Central Lancashire Autumn 2014 Branch Issue No. 104
Ale
Fighting for drinkers rights in
Cry since
1973
Micro pub revolution comes to Chorley It's always good news to report on a brand new real ale outlet. The Shepherd's Hall Ale House on Chapel Street, Chorley is the first micro pub in Chorley and the second in the branch area following the Market Ale House in Leyland which opened last year.
some excellent photographs from local artist Jason Smalley and the overall feel is cosy without being cluttered. At the back, the toilets have the original Victorian red tiles and gas light fittings. The pub is the brainchild of brothers Tom, Graham and The pub is still experimenting with opening hours and Stuart Hardyman and opened it's doors for the first time there will no doubt be some flexibility if there are enough people in. on 8th August. There are five handpumps on the bar and the beers on offer the first night were Allgates Ostara (3.6%), Allgates All Black (3.6%), Clarks Over The Top In common with the growing number of micropubs around the country there is an absence of many of the (4.2%), Burton Bridge Sovereign Gold (4.0%) and things that other pubs make a big deal about – namely Wychwood Hayburner (4.2%). Our group tried food, TV, music, games, lager, craft beers etc. You won't everything apart from the Burton Bridge and declared find any of these things in the Shepherd's Hall Ale House, them all to be in fine form. just a friendly welcome, good real ale and a conviviThere were plenty of customers that first night and by al atmosphere to enjoy a quiet pint (although you can the end of the weekend they had (literally) sold out of expect to get involved in conversation with the locals). beer, so were forced to close until the following Wednes- In short, this is a traditional alehouse and a welcome day. Tom later told us that they had cleared 12 x 9 gallon addition to the Chorley drinking scene. We wish them barrels in the first weekend. The following Wednesday well in their venture and hopefully many of you will pay I returned to find beers from Bank Top, Bowland and them a visit when you next come to Chorley. Hopstar on the bar. There will be no permanent beers at Adrian Smith this pub, but a continually changing selection focusing on local micros and also those from further afield. Although It’s going on in pubs all over Chorley so LocAle’s will feature, it is their intention to provide a support local entertainers in local pubs and have a great selection of ales not regularly available elsewhere in the time. Keep your eye open for the notices ed area. Cider drinkers have been impressed with the real ciders available.
Editorial
The pub itself is relatively small, although it does have the advantage of having a proper cellar. The bar was rescued from Harry’s Bar in Chorley and has been fitted with a tiled top. Some of the tables were originally in the old Tut ‘n’ Shive in Chorley – and it’s good to see those being reused in a new venture. The walls are adorned with
p2 , Chairman’s Welcome Wilson Potter Brewery; p4 Parbold, Chorley Chatter; p6 Clayton & Whittle; P8 Your Branch Needs You; P11 South Ribble Scene, Clubwatch; P12 Preston Parade Coppull Corner; P13 Lancashire Wetherspoons; P16 Mountain View, P18 Pub of the Season, Good Beer Guide; P19 Glass Savers; P20 Riley’s Rambles; p22 Branch Details; P23 Membership Application Form..................................and much more
Chairman's Welcome Hello and welcome to the new edition of Ale Cry. I would like to start by publicly thanking the small team of people who make this magazine possible. The articles written by Gordon Small, Paul Riley, Mick Clark and other welcome contributors form the backbone of the magazine and without their continuing efforts, we wouldn’t have one. Mick is also the editor, and having taken over a few years ago he has now got to grips with the editing software and the quality of Ale Cry improves with every issue. Thanks are also due to the members who distribute 5000 or so magazines every quarter to something like 200 outlets across the area and to those who drum up adverts (and collect the money) and to the licensees who part with their hard earned cash for those adverts. To you, the reader - we assume you enjoy our magazine (as most of the ones we produce disappear from the pubs) and it would be nice to get some feedback. If any of you have any comments or suggestions about Ale Cry – please email them to us (see inside back cover for contact details). I took over the role of Branch Chairman at the AGM in June. Although I have been a CAMRA member for nearly 30 years, I have only been 'active' for about 18 months. The reason for not being involved had always been lack of time and little interest in going to boring meetings. Having taken the plunge I quickly realised that being active takes as much time as you want it to and that meetings don't need to be boring! For my tenure in the chair I have four broad objectives: •
There was Tandle Hill a 3.9% blonde beer, a very pale and hoppy Don’t Fall also 3.9%, Gingerly Does It, self explanatory at 3.5%, Bon Don Doon, a 4.2% beer made with Columbus And Perle hops, Rum In the Black at 4.2%, a dark stout with a hint of rum, and finally, a full bodied Ruby Red at 4.4%. There was a selection of ham or cheese barmcakes at a reasonable price to help soak up the beer, plus a selection of proper Lancashire crisps, including black pudding and mustard flavour, which proved very popular, such that I even took a bag home for later. The brewery equipment is visible in the room and on enquiry we were told that they don’t do brewery trips as such, because microbreweries tend to be all the same, and “when you have seen one you have seen them all.” However, everyone was welcome to ask any questions they wanted and they would try their best to answer them. Thus we were able to glean the following from them. They produced their first beers in 2011 on the plant, which was installed by David Porter’s PBC Installations. Since then, they have produced a wide range of beers, with seven core beers supplemented by occasional beers and one off specials. They won their first award in 2012 at Oldham beer festival, where their Tandle Hill was beer of the festival. Besides being in cask form, they also bottle certain beers. They deliver from Liverpool to Leeds and Crewe to Preston. They have appeared on the bar at the Ale Emporium on several occasions. One question they are always asked is “where does the name of the brewery come from” and it turns out that Wilson and Potter are the names of their maternal grandmothers. The brewery is in Unit E2 on Hanson Close in Middleton, Manchester and you can phone them on 0161 654 6446 or look them up at www.wilsonpotterbrewery.co.uk There should be details of their next gathering plus all the usual info, and they are also on Facebook and Twitter. If, like us, you go by train, the nearest station is Mills Hill. Turn left down Oldham Road. After about 10 minutes, look out for Spring Vale on your right, go down there and you will find Hanson Park industrial estate with E2 up on the right.
Increase membership numbers – if you are reading this, then I'm guessing you are a real ale drinker and you enjoy pubs. If you are not already a member, I would ask why you haven't joined us – with the monthly newsletter, quarterly magazine, Wetherspoons vouchers, pub discounts and reduced entry to beer festivals, it makes the subscription at less than £2 a month excellent value. More importantly you will be adding your voice and support to probably the most successful consumer campaign ever. • Activate the existing membership – we will be contacting all our members over the next few months to see whether we can encourage them to get involved with branch activities. Elsewhere in this magazine is an article all about being involved and how you can help. • Improved communication – not just with members, but also with licensees. While we know some of our publicans very You can get a train from well, in many cases it is less so. We are here to support pubs Preston to Manchester Victoria and encourage pub going – so we are on the same side. We and change to the Todmorden need to make that clearer. • Become more social – as a branch we haven't had many trips train there getting off at Mills Hill. As always, you can make and most of these have been arranged for the same small savings by not buying a through group. Hopefully over the coming months we will be able to arrange more social activities and thereby encourage some of ticket, but by getting separate tickets Preston-Manchester and the members we don't see at meetings to join us. Manchester-Mills Hill. Also couples can make use of Duo tickets. Because of electrification work when we went, we actually found That's enough of my ramblings – I'm off to grab a pint! an even cheaper way to get there. Adrian Smith Branch Chairman Buy a £7.40 return ticket to Under 26 or over 60 Wigan North Western, walk over You’d be mad not to joi n CAMRA From £15.50 to join: £20 to Wallgate and catch the same rea Todmorden bound train that months membership for the l ale vouchers, and 15 eventually goes through Victo pr ice of 12 (se e pa + Real Ale Discounts at ria. That ticket will be only £4.10 hundreds of pubs ge 22) return, totalling only £11.50, a big saving. You can check train times and compare prices at I thought we were going on a standard brewery trip where you arrive, get beers, then you are shown round the brewery and go www.nationalrail.co.uk After back to the bar and have more beers. Arriving at Wilson Potter an enjoyable couple of hours at the brewery, we decided to catch a on a Saturday afternoon, we discovered it was more like an open train back and break our journey at Salford Central, where sevday, where you turn up and partake in a drinking session, with eral excellent pubs can be found in close proximity to the station, including the New Oxford, Kings Arms and Salford Arms the menu being a selection of the latest beers brewed by the They could form the basis of a future Riley’s Ramble, so I will leave owners, Kathryn Harrison and Amanda Seddon, on their six a description of these for another occasion. For those old Camra barrel microbrewery. Not that we were complaining, as all the beers were super and it gave us a good opportunity to meet like hands, it would be worth mentioning that when we went in the New Oxford, we bumped into Graham Donning, one time regionminded folk, both local and from further afield. Not that you can just turn up, you must be invited. It turns out that they have al director of West Pennines and for many years organiser of the these soirees once a month, and if you let them know you want great Manchester Beer Festival. We had a good laugh reminding to come, they will put you on their list. I will give you contact de- him he had been nicknamed GOD in our circles. He took it in Paul Riley tails later. It was already busy when we arrived, but we managed good heart. 2 to find some seating, and the serious business of sampling the wares could begin. On the day we had six beers to choose from.
