CONTENTS
WELCOME TO THE Autumn ISSUE OF FULL MEASURE
News
5
Welcome back to the Beech
7
Revitalisation of CAMRA
8-9
Festival Diary
9
White Rose Cooper
11
City Centre Beer Census
13
Sadly, I need to start this edition with news of the passing of Steve Staindale, Leeds Branch Committee Member and also a vital member of the Festival Organising Team. Warren Yabsley has penned a few words elsewhere in this edition.
Leeds Beer Week
14
I'm back at the helm of this publication after a three year break, and I'd like to thank Tony Coltman for holding the fort. He's done an excellent job, and taken the magazine from strength to strength. Cheers Tony.
Bar Street, Paphos
23-25
Real Ale in a Bottle
27
In this issue we also have news of Leeds Beer Week, an innovation for 2016, as well as news about our recent city centre survey and of the CAMRA National Revitalisation project.
Steve Staindale
29
Diary Dates
30
Welcome to issue number 137 of New Full Measure. We hope you'll find some items of interest amongst our pages.
Good Writers are Beer Writers 16-17 Awards
19
Thanks as ever go to all the team at NFM Towers, whether they've written, taken photos, been involved in distribution or proof-reading, or even just been quietly supportive. Your help is appreciated. Ian
New Full Measure is produced by the Leeds Branch of the Campaign for Real Ale. The views expressed are not necessarily those of the editor, CAMRA Ltd or its branches. Copyright © Leeds CAMRA 2016. No part of this magazine may be reproduced without express permission. NFM Towers Address: Leeds CAMRA c/o 46 West Grange Green, Leeds LS10 3BB. Email: Newsletter@leeds-camra.com Web: www.leeds-camra.com Twitter @LeedsCAMRA
Subscriptions cost £3.20 for six issues; payment by cheque made out to "Leeds CAMRA" and sent to the above address. Contributions are welcome from any CAMRA member, and may be sent to the above email address, or by post. Contributions may be edited for reasons of space, and may be held over for future issues. 5,000 Copies are distributed, free of charge, quarterly to outlets in Leeds and the surrounding areas.
Publication Dates: The next issue of NFM (#138) will be published on Friday 2nd December. NFM #137 copy deadline is 4th November 2016 Advertising: For advertising enquiries contact: Jane Michelson Tel: 01778 382718 Email: jane@orchardhousemedia.co.uk Rates: Colour Rates per insertion (exclusive of VAT) are: Quarter page: £70 Half page: £130 Full Page: £240 Inside Front / Inside Back: £275 Outside Back Cover: £300 Discounts available for series bookings.
New Full Measure AUTUMN 2016 3
NEWS IN BRIEF Camerons Brewery has announced the acquisition of the Leeds Brewery pub estate. Camerons has acquired a group of seven pubs from Leeds Brewery, including venues such as the Lamb & Flag (Leeds), The Midnight Bell (Leeds) and Duke of York (York). Leeds Brewery will continue to brew their range of cask, keg and bottled beers, and these brands will still feature prominently in these venues.
Junction Book raises £2K for Charity “From Junk to Junction”, a book written by beer enthusiast David Litten about the renaissance of a pub on Carlton Street, Castleford, has now drummed up £2,000 for charity. The proceeds so far were handed over
to Carol Archer of the Alzheimer's Society at the pub recently. The book chronicles the upturn of The Junction over the last five years under the stewardship of landlords Maureen Shaw and Neil Midgley. In that time the pub has developed into a true hub of the local community. Along the way it has won many awards and is reputed to be the only pub in the world that serves all its real ales from wooden casks.
