Ale Cry 117

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Ale

FIGHTING FOR DRINKERS’ RIGHTS IN THE HEART OF LANCASHIRE SINCE 1973

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issue 117, WINTER 2017 03 04 06 10

Pub of the Season: Ale Station Preston Parade Beer Purity A Sally Round… Carnforth

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My Pint of View Chorley Chatter Brewing Beer – A Small Start Branch Awards

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Riley’s Rambles: Ulverston The Price of Your Pint South Ribble Scene Ale Cry visits… Buckshaw Village

CENTRAL LANCASHIRE BRANCH

Branch Contacts Chairman DAVE BELL t: 07900 565281 e: chairman@centrallancs.camra.org.uk

Membership Secretary JOHN SINGLETON t: 07456 914048 e: membership@centrallancs.camra.org.uk

Treasurer DAVE WOOLCOCK e: treasurer@centrallancs.camra.org.uk

Secretary & Webmaster GORDON SMALL

Chairman’s Welcome

W

elcome to our Winter 2017 edition of Ale Cry. I hope you enjoy reading the variety of interesting articles written by our contributors.

With Winter upon us, bringing colder weather and darker evenings, along with Christmas festivities, traditional drinkers may be looking for the stronger, darker beers that are associated with this time of year. My personal preference is for pale, hoppy beers that have a bitter, citrus taste and I am happy to drink this style of beer all year round. This got me thinking about where beer gets its bitter taste from and why some beers taste more bitter than others. It’s all down to the hops.

Hops are the flowers of the hop plant, Humulus Lupulus and primarily used as a flavouring and stability agent in beer, to which they impart bitter, zesty or citrus flavour. Many different varieties of hops are grown around the world and different hops are used to brew different styles of beer.

It is interesting to see that the majority of the winning beers in the Champion Beer of Britain competition for 2017 use American Hops such as Citra, Chinook, Cascade, Simcoe and Columbus. These hops give the beers a very bitter, citrus flavour which is obviously popular with many drinkers. But why are our champion beers not using British hops?

The first record of hops being grown in England was in Kent in 1524, prior to this, hops were imported from Germany, Holland or France. In recent years the British hop producing industry has been in decline with few farmers continuing to harvest them and maybe this has contributed to the popularity of the American hops used in brewing many of our favourite beers. More recently, however, the British hop industry has been revived.

New varieties have been developed in an attempt to challenge the American hops. The

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British Hop Association now lists 31 varieties ranging in taste characteristics and flavour intensity. Long established varieties such as Fuggles and Goldings have now been joined by varieties such as Admiral (resinous, orangey, citrus), Jester (grapefruit, tropical fruit), Boadicea (spicy, light, floral) and Endeavour (blackcurrant, spicy, citrus) which is named in honour of Inspector Morse who was well known for enjoying a pint or two. In addition, Cascade, one of America’s best known varieties is now being trial grown in England.

I guess it will have to get used to a cooler, damper climate just like the rest of us.

Let’s hope that more of our Brewers get on board and increase the use of these new British hop varieties so that future champion beers of Britain are brewed with great British hops.

As ever, if you have any thoughts, comments or feedback, please get in touch with us via email. You will find a contact list in this magazine, or better still, come along to one of our forthcoming meetings or events.

Please also remember to visit our website www.centrallancs.camra.org.uk for all the latest information and local news and if you are on Facebook, please search for CAMRA Central Lancs and like our page. In addition, you can now follow us on Twitter, search for CAMRA Central Lancs.

We also produce a monthly newsletter which is emailed to Branch members on the 1st of each month. If you are not receiving this, it will be because we do not have an up-to-date email address for you. Please get in touch and let us have your email address and we will add you to our list of recipients.

I wish you all a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.

Kind Regards DAV E B E L L

Branch Chairman

t: 01772 746118 e: secretary@centrallancs.camra.org.uk

Pubs Officer DAVE WOOLCOCK e: pubsofficer@centrallancs.camra.org.uk

Pub Protection Officer DAVE LINLEY t: 01772 735628 e: pubprotection@centrallancs.camra.org.uk

Cider Officer LUKE HARRISON e: cider@centrallancs.camra.org.uk

Social Media Officer MIKE WOOLCOCK e: socialmedia@centrallancs.camra.org.uk

Communications Officer MICK CLARK t: 07984 840486 e: communications@centrallancs.camra.org.uk

Ale Cry Editor ADRIAN SMITH t: 07495 448555 e: editor@centrallancs.camra.org.uk

Social Secretary POST VACANT www.centrallancs.camra.org.uk @CAMRA_CentLancs CAMRA Central Lancashire Branch All material copyright © Central Lancs CAMRA No part of this magazine may be reproduced without permission.

Disclaimer: Views expressed in this magazine are those of the individual authors and are not necessarily endorsed by the Editor, Branch Committee or CAMRA nationally. Central Lancs CAMRA accepts no liability in relation to any advertisement or article and recommends the reader make their own enquiries. It should also be noted that inclusion of an advertisement in this magazine should not be deemed an endorsement of quality by Central Lancs CAMRA. Design & Layout: Stewart Grieve Design Ltd e: stew@stewartgrieve.co.uk www.stewartgrieve.co.uk Printed by: Printplus, Cocker Avenue, Poulton-le-Fylde, FY6 8JU t: 01253 299620 www.printplusgroup.com

of Pub the season

WINTER 2017

ALE STATION CHORLEY

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e are delighted to announce that our Pub of the Season for Winter 2017 is the ALE STATION on Chapel Street in Chorley. It opened it’s doors in July 2016 and has rapidly become an extremely popular destination.

The owner/operator is Chorley born Mick Barker, whose only experience behind the bar was as a teenager in the (now closed and demolished) Weird Arms. A lifelong cask ale drinker, Mick took advantage of Chorley council’s flexibility over licensed premises to start the town’s third micropub. Location was extremely important, being adjacent to both train and bus stations and across the road from the already well established Shepherds’ Hall Ale House. The pub also has a cellar, which is just about big enough for purpose, even if it does require a good deal of planning to fit everything in.

Although described as a micropub (and being a member of the Micropub Association), the Ale Station is a good bit larger than many such establishments and provides the full range of drinks – not just cask ale. Starting with five hand pumps (soon increased to six), there is a regular rotation of ales. One

liverpool festival advert print ready.indd 1

of the pumps always has a dark beer on and there is normally a traditional brown/amber beer available. In common with many pubs in the Chorley area, there is an emphasis on pale and golden beers, which clearly suit the local tastes. Hawkshead Windermere Pale and Cumbrian Legendary Loweswater Gold are frequent visitors. Mick’s brother is the brewer at Rock the Boat Brewery in Crosby and their beers are also regulars. However you are just as likely to find beers from Scotland or Sussex on the bar.

Mick describes his relationship with cask ale as “a bit of a passion” and this shows

with the variety of ales and the consistent quality since day one. He has a small but dedicated team helping him run the pub and it has quickly become one of the top real ale outlets in the town.

The pub is closed on Mondays and opens at 4pm Tuesday to Thursday, 2pm Friday and Sunday and 1pm Saturday. Evening closing tends to be 11pm or later.

Our presentation is on 18th January from about 8.30pm and we are hoping for a good turnout, so why not come along and see why this cracking little pub is so well liked.

ADRIAN SMITH

Ale

04/02/2016 21:53 www.centrallancs.camra.org.uk

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Preston Parade

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As you may be aware, Preston’s new Market Hall is due to have a bar as part of the development. This was supposed to be ready for December, but now will only open in the New Year. Gary Quinn from the Guild Ale House was chosen as the person to run this welcome addition to our pubs. His plans included a couple

Gary Quinn at Guild Ale House

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Lune Street micropub

of real ales, plus craft ales and lagers, to create something slightly different from the Guild. Names mentioned for this bar included The Orchard, the market being originally built on the site of an historic orchard. Negotiations with the City Council are at a delicate stage, with Gary unhappy with some of the terms and conditions of the lease. Let us hope these can be resolved and we can look forward to seeing a revitalised market hall including new bar in 2018.

One thing we can look forward to is another micropub in Preston. The owners of the Market Ale House in Leyland have chosen a site on Lune Street opposite the 1842 bar. Formerly a hairdressing salon, it will be known as the PLUG AND TAP, commemorating the Plug Riots of 1842 which culminated in the deaths of several participants just outside. It should

be open for Christmas, having already been cleared by the council and licensing authorities. It will not be a copy of the Market Ale House in that several craft/keg ales and lagers will be available, but there will be four ever changing cask beers on sale, sourced from all over the country.

Definitely one to look forward to.

A new licensee has finally been found for the OLD BLACK BULL on Friargate.

Mike Taylor took over in mid October and his intention is to build cask sales back up.

With plenty of experience of real ale, he feels he is the man who can return the pub to its former prominence in cask ale sales.

The pub is still presently under the auspices of Midland Taverns, but Greene King could eventually take back control. Their IPA is the one permanent cask ale, with the guest ales now back up to five last weekend. There were beers from Cumbria and Lancashire, with them changing weekly. He is also working on getting sports TV back on, as he appreciates how important that is to boosting sales in the pub. He is also looking to offer light snacks in the near future.

Live music features on Saturday nights with a Karaoke evening on Fridays (not to everyone’s taste). It opens at noon.

Back on Lune Street, the Angel is now known as ANGEL 39 (its postal address being 39 Lune Street). They have opened up the upstairs room after a major refit transforming it into a calm space with booths and a wine bar. Real ale continues downstairs, with usually three on sale

Old Black Bull © Andrew Gaskin; Sumners © Helen Woodward

have no news on how work is going with the planned new pub on Friargate, to be known as the PLAU. It is ongoing, but no date has been given for its grand opening.