WILSON POTTER BREWERY
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The Crown @ Croston 01772 972785 www.crowncroston.co.uk
A warm welcome awaits from Jo & Rob
20p Discount to Card Carrying CAMRA Members 5 Cask Ales from Daniel Thwaites 1807 Cask Club Range and 1 Real Cider
Home Cooked food served Lunchtimes & Evenings Full breakfast menu Saturday & Sunday from 10am Regular live Acoustic music Ample car parking with a large manicured, secluded beer garden & Boules Pitch
Morning Advertiser North West Regional Winner Best Pint 2014
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leave mra he gionthe ing n
e-mail ~ thecrownhotelcroston@gmail.com
Mon-Thur 12 to 23.00 Fri 12 to 00.15 Sat 10 to 00.15 Sun 10 to 23.00 Closing times may be later than advertised !
3
Ale Cry goes to Parbold
Marstons owned pub. It was tastefully refurbished in 2011 and is everything you would expect from a traditional village pub, with a central drinking area round the bar, two separate rooms on each side and a rear area for games and a large TV screen. There Parbold is not actually in our branch area, lying to the south is also a beer garden and a roaring real fire in winter. Bar snacks of the boundary between us and the Wigan Branch, but it has an interesting collection of pubs in a very small area and is well are available 12-3 Tue- Sun and there is a selection of up to four real ales from the extensive range of beers supplied by Marstons. worth a visit, both for the range and the quality of the beers to Note that the pub only opens at 4pm on Monday (noon other be found. We, of course, went in our hired minibus, but it can days). be reached both by train and bus. (More of which later}. All the pubs in Parbold are popular with people on the canal The first pub we went in on our visit was the Wayfarer on and cyclists and walkers all enjoying the pleasant countryside around this area Alder Lane. It is about half a mile from Parbold railway Meanwhile, as I said, we were station and if you were alight travelling on to visit the Eagle ing at said station would and Child at Bispham Green, involve walking south, over a classic country pub at the the canal and along Mill Lane southern extremity of our and turning right at the branch area. It is administered junction with Alder Lane, passing for Good Beer Guide purposes the other pubs mentioned later in by the Wigan Branch and it is this article. The Wayfarer is the a pity they do not participate in the search for the Lancashire home of the Problem Child pub of the year, as I think it would have a good chance. The pub Brewery, which brews every dates from the 18th Century and is well known for its food, Tuesday and Wednesday and winning awards regularly, but after 10pm it becomes a local’s which can be viewed from the pub once again, with enthusiastic and friendly staff serving up outside through glass panels. The to eight real ales. On our visit we could have sampled the folpub was converted from cottages lowing:- Derwent Brewery’s Harvester Ale (4.3%), Southport’s built in the 18th Century, which Sandgrounder (3.8%) and Golden Sands (4%), Spitting Feathers contribute to the cosy feeling of the pub with its low beamed Thirst Quencher (3.7%), all at £3.10 a pint, plus Thwaites Nutty ceilings and nooks and crannies. There is an extensive outdoor Black (3.3%) and Original (3.6%) at £2.70 and £3.00 respecarea with panoramic views of Parbold Hill and as it was such a tively. There were plans for an on site brewery, but, due to the lovely summer evening we all moved out there after getting our requirement to build a sewerage treatment plant for the brewdrinks. There is always at least one Problem Child beer on sale. ery, this has not been proceeded with. The pub has a large beer When we visited, there was Scallywag, a 3.7% golden hoppy ale, garden which includes a bowling green, a wildlife area and great and the straw coloured hoppy ale Scoundrel, at 4.6%. Besides views. A quiz is held on Monday nights. Food is served lunchthose, we could try either 4T’s Thirst Aid (3.8%) or their 5% time and evenings Mon- Sat and all day Sunday and because of Loaded, plus Thwaites Wainwright and a draught cider. Average its popularity, it is advisable to prebook a table. price was £3.00 a pint. There are three separate food choices:It was time for us to hop on our minibus back to Preston, but bar food, restaurant and an attached Italian bistro. It was a good both the Eagle and Child and Parbold itself are accessible by bus start to our evening. From here we walked up the small rise to from Chorley using the 337 bus which runs between there and reach the Stocks Tavern, on the Ormskirk every two hours from 0810 until 1615, with returns corner. two hourly from 0942 until the last one which leaves Parbold at 1747. Unfortunately there is no evening or weekend service. The Stocks is another freehouse The only alternative is by train to Wigan North Western station, and according to the GBG usually walking over to Wallgate and catching the Southport train to has five beers on sale, so we were Parbold. These run regularly, but a return ticket Preston-Parsomewhat disappointed to find bold will set you back £12.90 and amazingly there is no saving only Thwaites Wainwright and by splitting your tickets at Wigan. Paul Riley. Wells Bombardier for us to drink. This was a pity, for the pub itself was quite nice with its low ceilings, wood floors and panelling, it having been built in 1810. There are also two real fires that would be particularly welcoming on a cold winter’s night. One other plus point is that there is a 50p discount for Camra members, bringing the cost down to £2.50 a pint. There is a small garden to the rear and food is served weekday lunchtimes Starting off in Coppull, there is some good news. Steve Cranand all day weekends. shaw at the Red Herring has increased the number of hand Just up the road you come to pumps on his bar from three to five and due to increased the Windmill Hotel, which, as you demand is hoping to add a further pump in the near future. would expect, is situated next to an On a recent visit we found Reedley Hallowes Pendleside, OSB attractive windmill in the centre of the Detention, Bank Top Flat Cap, Banks's Sunbeam and Sharp's village. In fact the pub was originally Doombar. Quite an impressive line up for a pub situated off used as a grain store dating back to the beaten track. Work on the Wheatsheaf is progressing with 1794 and there are superb views of the bar in place and seating beginning to take shape. This is a the windmill from the beer garden large pub and we can only hope that when it does reopen there down some steep steps. The front enis sufficient trade to make it viable. trance is also via a set of stone steps. Once inside, you will find a warm welcome in a pleasant multi roomed establishment in In Heath Charnock, there has been a change a Tudor style, including a separate snug on the right with some of licensee at the Bay Horse, with long term interesting carved animals in the wooden panels of the room. tenant Janet Baxendale leaving. The new There is a traditional log fire. Six real ales are available, with tenant is Karl Eccles and his partner Fiona. Southport Golden Sands (4%) and Tetley cask (3.6%) as reguKarl will be known to Chorley drinkers, lars, both at £3.15, and four guests. On our visit these were Rud- having had spells as relief manager in the gate Viking (3.8%), Moorhouses White Witch (3.9%), Fullers Nacky (Jacksons Arms), both Queens and London Pride (4.1%) and Wells Bombardier (4.3%). These are more recently being manager at the Hartwood Hall. This all £3.30. Food is available lunchtimes and evenings Mon- Sat attractive pub has been given a coat of paint and already seems and all day Sunday.In fact the pub was originally used as a grain brighter and more welcoming. At the moment, the two regular store dating If you continue over the canal and approach the beers are Thwaite's Wainwright and Adnam's Southwold Bitter station you will find the Railway Hotel. On our trip, we did not (although the Adnams is shortly to be replaced by something have time to visit this pub as we wanted to catch a pub actually from Moorhouse's). During the week one guest beer is availain our branch area on the way back to Preston, but if you are on ble and normally two at weekends. A recent visit found the public transport, you can make sure you have time to visit this 4 (cont)
Chorley Chatter
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Chorley Chatter cont.