Moorhouse’s new team member Moorhouse’s in Lancashire has strengthened its sales team to spread the magic of the famous ‘Pendle Witches Brew’ cask ale across Yorkshire. Stuart Thompson is returning to Moorhouse's as Sales Executive based in Leeds, having left them for a time after five years' experience as Accounts and Commercial Manager. He said, “I relish the challenge of rejoining Moorhouse’s. Yorkshire is an excellent area for growth for the internationally-award-winning
Joint Leeds Brewery owner, Sam Moss, said, “we’re keeping the Garden Gate and Julie the current tenant is carrying on so no changes there. There are still going to be very close links between the brewery and the pubs in terms of day-to-day operation”. At NFM Towers we see no cause for concern. In Guiseley, the Yorkshire Rose is reported to be selling two real ales, as is Guiseley Football/Cricket Club. We are told that Slate NQ Bar on Merrion Street normally has two or three ales. Tyke Bar on Crown Point Road, underneath the ibis Hotel, has recently been refurbished. Leeds CAMRA have called there a couple of times on branch socials and it is an ideal venue for watching multiscreen sports. Kirkstall beers are often available. The Gaping Goose at Garforth is reported to have two real ciders.
brands, with both the region’s cask ale drinkers and visitors looking for an excellent cask ale experience.”
New Full Measure AUTUMN 2016 5
6 New Full Measure AUTUMN 2016
THE BEECH, WORTLEY
“not only is The Beech a Grade II listed building, but it also appears on CAMRA’s National and Local Inventories of Historic Pubs Interiors.”
Branch stalwart, John Thornton, has been out on his travels. This time, he went to Wortley. You may well have noticed, if you have recently travelled along Tong Road or passed on the train, that The Beech pub is back open and trading. The pub had been closed for over four years from 2011 following its sale and was boarded up. This gave rise to concern for pubs in the Wortley community, especially when nearby pubs had also closed, so it was a particularly welcome sight when, just before Christmas 2015, The Beech re-opened for trading. Hooray! It was still a pub and not a supermarket or restaurant, too often seen these days.
Welcome back to the beech Local Inventories of Historic Pubs Interiors. In 1931 it was re-modelled by Melbourne Brewery of Leeds (closed1960) in their 30s style, and retains its original design, a rarity today.
The Beech offers real ales, often from Whippet (a recently-opened local micro brewery) and is a solid, down to earth community pub serving the people of Wortley. So before you head for the other beach try the newly restored Beech.
Its opening followed a careful three-month restoration and re-decorating scheme which has produced a fine job. The new owners have not only kept the original features, but also enhanced the interior producing a pleasing spick and span pub. This is particularly important because not only is The Beech a Grade II listed building, but it also appears on CAMRA’s National and
New Full Measure AUTUMN 2016 7
Revitalisation of CAMRA Richard Coldwell attended the recent CAMRA Consultation Meeting in Leeds. These were his thoughts. I didn’t know what to expect when I went to the CAMRA Revitalisation meeting in Leeds. Yeah, I liked the idea of a strategic review, but at first I was put off by the mumbling, sad-faced man who launched the project on TV. It turned out he was a founder member of CAMRA and for that I salute him and everyone who has played a part in preventing real ale from disappearing. I didn’t count everyone, but I reckon there were about thirty people from across Yorkshire present. The first point I would make is, if CAMRA has close on 180,000 members, Leeds is the third largest city in the UK with the eight largest branch of CAMRA (2,267 members), and Yorkshire the biggest county, then a turn-out of this size is woeful. Okay, I know there are over 50 of these events going on around the country, but even then a sample size of 30, or even 50, multiplied by 50 is not brilliant. Now does that tell us something? Is there only a small percentage of CAMRA members who are bothered? Only 16,000, or roughly 9% of all members, have completed the stage one survey. The age of those who turned up was interesting. At a rough guess, the average age was 55, probably more. If there was anyone below thirty, then I apologise for missing you. Now after thirty years in public service, regularly attending and speaking at public meetings, I can
