Ale Cry 113

Central Lancashire Branch

Issue 113 - Winter 2016

180

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Fighting for drinkers rights in the Heart of Lancashire since 1973

OBITUARY KURT SMITH Kurt Smith died suddenly last month at the age of 58.

Kurt was Chorley’s leading light when it came to leisure and the licensed trade in particular. He was from a family with leisure in the blood and that experience shone through. .

I’ve known Kurt for nearly 40 years - since he opened the Weird Arms and Applejax night club. The Weird Arms was a breath of fresh air. Kurt and wife Andrea were ideal licensees for Chorley’s first fun pub. Applejax was the town’s first night club /dance hall since the Beachcomber and Odd Spot bit the dust some years earlier.

Revitalisation...........

CAMRA members are being asked to take part in a third and final survey to help shape CAMRA’s future as results of the second consultation are revealed. Members are being given their final chance to have their say on proposals for CAMRA’s purpose and likely campaigning activities before the NEC this month.

Only 3% of the membership took part -‘a statistically robust, valid and representative view of the membership as a whole’ - (Really!??).

The cosy little club known as the NEC will present its ideas (for discussion only - not a final decision) at the Members Weekend in April.

The graphs below show a couple of second survey results. For more information about that survey- and how to get involved in the third survey go to https://revitalisation.camra.org.uk/ or Emily Ryans on 01727 798447 emily.ryans@camra.co.uk Toad

Kurt’s relationship with ‘Big Steve’ helped make the Railway and Red Herring (Coppull) pubs worth visiting and the Railway remains one of Chorley’s premier music pubs.

When Kurt rescued the Rose and Crown and daughter Dani became licensee it was inevitable that the pub would thrive. From a CAMRA perspective it was great that the Rose and Crown became a real ale pub once again.

RIP Kurt - you’ll be missed

Mick Clark

IN THIS ISSUE . . .

Page 2 - Editorial, Chairmans Welcome, Page 4 - North Korea, Drinking Culture Page 6 - Chorley Chatter Page 8 - South Ribble, Page 10 - New Bar, Better By Rail, Grill & Grain Page12 - Warrington, Page 14 - Mountain View, Melodious Mick, Page 16 - Micro Breweries, Page 18 - Third Eye, Pub of the Seasons, Page 20 - Preston Parade Page 22 - Branch Details Page 23 - Membership............................and much more

STOP PRESS . . . STOP PRESS . . . STOP PRESS . . . STOP PRE

Janet and Ben are working hard to have The Market Tavern in Chorley open during the week before Christmas Ed

Editorial

Chairman’s Welcome

Welcome to our Winter 2016 issue of Ale Cry magazine.

December is upon us and by now you will be used to dark mornings and dark nights, sometimes it seems that there is very little day in between at this time of year. Christmas is approaching fast and no doubt you will be busy buying and wrapping presents and making plans with family and friends. If you happen to be at a loose end on December 12th, we are holding our Christmas Branch Meeting and Social at the Shepherds Hall Ale House, Chorley from 7.30pm onwards. You are all welcome to come along.

Whilst December is a great time to visit pubs, please remember that a pub is for life, not just for Christmas. Our local pubs need our support all year round. The latest figures are slightly more encouraging in that the net number of Britain's pubs closing per week has fallen from 27 to 21 in the last few months. However we are still losing 21 of our pubs each week, that is 3 pubs closing each day. Without our support this will continue. Most of these lost pubs will have been important and precious to the locals that used them and many of them are gone for ever. Pubs are coming under pressure as a result of cheap supermarket alcohol prices, high beer taxes, VAT and business rates and high rents and high wholesale beer prices charged by pub owning property companies.

CAMRA continues to campaign for a fairer deal for publicans and last year we launched a campaign to seek additional planning protection for local pubs and we are working hard locally and nationally to protect valued pubs from being demolished or converted to another use. So far more than 1,800 pubs have been listed as Assets of Community Value (ACV) in England which gives pubs greater protection under planning law. CAMRA aims to increase this number to 3,000 in the coming months. To nominate a pub for ACV status go to www.camra.org.uk/list-your-local or contact us at Central Lancashire.

CAMRA was founded to save cask-conditioned beer and keep cask-conditioned beer in our pubs. We have had enormous success regarding this objective and it can be argued that the Great British pint is safe, but where will we drink it if we don't save our Great British pubs? Food for thought over the festive period.

As ever, if you have any thoughts, comments or feedback, please get in touch with us via email, you will find a contact list towards the back of 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. You can now also follow us on Twitter, search for CAMRA Central Lancs.

We have also started 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 receivers.

I wish each and every one of you a very merry Christmas and a happy and prosperous New Year.

Kind Regards Dave Bell Branch Chairman

Because circumstances have meant two Ale Crys in 6 weeks the reduced number of contributions and adverts for this issue have led to a slimline edition, so if you like a long read and are disappointed, try reading it twice the second time to count the number of errors I’ve made. As an American or a Wetherspoon waitress would say ‘heynjoiy.’

While you are perusing the mag please pay particular attention to the adverts which will give you ideas of pubs and clubs to visit and enjoy this festive season.

After I’ve denied Lord Mountain space in the last two issues I’ve had more space to spare this time, so to avoid a black eye I’ve made room for him. On the other hand poor Melodious Mick thought he was getting away from us for a while now that the music festival season has ended. He made the mistake of telling me about ‘The Sunshine Coach’ to watch Chorley F.C.’s away matches. Read all about it exclusively in Ale Cry. The ridiculous (some would say devious) exercise CAMRA unnecessarily entered into called the regeneration project (at a time when CAMRA’s popularity and membership were still on the rise) is coming to a conclusion. Read all about it.

The sudden death of one of Chorley’s most eminent publicans puts other issues into perspective and we extend our sympathy to Andrea, Dani, other family and close friends.

I am very proud of Ale Cry. We are too controversial and not stereotypical enough to win any of the awards CAMRA dishes out to branch magazines. That is not a criticism of other branch mags - in fact they all do a brilliant job of informing branch members and members of the public of the sterling job CAMRA is doing. If you read Lord Mountain’s column you will see that rather than this waste of members subscriptions this regeneration exercise is expending we would be far better using the resources to develop true local democracy which will provide a very strong base for stability and use the full weight of our membership as we approach a quarter of a million members to deal with the very difficult problems the industry and its customers face in the years ahead.

As someone who has been editing magazines for nearly fifty years I believe that Ale Cry has every right to be proud of itself and I have heard so many favourable comments from pub goers in and outside our branch area to know our efforts are appreciated. My genuine thanks go out to contributors Michael Haughey, Paul Tate, Dave Bell, Adrian Smith, Paul Riley, Steve Jackson, Dave Marsden, Gordon Small, Dave Moore and the others who have contributed to the wide variety of articles published in 2016 and before. All we need now are more from younger members and supporters and more contributions from female readers.

All that remains for this issue is to thank all our advertisers and contributers this year and hope for the same next year.

