IN
The magazine from the Wigan branch of The Campaign for Real Ale
February to April
2016
Paul and Delia Wood from theTap ‘N’ Barrel receive their Pub of the Season award from Pete Marsh, Wigan CAMRA Chairperson.
THE TAP ‘N’ BARREL
Don’t Miss it... WIGAN CAMRA BEER FESTIVAL
3rd - 5th March 2016
WINTER PUB OF THE SEASON
FRE
E
(see page 3)
www.wigancamra.org.uk
Branch Contacts Chairperson: Pete Marsh e: chair@wigancamra.org.uk Vice-Chairperson: Ken Worthington e: vicechair@wigancamra.org.uk
MESSAGE FROM THE EDITOR
W
Webmaster & Social Media: Roy Pearson e: social@wigancamra.org.uk
elcome to the first edition of Swiggin in 2016. As a new year begins, it’s time for Wigan CAMRA to look back at 2015 and decide upon their annual pub and club awards (pg 4). We feature an article about the winner of our most prestigious award – Pub of the Year (pgs 8/9). It was also time for ‘beer oscars’ to be handed out to North-West breweries in their annual beer competition (pg 18). ‘Mists of Time’ takes us in our real ale Tardis to reflect upon by-gone times on the Wigan pub scene (pg 16). In our regular features regarding local pub and brewery news, look out for a new brewery opening up very shortly and possibly another one on the horizon (pg 12). We also take a peek at a couple of our more recent social trips (pg 6) and one of our members gives you an insight into his recent visit to Hull (pg 20).
Cider Officer: Carol Worthington e: c/o vicechair@wigancamra.org.uk
Co-editors of Swiggin in Wiggin, Wigan CAMRA
Branch Secretary: Vacant e: secretary@wigancamra.org.uk Treasurer: Brian Gleave e: treasurer@wigancamra.org.uk Membership Secretary: Carol Worthington e: membership@wigancamra.org.uk Pubs Officer: Donald Appleton e: pubs@wigancamra.org.uk Public Affairs Officer: Robin Gibson e: public@wigancamra.org.uk Pubs Heritage Officer: Pete Marsh e: heritage@wigancamra.org.uk Young Members Officer: Joanna Whalley e: young@wigancamra.org.uk
Contributors to this edition: David White ; Ray Noy ; Patsy Selvin ; Barry Seale ; Christine & Roy Pearson. Web: Twitter:
www.wigancamra.org.uk @WiganCAMRA
The Editor reserves the right to amend or shorten contributions for publication. All editorial copyright © Wigan CAMRA 2016 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. Wigan 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 Wigan CAMRA.
Campaign for Real Ale Ltd. - www.camra.org.uk 230 Hatfield Road, St. Albans, Herts, AL1 4LW t: 01727 867 201 e: camra@camra.org.uk
PUBLISHED BY Capital Media Group First Floor, Central Buildings, Middlegate, Newark-on-Trent, Nottinghamshire, NG24 1AG t: 01636 302 302 e: hello@choose.capital www.choose.capital © 2016 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.
February - April 2016
Christine & Roy Pearson
WIGAN BEER FESTIVAL 2016 3RD - 5TH MARCH 2016
T
he highlight of Wigan CAMRA’s year is fast approaching and plans are now reaching an advanced stage for the 29th Wigan Beer Festival. As usual, the venue will be the Robin Park Sports Centre, opposite the DW Stadium. Once again, we will be providing ‘special’ buses from the town centre to the festival venue. The theme for this year’s festival is ‘at the seaside’ so you can expect some beery fun and frolics. Well, not donkey rides but perhaps plenty of beers from coastal breweries? We’ll have over 80 real ales, a cider and perry bar, and our popular foreign beer bar. Don’t forget ‘beach’ fancy dress (optional) on Saturday. Free entry at all time for CAMRA members.
