s headquarters are based in Berwick-upon-Tweed and celebrated their 150th anniversary in 2012. Family owned, they are now managed by the ﬁfth generation of the Simpsons family and also have a maltings at Tivetshall St Margaret in Norfolk, an area also renowned for growing barley. ISSUE 189 | WINTER 2013

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FULL PAGE £225.00 +vat HALF PAGE: £125.00 +vat QUARTER PAGE: 65.00 +vat Book 4 editions & receive 10% discount. Free design. To book call Capital Media on 01636 302 302

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ANOTHER CITY BIMBLE by John Magson

Following our visit to Rochdale in the last issue, Ian and I decided to have a jolly day out in “Tetley City”. Or at least it was until the brewery closed. And yes you have guessed it – it’s a trip around Leeds! Wetherspoons at Leeds Station is always a good starting point so the day was planned over pints of Kirkstall Brewery’s Pale Ale and Three Swords. First stop was the Victoria Family and Commercial Hotel, behind the Town Hall which retains the original Victorian frontage while the interior has been tastefully restored. The assize courts used to be at the back of the pub where many a soul enjoyed a last pint here before being sentenced!. Butcome Grey Owl, a Bristol rarity was most welcome among the beer range. Just around the corner is Veritas Ale and Wine Bar, which sold eight beers and has a deli attached to either eat in or take out. Beers included Ilkley Everest, a Market Town Tavern charity special beer as Simon Midgley, their managing director was doing a charity trek to Everest Base Camp in aid of a local hospice with 20p from every pint sold going to funds. Walking past the Merrion Centre we called into the Stick or Twist, another Wetherspoons pub so named after the adjoining casino and a vastly underrated pub in Ian’s opinion. It was pleasing to see no “Coming Soon” signs on the pumps and whilst downing two pints of Ilkley Funfair, we spied a few familiar local CAMRA members who were surprised to see us a Pictured: Veritas Ale & Wine Bar (top right) and Garden Gate (bottom left).

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long way from home. After a little banter we were off again, next stop The Reliance. It is based on a bar/bistro layout with a dining room to the rear and two large rooms at the front. A house beer, Reliance Best Bitter from Acorn Brewery was been enjoyed when half a pig (literally!) went by albeit on the shoulder of a butcher and it was explained to us that pork is a speciality dish and the extensive menu confirmed this. We passed on the pork though and moved on. We had been recommended to visit The Reliance by Ray Blythe, a Cleveland Branch member and we were not disappointed - thanks Ray! A short walk back towards the city centre and next stop The Wrens with ten real ales so Wren’s Blonde, brewed by Ossett and Great Heck Voodoo Mild were dispatched. By now Ian had noticed a common factor was becoming evident in a number of pubs: how many are now painted with darkish green and white decor. Whilst we thought it may be a throwback to the Victorian era or maybe some enterprising person had bought a tanker full of cheap paint!. Across the road at the top of Briggate is North, a favourite of mine with its mix of real ale drinkers and art lovers. The beer range is always a surprise and from the choice of five we had North Bar Prototype and Tempest Cascadian. It was top to bottom on Briggate now starting at the Swan which had eight beers and good food washed down with Leeds Yorkshire Gold. Next port of call was the Ship, so called not after any connection with the sea but because of the long galley like bar. What can you say about the grade II listed Whitelocks? Opened in 1718 and originally called the Turks Head, it is probably the most famous pub in Leeds and if you have never been it is definitely worth a visit. Off to another of my favourite pubs, the ISSUE 189 | WINTER 2013

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Adelphi. Another grade II listed building which was built in 1901 as a Victorian Drinking Emporium and lots of the original décor has survived. Pints of Leeds Pale Ale and Caledonian Flying Scotsman were consumed before we caught a taxi to Hunslet to visit the Garden Gate, a pub neither of us had visited before. The interior fittings have been virtually untouched since 1902 and it has etched glass panels, lavish tiling, moulded plasterwork and mosaic floors. The pub has been given the title of ‘Jewel in the Crown’ of historic pubs in Yorkshire and it is a gem of a place. We needed to steady our nerves after all this architectural splendour and as befitting the pub we toasted it with Leeds Best. A return taxi took us to The Hop tucked away in the railway arches under Leeds Station, somewhere that I’ve never been before. The Ossett Ale I tasted was not up to scratch and although they changed it for Nottingham Legend they did not take the beer off. Last stop was the Scarbrough Hotel with ten beers on the bar where last drinks of the day were Stonehenge Eyeopener and Kirkstall Three Swords, thus ending a jolly day out. Thanks to Leeds CAMRA branch for the Leeds Pub Trail Compendium and CAMRA’s Yorkshire Real Ale Heritage Pub Guide.