I leave you all with the season’s greetings and hope that you have enjoyed reading Ale Cry this year and enjoy next year’s editions even more than this year’s - onward and upward Ed

Disclaimer:

The Views expressed in Ale Cry are not necessarily those of the Editor, the Central Lancashire Branch of CAMRA or of the Campaign fpr Real Ale 2

CIDER PUB OF THE YEAR 2016 CAMRA Central Lancashire’s first micro-pub has a lot to offer, including: 

 





 

Six constantly changing cask pumps A variety of changing real ciders Craft and foreign beers, including a constant pilsner A wide selection of gin, whisky and wine Bar snacks including cheese boards and pork pies Outside seating area Dog friendly

FRIDAY MEAT RAFFLE 7PM

33 Hough Lane, Leyland, Lancashire, PR25 2SB

01772 626363

BAMBER BRIDGE

FOOTBALL CLUB

CAMRA Central Lancs Club of The Year 2016

- Open 7 days a week serving a fine selection of real ales & ciders - Regular live music and events -

23rd December 16 - Nick Spencer (Guitar & Vocal) 31 December 16 - New Year’s Eve Family Disco 20 January 17 - The Lost Chord (Rock and Pop Four-Piece)

- Discount on real ales for CAMRA members - Room available for hire (parties, celebrations, functions, business meetings)

-

- Home of Bamber Bridge FC (EvoStik NPL) & Blackburn Rovers Ladies FC -

“Up The Brig........Down The Ale” Irongate, Bamber Bridge, Preston PR5 6UU Tel: 01772 909695 www.bamberbridgefc.com 3

A Beer Fesval with a Dierence I was fascinated to see a picture of the North Korean Beer Fesval in the I newspaper on the 24th of August (p. 26). The event was held in the capital Pyongyang.

An occasional look at the overlap between Drinking

beer and books. This edition we look at a pub Culture

featured in one of Thomas Hardy's Wessex

novels. As a young man cycling round the countryside with his brother, he loved the unspoilt inns of the

West Country, revisiting them by car in his later life before his death in 1928.

The picture shows a room full of people enjoying beer and snacks! They all look very serious and a high proporon of them seem young/youngish.

Strikingly for a beer fesval, there are no beards or beer bellies.

Indeed they all look remarkably thin. I think the only person in North Korea with a big belly is the president – Kim Fat So. I was wondering if CAMRA is planning a trip to the 2017 fesval – it would certainly be a change from Fleetwood or Wigan for instance.

A 2014 UN report accused the regime of ‘exterminaon, murder, enslavement and torture’ – I wouldn’t have thought they would have had me to organise a beer fesval. They also recently carried out yet another nuclear test.

Another interesng feature on the photo is that no-one is actually drinking the beer.

North Korean TV says that ‘The Beer Fesval shows our people’s In Return of the Native, Damon Wildeve is the innkeeper at lives :lled with happiness and opmism in a people’s paradise the Quiet Woman Inn on the edge of Egdon Heath. The pub and a highly civilised socialist country’. sign depicts a headless woman carrying her head under her arm with the words Call me an old cynic – but I just wonder that when the phoSINCE THE WOMAN’S QUIET, LET NO MAN BREED A tography was :nished, all the ‘beer and snacks’ were whisked RIOT away and everyone ordered to go home – Last Orders indeed.

The Quiet Woman is in the village of Halstock, some distance from the heath and is now a private house that offers bed and breakfast accommodation.

If any CAMRA members have any further informaon on the fesval – I’m sure we would all be interested to hear it.

D i sco e l A u al

nt

Scheme

MRA R A C e

Paul Tate

I’SAVED: £8.70 this week in pubs with this sign in their windows i.e. one year’s CAMRA --membership saved in just

Three weeks.

Ed

In a footnote, Hardy revealed the inn he describes is based on the Red Lion at Winfrith Newburgh in Purbeck. This roadside inn on the A352 has the same stone walls and flagstone floor that Hardy would have seen but fire damage and an extension have changed most of the interior. The pub has one bar dedicated to dining between noon and 9pm and a second smaller public bar where non diners can sample four of Hall and Woodhouse's Badger Brewery beers; Tanglefoot, Brewers Bee, First Gold and Hopping Hare.

Michael Haughey

4

A CAMRA Pub of the Season ‘One of Chorley’s few Genuine Free Houses with 5 hand pulled Real Ales, usually including a mild, which are generally sourced from local micro brewers’

lìê i~Çó C píK dÉê~êÇë B ro w n e d g e R o a d , L o s t o c k H a l l , P re s t o n P R 5 5 A A Te l e p h o n e : 0 1 7 7 2 3 3 9 4 5 9

tÉäÅçãÉë óçì íç ~ ãçÇÉêå ÅäìÄ ïáíÜ íê~Çáíáçå~ä î~äìÉëÒ Open: Mon-Thurs 7pm-11pm

Fri:5pm-11.30pm

Saturday: 3pm-Midnight

2 Guest Ale Handpumps

Sunday: 12noon-11.30pm

Live Entertainment & Function Room

rotated on a weekly basis

Quiz Nights every Sunday & Tuesday Sports Channels - Sky Sports & ESPN Memberships Available Snooker Table & Pool Table

5

Chorley Chatter

Following a change of ownership, the Dresser's Arms at Higher Wheelton closed for some minor works in the early Autumn.

The bar has been expanded to give more drinking room and there was a fine selection of real ales on the bar when I visited. Seven handpumps give plenty of scope and there are four changing guests to go alongside the regular offerings of Wainwright, Black Sheep Best Bitter and Copper Dragon Golden Pippin.

The Minstrel at Eaves Green, has had another change of licensee, with Steve Holland being the new incumbent.

A couple of changing real ales are available with Holt’s and Moorhouse’s having featured at first. Steve is keen to expand the real ale selection as trade permits and is able to stock ales from local micro’s, so one worth keeping an eye on. Still a popular music venue, the Blues Club has been resurrected, and is now on Sunday nights.

The three new micropubs in the centre of Chorley were featured on the cover of the last issue of Ale Cry. The Ale Station has 6 handpumps and an ever changing selection of ales. Beers from Rock the Boat Brewery in Crosby often feature (the landlord and the brewer are brothers) and usually at least two of the pumps have locally brewed beers, The Yew Tree at Heath Charnock has acquired a couple of a dark beer normally being served.. A couple of real extra hand pumps and is now serving 4 cask ales and a real with cider. The beers featured are usually from Black Edge, Bow- ciders are also normally available. land and Rivington breweries. The beer from Rivington is Bootleggers has 4 handpumps, again with a changing selecabout as Locale as you can get – with the pub being visible tion of beers. Bowland and Bank Top beers often feature from the brewery across the fields. although once again, expect the unexpected. The D’Owd Inn has a further 3 pumps, with Cumbrian Legendary Ales Loweswater Gold as a regular, 2 changing guests and real cider While the centre of Chorley is the new ‘go to’ area of the branch with thriving micro pubs and free houses serving a wide selection of beers, the pubs in the suburbs seem to be struggling. On Pall Mall both the Black Horse and the Moor Inn are closed and in the Eaves Lane area the Shepherd’s Arms and the Mason’s Arms are both for sale.

The Red Lion in Wheelton village had another change of licensee last year, and we do hope that things have settled down at this cracking little pub, which has seen more than it's fair share of changes in recent years. The new team is run by Dan & Tracy Prince, who previously had the Crown at Worthington. There are now 4 real ales on during the week increasing to 6 at weekends. Hawkshead Windermere Pale is a regular feature and there is normally a dark beer and something over 5% for those who like their ale a bit stronger. Home cooked food is now available and the pub has once again become very much the centre of the village and seems to be well used and well liked by the locals.