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each year due t o the
AGM & ANNUAL AWARDS PUB & CLUB AWARDS
T
he Wigan CAMRA Annual General meeting took place on Wednesday, 12th January. At the meeting, voting took place for the annual pub and club awards. Receiving over 60% of all votes cast, the overwhelming winner of the Pub of the Year was WIGAN CENTRAL. A fantastic achievement for a pub that has been open for just over 12 months. The Albion Ale House in Standish and the Tap ‘n Barrel in Wigan polled the next highest votes. Again, another fantastic achievement for two micropubs that have only opened in the past 12 months or so. The ‘march of the micros’ seems to continue unabated. All other awards were much closer contested affairs and the results were as follows: • Community Pub of the Year - SILVER TALLY at Shevington Moor. • Cider Pub of the Year - WIGAN CENTRAL, followed by The Anvil and Tap ‘n Barrel in joint 2nd place. • Best New Cask Outlet - WIGAN CENTRAL, followed by the Tap ‘n Barrel and Albion Ale House in 2nd and 3rd places respectively. • Club of the Year - STANDISH UNITY CLUB, for the 5th time in the past 6 years. Congratulations to all award winners. The task of selecting winners becomes harder
continued growth of vibrant beer scene in our branch area – long may it continue! Presentation dates have yet to be set for all award winners.
ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING (AGM)
The AGM is also where CAMRA officers are elected for the forthcoming year. The changes are as follows: • Andy Morris appointed as Brewery Liaison Officer for Wily Fox Brewery (new post) • Julie Atha appointed as Brewery Liaison Officer for Martland Mill Brewery - replacing Jo Whalley. • Carol Worthington appointed as Membership Secretary - replacing Shaun Ashton. • Jo Whalley appointed editor of Members Monthly Newsletter (Ey Up) – replacing Roy Pearson. The important role of ‘Branch Secretary’ remains vacant and is open to any volunteers.
Online with Wigan CAMRA Do you know that a third of Wigan CAMRA Branch members keep in touch with happenings within the branch via email?
We send out monthly bulletins about what is going on within the real ale scene locally plus beer lists for local festivals and other ‘hot off the press’ news. If you are a Wigan CAMRA member and do not currently receive our e-mails, please contact our Membership Secretary and let us know your e-mail address. This will only be used for internal CAMRA communications – we do not forward our e-mails list to any other organisation. 4
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February - April 2016
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OUT & ABOUT SOCIAL TRIPS TO YORKSHIRE
O
n October 24th our social trip took us to Sheffield. Our first stop was the Toolmakers Brewery on the outskirts of the city. We were warmly welcomed by owners Olie and Marion who kept us well fed and watered and made us feel at home – their excellent beers went down well with their complimentary homemade chilli, snacks and nibbles. Olie gave us a tour around their small but perfectly formed brewery with the chance to sample their stout straight out of the fermenter. We were joined at the brewery by Dave Szwejkowski, head brewer at Steel City Brewery who cuckoo brews at the premises. As well as being head brewer, Dave is also one of the country’s leading beer tickers where he is better known as Dave Unpronounceable. With Dave tagging along, we then headed off into Sheffield city centre to sample the many good pubs on offer. Although our visit coincided with the Sheffield Beer Festival, not many attended as the pubs of Sheffield proved to be too inviting. Our final coach trip for 2015 took place on 14th November. The customary brewery stop on the outward journey was Elland Brewery, home of the legendary 1872 Porter, which was sampled together with two other beers. As much as you could drink in 90 minutes for just £3 per person put us in good spirits for the rest of the day. This was followed by a short visit to the Three Pigeons in Halifax – a CAMRA national inventory pub owned by the excellent Ossett Brewery. Our final destination was Hebden Bridge where there was no shortage of quality real ale pubs and bars to keep us amused. A few
of us even made it to the local CAMRA beer festival which just happened to coincide with our visit. Although we had some very gloomy weather, we thankfully avoided the flooding in Hebden Bridge which occurred just 24 hours later. This was a very enjoyable trip and we were ‘royally’ entertained on the return journey by two of our tripsters (Lance and Dave) leading the way with Elvis tribute songs. Our final social trip of the year took place (by train) on 28th December to St Helens where we visited Connoisseur Brewery and an excellent beer festival at the Cricketers Arms before sampling the delights of other local pubs such as the Turks Head, Talbot Ale House, Phoenix and the Bar Rifle. During 2015, our social trips took us to 6 beer festivals and 8 brewery visits. Always fun days out.
ARTICLES FOR SWIGGIN IN WIGGIN? Local beer related articles are always welcome! If you would like to contribute please let us know or email your copy to editor@wigancamra.org.uk Please note that for legal reasons that a full name & postal address must now be submitted with any contributions.