8 New Full Measure AUTUMN2016
WARNING: SOME MAY FIND THESE VIEWS CONTROVERSIAL! tell you this age profile isn’t a CAMRA issue, it’s a national one. The only people who care, have the time and can actually be bothered either have a vested interest or tend to be more mature people with time on their hands. That doesn’t mean that the silent majority don’t have a view, they do, they just don’t express it. They do however vote with their money and their feet. I thought the overall tenor of the meeting was spot on. A lot of people spoke and eloquently expressed clearly held views and ideas. Tim Page led the discussion around a series of predetermined questions which were voted on using a rather natty electronic Clickapad device. The first answers suggested that 56% of those present had been CAMRA members for more than 16 years, yet 24% didn’t consider themselves active members. After about twenty minutes someone, whom I did not know, implied that the worst real ale is better than any sort of keg beer, causing some of us to groan and roll our eyes. A debate on quality followed this comment and clearly everyone agreed that excellence across all aspects of ale and pubs was a key issue. I hope the speaker inwardly regretted what
he said because, as someone pointed out, a decent pint of Guinness is far superior to a rank pint of real ale and we’ve all done that one when faced with mediocrity. Haven’t we? It took quite a while before someone pointed out the, ‘ it’s a matter of craft beer or not’ elephant in the room. I don't recall a question that addressed this vital issue directly. A representative of one branch stated that if campaigning for keg beer became an aim of CAMRA then their members would leave for another society. It’s an option, but I don’t fancy drinking Sam Smith’s Old Brewery Bitter for ever or having to travel to the Junction in Castleford for a pint just because the beer is from the wood. I don’t think that is necessary but I don’t want the main aim of promoting real ale to be watered down. I do, however, think that CAMRA needs to embrace different beer styles. This could be addressed by simply tweaking the strategic aims to promote pubs, to include all drinkers, diverse types of beer, and other beverages. Someone did say, if people want to promote keg beer then they should set up their own campaign, and they implied this for cider too. Now, I don’t think that other types of beer need a
remnants of Joshua Tetley’s ivory tower, stranded in the middle of a car park that will eventually be covered by who-knows- what courtesy of the developers cheque book (that’s probably apartments then).
FESTIVAL DIARY
If you’re reading this and you are not a CAMRA member then I suggest you need to sign up. If you are a member then please make your voice heard, and not just over the bar at Wetherspoon’s with your vouchers.
campaign, I think they’re doing very nicely thank you, the silent majority of beer drinkers purchases them in vast quantities. I am happy to promote independent and artisan cider though, as an extra string to the core intentions of CAMRA. If we don’t do something then CAMRA may end up as a museum piece like the building where the Leeds meeting was held, the
“If we don’t do something then SEPTEMBER 2nd to 4th (Fri – Sun). CAMRA may end up as Westival. West Riding Refreshment Rooms, a museum piece like Dewsbury Railway Station. the building where 14th to 17th (Wed – Sat). the Leeds meeting York Beer & Cider Festival. Course Enclosure, York Racecourse, was held, the Knavesmire Road, YO23 1EX. remnants of Joshua 29th to 1st Oct (Thurs – Sat). Huddersfield Oktoberfest Beer Tetley’s ivory & Cider Festival. APNA Venue Leisure Centre, tower, stranded Spring Grove St, Huddersfield. in the middle of OCTOBER a car park” 13th to 15th (Thurs – Sat). Wakefield Beer Festival. The Space, Waldorf Way, Wakefield. 13th to 15th (Thurs – Sat). Scarborough Real Ale and Cider Festival. Scarborough Railway Station. 14th and 15th (Fri – Sat). Guiseley Lions Charity Beer Festival. Coopers, Guseley.
NOVEMBER
22nd to 24th (Thurs – Sat). Calderdale Beer & Cider Festival. Hebden Bridge Town Hall.
New Full Measure AUTUMN 2016 9
official induction for White Rose Cooperage Apprentice person for the tour, coopering demonstrations by Alastair and Kean and a chance to drink beer, thanks to the generosity of a number of breweries. All monies raised will go to fund Kean’s trip.