Yorkshire Pub of the Season 2013! Aldbrough St John • Tel: 01325 374258

Christmas C Chri hriistmas P Party artyy Menu Mee M

2 courses £15.95 / 3 courses £19.95 Taking Bookings for Christmas

Ser ving Food Daily Lunch: Monday to Saturday, 12.00 - 14.00 Dinner: Monday - Friday, 17.30 - 21.30 & Saturday’s, 18.30 - 21.30 Now serving Sunday Lunch 12.00-17.00

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Perfectly situated on the beautiful village green of Aycliffe Village we serve great fresh food and real ales in a friendly, relaxed environment.

We serve great food with only the freshest ingredients, locally sourced when possible. Our menus capture our local suppliers superb range of seasonal produce. Each of our seven luxury, individually designed rooms include en-suite facilities, comfy thick duvets, fluffy towels, toiletries, tea and coffee making facilities, Wi-Fi connectivity and flat-screen TVs.

Tel: 01325 312273

Aycliffe Village, Co. Durham, DL5 6LX

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DARLINGTON

Darlington Drinker

DARLINGTON CAMPAIGN FOR REAL ALE

SNOOKER CLUB

FOR THE BEST VALUE GAME OF SNOOKER IN DARLINGTON

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SUPER REGIONAL FINALIST NE CLUB OF THE YEAR 2011-2013 Further Accolades: • CAMRA North East Club of the Year 2004-2008

Buffets can be supplied to fit every budget

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Junior Classes Sunday 9-11am. No Junior

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classes on Saturdays.

School Groups Welcome Professional coach available

• FIRST Snooker Club to appear in the CAMRA Good Beer Guide • FIRST Snooker Club to have it’s own major beer festival

CAMRA MEMBERS FREE ENTRY ON PRODUCTION OF MEMBERSHIP CARD

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DARLINGTON CAMPAIGN FOR REAL ALE

Darlington Drinker

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DARLINGTON CAMPAIGN FOR REAL ALE

BREWERY NEWS by Ian Jackson

ollowing the publishing of CAMRA’s Good Beer Guide 2014, it’s been boom time for the microbrewery industry with now over 1100 breweries in the UK with 187 brand new breweries appearing in the guide. There were 10 new North East breweries opening, taking the total in our area up to 42. West Yorkshire remains the county with the largest number of breweries totalling 57. After our pubs “Real Ale Renaissance” in our last issue of Darlington Drinker, it’s pleasing to report it’s the turn of the breweries this time. The Crafty Pint nano brewery in the cellar of the Half Moon in Northgate has done a number of trial brews, one of which included a 4.5% porter style beer and was reportedly well received by the customers. Brewer John Anderson is currently doing trial brews using his 10 gallon craft brewing kit at the moment, but John and business partner Dave Walker are looking into investing in stainless steel equipment for the brewery. Meanwhile in Aldbrough St John, Mithril Ales held an open day at the brewery in August as part of Aldbrough Feast Week. Proprietor Pete Fenwick, far right in picture, gave tours of the brewery while a number of regular and seasonal beers were available with proceeds going to the upkeep of the local village hall. It’s also been a success for the brewery on the festival front as Mowden First, a 3.9% festival special, was beer of the festival at Darlington CAMRA’s Beer Festival held at the Northern Echo Arena. Richmond 10K, an amber coloured beer, was beer of the festival at the recent Richmond Ale Festival and brewed to celebrate the annual Richmond 10K Road Race which takes place on the Sunday of the festival when runners can and do pop in for a much need post race pint! At the Yard of Ale Brewing Company at the Surtees Arms in Ferryhill Station, proprietor Alan Hogg has taken on a brewing apprentice reporting he is “very keen to learn”. Brewery tours are now available for groups at £10 per head which include pie and peas and a complementary pint. A bottling kit has now been installed allowing bottle conditioned beers to be produced on site with the