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February - April 2016
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Cross Street, Standish, Wigan, WN6 0HQ t: (01257) 424007 | e: standish.unity@standishunityclub.com www.standishunityclub.com
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THE RISE & RISE OF WIGAN CENTRAL PUB OF THE YEAR 2015
H
ave you ever made an impulse buy that turned into a great decision? Well I did it with a railway arch that we turned into a bar – Wigan Central. A chance trawl on the internet for a new home for Prospect Brewery in July 2014 led to an unexpected outcome. Having visited some of the multitude of microbreweries in railway arches in Manchester, I looked up Network Rail to see if there was anything suitable in Wigan. They had just advertised a redundant railway arch in Queen Street that was due for refurbishment and, although smaller than our current premises, looked promising. A visit to the site proved that my initial instinct was correct and the building was too small for our brewery. It also had no rear access and was to have large glass doors fitted, meaning it would be logisticly very difficult to operate a brewery from there. But an idea was sparked in my mind that it could make a great bar. Again in Manchester, I had seen some great work done to railway arches to make interesting venues, my favourite being the Knott Bar near Deansgate station. Could we make this into something new and interesting for Wigan? A real ale venue that would be much more than just a Prospect tap? Negotiations with Network rail were fairly protracted and the speed of their refurbishments before we got the keys was glacial, but this allowed us more time to decide how we were going to fit out the bar, and what its name would be.
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Roy Pearson, a brewer at Prospect and Wigan CAMRA member, came up with the name of bar recalling that Wigan had a third railway station that closed in 1965 - Wigan Central. Help came in many forms. Kent Winrow, landlord of the Crown at New Springs, mentioned a bar in a hotel in Benidorm that was fitted out like old railway carriages. So, armed with a few pictures from their website we approached local builder John Greenhalgh to carry out the conversion. It then became a race against time to open before Christmas. Friends and colleagues were railroaded into helping with ideas and practical help, and licensing and planning permission for change of use were applied for. John had converted our house a couple of years earlier and had won many awards for his work, so we knew that the job would be completed on time and to a high standard. Now the fun really started. We got the keys on 22nd October and John G promised we would be open by December 4th. About the same time, we secured the services of Dan and Gina Buck, who had been running Great Ale Year Round in Bolton, as our managers. Running round trying to co-ordinate upholsterers, electricians, plumbers and suppliers kept us all on our toes. John G was magnificent, coming up with great ideas and fashioning a bespoke railway bar from an empty shell. I even got involved creating and sewing the luggage nets above the carriage style seating, that were fastened to brackets designed and manufactured by my brother and husband, both John’s. Husband John was also the inspiration and builder of the giant clock that is above the door, and the live train times on the ticket office wall. Dan and Gina used their social media skills to generate a pre-opening buzz, and despite some doom mongers saying that
February - April 2016
the bar was at the ‘wrong’ end of town we knew we were on to a winner, as long as we got the beer quality and variety right. We asked John Hilton, retired station master at the original Wigan Central railway station, to cut the ribbon on a cold and wet December evening with a crowd of expectant drinkers waiting outside. December was hugely busy and we had to work very hard to keep up with the demand for beer. Customers were very patient waiting to be served, but the atmosphere was bustling and vibrant, and the compliments came in thick and fast. Wigan Athletic supporters club quickly adopted us as their preferred drinking venue before a home match and we also welcomed away supporters and their banter made Saturdays very entertaining. It was a bit of a blow when in February Dan and Gina decided to leave us and return to Essex, Gina’s home county. They had given us a great start, but luckily for us Jo Whalley applied for the post and has proved to be the best of managers, ably supported by Shaun Ashton and Tom Simm as deputies. Spring brought two diverse awards for Wigan Central – ‘Wigan CAMRA Pub of the Season’ and a ‘Wigan Council Better Build’ award for best commercial conversion. Summer saw us become a finalist in the ‘Manchester Food