Instead, here is news of Preston’s newest bar which opened at the beginning of October. WINGS AND BEER CO at 37–38 Cannon St, (off Fishergate) is a sports and music bar with 18 screens selling 3 cask ales and one real cider from its four handpumps. Typically one beer will be supplied by Lancaster Brewery, one by Bowland Brewery, with one changing beer, which lately has been Black Sheep Best Bitter. It opens at 11am till midnight with food, which I would describe as Tex-Mex including burgers and wings, being served throughout up to 11pm. There is a table football machine and one of the rooms can be separated off for private functions.

Wood panelling and bare brick walls complete the decor of this latest addition to our real ale scene.

(which you can take upstairs), mainly locally sourced.

Unbelievably, the SUMNERS, at the top of Deepdale Rd. and the nearest pub to Preston North End football club, has shut. This is another pub belonging to brewers Greene King. What is wrong with this company?

How can this pub that, back in the day, sold umpteen hogsheads of Boddingtons Bitter, is a magnet for football fans, next to Fulwood Barracks, with no other real ale pub in the vicinity, not be a success? GK say they are looking for an ‘operator’ to run the pub in the long term. Let us hope they can find one soon so that us long suffering PNE supporters (and away fans) can raise a glass in victory (or drown our sorrows).

Good news in that the owners of the Tap and Vent in Longridge have been granted planning permission to open another such

pub in Goosnargh, to the north of Preston.

If it is as good as the one in Longridge, the locals (and us) are in for a treat. More details when it opens.

Another bar that has just opened is the CHAMELEON at Broughton crossroads. It is reported to be a cafe/wine bar and no real ale is expected, although craft/keg beer is on sale at a price.

Finally, just as some people have got used to calling the former Bitter Suite the Ale Emporium, (or A & E), comes news that landlord Alan Chester has decided that a name change is necessary to emphasise his ownership of the lease. He wasn’t

entirely happy with the A & E nickname it had got, with its hospital and negative connotations and felt it would be better with a name that alluded in some way to himself. So, shortly it will become known as the MAD HATTER: Alan often being seen around the pub with a hat on. As Shakespeare said ‘What’s in a name?

That which we call a rose by any other name would smell as sweet’. Well, the Mad Hatter will continue to sell a wide range of ever changing cask ales and be one of the pubs you go to find unusual ales well kept, making it a Wonderland for real ale drinkers.

PAU L R I L E Y

www.centrallancs.camra.org.uk

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CAMRA CENTRAL LANCASHIRE BRANCH AND …

BEER PURITY

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eer quality, and in particular beer purity, has been a topic of utmost importance for generations of beer drinkers.

In Germany famously they have the Reinheitsgebot, a series of rules and regulations that must be adhered to by brewers who are wanting to sell their ‘biers’ in that country. The original Bavarian law dictated that water, barley, and hops were the only ingredients permissible to be used in the production of beer, although later yeast was also deemed to be acceptable.

Extract from 1893 Ordnance Survey map In this country, brewers have also been keen to make it clear that they are only using the finest called beverage; but that owing to the unprecedented high price of ingredients, with the accompanying advert from local brewery hops, an enormous percentage of various kinds of bitter roots and Matthew Brown (below) being typical of the time in stressing the poisonous drugs was constantly being made use as a substitute.” purity of their Lion Ales in 1933.

Writing of the W & R Wilkins brewery he then went on to say that Over the years chemicals like monosodium glutamate and “Since the establishment of their business more than 50 years ago, propylene glycol have legally been used as constituents of mass they had never used, not even for trial, any ingredient as a substitute, produced beers. However for the majority of present day brewers, or partial substitute, for either malt or hops; and they had pleasure beer purity remains a most important consideration. In particular in giving every facility to any competent person to test their ales by the appropriately named Purity Brewing Company of Warwickshire chemical analysis.” are especially clear in making their intentions known with the Nine days later a letter anonymously penned by “Fair Play” production of a beer called Pure Gold. appeared in the rival Southport News newspaper. This said “Be Concerning beer purity, I would like to recount a slightly bizarre that as it may, I will just give Mr Wilkins a hit to test his feelings story that appeared in the local newspapers almost 135 years ago. on the pure malt, hops, and water principle, of which he speaks so The story involves the two rival Longton breweries W & R Wilkins highly; and, if the result is anything to go by, I for one would not give and James Pye & Sons, and was to develop into an alleged libel case much for the pure malt, hops, and water trade. In seven years or so I that went to criminal court at Lancaster in 1883. may say that they have at least to account for one dozen men, most of It seems that nothing really changes, as that year there had been them fine healthy looking young fellows a few days before their death, much discussion about substitutes that were being used in the to say nothing of the widows and children thus left. Now compare this brewing of beer. Wanting to set the record straight, Richard Wilkins with that of their neighbours Messrs James Pye & Sons, and test the wrote a letter which was printed in the Southport Visitor of April same thing, when I challenge Mr Wilkins to name one death that has 5th in which he stated that “during the past six months innumerable taken place under this firm, which has been established over 50 years; and as the death-rate is all I have to go by at present, I will leave the letters had appeared in the leading newspapers and trade journals, many insinuating, and others distinctly affirming, that the beer of the pure malt, hops, and water principal for Mr Wilkins to explain further if he can.” present day was not composed As you would expect, the Wilkins Brewery owners were not purely and simply of malt, hops, pleased with what had been printed, with the content of this and water, as was the original second letter being alleged to be libellous to them and certainly meaning of the sonot good for their future beer sales in the Southport area. The Preston Chronicle of June 16th reported on the case when it was heard at Leyland Petty Sessions, with it being revealed that “Fair Play” was actually Richard Thompson, who it just so happened was employed as a cooper by Messrs Pye & Sons, the neighbouring Longton brewery (see map). It was suggested that his letter had two possible defamatory meanings “that by the use of poisonous drugs in the manufacture of beer Messrs Wilkins have killed a dozen men engaged in the manufacture” or that “twelve men have died from drinking Messrs Wilkins beer.” It was reported that the publisher of the Southport News had given Thompson the opportunity to make an apology, but that he had “seemed to boast of what he had done, saying that complainants dare not go on with the case.”

The case was adjourned, but one week later the Preston Chronicle of June 23rd reported on the resumed hearing that took place at Leyland Police Station. It was now stated that Thompson

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“had never intended to impute anything like the constructions put upon the letter by the complainants”, but this was not considered sufficient by the prosecution who said “that it was no apology whatever; it was rather a justification of the statements made.”

Seemingly having no other choice the magistrate ruled that Thompson must be sent for trial.

Richard Thompson’s position did not look good, and the following month he was up for trial at the Lancaster Midsummer Assizes.

The Preston Chronicle of July 21st reported on proceedings, with Thompson pleading not guilty to a charge “of maliciously publishing at Longton, on the 10th April 1883, a certain defamatory libel of and concerning one Richard Wilkins.”

The jury first heard from the prosecution, but through inexperience they failed to call any witnesses to state that Thompson had actually been wrong in claiming that Wilkins Brewery had been responsible for the deaths of twelve healthy young men. The defence made much of this, with them stating that “There was not a tittle of evidence offered that day that showed the defendant knew these claims to be false.” They said that it had been a “monstrous injustice” that the case had gone to a criminal court, and that the prosecution had been “light and trivial” in presenting their evidence.

Summing up, the judge made the point that by writing his original letter Mr Wilkins had “practically invited other people to come and say, You are all very well, but you are not quite such a fine fellow as you would wish people to think you are.” There was then much hilarity in court as the judge went on to talk about the libel claim, with him asking “was what occurred anything more than a little bit of joking?” With it now appearing that it was Mr Wilkins and the prosecution who were at fault, it was finally reported that the jury “almost immediately returned a verdict of not guilty” on Richard Thompson, while his lawyer was also to be granted costs.

What a strange story – and it was certainly not the ending that I had expected.

GORDON SMALL

www.centrallancs.camra.org.uk

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BOAR’S HEAD LIVES TO FIGHT ANOTHER DAY

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fter the Boar’s Head at Barton closed last year, local villagers formed the Barton Heritage Group and got the pub listed as an Asset of Community Value meaning that the site could not be sold without them having a chance to bid.

Once the ACV was granted, the owners, Barton NWL Properties Ltd. gave notice of their intention to sell, and the Group triggered a moratorium period of 6 months to try to negotiate a sale. The owners were apparently seeking somewhere in the order of £900,000 for a site which they bought for £350,000. The Heritage Group offered around £375,000 based on an independent valuation. Not surprisingly perhaps the period expired on 17th August without a sale being agreed.

Well, since then the owners could sell the site or apply for planning permission to convert or demolish the building or redevelop the site. But what they in fact chose to do was to ask the Council to review the ACV listing, on various grounds, but particularly the dilapidation of the building and the additional costs that would be required to bring the premises back into use.

Legally they can do this and oddly there is no limit on the number of times they can apply.

Anyway, the Barton Heritage Group was consulted and objected.

They said they are still willing to invest to complete any remedial work to bring the building back into full use at a fair price to reflect its value as a pub and its central role in the community. Department of Communities and Local Government view is that the condition of the building is no reason for de-listing an ACV. On 13th October, the Council came to the conclusion that ‘it would

in happier days

not be appropriate to lift the listing at this stage’. Bearing in mind that the listing is recent and was reviewed by the Council, the Council do not believe that the building at present is no longer of community value. The Boar’s Head lives to fight another day.

The Council expresses the hope that discussions between the respective parties can be undertaken without further delay to find a way forward. This seems a forlorn hope given the owners past resistance to discuss and the distance the parties are apparently apart on price.

The next stage may be a planning application for redevelopment which the village and others are likely to oppose.

DAV E L I N L E Y

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Stephen and Denise have been glad to welcome good beer lovers for over 25 years at the POTTERS.