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ﬁrst batch scheduled to appear at the Halloween Beer Festival at the Surtees Arms. Brewery T-shirts are also now available. Following the return of brewing back into Darlington by The Crafty Pint, there are rumours of another brewery opening. On the site next to North Road Station, a Goods Shed dating back to 1833 is reportedly going to be converted into a brewery. In Manﬁeld on the outskirts of Darlington, there are also reports of another brewery set to open, this time in the school house of the now disused school. Hopefully, we will have more information on these ventures in the next issue of Darlington Drinker.

• Cask Ales from Yard of Ale & Guests • Home-cooked Sunday Lunches, Log Fire • Big-Screen Sports • GBG & Cask Marque listed

NOW BOTTLING YARD OF ALE Beers, In-House

Available from The Surtees, reputable Beer Shops and Food Markets. Gift packs available - Ideal for Christmas Please pop in, call or email for more details Supplying beers to regional pubs, clubs, beer fests Award-Winning on-site brewery Group Tours available SIBA listed

Chilton Lane, Ferryhill, Co Durham, DL14 0DH 01740 655724 or 07540 733513

www.thesurteesarms.co.uk

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DARLINGTON CAMPAIGN FOR REAL ALE

We have been a award for the th Board initiative

An historic 17th century coaching inn located in beautiful Teesdale & the Durham Dales

Langdon Beck Hotel Forest-in-Teesdale | Co. Durham | DL12 0XP (On the B6277) Tel: 01833 622267

A Warm Welcome Awaits... A FINE SELECTION OF REAL ALES

Regular beers include Rivet Catcher (Jarrow Brewery’s award winning real ale) & a variety of guest ales

Recommended in the Good Beer Guide from 2007-2014

DELICIOUS HOMEMADE MEALS Available: Lunch 12-2pm, Dinner 7-9pm

STUNNING VIEWS OVER THE FELLS ACCOMMODATION from £40 OPEN ALL DAY, TUES - SUN Middleton - 7 miles, High Force & Cauldron Snout waterfalls - 3 miles

• Real Ales • Award winning home-cooked food • Lovely en-suite B&B rooms • Weddings & Functions Market Place, Middleton-in-Teesdale, County Durham, DL12 OQG

01833 640264

www.lan gdonb e ck h ote l. com RE IT FI W L T S S G O N MO IN N E EV

www. t e e sd al e h otel.co.u k

The Crown Inn

Vicars Lane, Manfield, Darlington. T: 01325 374 243

www.villagebrewer.co.uk

• Up to 6 Guest Beers (from micro-breweries countrywide) • Monthly Quiz • Monthly Open Mic Night (1st Friday of the month) Bar Meals Served: Mon - Fri: 5pm - 9pm, Sat: 12pm - 6pm, Sun: 12pm - 4pm

SPECIAL EVENTS

CHRISTMAS OPENING HOURS

FRI 15TH NOVEMBER

DEC 24th: 4pm - 11.30pm CHRISTMAS DAY: Noon - 2pm & 8pm - 10.30pm BOXING DAY: Noon - 11.30pm FRI, SAT, SUN & MON: Normal Hours NEW YEARS DAY: Noon - 11.30pm JAN 2nd: Back to normal!

CURRY NIGHT 2 course Indian Meal £10 per person (bookings only)

FRI 20TH DECEMBER CHRISTMAS CAROLS with The Hurworth Concert Band Complimentary mulled wine & mince pie

NEW YEARS EVE PARTY PARTY WITH SOSHODDYWADDY! OPEN: 6pm - late. Bring your own food.

2013 DARLINGTON CAMRA COUNTRY PUB OF THE YEAR A welcoming, 18th-century inn with a friendly atmosphere, situated in the quiet village of Manfield.