and Drink Festival’ best pub category, and although we didn’t win, we were extremely proud to be nominated as one of the best six pubs in Greater Manchester. Our first 12 months of business has seen a turnover far in excess of our expectations. We have served over 40 different varieties of cider and more than 550 different beers from breweries all over the country as far apart as London, Cornwall, Wales and the northern most reaches of Scotland. We have offered a wide variety of both cask and craft keg beers, many from new breweries. Fyne Ales must count as our customer’s favourite brewery, where 9 gallons of ‘Jarl’ sometimes can be sold in about 90 minutes. The culmination of a truly awesome first year was the award of Wigan CAMRA Pub of the Year, Best New Cask Outlet and Cider Pub of the Year. Any complaints? Well yes, customers keep telling us that the pub isn’t big enough, so to kick off 2016 we are negotiating with Network Rail to rent unit 2 next door. Watch this space for more exciting developments. Patsy Slevin
February - April 2016
Sacred Heart Parish Centre
Join rus fo
BIG BAND NIGHT with the
Ronny Moore Big Band Every Wednesday Night from 8:45pm, completely free Fine ales & lager now with "Cask ale" on tap
Cabaret night
Saturdays from 8:00pm All welcome, no membership required
Room Hire - 125 people
for all functions & celebrations
call John on 07931 552545 for more info
Throstlesnest Avenue, Springfield, Wigan, WN3 6AR • (01942) 519059
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BOOZY SNIPPETS BOOZE NEWS FROM NEAR & FAR
J
ames Kemp has become head brewer at Marble Beers in Manchester. James previously worked as head brewer at Buxton Brewery and started his brewing career at Thornbridge. As such, I guess we can expect even more seriously good beers from Marble. Blasts from the past!! Higsons Brewery Limited is seeking to convert two vacant warehouses into a brewery, and also including a distillery, visitors centre, retail and sampling hall. The proposed site of the brewery is on the corner of Bridgewater Street and Simpson Street in the Baltic Triangle area of Liverpool. Sudarghara Dusanj, former owner of the defunct Cains Brewery in Liverpool, has submitted plans to build a £250 million ‘brewery village’. The plans include the building of a new craft brewery on the site of the Toxteth brewing plant. The Sportsman in Duke Street, St Helens reopened on 21st November and has been renamed the Talbot Alehouse. The pub is now owned by Gary Wright, one of the brewers at George Wright Brewery in Rainford. A few days later and a few doors down on Duke Street, the Bar Rifle opened – a micropub selling interesting beers in cask, keg and bottle as well as imported beers. The Cock T’Alehouse micropub in Eccleston, near Chorley, opened on 30th October. Initial reports are all positive which is not surprising as the pub is owned by Richard and Ruth Hull, licensees of the multi-award winning Allgates-owned ‘Victoria’ in Haigh/Aspull. The Hand Drawn Monkey (HDM) brewery in Huddersfield has ceased trading and its bar in Huddersfield town centre is also permanently closed. HDM was well respected and commonly acknowledged as one of the pioneers of the craft b re w i n g scene. Their beers will be sadly missed. 10
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Finally... on November 29th 2015, an intruder entered a secured area at the Budweiser brewery in St Louis, Missouri, USA. Police were called after an altercation with security officers and a 19-year old man was subsequently arrested. His name – Bud Weisser.
February - April 2016
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5 CASK ALES & 1 CASK CIDER changing weekly
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BREWERY NEWS KEEPING YOU UPDATED All Gates Brewery
www.allgatesbrewery.com Due to demand, Boston Plum Porter and Patchcroft have been added to the core range of beers. Pepper Lane is another beer that is selling well and there is a new beer in the pipeline called Uncle Joe’s Peppermint Stout. Foggs Fold, Chocolate Stout, Sloe Stout, Mad Monk and Cassicar Coffee Stout are the next monthly beers with Blue Sky Tea still available in bottles. The low ABV Half Devil is still in regular demand for the Delph Tavern in Tontine.
Martland Mill Brewery
www.martlandmillbrewery.co.uk
Sales are continuing well and the brewery has been approached by two major brewery groups to supply their outlets on a regular basis. The Tap ‘n’ Barrel goes from strength to strength and recently received CAMRA LocAle and Pub of the Season awards. It’s hoped to increase the variety of guest beers found on the bar. Two more fermenters are to be purchased allowing for five days a week brewing. Santa’s Tipple was produced as a Christmas beer. Plans for bottled beers have been hampered by problems with the bottling plant at the George Wright brewery.