In Adlington, there has been a change of licensee at both the Top Spinners and the White Bear. Mark Unsworth has taken over at the Spinners, and there seems to be little change – either to the beers available or indeed anything else at this cosy little pub. The White Bear is a deceptively large pub, but on my recent visit there was no real ale available although Theakston Bitter is understood to be a regular feature. Down the road in Heath Charnock, the Cardwell has closed. Paul and Jo had done a good job here and there was always a decent range of real ale available. Hopefully whoever takes it over will continue in the same vein.

The Bowling Green in Charnock Richard has had a major refurbishment and was closed most of the summer. Now reopened, this is primarily a food pub, but with a pleasant bar area and four real ales from the Holt’s /Bootleg range (adding no doubt to the ongoing discussions in this magazine about where you can get Holt’s beers in the branch!)

The Boatyard at Riley Green has been closed for a couple of months for an extensive refurbishment and is expected to reopen shortly. Meanwhile in Hoghton, the Sirloin has been closed for a refurb and has recently reopened under the new ownership of Adam Chapman and Lucia Wilde. The interior has been brightened up and a new modern bar had been installed. Up to five real ales are available; the house beer King James (brewed by Three B’s), three changing beers from the Three B’s stable and a changing guest.

Finally, the long closed Windmill at Eccleston has been demolished. Let’s hope the site is turned to practical purposes unlike those of the former Brookes Arms and Eagle & Child in Chorley, which remain empty plots long after the pubs Adrian Smith have gone.`

6

Guild Ale House Lancaster Road - Preston

u Paulaner Münchner Hell

u Bavo Belgian House Lager

u Paulaner Hefe-Weißbier u 7 Real Ales

u Brugse Zot

including the legendary “Bishop’s Crook Two Screws”!!

u Lindemans Kriek

We also serve a wide range of bottled & canned beers om around the world.

No music & no TV “just a great atmosphere with a great crowd” Open 7 days a week from 12:00 noon

7

SOUTH RIBBLE SCENE

Some good news from South Ribble is that in CRANKSHAFT BREWERY of Leyland we now have another new brewery in the area. Coming under the ownership of Haydn and Angela Williams, this 'nanobrewery' first came to public notice with them taking a market stall at the Taste of Leyland event in August. On the day they sold all stocks of their five bottled beers (which are all named with a Leyland Motors theme), these being

Like most parts of the country, the South Ribble area has had its fair share of pub closures. The most recent casualties came in 2014 when we lost the Original Ship in Leyland, the Black Bull at Moss Side, and the Windmill at Mellor Brook.

This was followed by an 18 month period when there were several temporary closures, but overall the position was looking brighter with one or two new bars having opened up.

However on September 5th there was a pub closure which seems to have come as a surprise to most people, with the MYERSCOUGH at Balderstone abruptly ceasing to trade and being boarded up. A few weeks later it was confirmed that the pub was no longer required by owners Robinson's Brewery, with all signage being removed and with it being announced that they were open to offers for the property.

Propshaft - a 3.8% ABV pale ale, Crankcase - a 5% ABV best bitter, Ribble Red - a 5% ABV red ale, Dryveshaft - a 5% ABV rye ale, and Sumner's Steam - a 7.5% ABV honey ale. Building on this success, Haydn and Angela have also sold their bottled beers at several local farmer's markets, and in November their first draught beer Propshaft was on sale at the Market Ale House in Leyland and the Shepherds' Hall Ale House in Chorley.

The Myerscough is an historic old pub. Apparently it was built as a private residence in the late 1700s, but by 1830 it was in use as an inn with a blacksmith's forge attached. Over the years it has appeared to prosper despite its location well away from any sizeable residential population. At lunchtimes it was always popular with workers from the nearby BAE Systems site, while in the evenings it was able to build up a steady trade with a great reputation for the quality of its food.

Of the other breweries in the area, BISHOP'S CROOK of Penwortham has recently celebrated its third anniversary since commencing brewing commercially. To recognise the occasion, a new beer Grave Danger (4.5% ABV) has been produced and this was on sale at the Guild Ale House in Preston as well as at other outlets.

Finally also from Penwortham a couple of items of pub news concerning handpumps. In the last issue of Ale Cry it was reported that there were new people at the SIR TOM FINNEY on Central Drive. Three months on, and the pub has undergone a tasteful refurbishment, and it's not just that it now has new carpets and has had a lick of paint. Changes include an increased range of real ales, with the number of handpumps being increased from four to six, while there is now a blackboard above the bar to inform customers of the beers that are on sale.

The Myerscough has always been highly rated by CAMRA Central Lancashire branch members. For many years it was a near automatic entry in the Good Beer Guide, while almost exactly 20 years ago it became the first pub in the South Ribble area to be honoured as a branch Pub of the Season. As I recall the Myerscough was chosen for this award on the theme 'the kind of pub which you would least mind being stranded at in the middle of Winter'.

Although the Myerscough may have already closed, CAMRA Central Lancashire branch are looking at getting it listed as an Asset of Community Value (ACV) in the hope that it may still have a future as a pub. [Memo to Thwaites Brewery - with your proposed new brewery being located less than a mile away, the Myerscough would make an excellent brewery tap].

Girl Power.............

We really need more female involvement .........Please contact ed (page 22) 8

While the Sir Tom Finney has had an increase in its number of handpumps, it looks like the PEAR TREE on Leyland Road will soon be losing two of its handpumps. Landlord Tim Hughes has decided that at this time the pub cannot support more than two real ales, with Robinson's Dizzy Blonde and Theakstons Lightfoot likely to be the two beers that are retained to be Gordon Small permanently on sale.

The Wheatsheaf Coppull Spendmore Lane Coppull Nr Chorley Lancashire PR7 4NY

Coppull’s Newest FREE House Ever changing selection of Cask Ales including the popular breweries Prospect, Abbeydale, Bank Top, to name a few John Smith - Carling - Peroni - Hop House 13 Lager Great selection Bottled beers, Lagers and Ciders.

Outside Smoking Area and Beer Garden FREE Juke Box - Monday FREE Pool – Tuesday Quiz Night – Wednesday Start 9.30pm

FREE to enter - 3 Rounds Prize for each – Snow Ball

Thursday – Darts Dominos Pool Sky and BT Sports Saturday Night Music Opening Times Monday to Thursday from 3pm Friday from 2pm Saturday and Sunday from 12pm Follow us on face book

The Red Herring

MILL LANE, COPPULL, CHORLEY, LANCS. Tel: (01257) 470130 Ste & Mary welcome you to Coppull’s top freehouse: An oasis in a beer desert.

Guest Ales include: Reedley Hallows,

Prospect, Bank Top Good Beer

and many more

Guide --

Sat night entertainment, we’re in it.

Sun night quiz

Ring Mill function room for hire Monday to Thursday open from 3pm Friday to Sunday open from 12pm

9

New Real Ale bar opens on Buckshaw Village

Filling Factory No1 opened to the public on Friday 18th November 2017, it is based at Morrow Brothers New Bottling Plant, ,Unit F, Ordance Road, Buckshaw Village, PR7 7EL , it’s a 2 minute walk from Buckshaw Parkway Station.(seriously it is only two minutes) Liam Morrow tells me that he plans to initially have three ever changing cask ales on and up to six unusual craft beers.

In addition he proposes to have a bottle and can bar in the near future, selling one assumes a variety of the different ales

they currently bottle on the premises The bar is so named as it on the site of the old Royal Ordnance factory of the same name, however they now fill pints and bottles rather than shells!