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ISSUE 117 WINTER 2017

20 years in the Good Beer Guide

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www.centrallancs.camra.org.uk

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A Sally round… Carnforth

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found breweries. No lagers or spirits are sold although you will also find ciders available as well as a good selection of gins. The Snug is temporarily closed to allow emergency building work to be undertaken. They hope to reopen in February 2018.

Opening the door on this Saturday afternoon, we felt instantly at home. Gregg, the landlord was friendly and we felt very welcome amongst the group of regulars that were gathered around the bar. I had a pint of Deeply Vale Citra Storm which was 4%. A pale beer with a citrusy, bitter taste, it was in fine form and went down a treat. Carole had half a Kelham Island Pale Rider despite it being 5.5%, this beer being another of my favourites and she enjoyed it too. By the time we had finished these first drinks we were having a great conversation with several of the regulars, whom by then, I felt that I had known for years. I could have stayed in the Snug for the rest of the day but our objective was to have a Sally round, so we said goodbye to Gregg and our new friends and ventured into town, vowing to return on our way back for the train.

Just across the road from the station we spotted our next port of call, the ROYAL STATION HOTEL. This is a large, impressive building and pretty big inside. We made our way to the bar to find a friendly, chatty barman and 3 handpumps offering Oakham Citra and Old School Brewery Detention alongside the ubiquitous Wainwright. I love Oakham Citra but I’ve had it many times so both Carole and I chose O.S.B. Detention.

O.S.B. is a microbrewery which is fairly local to Carnforth and is located at the foot of Warton Crag a few miles to the north. The

names of their beers have a school theme, so look out for Headmaster, Blackboard and Textbook amongst others, in a pub near you.

Detention is a straw coloured, light bitter, quite floral and a perfect session beer at 4.1% which we both liked.

Moving on, we made our way up to the SHOVEL INN. An old fashioned, traditional pub where dogs are welcome. There must have been at least 7 dogs in there when we went in. Nothing very exciting on the bar, the choice was Sharp’s Doom Bar, Wainwright or Marston’s 61 Deep. So, a pint and a half of 61 Deep later, we headed off to our next pub.

By now, the sun was shining and so we were pleased to see a free table outside, by the canal, upon our arrival at the CANAL TURN. This pub is in a great

Shovel Inn © Ian Taylor

n 1945, Carnforth railway station was used as a set for the David Lean film Brief Encounter, starring Celia Johnson and Trevor Howard. This film is one of the major factors in the recent refurbishment of the station, including construction of a refreshment room to match the studio set used in the film. The refreshment room and the Heritage Centre at the station, continue to thrive and are a fascinating link to the station’s history.

Carole and I like a good film and have watched Brief Encounter on more than one occasion but on a Saturday afternoon in July we arrived at Carnforth station seeking something different. Departing Preston station, with a quick change at Lancaster, we were at Carnforth station about 45 minutes later. The fare was not too bad either at £10.20 return for an adult ticket.

The attraction for us at Carnforth station was the SNUG. Opened in 2012 on the old mainline station platform, the Snug micropub is only 300 square feet in size and has no TV, music or games machines. The only sound is the conversation of several drinkers and the occasional passing train. Drinkswise, the focus is on real ale, with 5 handpumps offering ever changing casks from interesting, less commonly

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THE WHEATSHEAF Spendmore Lane, Coppull, Nr Chorley, Lancashire

PR7 4NY

FREE HOU SE

3 ever changing Cask Ales – including Prospect, Bank Top, Blackedge, Martland Mill & Coach House • Free entertainment: Jukebox (Mon), Pool (Tue), Quiz (Wed) • All major sports shown • Saturday night live music • Sunday – Chase the Ace 12–6pm • Beer garden • Dogs welcome

OPENING TIMES

Monday – Thursday from 3pm

location, alongside the canal where you can sit and watch the narrow boats and ducks manoeuvring in the water while you enjoy a beer or two. Two cask beers were available, Lancaster Blonde and Moorhouse’s Pride of Pendle. We both chose Lancaster Blonde which was tasty and refreshing at 4%.

After chilling out by the canal for a while we set off back towards the station.

I was keen to have another couple in the Snug before our train back to Preston. The atmosphere inside was as welcoming as our earlier visit and we felt at home as Gregg pulled our drinks, Kelham Island Pale Rider for me and Deeply Vale Citra Storm for Carole. Even though the regulars from our earlier visit had gone and been replaced with others, again we were soon drawn into

Friday from 2pm

the conversation.

Time for another before our train ride home, and I was keen to try a pint of Mallinson’s Columbus XL. This turned out to be my favourite of the afternoon, it was pale and very bitter with a strong, hoppy finish, delicious but also packing a punch at 5.5%. Carole also chose this for her final half and was Canal Turn suitably impressed.

Before we left the Snug, one of the regulars announced that the Duchess of Sutherland was on her way. I was very touched to think that we had made such an impression that they had arranged a Royal visit. A few minutes later, everyone made their way outside onto the platform, including Carole and I, to watch the Royal visitor arrive. I heard shouts of “here she comes, she’s going slowly, as she is stopping to take on water”. Why would you drink water when there is great real ale available, I thought to myself before a steam train pulling several old Pullman style carriages arrived at the Station. I’m not particularly interested in trains and have never been a spotter, but this was something that you

Saturday & Sunday from 12pm

don’t see very often these days and it was an impressive sight accompanying the unmistakable sound of a steam train.

Sadly, we were unable to return to Preston onboard The Duchess and shortly after her departure, we boarded our rather dull, ordinary, diesel train to Lancaster, before boarding another similar train to travel home from Lancaster to Preston.

We had a very enjoyable afternoon and whilst I would admit that Carnforth is not the best town we’ve sallied round, as there are few decent pubs there, the Snug is worth a trip to Carnforth in itself. Why not get a train up there and see for yourself, you never know, you may be lucky enough to get a visit from the Duchess.

DAV E B E L L www.centrallancs.camra.org.uk

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Branch Pub of the Season Summer 2017

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MY PINT OF VIEW

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ne of the biggest changes in the pub scene in recent years has been the advent of the micropub.

We are fortunate to have so many of them in our area, and one of the most recent is Hoppy Days in Longridge. In this issue, we catch up with proprietor Peace Townsend to have a look at what goes into running this sort of establishment.

AC Can you tell us a bit about your background?

PT I’ve not had experience working in large chain type pubs. My first exposure to pub work was in the Narrow Boat in Skipton and then in the Beer Engine (Skipton’s first micropub). It was pretty much all cask ale and I wanted to run one of my own. I saw the opportunity to open one in Longridge and things just went from there. I suppose it is in my blood – both my grandfather and great grandfather ran bars in my home town of Marshfield, Wisconsin. (A picture showing grandfather Pete at his bar in 1947 hangs in the pub – reproduced top right).

AC What are the main challenges in running this sort of establishment?

PT Firstly, it’s very time consuming.

Cleaning, cellar work, ordering and bar work takes up 80 plus hours a week, and that’s with limited opening hours. It’s not physically demanding, but it is difficult to get time away from the business. We really enjoy the personal relationships we have built – both with customers and with brewers. As you can see there is limited storage space. We have room for 10–14 casks in the ‘cellar’ (a temperature-controlled room behind the bar) and any overflow is stored under the benches in the front room.

This means that ordering and stock control are vital. Pricing is another tricky one. I try to price ‘as a consumer’ – a reasonable price for the product, without trying to maximise the profit from our customers. At the same time, the price must be realistic, to cover all my costs and give me a living. There’s a lot of focus in the marketplace on ‘cheap beer’, but every part of the supply chain needs to be able to make sufficient money from what they do to enable it to continue.

customers, many of whom live in the town, and try to respond to their interests. We’ve been asked to do ‘Meet the Brewer’ events and these have proved really popular. A number of our regulars holiday in Spain, so we became an unlikely venue for Spanish lessons. We were one of the prize sponsors for Create Longridge in July 2017 – an arts festival in the town. And so far we’ve raised over £300 for NW Blood Bikes – Lancs and Lakes through our now infamous swear jar.

AC Clearly with a pub that focusses on cask conditioned ale, getting the right mix of beers on the bar is very important. How do you go about it?

PT Would it sound corny if I said the beer was selected ‘with love’? Each of our five pumps is reserved for a distinctive style of beer. Blonde/golden, Session Pale, Traditional Bitter (Amber/Brown), Dark, Speciality (strength or style). There’s an amazing number of different beers available and I try to use breweries that have a broad range of products, but with a bias towards local ones. We’re developing good relationships with the likes of Beer Brothers and Crankshaft. We’re trying to deliver something different from the mainstream, with a unique array of beers to showcase the best of British brewing.

AC You’ve mentioned the importance of contributing to the community. How does the size of the pub limit your ability to achieve this?

PT Just because we are a small pub, it doesn’t mean we cannot be a big part of the local community. We really appreciate our

AC Finally, how do you feel about CAMRA? PT I’m a member, although I’m not able to contribute much due to work commitments.

We really appreciate the many volunteer hours put in by the active members in the branches. Without their efforts down the years it is doubtful we would have the wide variety of beers that are available today, or indeed pubs like this. We’ve just won your Pub of the Season award and we’re very proud of it. It’s a sign of confidence in what we are trying to do, and your support is very important. CAMRA is very keen on beer festivals and in the early days of the campaign they were very important – both in spreading the word and in enabling people to drink beers from different regions of the country that would otherwise be unavailable. Nowadays it is possible to get beers from all over, even in a smaller town like Longridge. Organisers of beer festivals have started to respond by getting more adventurous with ordering lesser known beers from up and coming microbreweries.

It’s great how we can support each other by continually keeping the standards of quality and service high. www.centrallancs.camra.org.uk

Ale Cry

13

CHORLEY CHATTER

T

here has been plenty going on in the Chorley area over the last 3 months and much of it is good news for the cask beer lover.