Problem Child www.problemchild brewing.co.uk
Brewing is still concentrating upon the core beer range. Their most recent beer One Night Stand (3.8%), a light session ale, was launched at the Problem Child Beer Festival on 4th September. There are now 5 beers available in bottled beer range - Scoundrel, Rascal, Good Spanking, Scallywag and Tantrum. Problem Child beers are permanently available at the Wayfarer pub/restaurant in Parbold. 12
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Hophurst Brewery
www.hophurstbrewery.co.uk
The brewery celebrated its first birthday on 7th October which coincided with their 50th brew. A beer called 50 Gyle was produced - a 4.4% ABV session IPA with lots of American hops. It proved to be so popular, that it had to be brewed again. A 3rd fermenter is now operational and is helping to satisfy growing demand and enable more beer variety. A spiced beer Antler was produced for Christmas. Stout has now been bottled, so there are five bottled beers currently available.
Prospect Brewery
www.prospectbrewery.com
The search for new premises continues unabated as the lease on the current premises terminates in less than a year (8th November 2016) although an extension may be possible. At the SIBA North West Beer Competition in October, Nutty Slack won a bronze award in its category. This maintains their proud record of picking up a SIBA award for 8 consecutive years – ever since the brewery was founded. In addition to core beers, recent brews have included Prosperity #5 - a 4.6% milk stout, and Prosperity #6 - a 3.9% pale ale with Sorachi Ace and Citra hops. For Christmas, in addition to the oldfavourite Clementine, a golden beer made with raisins and Earl Grey tea was produced Raisins to be Cheerful.
Wily Fox Brewery
www.wilyfoxbrewery.co.uk This brand new 20-barrel microbrewery, located on Martland Mill Business Park is expected to be operational shortly. A Head Brewer has been appointed and the brewing kit is in the final stages of installation prior to commissioning. A Sales Director, with substantial experience of supplying beer to the licensed trade, has also been appointed. The three House Brands have been developed ready for the launch. See next ‘Swiggin’ for a featured article about the brewery.
New Brewery? Is there another brewery on the horizon? Plans for a microbrewery in the stables complex at Haigh Hall in Wigan has now reached planning application stage. February - April 2016
LOCAL PUB NEWS KEEPING YOU UPDATED The Crown at Worthington, a former Wigan CAMRA Pub of the Year on three occasions, suddenly closed during the first week in January. A sad end to a once great pub that was also a finalist in CAMRA’s National Pub of the Year in 2010. Perhaps a sign of the times, just a mile or so up the road in Standish, a new micropub opened - The Hoot, just a few doors down the High Street from the Albion Ale House. The opening night (27th November) saw 8 handpulls serving real ale including beers from Prospect, Blackedge and Moorhouses. The Tudor House in Wigan seemingly closed its doors for good in November 2014. However, the pub has recently undergone refurbishment but, despite having advertised for staff, it doesn’t seem to be ready to open just yet. Perhaps a brighter future for another once great pub. In January, we also said goodbye to the popular licensees of the Crooke Hall Inn – Greg and Jenny Liptrot. They have done an outstanding job at the Crooke Hall Inn turning it into one of the best pubs in our branch area and winner of several CAMRA accolades, including Community Pub of the Year on two occasions. Their beer festivals at the pub were also legendary. The Tap ‘n Barrel in Wigan was voted as Wigan CAMRA Pub of the Season (Winter). The award was presented on December 28th.