Adnams in excellent condition, which is often not the case in the free trade. (I'm not suggesting that free trade licensees don't look after this brewers beer, but Adnam's has a distinctive 'tang' when drunk in Suffolk, which is often missing when it travels.) Having spent a week in Suffolk earlier this year, I was pleasantly surprised to find the beer here in as good condition as that I had been supping next to the brewery. The guest on at the time of my visit was Red Squirrel Hopfest, a pale and hoppy beer at 3.8% - which was so good I had to have a second. Karl is looking to increase the number of handpumps and obtain access to the SIBA list – all of which sound great news for drinkers in this part of the area. In Chorley itself, the main news is that we have the town's first micro-pub, the Shepherd's Hall Ale House – see our cover story. There doesn't appear to have been much in the way of change in the town centre pubs, although a good variety and array of beers are always available. On the outskirts of town both the Duke of York on the A6 and the Moor Inn on Pall Mall have their freehold's for sale. The reopening of the Royal Oak in the centre appears to have been a 'red herring' and can probably now be discounted. It has been reported that the nearby Black Horse is now selling real ale again, but no details are available. Another addition to the real ale 'club' is the Baron's Rest in Astley Village. A long time keg only pub, a handpump has been installed and one real ale, we believe from the Marston's range, will be available from the end of August. The Prince of Wales on Cowling Brow has converted one of the handpumps of real cider – with Thatcher's Cheddar Valley on sale. Landlord John has reported good sales and will keep this available into winter if demand continues. Opposite, is the long closed Brookes Arms. Demolition work has started and the rumour is that the site is being redeveloped as flats. Whatever the case, another pub has been added to the list of permanent closures. Heading out along Eaves Lane, with the exception of the Shepherd's Arms (which still sells real ale in the shape of Thwaite's Wainwright and the occasional guest), all the pubs are now keg only. The Seven Stars has not sold real ale since reopening and the Derby Arms has not had any for years. The only holdout was the Bretherton Arms, but a recent visit revealed three empty handpumps – although whether or not this is just a temporary change is unknown at this time. There has been a change in management at the Malt House near Botany Bay. Sharon used to run the Adelphi in Preston and took over here earlier this summer. Although this is predominantly a food pub, up to five real ales are served. The house beer is from Moorhouse's (a 4.2% bitter re-badged as Malt House Farm) and that or another beer from Moorhouse's should be available at all times. Other regulars often include Adnams Broadside or an offering from the Hart brewery in Preston. Beers are sourced from the SIBA list and Sharon is trying to give as wide a selection as possible. There is going to be a cask ale festival sometime in September, although at this stage no details are available. This pub is run by Chef and Brewer, and according to that companies website, all their pubs give a 10% discount off cask ale purchases to CAMRA members. There is nothing at the pub to advertise this, so remember to show your card at the bar. Up in Wheelton, the rebuilding of the fire damaged Dressers Arms is progressing at a pace. The plan is for the pub to be reopening in November and to remind drinkers of this there was a pop up pub event in mid August on the car park. Irish John reported that despite the awful weather, the event was very successful and well attended - a bit pricey but good fun. A selection of ales provided by Phil(Top Lock) were sold- even runn ing out on an occasion. The weather played its part with thunder on the Friday night creating a power failure causing the pop up’ pub to deflate. (see picture).
Jazz trio Lyndsay Hoyle (Chorley’s MP) and Deputy Leader of Chorley Council Peter Wilson With Dave Spikey
and with Steve
Steve intends to repeat the event at the end of September. We look forward to seeing the new look Dressers later this year.
(cont)
A TRIP ROUND CLAYTON & WHITTLE LE WOODS A visit to the north of Chorley at about the time the World Cup was coming to it’s end proved that there was a lot of cask ale available in the pubs out there. First up was the Beaumont near the Asda superstore at Clayton Green. We were advised that this managed house comes under the County Inns arm of the Enterprise pub company, and has recently had a change of management. Beers available included Timothy Taylor’s Golden Best, Adnams Broadside and Thwaites Wainwright. Heading back towards Chorley, and just off the A6 is the Lord Nelson which is owned by Star Inns. Landlord Mark has been in charge for about a year and is rightly proud of his new hi-tech cellar cooling system which he showed us on a tour of the cellar. There were two cask ales on here, Theakston’s Lightfoot and Caledonian Deuchars IPA. Back up to the A6 we find the J W Lees owned Halfway House. Like most of the pubs in this area a lot of emphasis is placed on food, but the ale side has not been neglected. The three Lees beers available were Lees Bitter, MPA and Gold Peddler. Hidden behind the Wood End housing estate is the Ley Inn, part of the Marston’s pub estate. Not surprisingly the four ales availa ble were from the Marston’s list, which in itself is quite extensive. Banks’s Lions Roar and Sunbeam along with Wychwood Hobgoblin and Full Brazilian were available here. Over on Chorley Old Road is the Thwaite’s brewery’s Dog Inn, one of the few pubs in our area to retain a traditional layout of separate bar and lounge areas. Alongside the Thwaites Original, Wainwright andStolen ID were Wychwood Full Brazilian and a real cider on handpump from the Weston Cider Company. A further 200 yards down the road is the Royal Oak is the Royal Oak, a mid terraced pub with a traditional interior selling two beers from Slater’s Brewery in Stafford. Top Totty and Golden Glory were joined on the bar by Moorhouses Pride of Pendle. At the bottom of Dolphin Brow is another traditional local, the Roebuck. The two beers available here were Wells Bombardier and Caledonian Flying Scotsman. A short walk up the A6 is the Bay Horse, which has been turned into an upmarket dining establishment and renamed Jacks at the Bay Horse. Real ale is still available however in the form of Caledonian Deuchars IPA and Theakston Old Peculiar strong ale. Finally we travel back along the A6 to the outskirts of Chorley to find the Sea View – and yes on a clear day you can actually see the Irish Sea! Better still, on the bar you can see Jennings Cumberland Ale, Caledonian Deuchars IPA and Outstanding Breweries 3.9. Altogether we called at nine pubs and spotted twenty six real ales and one real cider available – not a bad haul in my opinion and a good selection of pubs as well. Alan Thompson 6
CAMRA’s Good Beer Guide 2012 & 13 & the only Penwortham pub in the 2014 Guide ! Cask Marque award holder
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Great beer, great team of staff and a warm and friendly welcome Saturday Music Theme Nights once a month – see facebook www.blackbull-penwortham.co.uk or facebook 83 Pope Lane, Penwortham – 01772 752953 11-11 Monday to Thursday / 11 to 12.30 Friday & Saturday / 12 to 11 Sunday unless we decide to stay open later !
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Chorley Chatter cont.