Initial opening hours will be from 4pm on Thursdays and Fridays and from 12pm on Saturdays, hopefully expanding due to demand This will be a very welcome edition for drinkers in the area, trust me I’ve been already !

David Moore Brewery Liaison Officer for Beer Brothers of Longton

Liam Morrow, second left with the “Beer Brothers “ Phil Leyland and Dave Reece, and Andrew Eddleston from Belmont labels on the right The Filling Factory Bar with views of the bottling plant

It’s Better by Rail

Recent editions of Ale Cry have extolled the virtues of trips out by train to enjoy the benefits of Real Ale in a nearby town.

People such as Paul Riley, Dave Bell and others have reported on trips to Rochdale, Stockport, Halifax, Lancaster and other places – all easily reached by train from our area.

Preston must have the best rail service of any town in Great Britain. Chorley, Buckshaw (when things are working properly) and Leyland are pretty good. Other stations in our area have an hourly service in each direction.

Rail fares aren’t bad and there are various special offers to be taken advantage of.

I’d like to suggest four places that haven’t been mentioned lately but are well worth investigating: - Poulton-Le-Fylde. A lovely town with everything within easy reach of the railway station. The Thatched House, Old Town Hall Tavern and the Poulton Elk plus a very nice pork pie from the busy shop near the church.

- Lytham. Again everything very close to the station.

The Station Tavern, The Taps a walk along the front and another nice pork pie from a tiny butchers on the main street.

- Morecambe. My Favourite destination. Change at Lancaster and a ten minute run on the train. Morecambe has pulled itself up over the past ten years or so and is a delight.

The promenade is wonderful and I always call in the Midland Hotel now fully restored to its 1930’s Art Deco splendour. The Palatine, The Royal (across from Eric’s statue), The Morecambe – which the town was named after and the Eric Bartholomew where the beer always seems to be £1.79 a pint.

Grill & Grain - Riley Green

A POPULAR pub on the banks of the Leeds and Liverpool Canal is undergoing a £1million transformation.

The Boatyard Inn in Riley Green will reopen as the ‘Grill and Grain at the Boatyard’.

The Thwaites-ran business off Bolton Road will feature a new microbrewery that will produce specially crafted ales for the pub.

A large luxury large wood-fired grill will also be installed in full view of the restaurant.

The artisan equipment had been imported from the United States of America.

Other changes include a complete refurbishment of its interior and doubling the outdoor seating area. The pub’s six guest rooms and overnight accommodation will also get a new look. The business is set to reopen on Wednesday, November 23.

Andrew Buchanan, director of brewing and pub operations at Thwaites, said the changes to the pub will only have a positive impact on trade.He said: “We have travelled far and wide in our quest to find the best in grilled food, testing different cooking fuels and cooking methods. What we found is nothing can replicate the flavours of open fire cooking. We have gone to great lengths to bring that to Grill and Grain at The Boatyard, importing our wood-fired grill 10

The quality control room at the bottling plant, which I am sure is an indication the bottles soon to be on sale in the bar in addition to the three cask beers and six craft ales

- Blackpool. Don’t neglect this wonderful resort. There are many fine pubs near North station. Along Topping Street there are The Washington, Gillespies and Churchills. Walking towards the North Pier you see the magnificent Victoria Hotel with its splendid tiled frontage extolling the virtues of Whittle Springs Brewery. This was just outside Chorley and closed 70 or 80 years ago. The bar at the entrance to the North Pier is well worth visiting as during the season it has Cross Bay beers at £2 a pint.

As it’s Blackpool you should always buy a silly hat and fish & chips. Incidentally you are supposed to wear the silly hat and eat the fish and chips – not the other way round.

The trains to and from Blackpool are often very busy especially during school holidays. A little while ago I was coming back to Chorley from Blackpool North and the train was absolutely packed. Walking along the platform I spotted an empty seat on the train and I pounced on it and sat down.

A couple of moments later a chap came up to me and said “Excuse me, but you’re sitting in my seat”.

I said that there was no reserved sign on the seat, so as far as I was concerned it was mine.

“No”, he said, “I always sit there when I’m on this train”.

I don’t care said I where you always sit. First come, first served seated.

“Look”, he said, “I really do have to sit there”.

Sorry, I said, I’m not moving.

“Well I’ll have to get the Guard to move you”.

You can get the Guard. You can get the Station Master.

You can get Dr. Beeching, or whoever is in charge of trains these days, I’m not moving.

“OK”, he said, “You drive the bloody thing!

Paul Tate and smokers from America to recreate the flavour sensations we want. It will not only help us cook delicious food but it will add an element of theatre to the dining experience. It’s a really exciting development for Thwaites and we have invested substantially in transforming the pub. The whole pub is being refurbished, completely overhauling the restaurant, doubling the size of the outdoor seating area as well as refurbishing the bedrooms.

The micro-brewery is a great addition for us as we will be able to use our brewing experience from Daniel Thwaites. We have built up our experience up more than 210 years and we can’t wait to bring it directly to the Grill and Grain. It’s going to be great to see this develop as we are really looking forward to opening later this month.” and smokers from America to recreate the flavour sensations we want. It will not only help us cook delicious food but it will add an element of theatre to the dining experience. It’s a really exciting development for Thwaites and we have invested substantially in transforming the pub. The whole pub is being refurbished, completely overhauling the restaurant, doubling the size of the outdoor seating area as well as refurbishing the bedrooms. Dave Bell

11

A Sally Round Warrington

entered Porter’s Ale House, again on Buttermarket Street.

Outside, it looked like it was closed until we saw a dim light in the doorway. Inside, it had a feel of a heavy metal or biker's type of pub, although friendly enough. 2 real ales were available, Robinson's Trooper Red and Black Porter at 5.8% which Carole had a half of. This has been designed by Robinson's head brewer and Bruce Dickinson, the vocalist from Iron Maiden, who apparently is a big fan of real ale.

Anyway, it was great, with tastes of chocolate, caramel and liquorice. I decided on a change and chose one of the 2 real ciders that were available. (What about that Luke Harrison?)

Rosie's Pig Old Banger at 4% looked tempting but I chose Lilleys Gladiator and as it was 8.4%, only got a half. It didn't taste all that strong and actually tasted just like fresh apple juice. It was so nice that I could have had a few more but I didn't think the day would end well if I did, so we reluctantly moved on.

Our next port of call was The Tavern on Church Street, a Good Beer Guide entry since 2002.

This pub is the brewery tap and the main outlet for the 4Ts Brewery (The Tavern's Tasty Tipples). Three 4Ts beers were available, Pale Ale at 3.7%, APA at 4% and Boadicea at 4.1%. These were accompanied on the bar by Fyne Ales Vital Spark at 4.4% and Pied Bull Tangibull at 4.7%. I don't think I have ever had tangerine flavoured beer before so I went for the Tangibull, despite my normal Blackpool FC related aversion to Tangerine. I would recommend trying it if you see this anywhere, it was very fruity with a lovely tangerine flavour and it went down almost as easily as Blackpool FC themselves. Carole decided on Boadicea which was pale and hoppy and very tasty. The Tavern has plenty of TV screens and seems to be orientated towards live sport such as football and rugby.

I know very little about Warrington. It's a place I have very rarely been to and I had never been in any pubs there, before our recent trip. Warrington lies exactly half way between Manchester and Liverpool, situated 20 miles east of Liverpool and 20 miles west of Manchester. The fact that I had never visited any pubs there and also that it was only 22 minutes down the West Coast Main line from Preston Station led to it being the latest destination for our Sally round.