The Hare and Hounds, on the Billinge/Upholland boundary, has been designated as an Asset of Community Value (ACV). Although the pub is not under threat of closure, an ACV provides a degree of future protection for this former Wigan CAMRA Best New Cask Outlet (2010) and Pub of the Season (Autumn 2011). The Railway in Parbold has recently become a freehouse (ex-Marston’s) and is now serving real ale on 6 handpulls with an emphasis on local breweries. Sacred Heart Social Club in Springfield, now serves one real ale - Jennings Cumberland Bitter. Entertainment by the Ronnie Moore 17-piece Big Band every Wednesday evening – free entry, all welcome. Refurbishment work continues on the Royal Oak in Standishgate. Opening date is anticipated very shortly for this former Wigan CAMRA Pub of the Year (2010). The Fox and Goose on Wigan Lane now has three handpumps (up from 1) in the games room, with a further one in the lounge. Their aspirations are to offer a real cider and Holts Bitter as regulars, with guest beers on the other two pumps. Let’s hope their plans come to fruition. The Griffin Hotel on Standishgate in Wigan is now a hotel again offering 5 guest rooms. Sadly, no real ale as the sole handpump seems to have been removed during the transition. Last Orders on Wallgate has been refurbished and re-opened with a name change – Last Orders at the Dog and Partridge. Sadly, still no real ale. Sam’s Country Inn in Appley Bridge no longer serves real ale. On a recent visit, the sole handpump had been removed. Plans have been submitted for the demolition of the Crooked Wheel pub in Worsley Mesnes Drive, Poolstock
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THE POPE VISITS ALL GATES BREWERY BEER GURU RETURNS HOME
C
harles (Charlie) Bamforth is probably not a name known to most but, in brewing circles, he is known as the ‘Pope of foam’ and the ‘brewmaster general’ – a name given to him back in 2010 in Playboy magazine’s ‘roll call’ of the USA’s most intriguing college professors. Although now living in California, he was born in Upholland and was educated at Upholland Grammar School and Hull University. He boasts an impressive CV and his current roles include: Anheuser-Busch Endowed Professor of Malting and Brewing Sciences; President of the Institute of Brewing and Distilling; editor-in-chief
of the Journal of the American Society of Brewing Chemists. In short, he is probably the world’s #1 expert on every aspect of beer and author of numerous books on brewing and brewing science, including “Beer Is Proof God Loves Us’. On 14th October, All Gates Brewery was privileged and honoured to receive a visit from Charlie and to provide him with a tour of their brewery. David Mayhall, director of All Gates, says – ‘I can’t pay him any greater compliment, than he came across as a proper ‘Wiganer’, down to earth and someone who calls a spade a bloody shovel. I also got the impression of someone who would rather enjoy a pint in a pub rather than a ‘beer’ at a formal event, in the company of leaders of industry, but been very comfortable in either situation.’ Charlie seems like a great bloke but he’s not perfect... he supports Wolverhampton Wanderers!!
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February - April 2016
WHAT’S IN A BEER NAME? ALL CHANGE AT ALL GATES
O
ver the past few months, All Gates Brewery has been going through a bit of a change. Firstly, they revamped their website, which includes an excellent blog by David Mayhall, one of the breweries directors. They have also incorporated an ingenious strap line for their beers - ‘brewed with northern soul’. As well as rebranding their pumpclips, they have also been gradually renaming many of their beers. So if you’re a fan of Napoleon’s Retreat, Ostara or All Black, don’t worry, they’ve not disappeared but you will find them under a different name. See below for the known list of beers in the All Gates beer range: -
PERMANENT BEERS: Tag (3.6%) was All Black; Florida (3.6%) was Ostara; Wigan Junction (3.9%) was Napoleon’s Retreat; Dry Bones (4.0%) was Brigantia; Hic Bibi (4.2%) was Citra; California (3.8%).
w a s
‘Golden Aeld’; Back of Bourke (4.2%) was Galaxy; Barley Brook (4.4%) was Weapon of Mash Destruction; St Georges (4.0%) was Challenger; Cripplegate Sloe Stout (7.2%) - based upon recipe for Mad Monk; Stone House Oz (4.2%); Samhain (4.5%); Pepper Lane Pale (4.1%); Hung, Drawn and Portered (5.2%); Mad Monk (7.1%); Gidlow Wash (4.1%); Summersales (4.1%); Gorners Drift (3.7%).
BI-MONTHLY & OCCASSIONAL BEERS: Bugle Horn (4.3%) was Admiral; Urchinsnapes (4.0%) was Celtic Pale; Victoria (4.0%) was Ella; Hardybutts (4.5%) was Winter Zing; Pretoria (3.9%) was Saving a pint for Ryan; Dark Lane (5.2%) was Pot calling the Kettle; Hop Hop Hop No. 3 (4.0%); Equinox (4.1%); Blue Sky Tea (4.2%); Pony Dick (4.2%); Gin Pit (4.3%); Calypso (4.4%); Old Boston Plum Porter (4.4%); Calico Deep Engine (4.6%); Quaker House Oatmeal Stout (4.9%); Station to Station (5.6%); Industrious Bee (3.8%); Foggs Fold (4.5%); MONTHLY BEERS: Meadow Pit (4.5%) was Poppy; Cassicar (4.4%) was Double Espresso; Seven Feet (4.3%) was Summit; Dairy Pit (4.5%) was Milk Stout; Patchcroft (4.2%) was Mosaic; Edith and Mabel (4.2%)
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FROM THE MISTS OF TIME A LOOK AT THE LOCAL PUB SCENE OF YESTERYEAR Thirty-five years ago Burtonwood installed handpumps and cellar refrigeration in the Worthington Hotel, Hindley, to the delight of local drinkers. Work started at last on the Legh Arms, Lamberhead Green, empty for two years and bought by Thwaites in 1980. Tetley-Walker installed handpumps in three pubs: the Raven Hotel on Wallgate; the Silverwell, Scholes and the Prince of Wales, Springfield.