not a CAMRA member. - simply by keeping an eye on your local (or any pub that you visit regularly) and let us know when things change. Do you visit clubs that sell real ale? Do you drink real cider? These are two areas that are not covered by any of the Hopefully it will be ready for us to have people who come to meetings regularly. Can you provide us with a full report in our next edition of Ale information about either of these. One of the big problems Cry. After a short period of closure, the with a growing membership is being able to keep in contact with Cavendish at Brindle has reopened. them. We plan to email or write to all branch members before the Still a Marston's house, it is leased by end of 2014. There are about 950 members and we have email adthe same company that already has the dresses for about two thirds of them. Do we have yours (and is it Ley Inn and Halfway House (Dante's). up to date) – and if not, can you contact us and let us know so we The licensee will be well known to many – can save campaigning funds by emailing you instead of writing. Dawn Waterhouse has been behind the It would be great to use social media to keep people in touch with bar at all three pubs as well as a spell at the Dresser's a few years ago. Apart from what we are doing. We have a Facebook account, but none of us a coat of paint and a bit of a move round of are particularly active with social media and not a lot appears on the furniture, nothing much has happened it. Twitter, Instagram etc. etc - is there anybody out there who to the building. There is an interesting new understands these? More importantly, anybody fancy becoming the branches Social Media officer? We have a rela menu and the four handpumps were all in tively small active membership and it's very easy in such circum action on a recent visit. The regular beer stances to appear to others to be a clique. Every quarter we have a is Bank's Bitter, with the other 3 changing with beers from the trip to various pubs to deliver Ale Cry's – but it's always the same extensive Marston group portfolio. The Banks's Bitter and Marston New World Pale Ale were tried and both found to be on people who go on them – the people who are at the meetings. A fine form. Adrian Smith large number of the regulars are football fans with season tickets – so we haven't been organising trips on Saturdays during the As I write this article, we have just football season (which of course lasts virtually all year!) due to commemorated the 100 years since lack of support. I'm sure there are plenty of our regular readers the outbreak of World War 1. It therefore – whether or not they are CAMRA members – who would be seems appropriate to borrow Lord Kitch up for a coach or minibus trip for a brewery visit or pub crawl. ener's 'Call to Arms' for my appeal for If that is something you would be interested in, please get in more people to get involved in the local touch and leave your contact details. You'll see from CAMRA branch. We were the above that there are plenty of ways you can help us – and I founded in 1973 – and a couple of the haven't mentioned anything about coming to meetings at all yet. original members are still involved and Our committee meetings are business meetings, so probably not on the committee. In the early days of the best introduction to us! However we are planning to change CAMRA the demands on a branch were branch meetings and make them more of a social event; hope probably much less than they are now – fully with guest speakers, meet the brewers evenings and similar. select a few pubs to go in the annual Good Beer Guide, produce a What would you like to see? What would encourage you to come fairly brief newsletter and make the odd award. As CAMRA has along? We really would like to hear from you. If you can grown as an organisation and the numbers of members have in- help out with anything I've mentioned above, have any ideas or creased, the plans (nationally) have become grander and branches suggestions for the branch or simply would like to be kept inare being asked to do more. Perhaps the biggest demand formed of social events we are planning, please get in touch with placed on branches is the introduction of our national pub website us. You can send an email to us at clcamra@rocketmail.com or – WhatPub. We have about 300 pubs across our area, of which if you want to talk, give me a call – my number is in the contact 220 or so serve real ale. It takes a lot of effort to keep track of the details at the back of this magazine. Adrian Smith changes in these pubs, and many other activities are put to one side while we do this. You can help us with this – even if you are
The Old Black Bull
Now Free of Ties on Cask Beers This allows us to offer up to 9 local and regional Real Ales at all times
Heated Beer Garden 3D TV - Live Sports on 7 Screens Every Week is a Beer Festival At the Old Black Bull ‘One of the UKs top 100 pubs 2011’ - Famous Grouse Awards Three time winner of George Lee Trophy New Brews Regularly Sourced Central Lancs Pub of The Year A Good Beer Guide and Cask Marque Pub Thurs Eve a Cask Ale at £1.99 a Pint 33 Friargate - PRESTON - PR1 2AT Tel: 01772 823397 www.theoldblackbullpreston.co.uk
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The Original
FARMERS ARMS Bar and Restaurant
TOWNGATE ECCLESTON NR CHORLEY PR7 5QS TELEPHONE 01257 451594
• Up to 6 CASK ales at a time. • Always on Tap:Black Sheep, Wainwrights, Greene King IPA and Robinson’s Dizzy Blonde • + A varying selection of real ales from local micro breweries • Bar open all day until 12pm • A large selection of freshly made bar snacks • Sandwiches to T-bones & Ostrich served all day • Special offers on beers all day everyday. • Excellent bed & breakfast accommodation with en-suite facilities available • Single room from £20 (en-suite from £25) • Double room from £25 (en-suite from £30)
The Railway Inn
THE
POTTERS ARMS BROOKE STREET
New Look, New Beers Picked by our Customers Great new Prices Tuesday: All Cask Ales £1.99 All this makes us the best free house in Chorley
01257411449 emailrailwayinnchorley@yahoo.co.uk
Jennings Cumberland and 4 changing guest ales
A CAMRA pub of the Season
A Good Beer Guide and Cask Marque Pub Free pool every Monday Darts and dominoes - Thurdays Free Jukebox every Tuesday
Good Beer Guide 2015 Winner of Gidlow Paint and pint Competition)
and a real fire
Steeley lane Chorley Lancs PR6 0RD
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Chorley’s Premier Music Venue Live Music Friday and Saturday Evenings Seasonal music festivals with up to 8 bands
2nd-4th October 2014
thursday -
saturday
The Continentals
i3th beer fest
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SOUTH MEADOW LANE, PRESTON, LANCASHIRE, PR1 8JP. 01772 499425
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these articles I have been looking at the real ale and the beers available in the various differ South Inpubs ent regions of South Ribble Borough. After Ribble looking at Penwortham in the last Ale Cry, this time I am putting the spot light on Longton, with Scene my sampling having taken place on a Wednesday
afternoon in August. Approaching from Preston I started at the RAMS HEAD on Liverpool Road. This was a pub that a couple of years back was offering a good range of real ales, but on recent visits I have been a little disappointed that the choice of beers has been rather more limited. Unfortunately this was again to be the case on this particular occasion, with three of the four handpumps not being in use. On the day the only available cask ale was Youngs London Gold, quite an interesting beer for the area. Working along Liverpool Road I next came to the BLACK BULL. This is a pub that for many years has only been selling one real ale, and on all my most recent visits this has always been Copper Dragon Golden Pippin. With this my presumption I ordered my beer and it was only when I was about to leave the bar that I realised that the handpump was on this occasion dispensing the equally welcome Copper Dragon Best Bitter. Crossing the road and not too far further on I reached the RED LION, the pub famous for having its own golf putting green.
Going Going Gone Of the Longton pubs this has been the one that has probably been the least interesting to the real ale drinker in recent years. However things are now looking a little better, with the pub now offering a choice of two real ales, these being Theakstons Lightfoot and Greene King IPA. Just a few more yards and the next pub to be visited was the GOLDEN BALL prominently located at the junction of Liverpool Road and Marsh Lane. This is a pub that always has two different real ales available, and after a period when Caledonian Deuchars IPA was the one permanent beer, for quite some time now the two regular beers have been Robinsons Dizzy Blonde and Sharps Doom Bar. In order to complete Longton, I then had a lengthy trek to the DOLPHIN located a good mile or more down Marsh Lane from the Golden Ball. This is a pub that is once again receiving plaudits from local real ale drinkers, and my visit was evidently within days of a visit by the Lancashire Evening Post’s Barry Freeman who was to write a glowing report of the pub. Perhaps not too surprisingly on this quiet Wednesday afternoon there were only three of the six handpumps in use, and intriguingly all three were selling Lakeland produced beers, with Cumberland Corby Noir, Hawkshead Bitter, and Hawkshead Windermere Pale being the beers available. That’s it for Longton. A good selection of pubs, and all are selling at least one real ale. Perhaps next time I’ll have a look at the remaining pubs in the ‘greater’ Longton area. Now some news. On August 30th the FLEECE on Liverpool Road in Penwortham re-opened after a two week closure for a refurbishment. Structurally there have been no major changes, but internally the pub has been re-fitted with new furniture including a number of old wooden church pews. The new landlord Jim Kearns has come from the Ancient Oak at Cottam, and initially the beers on offer were Tetley Bitter, Caledonian Deuchars IPA, Thwaites Wainwright, and Hart Of Preston Fleeced, the latter being a house beer supplied by the local Preston brewery. Other good news for the real ale drinker is that the pub will soon be joining the Pub Discount Scheme, whereby card-carrying CAMRA members can get a discount on the price of their beer.