It has been an incredible few months for Yorkshire lad Kean Hiscock. Just a short while ago he was looking forward to a career in teaching sport but then he secured a dream job as an apprentice cooper and was also selected for the England Lions U19 Rugby League touring squad to Canada. He is apprenticed to the only Master Cooper in the country, Alastair Simms at the White Rose Cooperage, and recently signed his indentures and received his official personal tools at the Brigantes public house in York. Around 25 work colleagues, family, friends, customers and dignitaries gathered to witness the rarelyperformed ceremony, which included apprentices from Theakstons and Samuel Smiths and was carried out by the Master of the Worshipful
Company of Coopers (London), Vivian Bairstow. his colleague Adrian Carroll and John Gaffney from the National Cooperage Federation (Edinburgh), all pictured above. Appropriately, Elland Brewery provided a special beer in a wooden cask. Fantastic hospitality was provided by the Brigantes team, headed by manager Kev Jones.
Please contact the Cooperage should you wish to take advantage of this opportunity to see a rare craft or to simply make a donation. Website: whiterosecooperage.com E-mail: alastair@whiterosecooperage.co.uk Telephone: 01937 845627 or 07557 374528
Since being selected for the national team, Kean, who plays prop forward for Lock Lane Amateur Rugby League Football Club in Castleford, has been very busy raising money for the trip. To support him, Alastair Simms has thrown open the doors of the cooperage for tours over the summer. These are available by prior arrangement for groups until August 13th. The cost is ÂŁ10 per
New Full Measure AUTUMN 2016 11
200+ R EAL
ALES IN ONE NIG HT
Leeds CAMRA carried out their second census of Leeds City Centre on Thursday 28th July 2016. Thankfully the earlier rain had moved away leaving 40 intrepid souls with a warm evening to visit the City Centre bars of Leeds in the name of research.
A similar survey had been carried out two years previously, and Leeds CAMRA aim to undertake a similar survey every two years to capture information and understand how the drinking scene in Leeds is changing over time. The survey was a great success with the completion of a check upon 86 designated bars in the one evening. The results are as follows with the previous survey’s figures in brackets for comparison:No. of bars with real ale available - 80 (66). No. of lines available - 372 (300). No. of different beers - 211 (189). No. of different breweries represented - 118 (91). No. of Yorkshire breweries represented - 49 (40). No. of bars with 6 or more ales - 29 (25).
The Duck & Drake again had the most beers available with 15 followed by Tapped on 12, Whitelocks on 11, and the Hop on 10.
The most popular beer was again Leeds Pale, which appeared in 22 of the 80 bars. This was a long way ahead of second placed Sharp’s Doom Bar in 9 bars, and Greene King IPA/Ilkley Mary Jane both in 8. Special congratulations should go to both Foley’s Cask House and Whitelocks which both had real ales from Spanish breweries on the night. Thanks to everyone who took part, and also to Leeds Brewery Tap who once again provided the command centre upstairs free of charge. Hopefully everybody will be back again in two years’ time to see whether the Centre can sustain any further growth. Keith Sunderland Census Organiser
New Full Measure AUTUMN 2016 13
Leeds's first ever Beer Week! This celebration of Leeds brewing and the city's rich and diverse beer culture hopes to go a step further than other beer weeks. The aim of this “ten day week” is to raise the profile of beer brewed in Leeds and support the growth of beer-based business here. Amazingly no-one has managed to organise a beer week in Leeds, despite the idea of citywide beer celebrations being fairly well established in Norwich (2011), Bristol (2013) and London (2014). Asked why Leeds is late to the party when it comes to beer weeks, lead coordinator Matt Gorecki said: "Leeds has such a well-developed beer culture that no one really thought to do it. We approached the idea of Beer Week from a slightly different angle, being as much about Leeds beer business as its drinking culture. We want to try and be as inclusive as possible, of course, and the big players on the scene are involved but over the next three years we want as many pubs and bars across the entire city to participate by holding their own mini-beer-festivals and beer week promotions."