Starting in the town centre, the CROWN on Chapel Street has been sold to local pubco Toastie Taverns. New manager, Gill, has been working there some time and is well known around the pubs of Chorley, having worked in a number of them. Little has changed under the new ownership, but the range of beers available has become slightly more adventurous.

The D’Owd Inn on Market Street closed in August. After a short while it has re-opened as the TOASTIE TAVERN, with Daniel Hull, formerly of the Cock T’Ale House in Eccleston behind the bar. Improved cellar cooling has been put in and the initial impression is of a much improved pub,

White Bull

both in terms of beer quality and variety. Three changing ales and a real cider are available and some interesting beers have been on the bar.

Further down Market Street, the WHITE BULL has reopened after an extensive refurbishment.

The layout is essentially unchanged but the pub is a lot smarter and there is now an attractive decking area at the back, which gives them one of the few outdoor drinking areas in the town.

In the last issue of Ale Cry we

The Market Ale House

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reported the imminent opening of LOST BAR on Fazakerley Street. This has now happened, but contrary to initial reports, this is more of a nightclub/late night venue with limited opening, and there is no real ale.

However, just next door, we have another new bar called the SHED. A single unit, with rough wood panelling on the walls, the impression is very much of being in a garden shed. Opening at 10am, this venue will be a coffee bar during the day (although alcohol is served from noon), gradually morphing into a conventional bar. Three hand pumps are installed and the plan is to sell mainly locally brewed beers. This looks like another fine addition to the Chorley scene and we wish them well.

Anyone who visits Chorley regularly will have seen the amount of building work that is going on in the centre. The A6 end of Chapel Street has been closed for most of this year, and a number of temporary diversion signs have appeared.

I suppose it was only a matter of time before someone decided to have a bit of fun with them and started directing pedestrians into the SHEPHERDS’ HALL ALE HOUSE. I can certainly think of worse diversions!

A short while ago we received a report that TRADER JACKS on the A6 had three real ales on. When we checked this out we found that the three handpumps actually were serving real cider – two from Lilley’s and one from Weston’s.

Away from the centre, the DERBY ARMS on Eaves Lane re-opened in early November after an extensive refurbishment. The work was considerably delayed following the discovery of asbestos in the cellar and other problems. The new look pub is much modernised but still recognisable; with comfortable seating and a pool room away from the bar, this is very much a suburban local. There are four handpumps on the bar and the new owners are keen to promote real ale. To start with they will be offering Sharp’s Doom Bar and Atlantic IPA plus a couple of the regular Admiral pubco beer range – probably including something from Moorhouse’s. How things have changed

Opening night at the Shed

Golden Lion

for the better in this part of town over the last couple of years, with all the pubs now selling cask ale.

Heading out towards Blackburn, the GOLDEN LION at Wheelton has also reopened after a refurbishment. The interior is

much more welcoming and the space seems better used. Although this is predominantly a food pub, there are four handpumps serving beers from the Thwaites’ range, with regular appearances of the seasonal brews from the micro plant.

Although the TOP LOCK had a significant refit earlier this year, word has reached us that the pub will close early in the New Year for further work. This turns out to be incorrect, although there are plans for an extension, new kitchen and toilets and a restaurant. However this will not be until later next year, probably in the autumn.

Having used this pub regularly over the previous 10 years or so, I have to confess to being, initially, rather disappointed with the new look when it first reopened this summer. Subsequent visits have seen significant improvements in the range and quality of the beers being sold; it’s totally different to the previous incarnation, but still well worth a visit.

Heading the other way, the SEBASTOPOL has been shut for a while and there is evidence of significant building work going on. We have heard that the venue will be reopening as a bar and grill. It seems unlikely that real ale will feature, but you never know.

The CROWN in Croston closed suddenly in September with the departure of the licensee. However in late October new licensee Kelly Henshaw arrived and the pub is once again open. Food is being served from 12 to 7 every day. This is a pub that built a reputation for quality cask ale a short while ago and initially there will be three of the standard Thwaites’ beers available.

ADRIAN SMITH www.centrallancs.camra.org.uk

Ale Cry

15

Brewing beer…

a small start

S

ome brewers start at home, some start from within the trade, and some learn on a course. Me? I’m still a simple home brewer getting good results from beer kits and about to take the next step into full mash brewing.

Brewing beer allegedly goes back 7000 years to the origins of civilisation. However more recently in Britain it was made illegal in 1880 unless you had a brewing licence. This all changed in the 1963 budget when Tory Chancellor Reginald Maudling made the brewing of beer and wine (but not distillation of spirits) legal for personal consumption. He was apparently quite popular at the time. Note the personal consumption bit – I am not a lawyer but it appears that it is the simple supply of homebrew booze to others that can attract duty and attention from HMRC, and actual sale is not necessary.

For me it started in the ’70s when I bought my dad a Boots wine kit for his birthday. 9 months later he hadn’t done anything with it, and challenged me to do it for him. Lazy beggar. I did – it was easy and the result was OK. Not excellent but acceptable and cheap. So I tried beer kits. These were of the single large can variety – Tom Caxton Bitter, John Bull beer kits, Boots own-brand bitter etc. and required the addition of a whole 1kg bag of Tate & Lyle white sugar.

Again the method was easy and the results were OK. Fine for when you are a student. And every pint you drink avoided paying the Chancellor any beer duty, so you felt a bit of a moral victory with every pint.

Until you tasted proper real ale from a pub and realised that ’70s and ’80s homebrew beer didn’t really taste that good. My own theory is that it was the 1kg of white sugar that was the problem and gave the resulting beer a distinctive odd taste. Spin forward a decade or three and things have changed. Beer kits have got FAR better, Boots have exited the homebrew game, and a firm of Suffolk maltsters called Muntons has moved into beer kits.

Beer kits cut out the hard work and time of the initial mashing process – the extraction of sugars (maltose) from the various malted grains, the boiling, the hopping is all done for you and the resulting fermentables evaporated down to a sticky dark malty goo in a 1.5kg tin. You mixed this with water and sugar (sucrose) then added dried yeast and let it ferment out.

Then came the 3kg beer kits. 2 big tins of goo and no sugar required. The ingredients had got better, there was no off-taste and the results were better than many pub real ales. Quality had arrived

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(if you were careful). There are now beer kits that allow you to brew identical beers to commercial beers – e.g. the St Peters bottled beer range.

The CAMRA Champion Beer of Britain 2015 – Tiny Rebel’s Cwtch – is now available as a kit. Tiny Rebel were home brewing in a garage 4 years previous to going commercial, so you can see the connection. https://youtu.be/1PdRVDi3BYg So lets go through what you need to make 36 pints (4.5 gallons) of this stuff. To ferment you will need a 5-gallon polyethylene brewing bucket with lid and airlock, a 2-foot plastic stirring spoon, some siphon tubing with tap and some sanitiser (primarily sodium metabisulphite). Try your local homebrew shop or Wilcos for most of this equipment. Then choose your beer kit.

This is my method. Take your plastic bucket and give it a rinse/ wash, then douse it in diluted sanitiser – but don’t sniff this stuff, it’s an irritant. Empty it out and rinse again. Boil a kettle. Pour this slowly around the edges of the bucket so that boiling water has touched every part of the bucket (to kill bugs). Swish it around and discard. Repeat. Open the first tin and pour the goo into the bucket whilst boiling another kettle. Carefully put the tin on one side, add the boiling water to the goo in the bucket and repeat with the second tin. Boil the kettle again and rinse out the first tin with it, then once more for the second tin. Stir thoroughly to dissolve all the goo. Starting to smell like a brewery now. Use the empty tins to add cold water to the bucket to make up the volume to 4.5 gallons – there are markings on the side of the bucket. At this point I find that the temperature is about right – around 20°C – to add the dried

Hoppy Days M I C R O P U B

L O N G R I D G E

lid off the fermenting bucket

priming bottles with sugar

yeast right away. Check with a sterilised thermometer or little finger.

Add the yeast sachet then the lid and airlock. Elapsed time 15–20 minutes. Leave for 7–10 days until the airlock bubbles stop. The warmer the environment the shorter the time it takes – don’t do it in a freezing shed – I leave mine in the kitchen.

After 7–10 days the ferment is usually over – no more bubbles through the airlock. Check with a hydrometer if you want to be sure.

You now have a potentially perfect beer, but it’s cloudy with a thick creamy yeasty sediment at the bottom of your bucket. You can now transfer this into keg, cask or bottle, but which? Casks aren’t really on unless you can drink 40 pints over 3 or 4 days! Possible with assistance I guess.

I had a bad experience years ago with a Design Centre keg called a Beersphere – after a time everything I put in the Beersphere went off and I lost 5 gallons at a time. So now I use glass bottles – if a bottle is contaminated you lose a pint. So the first step is to gather 40 to 50 pint (or 500ml) bottles, wash them and remove the labels (a hell of a challenge actually). Glass is definitely best. You can use 2ltr coke bottles but ask yourself why no-one sells beer that way. Then buy a crown corker and a bag of 50 crown cork tops.

So far the process has cost around 15 minutes labour. Now you have to wash and sanitise 40-odd bottles. Then add a level teaspoon

best crowncorkers

One batch bottled, next batch fermenting

of sugar to each, then lift up the 23kg beer bucket on to your kitchen worktop and siphon ale into each bottle, crown cork the bottles and wash up the equipment. 2 hours work easily.

Then stack the 40-odd bottles in crates, leave inside in the warm for a week for the remaining yeast to generate a bit of CO2 from the teaspoon of sugar. Then somewhere cooler for another two weeks – this is “bottle conditioning”. Then try tasting it. This is real ale in a bottle (RAIB in CAMRA code) and you’ll need to learn how to pour it smoothly, leaving the last cm of liquid (containing yeasty sediment) behind. If you’ve done it right you will be moderately impressed with the result.