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Now a bit of local Penwortham history. Up until the 1860s the Fleece had competition from a pub called the Farington Arms 11
which was located where the former water tower currently stands. Now 150 years later it appears that the Fleece may once again be getting some nearby competition. Just a short distance away the former Booths shop premises have been empty for a few years now, and there have been a number of rumours as to their future. At one time it was thought that Wetherspoons were interested in taking over the building, and there have also been rumours that it was to have become a restaurant. The latest proposal, put forward by Penwortham garage owner Mark Fishwick, is that it become an upmarket wine bar to be called Marco's. All well and good, but I wonder what are the chances of an upmarket wine bar selling real ale? Finally I should perhaps say something about South Ribble's local micro-brewery BISHOP'S CROOK. In the first half of 2014 their beers, Initiate, Brown Edge, and the Withy Way, were found to turn up on occasion at a number of pubs and clubs in the area. Although fairly elusive for the beer ticker, in South Ribble the most regular outlets for their beers have been OUR LADY & ST GERARDS PAROCHIAL CENTRE in Lostock Hall, and the MARKET ALE HOUSE in Leyland. During the Summer Bishop's Crook have introduced a new beer 10D, which will no doubt be meaningful to all local railway enthusiasts, and their beers have found their way to a few more pubs, in particular the re-opened ANCHOR at Hutton, the ANCHOR at Lostock Hall, and the DOLPHIN at Longton (although as you will have read above it was not on there when I last called in). Gordon Small CLUBWATCH UPDATE Clubwatch has been introduced with the intention that CAMRA Central Lancashire branch will eventually draw up a definitive list of all clubs in the branch area that are selling real ale. With each issue of Ale Cry, the Clubwatch list has grown and since last time there have been another three clubs added to the list. First we have CROSTON SPORTS CLUB, a club that earlier this year held its first Beer Festival. Second, we have INGOL VILLAGE GOLF CLUB, which becomes the fourth golf club in the area known to be selling real ale. Finally we have PRESTON MASONIC HALL, a city centre venue which over the years has been host to a number of local clubs and societies. Below are listed the 36 clubs in our branch area that are at this time understood to be selling real ale on a regular basis. Again we would like to learn of any further clubs that can be added to this list, and we would welcome any information about them which can be passed to the branch by sending an e-mail to clcamra@rocketmail.com. CLUBS SELLING REAL ALE Note: Those marked (P) operate with a Premises Licence, while those marked (C) operate under a Club Premises Certificate. (P) Bamber Bridge Football Club (C) School Lane Club (Bamber Bridge) (C) Trades Hall Club & Institute (Bamber Bridge) (C) Broughton & District Club (C) Charnock Richard Football Club (P) Chorley Cricket Club (C) Chorley Subscription Bowling Club (C) St George's Church Institute (Chorley) (P) Victory Park Social Club (Chorley) (C) Croston Sports Club (C) Euxton Parish Institute & War Memorial Club (C) Fulwood Club (P) Fulwood & Broughton Cricket Club (C) Lonsdale Sports & Social Club (Fulwood) (P) Fox Lane Sports & Social Club (Leyland) (P) Leyland & Farington Social Club (P) Leyland Golf Club (C) St Mary's Priory Club (Leyland) (P) Longton VM Sports & Social Club (C) Lostock Hall Conservative Club (P) Our Lady & St Gerard's Parochial Centre (Lostock Hall) (C) New Longton Sports & Social Club (P) St Teresa's Parish Centre (Penwortham) (P) Vernon-Carus Cricket & Social Club (Penwortham) (P) BAC/EE Sports & Social Club (Preston) (C) Frenchwood Social Club (Preston) (C) Ingol Village Golf Club (C) New Meadow Street Labour Club (Preston) (C) Preston Golf Club (P) Preston Grasshoppers Rugby Football Club (C) Preston Masonic Hall (C) Thurlby Club, Ashton (Preston) (C) 55th Division Association Club (Preston) (P) Whittingham & Goosnargh Sports & Social Club (P) Oak Royal Golf & Country Club (Withnell) (C) Longridge & District Conservative Club (P) Longton VM Sports & Social Club (C) Lostock Hall Conservative Club (P) Our Lady & St Gerard’s Parochial Centre (Lostock Hall) (C) New Longton Sports & Social Club (P) St Teresa’s Parish Centre (Penwortham) (P) Vernon-Carus Cricket & Social Club (Penwortham) (P) BAC/EE Sports & Social Club (Preston) (C) Frenchwood Social Club (Preston) (C) Ingol Village Golf Club (C) New Meadow Street Labour Club (Preston) (C) Preston Golf Club (P) Preston Grasshoppers Rugby Football Club (C) Preston Masonic Hall (C) Thurlby Club, Ashton (Preston) (C) 55th Division Association Club (Preston) (P) Whittingham & Goosnargh Sports & Social Club (P) Oak Royal Golf & Country Club (Withnell) Gordon
Small
Preston Parade
By the time a lot of you read this, the Olde Dog London Road, once a very popular Boddingtons pub, is now an and Partridge on Friargate will have seen a Egyptian restaurant and takeaway called Lola. This leaves the revolution. Long time landlord Ronnie Shawes Arms as the only open pub from the Blue Bell on Church Fitzpatrick is retiring with his last day there Street to the border with Walton Le planned for 22 September. The pub will then Dale. The Shawes is well worth a close for six weeks while £220,000 is spent on visit, it being adjacent to the River the pub by owners Punch Taverns. Major Ribble nd on the Guild Wheel. structural work needs to be done, so it will be You can usually find a couple of interesting to see what it looks like inside when it reopens. There interesting real ales on sale there. are two potential licensees in the running for the pub. I do hope Over at Cottam, the Ancient Oak is they choose the right one. selling beers from Hart Brewery on Ronnie has been connected with the D&P for over thirty sev- a permanent basis. The nearby John en years, both as the manager when the licensee was his friend of Gaunt, which closed earlier this Leo and finally as licensee himself from 1995 to the present day. year, is now yet another childrens nursery. In Fulwood, The Our branch intends to present Ronnie with an engraved tankard Plungington Hotel has seen the appearance of a to let sign once in recognition of his hard work in supporting the cause of real again. ale. Out of Preston, there have Nearby, at the Old Black Bull, bar manager been several developments. Michael has left and his replacement is Liam At Grimsargh. the Plough has Kearns, who has a lot of experience having been reopened after refurbishment at the Ancient Oak in Cottam for some time. with the emphasis on real ale He is the son of Jim Kearns who has recently being beers from the taken over the reins at the Fleece in Caledonian Brewery. Penwortham (see South Ribble news for more on that.) The fact Further out, on the road to that Liam is an Evertonian means he gets on well with Stan, who Chipping, the Derby Arms at Thornley has reopened, remains as the general manager at the Bull. Stan incidentally having been bought by the is the longest serving current licensee in our area, even before Seafood Pub Company, who Ronnie leaves, having taken over at the Bull in the early nineties. own several pubs in Lancashire, Two nearby pubs are still looking for permanent tenants, with including the award winning the New Britannia having a for lease sign up again and the Sun Assheton Arms in Downham. still not having found a replacement for Pete and Trish after It is being run by Jonny their move to the Ale Emporium (or A&E as it has been affec- Parkinson, who once worked at tionally nicknamed. Look out for their first beer festival at the the pub before joining the Emporium 25-27 September.) Seafood Pub Company and Still on Frairgate, an interesting development is under way. has had many years experience in such an environment. The It is intended to open a micro bar in the building next to Roper good news is that three real ales are usually on sale and on my Hall, No115, which is currently a retail shop and tattoo studio. visit, there was Taylors Boltmaker, recently awarded Champion Jeremy of the New Continental is involved in the enterprise, Beer Of Britain status, Thwaites Wainwrights, with a Goosnargh although it is not a Conti project as such. To be Brewery beer just settling in the cellar. I was charged £5.80 for known as Plau, the building was once a pub a pint and a half of the Boltmakers, which means it is £3.85a known as the Plough in the nineteenth century, pint. I don’t know if this was a mistake or not. I must admit that changing its name to the Hotel National before I was served in the central bar area, with three dining areas off. closing its doors in the early 20th century. Jeremy According to the press release there is supposed to be an atmossays that it will be an intimate venue holding up pheric tap room for bar games. Maybe the beer is cheaper there. to fifty customers. He says ‘This is a hidden and Further north, another pub which has undergone a facelift by important piece of Preston’s heritage and we want to give back Punch Taverns is the Green Man at Inglewhite. Punch turned the building some of its lustre, restoring some of the old shop down a bid of £750,000 by three locals to buy the pub after it had frontage, with many original elements which exist within the been closed for a year. The locals had the intention of making it building being used to create a stylish beautiful interior.” Ala community asset. I have not had the chance to find out what though it will be marketed as a ‘Gin and Beer’ house, I have beers are on sale, but ‘selected cask ales’ are available. Just outside been assured that there should be a couple of handpumps on the our area, an example of what might have been will soon become bar. If plans are approved by Preston council, work could start apparent. The Running Pump at Catforth was put up for sale as early as November and it could possibly be open by Decem by owners Robinsons