14 New Full Measure AUTUMN 2016
The week is supported by business across the city and there is a selection of enticing events to get your teeth in to. The team has events planned with craft beer venues as well as the more traditional real ale led pubs. We will have beer trails concentrating on small places, historic pubs, south of the river and brewery to brewery. Solid-fuel grill restaurant Ox Club hosts London's Redchurch brewery (1/9) and the roof terrace at Leeds Beer Week's hub venue, Headrow House, also hosts parties with Maule (31/08) and Atom breweries (3/9). Across the city centre, Northern Monk Refectory will be getting the ball rolling with the LBW opening party on the day before August Bank Holiday #sundayfunday (28/8) and hosting a dinner in the brewery with RateBeer top 100 brewery De Molen from the Netherlands (2/9). Other events range from a bike ride for the British Heart Foundation from Huddersfield's Magic Rock to Leeds's North Brewing Co, through tastings of Chimay at the Head of Steam (29/8), and Rodenbach at Northern
Monk Brewing Co. (2/9) and an all day BBQ featuring beers drawn from the wood at the Duck and Drake (29/8).
“This celebration of Leeds brewing and the city’s rich and diverse beer culture hopes to go a step further than other beer weeks”. Breweries across the city will be throwing open their doors. Further events will be announced through http://leedsbeerweek.co.uk, Twitter @leedsbeerweek and Instagram @ldsbeerweek, with Leeds Living providing further pre- and post- event coverage. Event dates: August 28th-September 6th 2016. Web: leedsbeerweek.co.uk
New Full Measure AUTUMN 2016 15
“Good writers are beer writers” - Ernest Hemingway Warren Yabsley tells us of a visit to Farsley Library. Far from the most exotic place he's visited whilst writing for New Full Measure, it was nonetheless most interesting. Beer and books are often excellent bedfellows, you can read in a pub but unfortunately pints and publications don’t always go seamlessly together. For example you can’t normally drink in a library, so I’m delighted to see Leeds Libraries actively engaging with ale through a series of recent events. One such was Farsley Library’s thoroughly entertaining evening that showcased “Beer Writers”, an engaging overview of various authors’ literary achievements interspersed with accounts of their drinking exploits. Given their indulgences (and subsequent repercussions!), I was frequently amazed that creative writing flourished. The evening was hosted by Pete Bunten, whose interest in connecting literature and beer led him to write some articles for his local CAMRA magazine. They were so well received that they inspired two books, “Literary Drinkers” and “More Literary Drinkers”. Pete now owns three pubs in Cambridgeshire and made the trip especially to give the talk.
The evening was split into three sessions with beer at the start and in between. The Fox and Newt (Burley Road) supplied Rudgate Jorvik, served direct from the barrel to greet you on arrival. I was familiar with some of the authors covered in the first segment, such as Charles Dickens and Ian Fleming, but not others, including Jeffrey Bernard, a legendary Soho resident who was the columnist of Low Life in The Spectator and provided many quotes regarding the association between beer and his life. Shortly before his death he quipped, “I never liked anything that was good for me, like All-Bran and fresh air. I like things that kill me.” With perfect timing at the end of the session, I emptied my glass and a serving followed from bottles of Sunbeam Ales Thunder Road, a 6.2% plum porter. This was a very elegant beer, full of flavour but without an overpowering presence from the fruit. During the break there was plenty of discussion (and astonishment) about the authors and their sometimes hard-living lifestyles. Laurie Lee, most famous for “Cider With Rosie”, was the first in focus during the second section. Regular references to alcohol in his novels were most likely due to the influence of his grandfather who was a publican. George Orwell followed, highly celebrated for “Animal Farm” and “1984”, who promoted beer throughout his work with references to hop picking and brewing. In the beer world, his legacy is most prominently felt through the creation of the fictitious Utopian pub Moon Under Water, which was the name given to some of the first Wetherspoon outlets. As much as I like ‘Spoons, I always figured Tim Martin never lacked irony! After a couple more writers’ exploits were uncovered, the next break followed and it was time for a can of Northern Monk Brew Co. Eternal. This 4.1% session IPA has 45 IBU (International Bitterness Units). I like having IBUs (despite their faults) to aid judgement of the “hoppiness” of a beer. They are often shown in