Homebrew can be better than many poorly-kept pub ales, but is still unlikely to be as good as a properly conditioned and kept cask ale. Also, unless you stage an occasion to invite a bunch of people around, you will miss out on the social advantages of pub beer drinking.

In the days of smoky pubs and limited and indifferent real ale choice, my attitude was “if the pubs can’t produce a better ale than my homebrew, and can’t provide a clean air environment to drink it in, then I’ll just drink at home”. How things have changed!

Anyway – after perfecting the art of kit brewing you will probably want the flexibility and challenge of producing any style of beer at all.

So what about full-mash homebrewing? We’ll have a look at that in another article in a future edition of Ale Cry. DAV E WO O L C O C K

Masons Arms 98 HARPERS LANE, CHORLEY PR6 0HU

· · · ·

4 rooms 2 bars 6 rotating cask ales Gin and wine bar

· · · ·

Ciders, lagers and spirits Fresh snacks daily Open everyday Free wifi

· · · ·

Sky, BT & Racing Dog friendly Family friendly Monday night quiz

ENTERTAINMENT COMING SOON

www.centrallancs.camra.org.uk

Ale Cry

17

BRANCH AWARDS

THE RED HERRING STE & MARY WELCOME YOU TO COPPULL’S TOP FREEHOUSE. Guest ales include

Bank Top, Reedley Hallows, Prospect, Wily Fox and many more

Live entertainment last Saturday of the month.

Sunday night quiz.

Ring Mill function room for hire.

OPEN

Monday–Thursday from 3pm Friday–Sunday from 12 noon

MILL LANE, COPPULL, CHORLEY, LANCS 01257 470130

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PR7 5AN

The new POTY award will be somewhat different to all our other awards in that voting will be open to all Branch Members and can be done in a number of ways; by email, by post or by hand in writing at any meeting during the voting window. Branch Secretary Gordon Small has agreed to act as the ‘returning officer’. The committee is drawing up a shortlist of candidates and this will be finalised by year end. Full details of the candidates, voting procedures and timescales will be sent out to members in the January emAle newsletter and will also be posted on our website.

Voting will open 1st January and close 28th February and the result will be announced via our website, Facebook page and Twitter feed as soon as known. We expect the presentation of the award to be made in March or April with a full write up in the Summer Ale Cry. The long voting window is deliberate – it is expected that the pubs will be well spread geographically and we would encourage people to visit all the pubs before voting (rather than just voting for the only one they regularly go in) so they can make a valued judgement.

Maudland, Preston, GLMT winner 1984/85

This is a great opportunity for all branch members to contribute to the selection of our Pub of the Year. By using the nationally agreed criteria, we hope our winning pub will stand a better chance in the county and regional rounds of the competition. If you want to have your say, you need to be a George, Preston, member – so join up now!

GLMT winner 1982/83 As previously, the GLMT decision will be made by a members only open vote at the December Christmas Social meeting at Black Horse in Preston on Thursday 14th December.

We have also agreed to introduce two new awards, Community Pub of the Year and Most Improved Pub of the Year. The exact selection criteria has not yet been settled, but these will be selected by the branch committee at a meeting early next year. You can expect to read all about it in the Spring Ale Cry. We will still be having our Pub of the Season awards. Historically, once a pub has won this award they have not been eligible to win it again. We have also deliberately moved the award round the branch in rotation. This has sometimes led to some criticism over the pubs selected and those that have been seemingly ignored. For future awards, the only restriction will be that a pub cannot win the award again within 2 years.

There are no changes to the Club of the Year and the Cider Pub of the Year awards. All this means that we have increased the number of awards to 10, giving us an opportunity to reward more of the excellent pubs in our area.

Maudland Inn & George Hotel © Jim Holderness

I

t is some time since we had an overhaul of our branch awards. This Autumn we have done a full review and made some changes; partly to bring our awards more in line with the national criteria and partly to increase the number of awards. In addition, we wanted to make our awards more open, transparent and inclusive of our members.

The George Lee Memorial Trophy (GLMT) is the branch’s premier award. Since 1981 the GLMT Shield has been presented annually to the pub, organisation, or person that is considered by branch members to have done the most for real ale locally during the previous calendar year. The award is named in memory of a popular former landlord of the Moorbrook in Preston. The Moorbrook was the branch’s birthplace in 1973, with George Lee being the branch’s first Treasurer.

The winner of the GLMT is presented with the Shield which is held by them for the whole of the following calendar year. Subsequently they will be presented with a GLMT Certificate which is intended to provide them with a lasting record of their achievement in winning the award.

In recent times, the winner of the GLMT has been put forward as the branch Pub of the Year (POTY) in CAMRA’s national competition.

While this was convenient, the GLMT winner does not always reflect the nationally agreed criteria. It could be that the GLMT winner is a person or a brewery, and therefore doesn’t even meet the requirement of being a pub.

The nationally agreed POTY criteria are as follows: • Quality of Beer/Cider/Perry • Style, Décor, Furnishing and Cleanliness • Service, Welcome & Offering • Community Focus and Atmosphere • Alignment with CAMRA Principles • Overall Impression

THE

OLD VIC

SUNDAY NIGHT QUIZ WITH CASH JACKPOT

Serving breakfasts, lunchtime specials and all traditional pub food. Also sandwiches, salads and delicious home made pies.

Parties catered for.

7 Handpumps revolving up to 20 cask ales each week 50p Wetherspoons vouchers now redeemed Sky/BT showing all major sporting events New enlarged outdoor area with large screen TV Fishergate, Preston Opposite Preston Railway Station 01772 828519 Advert – Old Vic (Full) 117.indd 1

Ale

12/11/2017 15:51

www.centrallancs.camra.org.uk

Cry

19

RILEY’S RAMBLES: Ulverston

U

lverston Beer Festival is one I always look forward to, for a few reasons. It is held in the magnificent Coronation Hall and Ulverston itself is a charming town in the Furness district of ‘Old’ Lancashire. Due to a rail strike, I missed out on going this year, but using the Northern Rail vouchers in the Lancashire Post, I sampled the delights of the pubs of Ulverston earlier in the year, making it an ideal day out (or somewhere to stay for a longer visit).

Walking up from the railway station, turn left and walk into town along Prince’s St. and Queen St. to eventually reach the FARMER’S ARMS at the top of Market St., a smart comfortable pub with a heated drinking area to the front. Five changing real ales are on sale, plus Courage Directors. The guest beers on my visit were Corby American Pale Ale (4.0%), Copper Dragon 1816 (4.1%), Cumbrian Loweswater Gold (4.3%), Yates Solway Gold (4.4%) and South Lakes Rakau (4.7%).

Coming out, turn left and go along to the end of King St. where you will find the MILL, a Lancaster Brewery pub in a Grade II listed conversion of an old grain mill. The water wheel is still in situ and can be viewed from the bar. Further seating is available beyond the mill race. Ten real ales are available, four from Lancaster, plus six changing guests which were Hardnott Lux Borealis (3.8%), Bowness Bay Swan Blonde (4.0%), Wainwright, Ringwood Boondoggle (4.2%), Thornbridge Sequoia (4.5%) and Kirkby Lonsdale Jubilee Stout (5.5%).

From here we turned left again and proceeded up Soutergate to reach OLD FRIENDS, a friendly local pub with a cosy stone floored snug in front of the bar and a lounge to the right with a beer garden to the rear. Five beers were on sale, Keswick Bitter (3.7%), Robinsons Dizzy Blonde (3.8%), Saltaire Amarillo Gold (4.5%), Dent Ramsbottom (4.5%) and Stringers Turbine Porter (5.1%). It only opens at 4pm Mon– Wed, 2pm Thurs/Fri and noon Sat/Sun. Retrace your steps back down

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King St., noting the chip shop ‘Chippy Bank’ on your right where you can sit in and have proper fish and chips, and you will come to AVANTI CAPITOLA on your left. A smart and comfortable wine bar, it also had three real ales on sale: HardKnott Katalyst (3.8%), Ulverston Celebration Ale (3.9%) and Lancaster Gold (4.2%) on our visit.

Next, go left down Market St. where you will see the SUN INN on your right. A grade II listed coaching inn with ensuite accommodation, it belongs to Preston’s very own Inns and Leisure group, owners of, among others, The Old Vic. Open plan with alcoves, there are several screens showing sports and a large, heated beer garden. Here you will have six real ales to choose from. Besides the house beer, Sun Inn Ale (4.1%) brewed for them by Theakstons, the five changing guest beers on our visit were Barngates Pale (3.3%), Bowland Double Deckerdance (3.8%), Pennine Amber Necker (3.8%), Kirkby Lonsdale Monumental (4.5%) and Lancaster Red. (4.8%).

Continuing down Market St., you will have the opportunity to purchase some of the excellent produce of local butcher, Irvings, situated on the left before you reach the main road, where you will have a little walk away from the centre before coming to the SWAN INN on your left. Up some steps, you enter what seems like an open plan pub, but there are three distinct drinking areas where you can find seating. It has nine real ales and this makes it a very popular meeting place. At 5.30pm it was very busy with conversation to the fore. Live sports are shown and occasional live music features. The nine beers ranged from Durham Magus (3.8%) up to Castle Rock Screech Owl (5.5%) with a good spread in between, so there will be something for everyone to enjoy. It opens at 3.30pm Mon–Thurs, 2pm Fri, and noon Sat/Sun. On leaving, go right back up the main road as if returning to the railway station and look out for Victoria Rd. on the left. A short walk will bring you to our last pub of the day, the DEVONSHIRE ARMS, which is just past the bridge under the train lines. A locals pub, again with

sports TV, you can stand round the bar or take a seat and enjoy the seven real ales available. Five are regulars, including three from Abbeydale, plus Bank Top Flat Cap and Saltaire Blonde (both 4.0%) and two changing guests such as Great Corby Blonde (also 4.0%).