Thirty years ago The Saracen’s Head, Swinley, closed its doors for good on January 8th, another casualty of Wigan’s ring road. The Star Hotel, an ex-Greenall Whitley pub in Ashton-in-Makerfield was demolished. The Bird i’th’ Hand in Gathurst reopened as the Kingfisher. Still no real ale, like most of the Matthew Brown pubs in the area.
Twenty-five years ago The Dicconson Arms, Appley Bridge, reopened after refurbishment, selling cask beer for the first time in years: Burtonwood bitter and Forshaw’s bitter. Ruddles bitter (a rarity in the area) was replaced by Tetley bitter (which wasn’t) at the Park Hotel, Higher Ince. The Ball & Boot in Scholes reopened as the Douglas Gate. The interior of the pub was little different and handpumped Tetley bitter had survived the changes.
ale.
Fifteen years ago The Springfield Hotel went over to fizzy beer after a change of licensee. Elsewhere in Springfield, rumour had it that a certain Mr J.D. Wetherspoon was interested in the Famous Pagefield. On Wallgate the Seven Stars Hotel, a former branch Pub of the Year went over to Thwaites smoothflow. The Plough Hotel in Hindley joined the ranks of the closed and boarded up.
Ten years ago The Running Horses in Aspull was pulled down and flats were expected to be built on the site. The Bull’s Head in Marus Bridge closed again. The Star Inn, Roby Mill reopened. No real ale, though the landlady hinted that it may be available soon.
Five years ago The Wayfarer Inn, Parbold, looked set to open its own microbrewery. Problem Child beers were expected to be on tap soon. The Tavern on Mesnes Street was about to reopen as a pub-cum-Thai restaurant. Hard times for Owls. The Owl Inn in Upholland closed for good and the Owl and the Pussycat in Skelmersdale was demolished. Dave White
Twenty years ago All the pubs in Standish sold cask-conditioned beer after Burtonwood converted the Boar’s Head to the real stuff. The Brown Cow, a Greenalls pub in Billinge stopped selling cask bitter but went over to cask mild. Just when you thought that the mania for fake Irish bars had passed its peak, the Rock Hotel in Lower Ince reopened as Bridie Donnelly’s. No real 16
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Rock Hotel and The Seven Stars February - April 2016
A TRUE FREE HOUSE WITH 5 ROTATING GUEST ALES FRESH HOME COOKED FOOD FROM A SEASONAL MENU LARGE OUTDOOR BEER GARDEN & SEATING AREA LIVE SPORTS ON 5 SCREENS THOUGHOUT THE PUB POOL TABLE & DARTS
QUIZ NIGHT WEDNESDAYS Free Sausage & Chips plus Play Your Cards Right
FOOD SERVED Wednesday - Sund ay 12 Noon - 8pm
DELPH TAVERN | TONTINE | ORRELL | WIGAN | WN5 8UJ | t. 01695 622239
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Wigan branch of The Campaign for Real Ale
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NORTH-WEST BEER COMPETITION BEER ‘OSCARS’ FOR REGIONAL BREWERIES
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he Society of Independent Brewers Association (SIBA) held their annual North West beer competition in Bolton on 14th October. Over 200 beers were initially judged by category. The category winners were as follows: • STANDARD MILD ALES & BROWN ALES: Coach House Brewing - Gunpowder Mild • STANDARD BITTERS & PALE ALES: Brewsmith Beer - Brewsmith Bitter • BEST BITTERS & PALE ALES: Blackjack Beers New Deck • PREMIUM BITTERS & PALE ALES: Green Mill Brewery - On the Tiles • STRONG BITTERS & PALE ALES: Hooded Ram Brewing - Mosaic Single Hop Pale Ale • PREMIUM STRONG BEERS: Hawkshead Brewery - IPA
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• PORTERS, STOUTS, OLD ALES, STRONG MILD/ BROWN ALES: Green Mill Brewery - Shortand Stout • SPECIALITY BEERS: Red Star - Weissbier The eight category winners went into a final round of judging and the overall champion beer was judged to be New Deck by Blackjack Beers. The silver award went to Brewsmith Beers for Brewsmith Bitter and the bronze award went to Hawkshead Brewery for their IPA. Prospect Brewery picked up a bronze award with Nutty Slack in the ‘Standard Mild Ales & Brown Ales’ category. This award keeps up their winning sequence of picking up an award for 8 consecutive years (ever since the brewery was formed).