Beer and books
American bars and I noticed the number was stated for all beers in Purity Brewery’s Birmingham pub (Pure Bar and Kitchen) but have yet to see it adopted in Leeds. Where will be the first venue? In the final session, a few pub regulars were featured. CS Lewis and JRR Tolkein, both noted academics, visited the Eagle and Child in Oxford every Tuesday, whilst a regular haunt of Ian Rankin, who writes the Rebus novels, is Oxford Bar in Edinburgh. At the end there was plenty of time for further questions and to flick through the surprisingly large and diverse collection of books connected to drink that the library holds, with content ranging from recipes through to brewing. Signed copies of Pete’s book were available with many people snapping up a copy as a present for friends. After the success of the evening there are already plans to hold a sequel event, which I definitely hope to attend and would encourage you to do the same. Another event put on by Chapel Allerton and Oakwood libraries was a Saturday afternoon beer tasting hosted by Simon Jenkins, former Beer Writer of the Year and Yorkshire Evening Post columnist, with the opportunity to purchase signed copies of his latest book The Great Leeds Pub Crawl. I wasn’t able to attend but I know how much I enjoyed a similar event that Simon hosted for Leeds University Real Ale Society a couple of years ago. By all accounts, these tastings were equally well received by those who attended whether they were newbies to ale or seasoned drinkers. A diverse selection of UK and European beers was sampled together with discussion of thought-provoking yet unpretentious tasting notes, the aim of which was to instigate conversation and for people to provide their own opinion as everyone’s palate is different. As a short aside while I’m on the subject of books, you might have seen in a recent edition of
Beer (quarterly magazine for CAMRA members) an article on “Yorkshire Pub Walks”, which had its launch at Leeds Beer Festival with author Bob Steel present, and is the latest in the CAMRA pub walks series. A mixture of 25 walks, short, long, rural and urban features including one in Leeds, centred around the River Aire, that takes in six pubs. As any hiker knows, a walk isn’t complete without a pint at the end (and sometimes en route too) and this book perfectly combines great pubs with great perambulations. So, back to the events and I think it’s great that local libraries are encouraging wider engagement with members of the community, many of whom won’t have visited before (myself included), bringing in a broader cross-section of the public. (The beer at Farsley Library’s “Beer Writers” event was generously supplied by Fox and Newt, Sunbeam Ales and Northern Monk Brew Co.) Photo Credit: Background image supplied by Radu Bercan / Shutterstock.com
Award winning home of beers from the wood. Telephone 01977 277750 for opening times. Web: www.thejunctionpubcastleford.com Events: www.facebook.com/JunctionPubCas
Open fires • Dog friendly Wednesday night quiz Carlton St, Castleford WF10 1EE
18 New Full Measure AUTUMN 2016
AWARDS As regular readers will know, we at Leeds CAMRA like giving out awards for excellence, and this quarter is no exception.
Our next presentation night was in August, and back to Kirkstall. For the third year running we were at the Kirkstall Bridge Inn to present them with the prestigious Pub of the Year Award. A great feat, and worthy recognition for a pub which has had more than its share of tribulations in the last year with the Boxing Day floods which caused huge amounts of damage, both inside and to the riverside beer garden.
Things started off in May, with a trip to the Templar in the City Centre and our annual Mild Social. In recent years at Leeds Beer Cider and Perry Festival we have invited a local brewery to brew a Mystery Mild. We then invite the festival-goers to suggest names. This year we persuaded Wharfe Bank Brewery at Pool-in-Wharfedale to do the honours, and not only did our drinkers come up with some great name suggestions but they also declared the beer to be our Mild of the Festival. A presentation was made for the beer which had still to be officially named, and the brewery's pick out of the suggestions was declared to be Leve.