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INN BRIEF...

ongratulations to Darlington Snooker Club and the Quakerhouse, our winning entrants in the North East Club of the Year and North East Pub of the Year competitions respectively. Well done also to The Crown at Manfield as it didn’t disappoint in the Yorkshire Pub of the Year competition by finishing third, bettered only by The Ferryboat at Thorganby near York with the No 7 in Barnsley being the eventual winner. In Darlington, The Forum on Borough Road stocks a guest beer with Village Brewer White Boar being the regular choice. Congratulations go to John Anderson and Dave Walker of The Half Moon on Northgate which recently won the Town Pub of the Season award for 2013. Well deserved after all the hard work they and their staff have put in since the pub reopened in June. Tasters of trial brews from the pub’s own nano brewery have being appearing on the bar and have been well received. The pub now opens at 5pm on a Wednesday as John is busy brewing during the day! Hoskins on Blackwellgate has a new manager, David Tattershall. It now stocks two real ales during the week increasing to three on a weekend, one of these ales being permanent and the others as rotating guests, one of which is a seasonal. Plans are also to stock a real cider. David is no stranger to real ale having been involved with the Keswick Lions Beer Festival in Cumbria for the last ten years. Peter and Anne Martin have now left The Quays in Tubwell Row and the new tenants are carrying on and keeping on the good work. Up in Teesdale, congratulations go to Richard Robinson of the Red Lion at Cotherstone on triumphing in the Teesdale Pub of the Season 2013 award, winning the award again for the first time since 2009. You may recall that Richard wrote a

feature on this stone built gem back in issue 187. Bad news from Staindrop where it is rumoured the Black Swan is to be converted into housing having being closed for a while leaving The Wheatsheaf as the only pub in the village. The Lord Nelson in Gainford could well be heading the same way after closing back in September and like Staindrop, it would leave only one pub in the village. Just down the road in High Coniscliffe, the owners of The Spotted Dog are rumoured to be applying for a change of use and wanting to turn the pub into housing. The plans are reported to also include building houses in the large car park at the rear. If the plans are approved, this would mean closure of the only remaining pub in the village after the Duke of Wellington closed back in 2010. Following in the footsteps of Pete Morgan’s Rat Race in Hartlepool micropub is another, this time in the suburbs of Middlesbrough. Phil Thompson PhD is the brains behind Dr Phil’s Real Ale House on Roman Road in Linthorpe and his idea for the micropub came over a few pints along with persuasion from Pete at the Rat Race. Popular with locals and students alike, many of the students who frequent it are members of Teesside University’s Real Ale Society (TURAS). In the first few weeks the place was so popular that at one point Phil ended up selling beer that was actually ready to go on sale! And finally, pleased to see that the latest issue of CAMRA Angle, the newsletter produced by Sunderland & South Tyneside CAMRA which cites “Three Good Reasons to go to Darlington” - The Quakerhouse, Darlington Snooker Club and Taylor’s Pies! The first two I’ll definitely vouch for but being a Great Ayton lad I’m afraid to say that Petch’s Pies do take some beating! If you have any pub or club news for inclusion in future editions of Darlington Drinker please email us at newsletter@darlocamra.org.uk

BRANCH WHO’S WHO?

Darlington Drinker Editor: Ian Jackson e: newsletter@darlocamra.org.uk

Chairman: Peter Everett t: 01325 241388, e: peterdsc@yahoo.co.uk

Social Secretary, Pubs Ofﬁcer & Cider Ofﬁcer: Pete Fenwick t: 01325 374817, 07889 167128 e: mithril58@btinternet.com

Secretary & Branch Contact: John Magson e: john.magson@ntlworld.com Membership Secretary: Angus Gair e: angusgair@ntlworld.com

DARLINGTON CAMPAIGN FOR REAL ALE

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www.darlocamra.org.uk Twitter: @darloCAMRA Facebook: DarloCamra

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QUAKER TOURS

uaker Tours are monthly social outings run by Quakerhouse regulars Gordon Pentland and John Reed. Annual trips over the years have included a visit to the Huddersfield CAMRA Oktoberfest and pub beer festivals such as the Crown Hotel in Malton and Captain Cook Inn at Staithes. Other trips have included a visit to the “Valley of Beer” in Sheffield and a mini north east crawl of pubs in the County Durham area. Anyone is welcome to come along on the trips, however they run on a “first come first served” basis and do sell out. Also, if you have any suggestions about future trips Gordon and John would like to hear from you. • Saturday 16th November - Trip to the “Valley of Beer” in Sheffield. Depart Dolphin Centre at 9am, £16 per person. • Saturday 14th December - Trip to Suddaby’s Winter Beer Festival at the Crown Hotel in Malton. Depart Dolphin Centre at 9.30am, £16 per person.