A Sunday was chosen and we arrived at Preston Station to get tickets for the 13.58 London Euston train. An adult return ticket cost £12.60. A short time later we were at Warrington Bank Quay from where we headed into the town centre. The first pub we went in was the White Hart on Sankey Street. A look at the pump clips for the 3 available beers was enough for me and we made our way straight out again. Some of you may like Caledonian beers but they just don't do it for me, and the offering of Deuchars IPA, Golden XPA and Autumn Red didn't appeal. Hoping for better, we entered the Barley Mow on Old Market Place. Only 3 beers available here too but alongside Thwaites Wainwright and Black Sheep Best Bitter was the welcome sight of an Ossett Brewery pump clip. Ossett Spellbound was the choice for both Carole and I and both my pint and Carole's half were served in barrel glasses. Pale, hoppy with a grapefruit taste, Spellbound at 4.3% was just right for me although a little too bitter for Carole who has a sweeter tooth. The Barley Mow was built in 1561, during the reign of Queen Elizabeth the First and has a beautiful half timbered frontage.

From the Barley Mow we headed for the next pub, the Hop Pole on Horsemarket Street. We didn't stay there any longer than we did at the White Hart, once I discovered that the only cask ale available was Greene King IPA. Beginning to think that Warrington had not been a great choice of destination we arrived at the Looking Glass on Buttermarket Street. The beer in here was an improvement from the 2 pubs that we didn't stay for a drink in, as it was a Wetherspoons. Aside from the standard Wetherspoons beers such as Ruddles County and Abbot Ale, the choices were; Coachhouse Jabberwocky at 5%, Rudgate Chocolate Stout at 5%, Elland Elditch at 4.3%, Peerless Full Whack at 6% and Kelham Island Big Black Blue Sound which was a black IPA at 5.3%. Carole chose Coachhouse Jabberwocky which is brewed exclusively for the Looking Glass. It was pale and dry hopped but a bit too sweet for me. My choice was Elland Elditch, a pale beer with a strong lemon, citrus flavour which I enjoyed.

With things looking up a little we made our way to The Lower Angel, also on Buttermarket Street. This was a really old fashioned looking pub both outside and in and I had the impression that not much had changed in there for the last 40 years or so. It could certainly do with a bit of TLC. Having said that, the real ale was great. Thornbridge Lord Marples (4.4%), Ashover Red Lion (4.6%), Anarchy Anti Venom IPA (6%) and Merlin’s Microbrewery Castle Black Stout provided the line up. I had a pint of Anarchy Anti Venom IPA which had quite a bit to say for itself and certainly tasted like it was 6%. A strong citrus flavour and tastes of tropical fruit meant that this was an IPA with attitude.

Carole had Castle Black Stout which was also very good.

It was smooth and creamy with a hint of coffee.

Feeling better about our decision to venture to Warrington, we

We decided we had time

for one more pub before

our train back to Preston

and it was a great choice

which we realised as soon

as we entered the 9 Gallon

Real Ale Bar on Sankey Street. A large chalkboard displayed the 10 available real ales. Burton Bridge Bramble Stout (5%), VOG Speakeasy (4.5%), VOG Dakota Red (5.4%), Weetwood Southern Cross (3.6%), Milestone Shine On (4%), Tigertops MC (4.3%), Moorhouses Pendle Witches Brew (5.1%), Liverpool Organic Imperial Russian Stout (7.9%), Stamps Swedish Blonde (4.3%) and Sandiway Hop Secret (4.5%) were all available. I chose Tigertops MC, perfect for me, pale, hoppy, citrusy and very bitter. Carole had Bramble Stout which was also good, dark and fruity.

Arriving back at Warrington Bank Quay station we boarded the train to Preston After a bit of a ropey start to our afternoon in Warrington, we did find a few good pubs with my favourite being the 9 Gallon Real Ale Bar. If you decide to go drinking in Warrington, you may want to go on a day other than Sunday as Warrington Market has a small micro pub called The Real Ale Shack. It is closed on a Sunday, so we didn't get to see it but I am led to believe that it is a bit like The Bob Inn at Chorley Market. If this is true, it will be well worth a visit.

Dave Bell 12

13

View from the Mountain Mick Sunshine Coach

If a picture paints a Melodious thousand words

Genuine improvement not so called ‘Revitalisation’ I’ve seen it so many times during my long community politics

experiences - and it gets worse year by year.

I’ve always believed that politics should operate as near as possible to the individual and that the roots of any organisation are the foundations on which that organistion must be built.

CAMRA isn’t politics you may say but everything that has anything to do with peoples lives might not be party political but it is political.

When I first became a Councillor I was of the opinion that a third of the Councillors were there for the right reason, a third were there for the wrong reasons and a third of them didn’t know why they were there.

Those ratios seem to have altered unfavourably. It was similar to my early days in the trade union movement Funny though - in both cases the relationship seemed to change. The higher up the ladder the more detached from the grass roots and from the principles they perported to represent the individual became. It was as if they lost direction After observing and being involved in such organisations for half a century the more disillusioned I have become.

So what’s that got to do with CAMRA you may ask.

Everything , I reply and it’s frightening. If our leadership didn’t spend so much time looking up its own backside it would see how detached it has become from the membership and from reality.

Heading towards a quarter of a million membership and winning many of our battles when we used to lose 90%, one of our founders strangely believes we need revitalising and may need to change direction.

NO!! - what we need to do is to wake up to the fact that if we can mobilise those quarter of a million we will win 90% of the battles we face. That can only happen if we welcome democratic change and genuinely involve our grass roots members.

Unfortunately our heirarchy don’t recognise that - they see our huge membership simply as a number to throw at Government to convince them of our influence. I say this that they would be a thousand times more powerful if a thousand members in every branch demanded e.g. lined glasses; proper alcohol education in schools and other educational establishments; government properly investigates the health benefits of social interaction and the health benefits of real ale as opposed to unhealthy ‘Zombeers.’

Finally we must some how make our leadership understand that true leadership comes from the strength of our grass roots and if we change our constitution to achieve that we will become the most powerful pressure group in the uk.

The trouble is that the will must be there and it doesn’t currently appear to be. Life at the top is addictive.

Revitalisation - - why??? - we are still vital and necessary to a nation that needs us.

Next time............... Threat to real ale from an unlikely source------ Micro - breweries ------trying to persuade licensees to buy their Zombeers rather than the real thing.

Why????? Why else - more £££££££££££££££ in Zombeer.

Lord Mountain

14

The Editor asked me how I was filling my time now that my music festival season has finished. I made the mistake of telling him that I’ve watched Chorley FC since childhood but haven’t travelled away with them for years so I’ve started doing so again on the mini-bus we call the Sunshine Coach, one of several that travel to support the team. One of my hobbies is dropping Ale Crys off on my wanderings - It keeps me fit but leaves me with arms like orangutans. I usually keep a photographic reminder of my wanderings so he asked me to fill some space with an account of my ramblings.

That’s all well and good for the future but remembering’s a different matter. A month ago we went to Alfreton, not somewhere I’ve been before, but is near Bolsover which one of my political heroes - the Beast - represents as MP. We didn’t have a lot of time before kick off, but I am looking forward to my next visit because I enjoyed the pubs we did manage to get to and the club on the ground served a good pint at half time and full time. We managed to draw 2-2 against 10 men when leading 2-0 with 5 minutes to go. I hope we don’t live to regret it at the end of the season.