February - April 2016
St Aidans Social Centre A welcoming club with a cosy lounge
• Well stocked bar & Guestt Ales - competitive prices • SKY & BT Sport - TV’s & a large screen in games room m • Outdoor Crown Green Bowls - very well kept Green n • Pool & Snooker teams Looking for a base? Check out our facilities
Modern Function Room activities Many activitie s take place - Aerobics, Aer Luncheon club, Bingo, indoor bowls e etc. as well as rregular nights. concert n The Th Function Functi Fu tion Room is available for hire Birthdays, Birthda Celebrations, Christenings & Anniversaries
Holmes House Ave, Wigan WN3 6EE • 01942 211121
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Wigan branch of The Campaign for Real Ale
BARRY’S TRAVELS HULL RE-VISITED
F
urther to my earlier article about Hull, I decided to make a return visit but this time taking a look at a different part of the city. Princess Avenue is a long road, close to the University, adorned with bars and eating houses. First stop was The Pave, a large one roomed bar with a stage area in the corner for bands at weekends. Good selection from the Yorkshire Brewery Blackjack (Blackberry Stout) and Saltaire Challenger Special, 5.2%, Brass Castles Oatmeal Pale, Tetleys Gold, 4.1%, Theakstons Best and Rosies Pig for the cider drinkers. After watching the world pass by through the large windows, it was time to leave. Just a few yards down the road we came to our next bar Dukes, a café bar and grill serving Sharps Atlantic and Timothy Taylors Landlord. Although primarily an eating place, live music is played every Sunday. Leaving Princess Avenue behind, a short walk took us to Newlands Avenue where we found Larkins Bar, a small cosy friendly place serving food. The beers on offer were Newsome Brewery, Frothingham Best 4.5%, Partners JYB and Wold Top Wold Gold. At the other end of Newland Avenue, we came to Xanders Bar, a long one roomed bar serving Great Yorkshire Brewery Chocolate Orange, 6.3% which was a lovely half. Other beers on offer were Clarkes 40 Not Out, Yorkshire Golden, 4.2% plus Old Rosie Cider. Every Tuesday is curry night here. A short taxi ride from here took us to the old docks area to The Whalebone, Hull CAMRA Pub of the Year 2015. A
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small friendly pub with a central bar with the walls adorned with pictures of old Hull and the docks. The choice of beers on our visit was Copper Dragon Best Bitter and Golden Pippin, Timothy Taylors Landlord, Clarkes Classic Blonde, Rat Brewery Flying Rat and Totally Brewed Pappa Jangles Voodoo Stout. With two real ciders on offer it was a deserved winner of pub of the year. It was now time to make our way back into the town centre but not before we stumbled across a gem of a Batemans pub called The Bay Horse. This was my favourite - small, cosy and friendly with three Bateman beers XB, XXB and Yellow Belly. Once again we found Hull to be a great place to visit with some great pubs with a good selection of beers to choose from. If you get the chance it is well worth a visit. Barry Seale
Trading Standards
Have you ever... received a short pint? Deliberately been overcharged for your beer? Been to a pub that serves only keg beers despite advertising cask ales? Firstly let the publican know about the problem but if you don’t get a satisfactory response these matters should be reported to Trading Standards, which exists to protect the rights of consumers. Wigan Council Trading Standards, Unity House, Westwood Park Drive, Wigan, WN3 4HE. t: 01942 827476 e: ts@wigan.gov.uk
February - April 2016
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Wigan branch of The Campaign for Real Ale
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February - April 2016
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