BRANCH DIARY For further updates on branch and regional events please visit our website at www. darlocamra.org.uk NOVEMBER Fri 8th - County Durham Pub of the Season Surveying Trip, 7pm Sadberge to Hurworth Place. Tues 12th - Branch Meeting, 7.30pm. Voodoo Cafe, Skinnergate, Darlington. Sat 30th - North East Regional Meeting, 1pm. The Central, Half Moon Lane, Gateshead.

Gordon Pentland & John Reed look forward to seeing faces old and new at these ‘not for proﬁt’ social outings. Contact John via email: john. reed263@ntlworld.com or Gordon on 07790 534412 for bookings/enquiries. All tours arrive back at Houndgate, in Darlington no later than 7.45pm

DECEMBER Tue 10th - Branch Meeting, 7.30pm The Travellers Rest, West Auckland Road, Cockerton, Darlington. Fri 13th - County Durham Pub of the Season Surveying Trip, 7pm. Newton Aycliffe to Preston-le-skerne. Fri 27th - Darlington CAMRA Christmas Social. Darlington Snooker Club, 1 Corporation Road, Darlington. From 7.30pm onwards. JANUARY 2014 Tue 7th - Branch Meeting, 7.30pm Sloan’s, Grange Road, Darlington

All trips: Leave from round the corner from The Dolphin Centre & return there. Open to members & non members. Visitors & new members are always made welcome.

For details of all trips please call Pete Fenwick on 01325 374817 or 07889 167128

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VOTE FOR OUR PUBS OF THE YEAR by Ian Jackson

t’s now time (once again!) to vote for your favourite pubs in our branch area. Every branch member can have three votes; One town pub (either in the town centre or outskirts), one country pub and your choice as pub of the year. The overall winner can be your town pub or country pub choice or a completely different pub. Votes can be handed in by person or via post to Darlington Snooker Club (address on form) and must be received by midnight on Thursday 31st January 2014. Forms will only be accepted with a valid membership number and any votes received after this date will not be counted. The results will be announced in February.

Darlington CAMRA Pub of the Year Competition 2014

Please note that to take part in voting you MUST be a member of Darlington CAMRA and there is only ONE vote per branch member/joint membership. NAME:

MEMBERSHIP NO.:

NAME:

MEMBERSHIP NO.: (Note: Please ﬁll in all above boxes if Joint Membership is applicable)

ADDRESS: POSTCODE:

EMAIL:

I/We wish to vote for the following pubs in the Pub of the Year 2014 Competition. Single Membership

Joint Membership (if applicable)

TOWN Pub of the Year: COUNTRY Pub of the Year: OVERALL Pub of the Year: Please hand in or post this completed form to: Darlington Snooker Club, To preserve this copy of the Darlington 1 Corporation Road, Darlington DL3 6AE. Closing date for entries Drinker, photocopies of this form will be accepted but remember it’s ONE vote per is Thursday 31st January 2014. If you wish to be emailed about future events, please put an X in this box:

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branch member/joint membership

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DARLINGTON CAMPAIGN FOR REAL ALE

GREENBANK HOTEL

C o A w C

WWW.GREENBANKHOTEL.CO.UK

A family run Hotel/B&B, based only 5 mins stroll from the historic town centre.

We have 27 very comfortable bedrooms with some superior themed rooms. A welcoming atmosphere awaits.

Enjoy an amazing display of militaria whilst relaxing in our well stocked bar.

90 Greenbank Rd Darlington DL3 6EL

t: 01325 462624

BISHOP BLAIZE The BISHOP BLAIZE situated in the historic Market Place of Richmond, North Yorkshire. Serving freshly cooked meals in 3 different areas that include an outdoor area with the backdrop of Richmond Castle, Dining Room and a new addition of upstairs Function Room & Bar. The downstairs Bar has 4 Hand Pulls and a moderate selection of Spirits & Wines. Donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t miss out on our fabulous Sunday Lunch Menu, Themed Food Nights, Wine Tasting Sessions and Beer & Cider Festivals. The Bishop Blaize is also a favourite for entertainment with an array of activities including Live Music Nights, Karaoke, Poker, Televised Sports in the Bar along with Pool & Darts.