The last away trip was to Gainsborough again a place I hadn’t been to but enjoyed. We won 2-0 and had more time to visit hostelries before kick off. So I’ve a lot more pics of this trip and my memory doesn’t have to back as far as the Alfreton trip. I wasn’t making notes though so this is from memory There were three bars in the club and we enjoyed them all and the pubs we went to before kick off were well worth the visit.

The first port of call was the Horse and Jockey a deceptively large pub with Bass as the only real ale It was in good nick and the hospitality and atmosphere were appreciated.

The Canute had Taylors Thunderbolt, Bombadier, London Pride, Courage Best Bitter and a 10% real ale discount for CAMRA members

Sunshine Coach cont

Next door but one to the Canute was The Sweyn Forkbeard - the local JD Wetherspoon pub

One thing I really like about JDW pubs is the historical information which adorns the walls Apparently Forkbeard was the father of King Canute

and was for a while King of all England.

You can see from these photos that the Chorley gang enjoyed the beers here and in the variety of pubs we visited. I enjoyed Grafton blonde at 4.8% It was one of the gang who pointed out to me that I had missed the ginnel between the Canute and the Forkbeard which led down to a brilliant micro-pub.

He was spot on - the 8 Jolly Brewers.

I can’t remember how many hand

pumps there were because I wasn’t

expecting to have to write a report on it but the ale range was wide

and varied, and I enjoyed the couple of pints I had there.

The three bars in the Gainsborough FC club house were excellent and one was large enough to host inter-county darts matches.

We enjoyed a pint with the Chorley players after the

match and after a good win they deserved it. MM

Trades Hall Club Bamber Bridge 3 Handpumps for real ale Other drinks at bargain prices inc. San Miguel and Warnsteiner CAMRA members welcome(Discounted prices on production of valid membership card) Membership available all year round Acts on every Saturday and Sunday Bingo every Wednesday, Saturday and Sunday

15

CAMRA CENTRAL LANCASHIRE BRANCH AND ... MICROBREWERIES Until the last few years the CAMRA Central Lancashire branch area had very little in the way of microbreweries.

Appearing in 1976 was the New Fermor Arms at Rufford which produced the sometimes real sometimes pressurised Fettlers beers on and off for about 15 years. Next CAMRA member Ian Bignall's Leyland Brewery was briefly with us in the 1980s, and then around the time of the 1992 Preston Guild we had the Little Avenham Brewery and the Preston Brewing Company. In the early 2000s the Old Wheelton Brewery was operating at the Dressers Arms, while the Coppull based Chorley Brewhouse was around for about a year from 2012.

Sadly all these microbreweries are now just names from the past, but what of the growing number of microbreweries (and nanobreweries) currently active in the branch area?

The longest established of our local microbreweries is HART OF PRESTON, although admittedly it has not always been located in the Central Lancashire branch area. Originally set up in 1995 by Preston man John Smith, it was attached to the Cartford Hotel at Little Eccleston and was a great success.

After a change in the pub's ownership John was forced to find new premises, and a move to Preston seemed the obvious solution. There were a couple of false starts, but in late 2010 Hart Brewery was producing beer from its new location on the Oxheys Industrial Estate. Over the years Hart of Preston beers have continued to turn up regularly in the local free trade, while at the Fleece in Penwortham they have also supplied the house ale.

Based at the Real Ale Shop in Preston, and actually brewing in the branch area before the arrival of Hart, there was ARKWRIGHT'S. They commenced brewing in mid-2010, with their beers being sold at the Lovat Road off-licence and other outlets. However since late 2013 this brewery's affairs have become a little confused. A move was made to new premises on Aqueduct Street, and then there were lengthy periods when their beers were nowhere to be found. In the past couple of years we have seen the emergence of a successor, the gothic themed DARKWAVE BREWING, and in 2016 this brewery's unfined vegan beers have been on sale locally in the Guild Ale House and Market Ale House micropubs.

In April 2013 the GOOSNARGH brewery came into existence. Located in an outbuilding to the Horns Inn pub at Goosnargh, apparently landlord Mark Woods had long had an ambition to set up his own brewery. Equipment was obtained from the defunct Grindleton Brewery, and the Horns Inn was a perfect brewery tap to present a selection of Goosnargh beers, while elsewhere they were able to supply other outlets such as Billy's Wine Bar in Longridge.

Later in 2013 the BISHOP'S CROOK brewery began brewing commercially. Owned by Dave Bishop and Ian Grant, there was originally a third partner Ian Crook who had been important when the brewery had been named. Making its initial public appearance at the 2013 St Gerard's Beer Festival, appropriately Initiate was the first Bishop's Crook beer. After a couple of changes of location, the brewery has found a home in Penwortham, and over the last three years a succession of beers have been produced, with the Guild Ale House regularly selling the 3.8% Two Screws as its house beer.

The next new microbrewery in the branch area was RIVINGTON, a brewery which commenced brewing on a Rivington dairy farm early in 2015. The brewery was set up by former home brewer Ben Stubbs, who had learnt a lot about different beer styles while living for a time in the USA. Concentrating on outlets in the Chorley and Bolton areas, the beers rarely seem to find their way into pubs in the Preston area. However if you want to sample a Rivington beer you may have some success if you visit the Yew Tree at Heath Charnock or the Dressers Arms at Higher Wheelton.

16

The Washington

Topping Street Blackpool FY1 3AF

---------Now in Good Beer Guide 2017--------Open 7 days a week: Mon - Thur 10.30am - 11pm, Fri & Sat 10,30am - 12am Sun 11am - 11.30pm Good quality food served daily ‘til 9.30pm (2 meals for £8.99) over 14 dishes to choose from.

8 CASK ALES TO CHOOSE FROM DAILY (ask for cask ale card buy 5 - get the 6th free)

Mon Pool League night 8pm, Tues Red Tooth poker night 8pm, Thu now darts and doms night 8pm

Fri & Sat nights - live

1 11 1 entertainment from 9.30 Sunday pool tournament starting at 7.30pm.

Showing all Sky and BT sport games on all screens.

Collect a season ticket and and receive 10% discount on selected drinks

Newly refurbished !!

CAMRA’s Good Beer Guide 2012, 13, 14 &

the only Penwortham pub in the 2015 Guide!

Cask Marque award holder

FFiivvee CCaasskk A Alleess –– tthhrreeee rroottaattiinngg gguueessttss pplluuss TThheeaakkssttoonn’’ss LLiigghhttffoooott & A Grreeeennee KKiinngg IIPPA &G B Miilldd aanndd G Moorreettttii,, KKrroonneennbboouurrgg,, FFoosstteerrss,, M Biirrrraa M Guuiinnnneessss See our website for this month’s ales

THE POTTERS ARMS

Try out our very popular weekly Quiz Nightevery Thursday – starts prompt at 9pm 20p off a pint for CAMRA card carrying members

BROOK STREET CHORLEY Stop Press: And now… visit our new sister pub – The Pear Tree Inn!

Three Bs Doff Cocker Black Sheep Bitter + Guest Ales From Local Breweries

Great beer, great team of staff and a warm and friendly welcome Saturday Music Theme Nights once a month – see facebook www.blackbull-penwortham.co.uk or facebook 83 Pope Lane, Penwortham – 01772 752953

11-11 Monday to Thursday / 11 to 12.30 Friday & Saturday / 12 to 11 Sunday unless we decide to stay open later !