Brewery after it closed earlier this year. ber. Meanwhile the New Continental is A local builder, Brian Staines, felt so strongly that the building holding its 13th beer festival on Thurs should remain a pub, that he went out and bought it. He says he 2nd to Sat 4th of October. bought it with the intention of making sure that the pub is there Whenever there is good news, there for everyone for many years to come. He even said that he may always seems to some bad news. The put it in trust for future generations. I say three cheers for that Angel on Lune St. seems to have given man. PAUL RILEY up on real ale as none has been on sale for many weeks. This coincided with the leaving of Steve Holt from his job as bar manager and does not bode well for the future of cask beer there. Meanwhile, Hartley’s on Mount Street has had some internal alterations to the décor, with the cladding of the pillars being removed. On my last visit it was still selling one real ale which was Marstons EPA. Still in the centre, Coppull Corner Wheatsheaf due to open in early the Blackamoor on Lancaster Rd. September, have been told there are 3 handpumps on bar. closed for a short period, has opened with new people , but no sign of real ale, even though signs outThere is a sign on the Hinds Head stating it is Under New side still advertise Cask Ale. Management, with opening times, food availabilty and it is Away from the centre, appearing every Friday night at the now dog friendly! Must try to visit soon with our mad mutt. New Welcome you will find a live folk evening hosted by Tom Walsh and Hugh O’Donnell. Thwaites Original helps the evening go along with a swing. Meanwhile, what was the 12 Gribble
It’s Not Funny But it would be if we had a cartoonist. Could it be you?? Contact ed by phone or email (see p22)
Shepherds’ Hall Ale House Chorley’s First Micro-‐Pub
CASK ALES
CIDERS & WINES
CONTINENTAL BEERS
67 Chapel Street Chorley Lancashire PR7 1BS
PARKERS ARMS Park Road Chorley 01257 261999
Opening hours: Monday - Thursday: 11am - 12pm Friday - Saturday: 11am - 1pm Sunday: 11am - 12pm Real Ales from £2. per pint: Jennings’ Cumberland + guest
Twitter: @ShepsAleHouse Facebook: Shepherds Hall Ale House Website: http://shepherdshallalehouse.wordpress.com
The
Lamb & Packet
A CAMRA pub of the Season 91A Friargate, PR1 2ED. 01772 200292
Open from 11am ‘til Late
New Menu
Food Served all day from £2.95 Good Selection of World Beers 5 cask Ales Including Guests
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Heated Outdoor Smoking Area Free Wi-Fi Sky Sports
CAMRA LANCASHIRE AND ... WETHERSPOONS
Two years more, and in 2008 the WALLACE HARTLEY opened on Church Street in Colne. Named after the band leader who had played on and perished on the Titanic in 1912, this was a former pub that had more recently been converted into a restaurant. The following year Burnley got its second WetherMany people reading this will be well aware of the three Weth- spoons pub, with the BOOT INN opening on St James Street. erspoons pubs in the CAMRA Central Lancashire branch area, Again this was a former pub, and it was returning to its original but for a change in this Ale Cry I am venturing a bit further name after having for some time been a Yates's Wine Lodge. afield to briefly run through all the Wetherspoons pubs that are In 2010 Blackpool also got its second Wetherspoons located within the administrative county of Lancashire. Twen- pub. This was the ALBERT & THE LION located on the seaty years ago there were no Wetherspoons pubs in Lancashire. front in the former Woolworths building next to the Blackpool Now there are 21. The county's first Wetherspoons Tower complex. A pub with a great view of the promenade, was the POSTAL ORDER in Blackburn. This opened in March the pub name is a variation on the title of the Marriott Edgar 1996 in the grand setting of the former Blackburn General Post monologue 'The Lion And Albert'. 2011 was anOffice building on Darwen Street. Centrally located, but away other big year for Wetherspoons in the county, with four more from the hustle and bustle of the town centre, it was a welcome pubs being added to the estate. The first of these was the JOLLY addition to a town that had been losing appeal to the real ale TARS in Cleveleys, which was housed in former shop premises drinker. A few months later on Victoria Road West. Next came the COMMERCIAL HOTEL CAMRA Central Lancashire on Church Street in Accrington, a refurbishment of a large forbranch got its first mer Thwaites pub that had once been one of the town's premier Wetherspoons pub, when the hotels. GREY FRIAR opened on Friargate in Preston. Unfortunately this time there was no great history to the building, with it previously having been a furniture show room and seasonally a Mrs Christmas shopping outlet. It was over three years before the next Wetherspoons pub appeared. Opening late in 1999, this was the AUCTIONEER on Lytham Road in Blackpool. Most recently a shop, but previously a former Auction House building, I always thought this a strange choice for Wetherspoons to have their first pub in Blackpool as it was quite some distance away from the busier parts of the town frequented by tourists. 2001 was to see the number of In October 2011 CAMRA Central Lancashire branch got its Wetherspoons pubs in the county more than double. In May the third Wetherspoons pub, with the LEYLAND LION opening TRAWL BOAT opened on Wood Street in St Annes, this being on Hough Lane in Leyland. As had been the created in a large detached building that had once housed a case with the Blackburn branch this was again a conversion of a solicitor's office. Next came the THOMAS DRUMMOND on former Post Office building. Towards the end of London Street in Fleetwood, a pub located in a former Congre- 2011 Blackpool acquired yet another Wetherspoons pub, the gational Church building. This was the first Wetherspoons pub LAYTON RAKES. Located on Market Street in a new building in the county to be named after a person of local importance, that cost a whopping £2.3 million, this is an appropriate name with Thomas Drummond being the man who had been respon- although at first it confused me as I expected it to be out of town sible for building many of the workers houses in the new town of in the Layton area of Blackpool. In 2012 the Fleetwood in the mid-nineteenth century. RAILWAY HOTEL opened on Station Road in Lytham. Once Two more pubs to open in 2001 were both in Lancasthe Hansom Cab, this is another instance of Wetherspoons ter, the SIR RICHARD OWEN on Spring Garden Street and taking over a former pub, and just to cause some confusion it is the GREEN AYRE on North Road. The Sir Richard Owen was located quite some distance from the current Lytham railway located in a former warehouse, and was named in honour of the station. Late in 2013 the POULTON ELK opened on Hardhorn Lancaster-born biologist who had coined the word dinosaur. Road in Poulton-le-Fylde. This pub, located in a former cafe The Green Ayre, later a Lloyds No 1 pub aimed at a younger bar that had been closed for over two years, was named after clientele, was created in former shop premises and was named the 12,000 year old elk skeleton that had been unearthed in the after the area of Lancaster in which it was located. town in 1970. In 2002 the BRUN LEA opened on Manchester Road in Early in 2014 the OLD CHAPEL opened in Darwen. Burnley. Located on one of Burnley's busier streets, it was also This pub was created by a conversion impressive even by Wethto become a Lloyds No 1 when this new category of pub was erspoon's standards. As the name suggests the pub had been a introduced by Wetherspoons. Two years later the ERIC Methodist Church in its former life, although more recently the BARTHOLOMEW opened in premises had been occupied by a discount supermarket. Reports Morecambe. This pub, bearing were that Wetherspoons spent £1.57 million to get this pub the birth name of Eric More ready for opening. The newest Wetherspoons pub cambe of Morecambe & Wise to open in Lancashire is the COURT LEET in Ormskirk. This fame, is located on a pedes opened in May in a former do-it-yourself shop just off the pe trianised part of Euston Road. destrian walkway that is the continuation of Burscough Street. Interestingly earlier this year This time Wetherspoons are reported to have spent £1.5 million, there were plans by Wether and on first impressions it is an excellent conversion, taking spoons to open an Ernest up 3500 square feet of floor space, and like the Layton Rakes Wiseman pub in Morley near and the Pouton Elk it even boasts a roof terrace. There Leeds, but this pub naming was are currently 21 Wetherspoons pubs in Lancashire, but that is declined by Ernie's fami ly. not the complete story. The STATION HOTEL in Nelson is the Another two one that got away. It opened in 2001 in a listed hotel building years and our own branch got opposite the railway station, and was open for just three years its second Wetherspoons pub, before being sold off by Wetherspoons in 2004. Subsequently with the long heralded SIR HENRY TATE opening on New Mar- it went into decline, but these days it is again prospering now ket Street in Chorley. This was the first Wetherspoons in Lanbeing under the ownership of Amber Taverns. As I cashire to be a complete new build, with the adjoining Booths write this I am aware of two more Wetherspoons pubs already Supermarket also being part of the scheme. The pub was named planned for Lancashire. In Preston, the Twelve Tellers is to open after the famous sugar merchant and philanthropist who was in the former TSB premises on Church Street, while in Blackborn at nearby White Coppice. pool the town is to get its fourth Wetherspoons pub, to be called 13 the Velvet Coaster, on the South Shore seafront. Any advances on 23 - I'm sure that there will be. Gordon Small
OurLady& St.Gerards Music & BeerFestival 2014 4 Days of Live Music FREE EN T RY
2nd-5th October 2014 Food available Saturday & Sunday
Over 30 Beers & Ciders All proceeds to: Prostate Cancer UK Why not sponsor a barrel for just £45?