10% DISCOUNT

on all 4 Real Ales for CAMRA members (on production of membership card)

10% DISCOUNT

on ANY Pre Group Bookings for Meals, including the Christmas Festive Menu

Name

To the

Addres

To book your next party or a table; please give us a call or email for further details.

Name

40 Market Place, Richmond, North Yorkshire, DL10 4QL T: 01748 518087 E: bishopblaize@live.com

Branc

For future events & deals, please join the Bishop Blaize on Facebook

Bank

Refer

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DARLINGTON CAMPAIGN FOR REAL ALE

Join CAMRA Today

Complete the Direct Debit form and you will receive 15 months membership for the price of 12 and a fantastic discount on your membership subscription. Alternatively you can send a cheque payable to CAMRA Ltd. with your completed form, visit www.camra.org.uk/joinus or call 01727 867201. All forms should be addressed to Membership Department, CAMRA, 230 Hatfield Road, St Albans, AL1 4LW.

Your Details

Direct Debit

Title ____________ Surname ___________________________________ Forename(s) _________________________________________________ Date of Birth (dd/mm/yyyy) ____________________________________ Address ____________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________ _______________________ Postcode __________________________ Email address _______________________________________________ Tel No(s) ____________________________________________________

Partner’s Details (if Joint Membership) Title ____________ Surname ___________________________________ Forename(s) _________________________________________________

Single Membership (UK & EU)

£23

Joint Membership £28 (Partner at the same address)

Non DD

£25 £30

For Young Member and concessionary rates please visit www.camra.org.uk or call 01727 867201. I wish to join the Campaign for Real Ale, and agree to abide by the Memorandum and Articles of Association. I enclose a cheque for _________________ Signed ______________________________ Date ________________________________ Applications will be processed within 21 days

Date of Birth (dd/mm/yyyy) ____________________________________

Campaigning for Pub Goers & Beer Drinkers

Enjoying Real Ale & Pubs

Join CAMRA today – www.camra.org.uk/joinus Instruction to your Bank or Building Society to pay by Direct Debit Please fill in the whole form using a ball point pen and send to: Campaign for Real Ale Ltd., 230 Hatfield Road, St.Albans, Herts, AL1 4LW Name and full postal address of your Bank or Building Society To the Manager

Bank or Building Society

Service User Number

9 2 6 1 2 9 FOR CAMPAIGN FOR REAL ALES LTD. OFFICIAL USE ONLY

Address

This is not part of the instruction to your Bank or Building Society.

Membership Number Name Postcode

Postcode

Name(s) of Account Holder

Instructions to your Bank or Building Society

Branch Sort Code

Please pay Campaign For Real Ale Limited Direct Debits from the account detailed on this instruction subject to the safeguards assured by the Direct Debit Guarantee. I understand that this instruction may remain with Campaign For Real Ale Limited and, if so will be passed electronically to my Bank/Building Society.

Bank or Building Society Account Number

Reference

Signature Date

Banks and Building Societies may not accept Direct Debit Instructions for some types of account.

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This Guarantee should be detached and retained by the payer.

The Direct Debit Guarantee • This Guarantee is offered by all banks and building societies that accept instructions to pay by Direct Debits. • If there are any changes to the amount, date or frequency of your Direct Debit The Campaign for Real Ale Ltd. will notify you 10 working days in advance of your account being debited or as otherwise agreed. • If you request The Campaign for Real Ale Ltd. to collect a payment, confirmation of the amount and date will be given to you at the time of the request. • If an error is made in the payment of your Direct Debit by The Campaign for Real Ale Ltd. or your bank or building society, you are entitled to a full and immediate refund of the amount paid from your bank or building society. - If you receive a refund you are not entitled to, you must pay it back when The Campaign For Real Ale Ltd. asks you to. • You can cancel a Direct Debit at any time by simply contacting your bank or building society. Written

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