That makes approximately 46 different beers available just in those few pubs.

You can easily reach the station from here by approaching the bridge and going up Conishead Rd. which quickly leads you direct to the station where you can get your train home.

There are many other pubs that I have not mentioned that add to the variety, a lot of them Robinsons’ pubs from when they stepped in when Hartleys Brewery gave up the ghost, but others too. I really don’t need the excuse of a beer festival to visit Ulverston, the pubs alone are a big enough draw. It is easily reached by train from Preston, with trains to and from Barrow run by Northern Rail. I usually catch the 10.48 out and the 18.21 back. Normal fare is £20.60 return, so the £10 offer, when it is available (usually twice a year in May/June and Oct/Nov) makes it an absolute bargain which you would be foolish not to take advantage of. I expect to see a few of you up there sometime next year.

PAU L R I L E Y

www.centrallancs.camra.org.uk

Ale Cry

21

THE PRICE OF YOUR PINT

part 3 the BEER

I

n the first part of this series of articles we looked at the costings from the perspective of the brewer.

In the second part we considered the pub itself and the way in which the running costs can differ between the different types of establishment. In the final part we look at the beer itself: just what the pub can get it’s hands on and how much they have to pay for it. Except where specifically indicated, prices quoted in this article are for a 9 gallon barrel and exclude VAT. There are now well over 1,000 breweries in the UK (over 300 pages worth in the 2018 Good Beer Guide), brewing a wonderful array of beers to suit every taste. It doesn’t seem unreasonable to expect to be able to find a wide variety in your local pub, but reality is often far from that. Yes, things are significantly better than even 10 years ago, but in many instances, drinkers are surprised when they run across the same beers over and over again. There are good reasons for this… read on!

Brewery tied pubs

Brewery tied pubs are clearly restricted to beers from their own brewery. Our branch area has relatively few of these; a couple of Robinsons’, one J W Lees, one Sam Smith’s and a whole raft of Thwaites’ and Marston’s. Over the last few years, Thwaites have hived off much of their brewing to Marston’s, with the upshot being that their beers are starting to appear as guests in Marston pubs and vice versa. The argument from the breweries would be that they are giving individual pubs more choice, but in an area where both breweries are already well represented, it doesn’t really add much overall. Thwaites’ licensees were reluctant to reveal any prices, but an indication from one of them was that Wainwright was costing them in the region of £100 per cask.

Pubco pubs

Pubs owned by pubcos have a wider range of beer available to them. There tends to be a core list, which can be had at a lower price with the option of getting beers from a wider list – although this option comes at a premium. Very often these ‘extra beers’ can be obtained via the SIBA direct delivery scheme. Sounds good in theory, but the practice is slightly different. The pub can access beers from breweries who subscribe to the scheme and are willing to deliver direct to the pub. We understand the ordering process is complex and the pubco have little involvement. However there is a hefty surcharge for the privilege

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of doing this. True the pub benefits from being able to get a wider range of beers, but because of the limitation of direct delivery, they are only able to get the same beers as other pubs in their area and these are the same beers that the brewers are delivering into the free trade as well.

We have spoken to a number of licencees about the prices they have to pay, and we can now reveal these figures (with anonymity for the pubs concerned).

Let’s start with Enterprise (or as they have re-branded themselves Ei). We didn’t get too much information on the standard range available direct from Ei, but Moorhouse’s White Witch is available at around £94. Hawkshead Windermere Pale is available from SIBA at about the same price. A premium beer like Hopback Summer Lightning is around £103 through Enterprise but something similar through SIBA will be about an extra £15 like for like. Most mid strength beers that are any good and interesting are normally around the £105–110 mark. We have been told by a local brewery that selling on the SIBA list via Ei entailed a price cap of £60 to the brewery. If these figures are correct (and we have no reason to doubt them) then Ei are raking in somewhere between £35 and £50 per barrel and doing virtually nothing for it!

The range of beers generally supplied to Trust Inns pubs is rather limited.

Moorhouse’s, Marston’s, Taylor’s, Robinsons and Lees are regularly available – although not the full range. Stocking and delivery is provided via DHL, which appears to be a less than successful arrangement, at least from the publican’s perspective.

Beers ordered are not always available, and the licensee doesn’t find out until the delivery arrives. Things are further complicated in that they have to pay when they order, and if something is missing, there is then a complicated process to get their money back. The prices that we have been told are being charged for the beers is frankly depressing. Moorhouse’s Blond Witch is £104, Wainwright is £97 and Taylor’s Landlord a quite frightening £154!

In common with most other pubco’s, Trust Inns pubs can have access to the

“

SIBA list. We were told that there is little or no support, the lists aren’t regularly updated and the prices being charged are unattractive.

The fullest information we have been able to obtain is regarding Star Pubs and Bars (Heineken). They issue a quarterly glossy magazine to their pubs, and the cask beers available are split into three distinct groups. The first group is labelled Foundation Ales, and comprises well known national brands such as Theakston Best, Deuchars IPA & Edinburgh Castle (Caledonian), Greene King IPA, Pedigree, 6X, London Pride, Tribute, Bombardier and Wainwright. The list price of these beers vary between £115–£135, although discounts are available – more on this in a bit.

The next group is labelled as Favourites and comprise further beers from the breweries already mentioned, plus others from some of the larger independents – Fullers, Shepherd Neame, Brain’s, Adnams, Marston, Holt’s, Robinson’s etc. The list prices are very similar to the Foundation range and we understand that both ranges are always available.

There is then a set of guest ales for each month – something like a dozen for each.

Most of these are seasonal brews from the same breweries already mentioned with the occasional one from a smaller brewery thrown in. Pricing seems pretty constant across the ranges. In addition to all these, there is (for some pubs) access to the SIBA Beerflex list. The discounts available to pubs varies – with the pubs selling the most cask ale getting the biggest discounts.

Savings of up to £21.25 per 9 gallon barrel are available, with this increasing to £40 per barrel if the beer comes from Caledonian or Theakston’s. However the smaller barrelage pubs get lower discounts – which of course does nothing to help them increase sales.

Free trade pubs

When it comes to the free trade, there are not the same restrictions in place and they are free to order from whoever they like.

Certainly there are savings to be made, but there are some hidden cost implications.

Cask ale is the most time consuming product that a pub sells, yet margins on cask are lower than on anything else

“

I firmly believe the pricing structure of beer in the UK, especially cask ales, is outdated and restrictive. It does not allow brewers to express their imagination fully and receive a fair or indeed ethical price for what they have created

Some breweries are selling direct as low as £50 a barrel but the norm is somewhere in the £65–£80 region. Discounts are available for purchasing several casks with buy 5 or 6 and get one free being available from a number of the local breweries.

There are a number of problems when buying direct. It is hugely time consuming contacting all the breweries, handling multiple deliveries and paying all the different accounts. It is only possible to deal direct with the breweries who are willing to deliver – giving the free trade outlet the same pool of breweries to go to as the pubco pub with SIBA list option – albeit at a more attractive price.

There are several wholesalers delivering into our area. On a recent list from one of them the following were available: Burton Bridge, Nottingham, Butcombe, Cornish Crown, Old Mill – with prices ranging from the high £60’s to the low £70’s. Beers from Phoenix, Great Heck, Purple Moose and Inveralmond were being charged in the low to mid £70’s. Surprisingly, from the same outfit beers that are regularly available in the pubco arena were significantly more

expensive. Doom Bar @ £79, Sharp’s Atlantic @ £80.49, Wainwright @ £76.75. Timothy Taylor’s Knowle Spring was the most expensive at a hefty £94.99 and it was reported that beers from this brewery can often be over £100.

There’s a lot to take in here, but in very simple terms, pubs owned by pubcos are having to pay anywhere between £20 and £50 per barrel more for the beers they buy.

They have less choice and by selective discounting are frequently induced to stock the same ‘national brands’ as many other pubs. This means that at point of sale they have one of two options – to cut their margins to offer their cask ale at a similar price to other pubs around, or to increase the price to keep the margin – and become uncompetitive. Cask ale is the most time consuming product that a pub sells, yet one micropub licensee told me that margins on cask are lower than on anything else. While food led pubs can often cover these low margins, one wonders how a wet led, pubco owned outfit can actually survive, let alone make a profit.

There is a lot in the press (particularly in CAMRA publications) about how

”

expensive real ale is. From what I have found in this series of articles, by talking to brewers and licensees, neither are making much money out of it. There are certain pub companies out there who promote cheap cask ale – and the only way they can do this is by squeezing the brewers until they squeak. No names – you know who you are. Long term, this sort of attitude does real ale and the brewing industry no favours at all.

In the May 2017 edition of What’s Brewing (CAMRA’s monthly members newsletter), the new Chairman of SIBA, Buster Grant had this to say. “I firmly believe the pricing structure of beer in the UK, especially cask ales, is outdated and restrictive. It does not allow brewers to express their imagination fully and receive a fair or indeed ethical price for what they have created.” The same could equally be said on behalf of the pub landlord.

If the customer is not willing to pay a sufficient price for real ale, then pubs will stop selling it and brewers will stop brewing it. Now that is a sobering thought.

ADRIAN SMITH

Central Blackpool

Albert’s Ale

MicroBar

There’s plenty of traditional festive cheer down your local micropub!

In the cellar of the Albert Hotel 117 Albert Road, Blackpool, FY1 4PW

Real Ale and Real Cider Over 20 Belgian Beers Fruit Wines, Spirits & Snacks 20% CAMRA discount

Opening Hours Thursday 3-9 pm Friday 3-10.30 pm Saturday 1-10.30 pm Sunday 1-8 pm

❖ Selection of drinks to warm your cockles; Mulled Cider / seasonal Dark & Strong Ales / Crafty Gins / Single Malts / Brandy / Prosecco. ❖ Award winning Pies and selection of snacks. ❖ CAMRA Central Lancs ‘Cider POTY 2017’ ❖ Enjoy a peaceful pint; pooch friendly & child free.