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Brownedge Road, Lostock Hall, Preston PR5 5AA C o n t a c t G a r y - Te l e p h o n e : 0 1 7 7 2 3 3 9 4 59
Crown Hotel Chapel Street Chorley
CAMRA’s Pub Up to 5 of the Season CaskAles Autumn 2014 on The Bar
‘We are Proud to support Including CAMRA and our great a Mild Lancashire Brewers’
Proud to be involved in
You Wouldn’t Want a Warm Mountain Drink Would you????????? Having worked in leisure for donkeys years before a welcome retirement and really enjoying most of it, View I never realised what a poisoned chalice it was - never off work -
can never fully relax. I can be sat in the pub having a laugh with mates when an example of poor customer service hits me in the face - not literally of course - it’s not as if I’m looking for something - it’s not as if I’m some sensitive soul nitpicking. I just can’t help it. It’s what a lifetime working in the leisure field managing licensed premises, lecturing and advising on good customer service practices, etc., etc., can do to you. I’ll give you just an example. There you are sat at your table when along comes a member of staff to the next, recently vacated table and a mist descends on you - disinfectant sprayed onto and bouncing off the next table. It’s not just that it’s inconsiderate to you - it’s probably not that the bar staff doesn’t like your body odour -it’s inefficient. If a single brain cell was used the staff would realise that it’s far more efficient to spray directly on to the cloth (no waste) that is going to be used to disinfect and clean the table. -----How cold should your pint be. The Ausies and Yanks think it should be freezing, but to be able to taste the flavours better it should be slightly less than normal room temperature - say 11/12 degrees (mid fifties in old money). I seem to remember reading a Wetherspoons training manual explaining this to its trainees.But it clearly doesn’t practice what it preaches. Many pubs are the same. The argument goes that on a hot day a freezing pint is the most refreshing. That’s not really the case - theres nothing more refreshing than a nice cup of tea. I often buy two pints and let one warm up while I drink the first. Try it yourself and notice the difference - taste the subleties of the flavours. Beer fests are popular and their pints are usually served at room temp. Lord Mountain
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Beer and Music 16 Enjoy the fun Melodious Mick
THE TOP LOCK COPTHURST LANE, HEAPEY, PR6 8LS
Tel: 01257 263376
LANCASHIRE’S PREMIER REAL ALE DESTINATION 9 HANDPUMPS WITH AN EVER CHANGING SELECTION OF REAL ALES
14TH REAL ALE FESTIVAL 1st - 5th OCTOBER 80 REAL ALES + CIDERS, FOOD AND MUSIC
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The Old Vic
Also known as the Vic and Station
Tel.No.
Find us
Fishergate Preston
Opposite Preston Railway Station CAMRA Recommended Good Beer Guide 2014 7 Handpumps in action Normally 20 different real ales available during the course of a week Two 3D screens - 5 Sports足Boxes Showing: Football, Rugby, Cricket, Horse Racing, Darts, Athletics, Tennis, Golf and other major events Traditional pub with traditional lunchtime bar meals Buffets can足be arranged
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We have chosen the Crown in Chorley as our Pub of the Season for Autumn 2014. The Crown had closed in 2012, and when a 'for sale' sign appeared on the building last Autumn, many of us feared the worst and that the pub would soon be gone for good. However we soon learned that the pub had been bought by a private individual and that it would be reopening as a free house. In Ale Cry 102 we announced the reopening of the pub with cautious optimism for the future The pub reopened after an extensive refurbishment on 14th February this year. The Crown is very much a family business, with licensee David Holliday running the pub with his wife Deborah and daughter Nicola. David had previously run the Farmers Arms at Burscough and was relishing the opportunity to have a true free house where he would have full control over the product range. His stated intention at the outset was to focus on beers brewed in the north west and primarily in the old county of Lancashire. There are five hand pumps situated at the Chapel Street end of the pub – so don't panic if you enter through the other door and cannot see them! David has been true to his word – with an almost exclusive line up of Locales from the start. Beers from Fuzzy Duck, Reedley Hallowes, Allgates, Bowland, Moorhouses and Lancaster breweries often feature and the beer quality has been first class from day one. Wherever possible they try to have beers and breweries not readily available in other pubs in the centre of Chorley. There are normally three or four beers on at the start of the week and all five pumps in action as we near the weekend. From the outset David has kept a mild on the bar. Initially this was Moorhouse’s Black Cat, although various others have been tried. Customer feedback has been taken into account and at the
Pub of the Season
moment the regular mild is Allgates All Black at 3.6%. Having tried a 'house bitter' from Moorhouses, David has now agreed to have a Fuzzy Duck beer as a regular – a pale bitter at 3.8% which we understand will be badged as 'Golden Crown of Chorley'. The other three beers will continue to change regularly. With a lot of hard work and a bit of imagination, David and his team have shown what you can do with a closed pub, and in a short space of time have turned it back into a popular community asset. This pub has proved a great addition to the Chorley drinking scene and we are pleased to acknowledge the efforts that have been made with this award. The presentation of the certificate to the Crown as the Central Lancashire Pub of the Season for Autumn 2014 will take place on Monday 20th October at about 9.00 pm and all are welcome to come along and participate in the evenings event. Adrian Smith The Good Beer Guide is fully revised and updated each year and features pubs across the United Kingdom that serve the best real ale. Now in its 42nd edition, this pub guide is completely independent with listings based entirely on nomination and evalua tion by CAMRA members. This means you can be sure that every one of the 4,500 pubs deserves their place, plus they all come recommended by people who know a thing or two about good beer. The unique ‘Breweries Section’ lists every brewery – micro, regional and national – that produces real ale in the UK, and the beers that they brew. Tasting notes for the beers, compiled by CAMRA trained tasting teams, are also included. The Good Beer Guide 2015 is the complete book for beer lovers and a must-have for anyone wanting to experience the UK's finest pubs. The guide is priced at £15.99 or at the specially discounted price of £11 to CAMRA members (both prices + £2.50 p&p). Just go to www.camra.org.uk/shop to order your copy.
Free HOPS House
THE MALT AND ‘One of Chorley’s most popular
real ale hostelries - a long time Good Beer Guide entry - a stopping off point for train and bus commuters, serving a wide and changing range of ‘locales’. Fancy a game of Draughts come along (alternate Tuesdays). Quiz night is Wednesday with free hot pot. There’s Poker on Saturdays The Malt and Hops offers free wifi, sports t.v.and much more. The Malt and Hops is on twitter and facebook.
Beer Garden
CASK ALE
LOYALTY LOYALTYCARD CARD
Well worth a visit or two or three or more
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THE 33 Hough Lane, Leyland, MARKET ALE HOUSE PR25 2SB
*
*
CAMRA’s Pub of the Season - This Summer
* Quality cask ales, cider and wine * Constantly changing selection of cask ales from microbreweries in Lancashire and the North of England * Bar snacks inc pork pies and cheese platter * No tv's, music or mobile phones just good old conversation (or peace and quiet) Opening Hours Mon: 4 - 8, Tue, Wed, Thu: 2 - 10, Fri, Sat: noon to 11pm, Sun: 2 to 8pm Tel: 01772 623363 e.mailthemarketalehouse@hotmail.co.uk
The Red Herring
MILL LANE, COPPULL, CHORLEY, LANCS. Tel: (01257) 470130
Ste & Mary welcome you to Coppull’s only freehouse: An oasis in a beer desert. Guest Ales include: Reedley Hallows, Prospect, Bank Top Good Beer and many more
I’ve been told that most readers didn’t study the last issue closely enough to realise that if you cut the tokens out and cut talong the ‘v’ then you can deter bar ----------------------staff from taking your Please glass if you pop to the don’t take toilet, go for a cigarette, my etc. so why not cut these Glass two tokens out or the 24 in the summer issue if you still have it >>>>>>>
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Sat night entertainment, we’re in it. Sun night quiz Ring Mill function room for hire
Join CAMRA clcamra@ rocketmail.com
Monday to Thursday open from 3pm Friday to Sunday open from 12pm
----------------------------Please don’t take my Glass
‘Don’t take my glass’ token in use at Lytham Beer Festival Ed
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Join CAMRA clcamra@ rocketmail.com
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Riley’s
Denton Ramblesand Hyde
If things had turned out differently, this would not have been a Riley’s Ramble, but a report on our trip around Hornbeam Brewery in Denton. However when our minibus of 16 expectant members turned up at the brewery at the appointed time, to our initial great annoyance we found the brewery shut up for the day. It transpired that there had been some mix up between them and our social secretary, who had, it seems not reminded them we were coming. He now goes down in history as ‘the man who could not organise a ----’, well you know the rest. Once the disappointment had worn off, a quick search on the internet (see, those modern phones do have a purpose) revealed that what could have been a disaster, was actually an opportunity to visit some excellent pubs. The first one identified as being worth a visit was the Lowes Arms, which is about a quarter hour walk from Hyde Central station, at 301 Hyde Road, up Manchester Rd. The Lowes was built in 1824 and is a thriving local with a reputation for quality ales and good value food. Beers from Hornbeam brewery are usually available and that day we could sample their 4% beer called Pilgrim, so we were able to taste what we were missing in not going round the brewery. Other beers on sale on our visit were Moorhouses Black Cat, their 3.4% award winning mild, plus two beers from Camerons, their well known Strongarm (4%) and a seasonal called Gold Bullion at 4.3%. The pub is split into two halves with a comfortable lounge which was busy with diners and a spacious games room, thus catering for all tastes. The pub once had its own brewery which last produced its ales about seven years ago, and Adey, the assistant manager, told us that ----------------------Please all the plant was still in situ and if we don’t came back later on they would be able take to show us it. Unfortunately, the other my delights of Hyde would prevent us from Glass retuning, but it was a nice gesture. Proceeding back towards the railway station, you come to the Cheshire Ring,
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Join CAMRA clcamra@ rocketmail.com ----------------------------Please don’t take my Glass
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Join CAMRA clcamra@ rocketmail.com
one of the oldest pubs in Hyde, now belonging to Beartown Brewery who sympathetically overhauled it several
years ago. It is a traditional pub with a tiled interior, seating round the bar and two separate rooms on the left. There is
even an upstairs room where live bands perform. There were three Beartown beers on our visit, Ursa Minor (3.6%), Bearskinful (4.2%) and Bearly Literate (4.5%). Besides this there were three guests:- Fullers Chiswick Bitter (3.5%) and one of their seasonal beers, plus Beer Studio Dark Odyssey, a 4.4% porter brewed by Hydes using rare hops and malts. There was a very friendly crowd in who made us very welcome. The pub has varying opening hours, depending on the season, but the latest it opens is 4pm and it is open right through from 12 at weekends. There is even a monthly showing of Laurel and Hardy films. From here we continued into Hyde centre, walking through the market area, passing close by the Camra friendly Weatherspoons pub, the Cotton Vale and the Robinsons owned White Lion, to Clarendon Place where you will find the Queens.