We Are In The Good Beer Guide 2017

Don’t miss Tuesday: All Cask Ales £1.99

A Real Pub with

Stephen and Denise have been glad to welcome good beer lovers for over 25 years at the POTTERS 17

THE GOLDEN TAP ALE HOUSE

In May 2015 THIRD EYE was another small microbrewery to quietly announce its presence. Located at Eccleston, owner Matthew Leach created his own brewery plant by adapting stainless steel vessels that had been used in the food industry. A regular beer Session Ale (3.9%) was soon produced, although to my knowledge its presence has not been that widespread throughout the branch area. A likely place to find this beer would be the Old Farmers Arms at Eccleston.

Our pub of the season for Winter 2016/17 is the Golden Tap Ale House situated at the junction of Chapel Brow and Golden Hill Lane in Leyland. The Golden Tap is the second "micro pub" to open in the town in the last couple of years. Like the Market Ale House the Golden Tap also occupies former shop premises, in this case a second hand establishment that sold LP's among other things.

Pub of the Season Winter 2016

The pub opened on the 29th April 2016 and is owned and supervised by James Brennan. It is open every day, except Monday, from 3pm Tues & Wed, 2pm Thurs and 1pm Fri to Sun. Closing time is 10 or 10.30 Sun to Thurs and 11.30 Fri and Sat.

A third new microbrewery of 2015 was BEER BROTHERS of Walmer Bridge. This brewery was set up by non-related 'beer brothers' Phill Leyland and David Reece, who had started out as home brewers before deciding to make their products available to a wider audience. Initially concentrating on a range of bottled beers, their draught beers have now begun to turn up quite regularly, with frequent appearances at the Guild Ale House and Market Ale House micropubs.

2016 has been a boom year for microbreweries, with four new names appearing. First we had PRIEST TOWN BREWING of Preston, a brewery that was actually registered as long ago as July 2014, when it produced the interestingly named PR2 IPA beer. This year the brewery appears to have been re-launched, with new premises being acquired, and with HMRC clearance and environmental health approval being obtained. All being well we will be seeing some of their beers in local pubs in the coming weeks.

Second, there is CRANKSHAFT of Leyland, a nanobrewery owned by Haydn and Angela Williams. This brewery initially produced a range of five bottled beers, and had a successful launch of their products at the Taste of Leyland event in August. Following on from this they have gone on to produce their first draught ale, and in November the 3.8% Propshaft could be found at the Market Ale House and Shepherds' Hall Ale House micropubs.

A third new microbrewery is WITHNELL'S, who proclaim themselves to be brewers of Lancashire Craft Ales. Named after the Chorley village, this brewery was incorporated as a PLC in March 2016, but it would still appear to be early days.

Interestingly they are growing at least some of their own hops for brewing, and the latest news is that they are not too far off producing their first beers while sorting out some legal matters.

Finally, there is HUBSTERS of Clayton Brook, a company which appears to have its origins in the Blackpool area.

Hubsters Brewery was incorporated as a PLC in July 2016, and like Crankshaft, is a brewery that has started out by producing a range of five bottled beers. At the time of writing they are about to produce their first draught beer, a 5% Anglo American IPA called Hop Scotch.

With seven new microbreweries appearing in the last 2 years, this means that there are now 11 microbreweries currently active in the CAMRA Central Lancashire branch area. I wonder how many there will be in another 2 years?

Like many micro pubs there is no television or canned music, just conversation or a few newspapers to pass away the time.

No food is served, but if you are feeling peckish there are plenty of takeaways and restaurants in this part of Leyland.

James tells me that there are up to six cask beers available at any one time and that these are sourced from micro-breweries from all over the UK, so there's no Doombar or Wainwrights here.

In addition there are three "craft keg" lines plus Erdinger, the German wheat beer and Kozel, the Czech lager on tap. Spirits and wines are also sold.

The Golden Tap is served by the 109 and 111 buses and is only a couple of minutes away from the newly revamped railway station. This makes it an excellent place to start or finish a Leyland pub crawl, something I can guarantee is a much improved experience than it would have been a few years ago.

A presentation is to be made to the Golden Tap on the 19th Jan 2017 by Central Lancs CAMRA chairman Dave Bell, starting at 8pm. All are welcome to attend, even people who are not called Dave.

Gordon Small 18

Dave Marsden

PRINCESS ALICE

OPEN 7 DAYS A WEEK MONDAY – THURSDAY 4.30 – 11.30 FRIDAY

4.30 – 12.30

SATURDAY

12.00 – 12.30

SUNDAY

12.00 – 11.30

FOUR REAL ALES (CASK MARQUE APPROVED) POOL TEAMS – DART TEAM- WELSH DON TEAM – DOMINOES TEAM- GOLF CLUB ARTISTS EVERY FRIDAY AND SATURDAY NIGHT QUIZ NIGHT WEDNESDAY, FREE ENTRY AND CHIP BUTTY SUPPER SUNDAY OPEN MIC NIGHT ALL SPORTS SHOWN ON 15 TVS

Q

29-31 CAMBRIDGE WALK PRESTON PR1 7SL 01772 823737

19

Preston Parade

Micropubs are all the rage now, so I was hoping to bring you more news about the Plau on Friargate which we were hoping would be open soon.

I have asked Jeremy from the Continental for an update, but have not yet received a reply, so all I can say is that it will be opening, but I do not know when. If you are a CAMRA member, and have your email address registered with HQ, we will let you know when it opens in our monthly email newsletter that we send out to members. Meanwhile at our other micropub, The Guild Ale House on Lancaster Road, the upstairs room should be open now and very nice it was beginning to look last time I had a peep at the ongoing work there.

We finally managed to present former landlord of the Old Black Bull, Stan Eaton, with his tankard for services to real ale at a ceremony in the pub there recently. In the

Also in Longridge, the Towneley Arms on Berry Lane was recently closed for a couple of weeks for a £150,000 refurbishment to improve both the inside and outside of the pub.

Licensees Danny and Charlotte have signed a new 5 year lease so great news there. Longridge would make a great night out from Preston with its regular bus service there and back.

Meanwhile, over in Barton, the Boar’s Head has closed after former owners Mitchell’s of Lancaster sold the property. We have no news of who to, but its days as a pub may be numbered. It is understood that a number of former locals are attempting to obtain an ACV (asset of community value) order from Preston Council.

Back in Preston, at the Wellington in Ashton, landlord Alan Chester has announced he is leaving the pub in December. He says he will not be disappearing altogether and will tell us of his new plans when they are finalised. Intriguing stuff, eh! We will be keeping a close eye on this one.

After a brief closure in November the Variety on Adelphi St. reopened under its old name, the Hearts of Oak.

absence of our Chairman, Dave Bell, I performed the honours and Stan gracefully accepted the award.

Longridge is following on the heels of Chorley in the micropub stakes in that there are now three such pubs there.

I told you about Billy’s Wine Bar and Hoppy Days in the last issue. Now you can add one more to that with the opening of the Tap and Vent on Berry Lane.

Said to be selling four real ales from local microbreweries, and joining Camra’s real ale discount scheme, it is a welcome addition to the real ale scene. Also closed for a week for refurbishment was the Anderton Arms. It being the nearest pub to our chairman, Dave Bell, let us hope they have done a good job.