67 Chapel Street, Chorley, PR7 1BS

Shepherds Hall Ale House

@ShepsAleHouse

www.centrallancs.camra.org.uk

Ale Cry

23

SOUTH RIBBLE SCENE

I

n the last issue of Ale Cry it was true to say that most of the news from South Ribble was centring around Leyland. Three months on and it is Penwortham which this time takes the lead, with there being both a pub closure and a pub re-opening, as well as there being a possible new micropub opening there in the near future.

First the pub closure, with the SUMPTER HORSE on Leyland Road finally closing down as a pub at the end of August. This closure had long been on the cards, with Bovis Homes wanting to have the pub flattened in order to build an access road to their planned new housing development on the former Vernon Carus industrial site. It

was reported in Ale Cry as far back as 2009 that the pub’s then proposed demolition had been delayed, and it was only as recently as January this year that an appeal against the demolition was formally dismissed.

The pub’s final days included an early Christmas celebration, but on September 1st the premises were quickly secured with metal shutters put in place to protect all the doors and windows. Interestingly the latest twist is a rumour that the demolition may not now take place, with the uniquely named pub possibly being converted into a restaurant.

Within days of one pub closing, elsewhere in Penwortham there was another pub reopening. After about four months of closure, the SIR TOM FINNEY on Central Drive was once again back in business. Regular readers of this column will be well aware of the ups and downs of the Sir Tom Finney which has had a troubled time over the last 18 months, with several changes of licensee. Under new landlord Antony Anderson the pub has resumed opening on weekday afternoons, and most importantly it is attracting back many of its former customers. It is selling four real ales, with Brains Reverend James, Lancaster Blonde, Moorhouse’s White Witch, and Robinsons Dizzy Blonde typically being available.

In Penwortham there have long been rumours that a new pub would be opening as competition to the Fleece in the Liverpool Road area. Many years ago there was talk of John Smiths wanting to open a pub opposite the former Government buildings.

More recently there have been rumours

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ISSUE 117 WINTER 2017

regularly resurfacing that Wetherspoons were wanting to open a pub in the former Booths supermarket premises, and in 2014 it was reported that local garage owner Mark Fishwick had plans for these premises to be utilised as a wine bar.

Earlier this year Penwortham did eventually get its first wine bar, with the LIME BAR & LOUNGE being created from the shell of a derelict bungalow at the corner of Liverpool Road and Queensway. This upmarket establishment opened in July offering ‘cocktails, wines, and champagne’, while their website mysteriously refers to them selling ‘draught master beers’.

In September they also began selling Bad Apple Craft Cider, but as far as I am aware this does not make the cut in being classified as a real cider. I wonder what are the chances that one day this may become a real ale outlet?

Across the road, and just a short distance from the Lime Bar, is Random Makes, a former arts and handicraft shop. It has been reported in the Lancashire Post that this could be the location of Penwortham’s first micropub, with an application having been submitted to South Ribble Council by long time Penwortham resident Jason Colles.

Along at the BLACK BULL, they are now signed up to obtain beers from SIBA (Society of Independent Brewers) and are now stocking at least one local brewery’s ale up to 30 miles away (generally going to aim for 20m). The added variety is proving popular

Site of Penwortham micropub

with the locals and the beers have been selling well.

Autumn is always a popular time for Beer Festivals, and in the South Ribble area there have been three in quick succession.

In September the LONGTON VM CLUB held its 7th Beer Festival, and in October NEW LONGTON SPORTS & SOCIAL CLUB held its 3rd Beer Festival, while ST GERARD’S CLUB in Lostock Hall held its 8th Beer Festival. The New Longton Beer Festival was particularly noteworthy in that it saw the debut appearance of Oats So Pale, a 5.1% American style pale ale produced by the CHAIN HOUSE BREWING COMPANY, a brand new microbrewery located in the Chain House Lane area of New Longton.

In the event the beer proved to be that successful, that it was a complete sell out on the Friday night session, which meant that Saturday afternoon customers like myself had to miss out on sampling it. However, as I understand it the owner of the Chain House Brewing Company has strong connections with the New Longton club, and so hopefully this will become a regular outlet for Chain House beers.

Also in evidence at the New Longton Beer Festival were two other South Ribble brewers, Beer Brothers (with Hop Chocolate) and Crankshaft (with Tatler’s Fury). Conspicuous by their absence at all three Beer Festivals was Penwortham microbrewery BISHOP’S CROOK. As I write they are taking a break in beer production, with brewing having ceased in August ‘for a couple of months’ to allow for construction work to take place at the microbrewery premises.

Having mentioned BEER BROTHERS, news has just reached us that their

proposed bar at the brewery in Walton Summit will hopefully be opened at the end of November. Initially it will only open on Friday afternoon/evening, but hours may be extended if demand is sufficient. They hope to be able to use the bar to showcase the full range of their beers in either cask or keg form.

GORDON SMALL

LOCAL HERITAGE LIST

W

hat’s that? You probably know that some of the pubs in Central Lancashire are listed buildings, protected nationally from demolition or alteration because of their architectural or historic interest e.g. the Black Horse in Preston.

Well Local Heritage Lists are prepared by Councils to include buildings or sites which are recognized as having local distinctiveness and character that enliven the area and are valued by the local community, but which do not quite meet the criteria for the national list. Their local interest could be related to the social and economic history of the area, individuals of local importance, settlement patterns or the age, design and style of buildings.

Now the Government is encouraging all Councils to produce lists, which when adopted, will carry some weight in the assessment of planning applications for these buildings. Preston Council has now produced a draft list of buildings in the rural parts of the City Council area, and several pubs are on it. The most high profile is the Boar’s Head at Barton which is currently closed and under threat, but the others are: Broughton Inn, Broughton Touch of Spice, the former Golden Ball, Broughton Running Pump, Catforth Saddle Inn, Bartle (currently closed) Sitting Goose, Bartle Stags Head, Goosnargh Wheatsheaf, Woodplumpton.

The Alston Arms, Longridge, is also included as it is just inside the Preston Council area.

To see so many pubs included is good news and would help in campaigns to protect them.

The Grapes and Ye Horn’s Inn, both in Goosnargh are not there as they are already on the higher-grade national list. However, there are some odd omissions, namely: Green Man, Inglewhite Plough, Grimsargh Plough at Eaves Smiths Arms, Lea Town The former Cross Keys at Whitechapel has been closed for years but has permission to re-open and is slowly being restored and extended.

All of these are old buildings which although much altered and extended, still have local distinctiveness and are (or would be) valued by their local communities. CAMRA intends to ask the Council to include these extra pubs on the list.

DAV E L I N L E Y

www.centrallancs.camra.org.uk

Ale Cry

25

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Ale Cry

ISSUE 117 WINTER 2017

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Proud to sponsor Chorley Football Club

Ale Cry visits…

Buckshaw Village

W

hen I first joined CAMRA, Buckshaw Village did not exist.

That whole area was taken up by the giant ROF (Royal Ordnance Factory) which supplied goods to the Ministry of Defence. This eventually was shut down and the area cleared and this new residential and industrial area between Chorley and Leyland has been created. It is one of the largest urban development sites in the North West of England and already has a population of over 4000 people.

Several pubs have sprung up to service the obvious demand created, and so it was decided that it would be a good idea to run our Ale Cry Distribution trip to this area which, I for one, and many others had no knowledge of.

First of all, leaving from Preston, we had to pick up the Chorley contingent, which we duly did, from the ROYAL OAK pub in Whittle le Woods. This small terraced village local built in 1820, an ex Matthew Brown pub, has been run for over six years by Michael Greenhalgh. He serves three cask ales with Wainwright as a mainstay and two others which can vary. On our visit these were Robinsons Dizzy Blonde and Adnams Southwold Bitter, which was £3.00 a pint.

Very tasty it was too.

We left for the first of our new venues, going along the A6 and turning right down Buckshaw Avenue, just past the Sea View Inn, until we reached the second roundabout where we turned left, going between the other two pubs we would be visiting later. A short distance up Ordnance Rd. we were looking for what would appear to be an unlikely place for a real ale bar, the Morrow Brothers Bottling Plant. Here however you will find a superb bar in their premises called the FILLING FACTORY NO1. Opened in November 2016, it sells three changing cask ales, all at £3.00 a pint in a room overlooking part of the bottling plant. Although it is only open from 4pm on Thurs and Fridays and noon onwards on Saturdays, it is proving very popular with last orders being called at 11.30pm. It often

Filling Factory no1

features live music at weekends with the real ales being changed frequently. There could be anything on sale, but usually one from Oakham Brewery will be available (they bottle for them). On our visit this was their Scarlet Macaw at 4.4% plus the other two were Moorhouse’s First Cut (4.2%) and Reedley Hallows Griffin IPA (4.7%). There are also some craft beers, a large collection of gins and mixers + soft drinks plus wine and prosecco.

If you are wondering why it is called the Filling Factory No1, apparently this was its designation when it was ROF Chorley, where one of its functions was loading high explosive into shells for the armed services.

After a couple of drinks, it was time to move on to the two pubs we had passed earlier at the roundabout. The first of these we ventured into was the HARVESTER. A Mitchells and Butler development opened in September 2015, it is mainly a pub restaurant, food led, with a pleasant, if somewhat featureless, bar area. Four handpumps, but each one with a Sharp’s Doom Bar pumpclip on, it being the only real ale available. Disappointing after what had come before.