It is a community pub in the town centre owned by Holts and we were once again given a warm welcome. This spacious and busy pub is divided up into four separate areas catering for all types. There were four real ales on sale, three from Holts,(Mild, Bitter and their IPA) all competitively priced, as is Holts norm, plus Hook Norton Lion, a 4% fruity beer. Leaving here, we turned left up Union St. right into Mottram Road, past Morrisons to reach the Sportsman Inn, a superb old fashioned boozer with a wood panelled vault dating from 1835. Owned by Rossendale Brewery, it has a full complement of their Pennine Ales plus guests. We could choose from Floral Dance (3.8% and £2.15 a pint), Hameldon (3.8%), Glen Top Bitter (4%), Rossendale Ale (4.2%), Halo Pale (4.5%), Pitch Porter (5%) and Sunshine at 5.3%, plus Thwaites Mild and Wainwrights. No disrespect to Thwaites, but everyone stuck to the Rossendale beers, which were top class. The pub does lunchtime and evening meals, has its own Cuban restaurant upstairs, a real fire and a garden area. It was a good place to finish our night. What had started out as a damage limitation exercise had turned out to be what was commonly acknowledged by all to be one of the best trips we had ever been on. We just don’t want the social secretary to make a habit of it. If you want to try the delights of Hyde, it is easily accessible by train from Preston, changing at Manchester Piccadilly to the Marple If you’d like us to arrange train, getting off at Hyde Central and would cost any trips give us your you £17.40 off peak for a ideas - contact our Social through ticket. Savings can be made by buying Secretary (see p22) separate tickets to Piccadilly (£11.60) and Piccadilly to Hyde (£3.90). If there are two of you travelling together getting a Duo ticket to Manchester will cost just £17.40 in total for both of you, meaning even more savings. It pays to check these things. Paul Riley.
Trips / Ale Trails etc
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Branch Meetings (8pm): Branch / Socials* Committee # You’re welcome to attend any of our meetings / trips
Sept 22 * Ale Emporium (Preston) Oct 2 # Leyland Lion (Preston) 20 * Crown (Chorley) Nov 6 # Old Black Bull (Preston) 17 * Black Bull (Penwortham) Dec 4 # Spinners (Adlington -7pm start) 15 * Ale Emporium Preston ---- (Christmas Social)
Trips / Visits / Ale Trails:
The branch would welcome more members and potential members joining us on our trips and visits. Our next one is: Wed 8th October - Ale Cry distribution Crawl to Hoghton (7.15pm -10.45) To book places contact ++Paul Riley 01772 709272.. Minibuses leave from Old Vicarage, Preston (near bus station)
We have a dozen or so distributors - the list below covers just SOME of the places just 3 of them have dropped mags off at. A more comprehensive list in the next issue
Including:
Lytham, Garstang,Southport Skipton, Fleetwood, Cumbria, Manchester, Merseyside, Yorkshire (inc. Whitby, Pickering, Scarborough)Lancaster, Liverpool, Stockport, Blackpool, St.Anne’s, Hull, Birmingham, Edinburgh, Glasgow, Girvan, Newcastleton, Newcastle, Bristol, Feltham, Kingston-Upon-Thames, Louth, Wigan, Bolton, Blackburn, Holmfirth, Otley, Leeds Huddersfield, Sowerby Bridge, Todmorden, Hebden Bridge, Scarborough, Pickering, Sidmouth, Exmouth, Exeter, Torquay, Bromyard, Aston U Lyne, Stalybridge, Poulton, USA (mid west), various European countries.
CAMRA badly needs branch contacts to keep us in touch with your local pubs and to distribute Ale Crys to them Please contact me V V V
Officers and Contacts:
It’s directed advertising so it reaches where you want it to reach
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Branch Contact/Chairman Adrian Smith 01257 273931 Secretary / Web site / Gordon Small 01772 746118 14 Bank Parade Penwortham Preston Treasurer Paul Riley 01772 709272 Vice-Chairman John Singleton 07449 453854 Pubs Officer Adrian Smith 01257 273931 Womens contact: Sue Riley 01772 709272 Social Secretary Steve Enderby 01257 410146 Young Members Vacant Communications (inc. editor) Mick Clark 07984 840486 Membership John Singleton 07449 453854
Prices: Double page Back page Full page Half Page Quarter Page
email address: clcamra@rocketmail.com
website- http://www.centrallancscamra.org.uk www.facebook.com CAMRA Central Lancashire Branch
18 pubs closing every day. The impact on our society is extremely serious.We need your support. Join us - see next page >>>
Disclaimer:
Stopping conThe views expressed glomerates turnin Ale Cry are not ing pubs into necessarily those of supermarkets the Editor, the Central just one of many Lancashire Branch of CAMRA, fights CAMRA or of the Campaign must fight. Join us in that for Real Ale fight ............. Published by: The Central see next page >>> Lancashire Branch Of The Campaign for Real Ale
Deadline for Adverts and Articles for the 08/11/14 Autumn Edition:: 22 24/11/14 Expected Publication Date:
Attention!!!!!!!!!!!!! Pubs, Clubs, Suppliers and anyone else interested in contacting people who like to socialise: Our advertisers benefit from our 6,000 copies being read by over 50,000 drinkers all over the uk and even abroad
£300 £195 £175 £ 95 £ 55
AMAZING OFFERS FOR REAL ALE DRINKERS
nd
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Accordingly, in association with CAMRA, we are pleased to announce these AMAZING offers:
£20 of JD Wetherspoon Real Ale tokens
15 months membership for the price of 12 if you agree to pay by direct debit
Proud supporter of traditional,
then once you’ve joined :
healthy, British made, real
ales & CAMRA in its fight to bring this healthy, organically produced example of
Chance to win 24 pints to enjoy in Greyfriars, Friargate, Preston for recruiting a friend to CAMRA
Chance to win 24 pints to enjoy in the Leyland Lion on Hough Lane, Leyland for helping keep the branch informed about what’s happening in your local pubs
British culture to more people’s attention. You don’t need an existing member to recommend you to join CAMRA, but if one has, he or she could win 3 gallons of real ale , just by insterting their details here.
Name Membership No Phone No
So fill in this application form a.s.a.p. and post it to:
FAO Gary Fowler Wetherspoons Membership Offer, CAMRA, 230, Hatfield Road, St.Albans, Herts, AL1 4LW.
Single Membership (uk & eu) £23 £25 Concessionary (under 26 or over 60) £15.50 £17.50 Joint Membership (Partner at the same address) £28 £30 Concessionary (under 26 or over 60) £18.50 £20.50 I wish to Join the Campaign for Real Ale and agree to abide by the Memorandum and Articles of the Association I enclose a cheque for: (or complete dd >>) Signed: Date: . (If Joint membership - Partners name and signature): Date:
.
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WITHY ARMS Book a table this
Christmas
Large or small bookings being taken
Food served 12 ‐ 2 and 6 ‐ 9 Mon to Sat Sunday 12 ‐ 9
You are welcome to dine outside these times if you pre‐book
Xmas Beer Festival In the heated hut area from 6pm every night in December
16 CASK ALES / GUEST CIDER / MULLED WINE ROAST CHESTNUTS
Worden Lane, Leyland, PR25 3EL We are near to the Big Tesco and opposite the Old Leyland Cross
www.withyarms.com Call John on: 01772 301969
LEYLAND OLD TOWN