It is not all good news though. The Eldon on Eldon St. is not now selling real ale and neither is the Unicorn near the Moorbrook, even though the licensee is keen to get real ale on. After intermittent appearances, it looks like real ale at the Stanley on Lancaster Rd. has been discontinued. The New Welcome off Aqueduct St. now only seems to have real ale on sale on Fridays (and if there is any left on Saturdays). The Angel on Lune St is currently being stripped out and one of the workers there thinks that it is being changed to an office.

The Corn Exchange nearby has been closed for several months Licencees are Duncan and Nickie Crosbie who have been now. However, we understand that there is work going on married for 22 years and have always harboured a desire to there with the intention that it is to become a bar with a Spanrun their own business. Together they have more than 25 ish tapas eatery attached. We must be ever vigilant. years experience in business with Duncan presently working Paul Riley for Britain’s oldest independent brewery, Shepherd Neame, Princess Alice in Preston Parade. has installed new cooling whilst Nickie set up and ran Junior Exchange for some time equipment and now serves a changing range of 4 real ales at and is currently the manager of the YMCA charity shop on Berry Lane. Tap and Vent is a true freehouse providing what a proper temperature for real ale, including Chadwicks from customers desire in a relaxed and friendly atmosphere where Kendal, not available elsewhere in the branch. I have noticed an improvement in quality at the pub which serves 4 varying you can come and have a great pint and a good chat. real ales 7 days a week.

Dave Linley 20

The Old Vic

CAMRA Recommended Good Beer Guide 2017

Tel.No.

Find us

Fishergate Preston

Opposite Preston Railway Station Traditional Pub Food New Festive Menu Christmas 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 “Sunday Night Quiz with Cash Jackpot” New enlarged outdoor area with large screen TV 21

Attention!!!!!!!!

Pubs, Clubs, Suppliers and anyone else interested in contacting people who like to socialise: O ur advertisers benefit from our 7,000 copies being read

Officers and Contacts:

Branch Contact/Chairman Dave Bell 07900 565281 Secretary / Webmaster Gordon Small 01772 746118 14 Bank Parade Penwortham Preston Treasurer Paul Riley 01772 709272 Vice-Chairman / Membership John Singleton 07456 914048 Pubs Officer Dave Woolcock 01772 729059 Womens contact: Sue Riley 01772 709272 Social Secretary Vacant Young Members / Social Media Officer Mike Woolcock Pubs Protection Officer Dave Linley 01772 735628 Cider Representative Luke Harrison Communications (inc. editor) Mick Clark 07984 840486

email address: clcamra@rocketmail.com

website- http://www.centrallancscamra.org.uk www.facebook.com CAMRA Central Lancashire Branch

Branch Meetings (8pm): Branch / Socials* Committee #

by over 60,000 drinkers all over the uk and even abroad We have a dozen or so distributorsthe list below covers just SOMEof the places just 3 distributors have dropped mags off at.

Including:

Lytham, Garstang,Southport, Skipton, Fleetwood, Cumbria, Manchester, Merseyside,Yorkshire (inc. Whitby, Pickering, Scarborough) Lancaster,Liverpool, Stockport, Blackpool, St.Anne’s, Hull, Birmingham, Edinburgh, Glasgow, Girvan, Newcastleton, Newcastle, Nottingham, Bristol, Feltham, Kingston-Upon-Thames, Louth, Wigan, Bolton, Blackburn, Holmfirth, Otley, Leeds Huddersfield, Sowerby Bridge, Todmorden, Hebden Bridge, Harrogate, Scarborough, Pickering, Sidmouth, Exmouth, Exeter, Torquay, Bromyard, Aston U Lyne, Stalybridge, Poulton, Canterbury, Whitstable, USA -mid west, Chicago,Seattle, various European countries.

You’re welcome to attend any of our meetings / trips Dec 12(7.30)* Shepherds Hall Ale House (Chorley)(Christmas Social) Jan 9 # Ale Station (Chorley) 19 * Golden Tap Ale House(Leyland) (inc. Pub of Season Presentation) Feb 6 # Black Horse (Preston) 23 * Sheps Hall Ale House Chorley (Also visititing other Chorley micro-pubs) Mar 6(7.30)*Anchor (Lostock Hall)

Socials / Trips / Visits / Ale Trails: The branch would welcome more members and potential members joining us on our trips and visits.

Our next one is: Thursday 5th January - Ale Cry Distribution Crawl Places still available. Please contact Paul Riley (01772) 709272 if you are interested.

It’s directed advertising so it reaches where you want it to reach Deadline for Adverts and Articles

Prices: Double page £300 Back page £195 Full page £175 Half Page £ 95 Quarter Page £ 55 Published by: The Central Lancashire Branch Of The Campaign for Real Ale

1/2/17 for the Spring Edition:: Expected Publication Date: 1/3/17

Deadline for Adverts and Articles for the Summer Edition: 1/5/17 Expected Publication Date: 1/6/17 Deadline for Adverts and Articles for the Autumn Edition:: 1/8/17 Expected Publication Date: 1/9/17

Under 26 or over You’ d be mad not to join CAMRA From £160 6.5 0 to and 15 months me ers join: £20 real ale vouchers, hip for the ice of 12 (se next page ) + Real mb e Ale Discounts at pr hundreds of pubs:

22

£20 JD Wetherspoon RealAle Aletokens tokens £20 of of JD Wetherspoon Real +15 months membership for the price of 12 if you

+15 months membership for the price of 12 if you thenonce onceyou’ve you’ve agree pay by by direct directdebit debit --then agree to to pay joined : Chance to win 24 pints to enjoy the joined : Chance to win 24 pints to enjoy ininthe Leyland Lion on on Hough HoughLn., Ln.,Leyland Leylandfor forhelping helping Leyland Lion keep the branch informed about what’s happening keep the branch informed about what’s happening in two of of your yourlocal localpubs pubsand andperhaps perhaps in one one or or two dropping a few Ale Crys off for us (just contacted) ed) dropping a few Ale Crys off for us (just contact

Heading million members members--one oneofofthe the Headingtowards towards aa quarter quarter of of aa million world’s largest and fastest growing consumer organisations........ world’s largest and fastest consumer organisations........

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Beaapart partof ofitit.....................................Why .....................................Why not Complete the form below, seal it in an envelope and postitittoto- Complete the form below, envelope and post ‘CAMRA, 230 Hatfield HatfieldRoad, Road, ‘CAMRA,Membership Membership Department, 230 St.Albans, St.Albans,Herts., Herts., AL1 AL1 4LW.’ 4LW.’

✁

Cut along thick dotted line to detatch membership form, complete form, fold along thin dotted line and secure on outside edges before posting

Fold along this line

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WITHY ARMS LIVE MUSIC THURSDAY, FRIDAY & SATURDAY

Book a table this

Christmas

Large or small bookings being taken Food served 12 - 2 and 6 - 9 Mon to Sat Sunday 12 - 9 You are welcome to dine outside these mes if you pre-book

Xmas Beer Fesval In the heated covered hut area from 6pm every night in December

14 CASK ALES / GUEST CIDER / MULLED WINE ROAST CHESTNUTS / FREE PARKING

Worden Lane, Leyland, PR25 3EL We are near to the Big Tesco and opposite the Old Leyland Cross

www.withyarms.com Call John on: 01772 301969

LEYLAND OLD TOWN