Crossing the road, we entered the WAR HORSE, where we found a larger range of real ales for us to sample. Opened in December 2014 by Greene King and run as one of their Hungry Horse pubs (food featuring heavily), the War Horse (hence the name) is open plan, but divided up into distinct areas for adults (TV sports etc) and families, including a large external children’s play area. Up to six real ales are available, usually from the Greene King stable, but sometimes beers from other breweries appear on the bar. This night they were all GK beers. Standards were IPA and Abbot plus Old Speckled Hen, but two specials were on sale: London Glory, a 4.1% celebratory ale for our capital city, and Starry Nights, a 4.2% one off brew late hopped with Australian Galaxy hops. Not too bad to finish off the night.

Buckshaw Village can be visited fairly easily from Preston, Leyland and Chorley by the 109 Bus Route, which runs every 30 min during the day and hourly in the evening Mon-Sat, with the last bus towards Preston at 2245 from Main St. You can also let the train take the strain with services to Buckshaw Parkway, the new station built for the village, with the last trains back to Preston at 2207 and 2306. Off Peak fare is £5.10 return. From the station a 400 yard walk will get you to The Filling Station No1.

Go up to Ordnance Rd, turn right and go to the roundabout and there it is ahead.

PAU L R I L E Y

www.centrallancs.camra.org.uk

Ale Cry

27

Christmas Gifts for Beer Lovers

I

f you have someone in your life who is a beer lover and impossible to buy for at Christmas – which is probably most males over the age of 18 – look no further than these ideas from the CAMRA shop.

GIFT MEMBERSHIP PACK

The gift that keeps on giving!

This membership pack comes complete with all the information needed to activate a CAMRA Gift Membership. Once activated, you will receive the latest edition of What’s Brewing and Beer magazine at the end of that month.

A variety of single and joint membership types are available to choose from, but please note that joint concessions are only available when both members are eligible for that concessionary rate (e.g. both under 26 or both over 60).

For that extra special gift you can bundle a membership pack with a selection of CAMRA publications as well.

From: £19.00 - £42.50

WILD PUB WALKS

Join the author Daniel Neilson on 22 walks in beautiful remote or mountain landscapes, each with one or more great pubs – often with historical significance – at journey’s end. The book is aimed at the large market of hill walkers who enjoy long days out followed by some refreshing beer in a welcoming pub. The areas covered are: Peak District; Lake District; Highlands/Islands; Scottish Borders; Snowdonia; Pembrokeshire/South Wales; North York Moors National Park; and Yorkshire Dales National Park. The walks vary in the level of challenge, from long walks in lower-lying areas to Grade 1 scrambles. £11.99

REAL HERITAGE PUBS OF THE NORTH WEST

This definitive and unique new guide is the result of many years’ research

by CAMRA to discover pubs that have truly historic surviving interiors in an area ranging from the Cheshire plain to the Lake District. It provides descriptions and information on over 200 pubs, amongst which there are unspoilt country locals, Victorian drinking palaces and mighty roadhouses. The book has features on how the pub developed, what’s distinctive about pubs in the North West, how people a century ago could expect to be served drinks at their table, and how they used the pub for take-out sales in the pre-supermarket era. Lavishly illustrated with colour photographs throughout, includes county maps showing pub locations.

The editor architectural historian Geoff Brandwood is passionate about pubs, and is a former chairman of the Victorian Society.

He is author of Britain’s Best Real Heritage Pubs (2013), London Heritage Pubs (2008), both for CAMRA, and co-author of English Heritage’s acclaimed Licensed to Sell (2011).

A wonderful addition to CAMRA’s heritage series. £7.99

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Ale Cry

GOOD BEER GUIDE 2018

CAMRA’s 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 45th edition, this pub guide is completely independent, with listings based entirely on nomination and evaluation by CAMRA members. This means you can be sure that every one of the 4,500 pubs deserves its place, and that they all come recommended by people who know a thing or two about good beer. £15.99 This is only a small selection of what is available so for full details of all these products plus a wide range of other CAMRA goodies, visit https://shop.camra.org.uk to see what we have to offer. There are discounts on most products for existing CAMRA members.

Wrap up Christmas with CAMRA gift membership Bursting with Christmas Cheer

£37* £27* £37* Single Gift Membership A full year’s membership subscription with all the trimmings

Gift Membership + Good Beer Guide 2018

Visit www.camra.org.uk/gift-memberships for fantastic Christmas gift ideas *Joint & concessionary prices are also available – please visit www.camra.org.uk/membership-rates or call 01727 337855 for more information.

Gift Membership A5 Ad.indd 1

ISSUE 117 WINTER 2017

Gift Membership + So You Want To Be A Beer Expert?

16/10/2017 12:04

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TRADES HALL CLUB Bamber Bridge 3 Handpumps for real ale Other drinks at bargain prices inc. San Miguel and Warsteiner.

CAMRA members welcome.

(Discounted prices on production of valid membership card)

Membership available all year round.

154c Station Road, Bamber Bridge, Preston, Lancs. PR5 6TP http://www.trades-hall.co.uk

Acts on every Saturday.

Bingo every Wednesday and Saturday.

www.centrallancs.camra.org.uk

Ale Cry

29

Branch Diary Monday 4th December Committee Meeting at White Bull, Walton-le-Dale Thursday 14th December Branch Christmas Social at Black Horse, Preston Monday 8th January Committee Meeting at Guild Ale House, Preston

CAMRA Discount Pubs All over the country, hundreds of pubs are offering a discount to card carrying CAMRA members. These pubs deserve your support and listed below are the ones in our branch area that we believe are offering a discount.

Adelphi, Preston

10%

Ancient Oak, Cottam

20p per pint, except Mon when discount is for all customers

Anderton Arms, Fulwood

20p per pint, except Mon when discount is for all customers

Bamber Bridge Football Club

20p per pint

Bay Horse, Euxton

10%

Black Bull, Fulwood

20p per pint, except Mon when discount is for all customers

Monday 12th February Committee Meeting at Leyland Lion, Leyland (7.30)

Black Bull, Penwortham

20p per pint

Bob Inn, Chorley

20p per pint

Thursday 22nd February Branch Meeting at Black Horse, Preston

Fleece, Penwortham

10%

Grey Friar, Preston

50p per pint using a Wetherspoon’s token

Monday 5th March Committee Meeting at Shepherds’ Hall Ale House, Chorley (7.30)

Guild (Fylde Rd), Preston

25p per pint

Horns, Goosnargh

50p per pint on Goosnargh Brewery beers

Lane Ends, Ashton

10%

Thursday 22 March Branch Social at Withy Arms, Bamber Bridge

Leyland Lion, Leyland

50p per pint using a Wetherspoon’s token

Nabs Head, Samlesbury

20p per pint

All meetings start at 8pm unless shown.

Old Black Bull, Preston

20p per pint off guest beers

Trips For further details and to book, contact Dave Linley on 07981 518506 or email dave.linley@tiscali.co.uk

Old Vic, Preston

50p per pint using a Wetherspoon’s token except Thu when real ale is discounted for all customers

Pear Tree, Penwortham

20p per pint

Plough, Grimsargh

20p per pint Sun-Tues, 10p per pint Wed-Sat

Poachers, Bamber Bridge

10%

Preston Grasshoppers RFC

10%

Prince of Wales, Cowling Brow, Chorley

10%

Prince Of Wales New Market Street, Chorley

10%

Roper Hall, Preston

10%

Sir Henry Tate, Chorley

50p per pint using a Wetherspoon’s token

Smiths Arms, Lea Town

20p per pint, 10p per half pint

Trades Hall Club & Institute, Bamber Bridge

10%

Twelve Tellers, Preston

50p per pint using a Wetherspoon’s token

Walton Fox, Bamber Bridge

20p per pint

Wellington, Ashton

Up to 25p per pint

Thursday 18 January Branch Social starting at Potters Arms, Chorley (7.30) for presentation award for 20 years in Good Beer Guide.

Followed by Pub of the Season presentation at Ale Station, Chorley (c8.15) th

Thursday 25th January Ale Cry Distribution Trip to Coppull. Minibus from Preston (7.15) pick up Chorley Railway Station (7.35).

Return for 10.45

nd

Advertising

With a print run of 6,000 and magazines available in pubs and clubs across the area and beyond, an advert in Ale Cry is probably the best value targeted advertising around.

Advert prices Quarter page: £55 Half page: £95 Full page: £175 Back page: £195 (not currently available) For further details contact: editor@centrallancs.camra.org.uk

Publication Dates

The next issue of Ale Cry will be published on 1 March 2018.

Copy deadline is 1st February 2018.

Trading Standards

st

For complaints about issues such as short measures, contact: Lancashire County Council Trading Standards County Hall, Pitt Street Preston, PR1 0LD. T: 0345 404 0506

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Ale Cry

ISSUE 117 WINTER 2017

Wellington (Glovers Ct.), Preston 10% Yates, Preston

10%

If you know of a pub offering a discount that is not listed here, or one is listed that no longer offers a discount, please let us know.

If you are a licensee and are interested in joining the scheme then please contact editor@centrallancs.camra.org.uk

Join up, join in, join the campaign From as little as

£25†

a year. That’s less than a pint a month!

Or enter your details and complete the Direct Debit form below and you will receive 15 months membership for the price of 12 and save £2 on your membership subscription

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Protect the traditions of great British pubs and everything that goes with them by joining today at www.camra.org.uk/joinup

Alternatively you can send a cheque payable to CAMRA Ltd with your completed form, visit www.camra.org.uk/joinus, or call 01727 798440.* All forms should be addressed to Membership Department, CAMRA, 230 Hatfield Road, St Albans, AL1 4LW.

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For concessionary rates please visit www.camra.org.uk .................................................................................. Postcode .............................................. or call 01727 798440.

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Applications will be processed within 21 days.

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