Just a few days later and we were visiting the Fleece at Fartown, Pudsey for the grand total of four awards. The Fleece had picked up two consecutive Pub of the Season awards, and are winners of the first Pub of the Month award as well as being declared the Community Pub of the Year. They're soon going to need a bigger wall on which to hang their certificates of recognition. As if all this wasn't enough, it tied in nicely with their beer festival which happened to be on that weekend. Good planning or what?
On to June and it was a trip down to Kirkstall, and the Most Improved Pub of the Season Award was presented by Warren Yabsley to licensee Terry at the New George. Sadly, I was unable to attend, but I'm assured a great time was had by all.
We still have more presentations to come over the next few months, including one at Chequers in Ledsham for for Rural Pub of the Year, and we'll endeavour to keep you up-to-date with the schedules and photos. Congratulations to all our winners. You can be proud of your achievements.
New Full Measure AUTUMN 2016 19
whatpub.com Featuring over 35,000 real ale pubs
2YHU RI %ULWDLQ¶V UHDO DOH SXEV IHDWXUHG
,QIRUPDWLRQ XSGDWHG E\ WKRXVDQGV RI &$05$ YROXQWHHUV
&UHDWHG E\ &$05$ ZKR SURGXFH WKH 8.¶V EHVW EHHU SXE JXLGH
Thousands of pubs at your fingertips!
The Regent Three permanent ales: Greene King IPA, Prince Regent, Leeds Pale, Tetley Bitter plus FOUR guest ales. Sky Sports and BT Sports on Four Screens Beer garden with Plasma Screen and Car Park to the rear
Main meals - Two for £11 We are open Mon-Wed 12noon-11pm Thurs-Sat 12noon-midnight, Sun 11am -11.30pm Quiz nights: Monday: General Knowledge and Pop a Cherry Thursday: Rock and Roll Bingo 15/17 Regent Street, Chapel Allerton, Leeds LS7 4PE Tel: 0113 2939395 Email: 6233unit@spiritpubcompany.com
The Chequers Inn Ledsham, Leeds LS25 5LP Tel: 01977 683135
Leeds CAMR A Branch Rural Pub of the Year 2014 Beer Garden • Bar Meals Restaurant • Open Sundays Food served 12noon - 9.15pm Real Ales from: Brown Cow, Theakston, Timothy Taylor, John Smiths and now Leeds Brewery
New Full Measure AUTUMN 2016 21
ABBEY INN 99 Pollard Lane, Newlay, Leeds, LS13 1EQ
DUCK & DRAKE Kirkgate, Leeds, LS2 7DR
OTLEY TAVERN Newmarket, Otley, LS21 3A
BARNLEIGH 118 Swinnow Road, Leeds LS13 4NX
NEW HEADINGLEY CLUB St Micheals Road, Headingley, LS6 3BG
THREE HULATS 13 Harrogate Road, Leeds, LS7 3NB
BIRD IN HAND Springmead Drive, Garforth, LS25 1JW
OLD PEACOCK Elland Road, Leeds LS11 8TU
TROYDALE CLUB Troydale Lane, Pudsey, Leeds, LS28 9LD
22 New Full Measure AUTUMN 2016
A TRIP AND A HOP DOWN BAR STREET
CYPRUS TRIP
Branch Chair, Mike Hampshire, recently travelled to Cyprus. He took his notebook and a camera with him.
Set just back from "Bar Street" in the Paphos harbour area is a true beer drinker's delight. Owned and run by Athos and Sue, the Old Fishing Shack boasts an impressive claim to have over 200 beers and ciders to choose from. Soon after I first walked in, I had no doubts about this claim. With his long grey hair, exceptional English language skills and Wetherspoon t-shirt which make him resemble Tim Martin with a side job in Paphos, Athos is all about the beer. On visit number one, he had me sussed straight away. "The important thing is for me to find you drinks that you haven't had before", he said as I waved away a bottle from one of Greene King's craft beer range. He promptly served me a citrus IPA, from a brewpub in Nicosia. It was the start of a beautiful holiday fling with the Old Fishing Shack.
The bar is stacked with memorabilia, and upstairs is a treasure chest which, Athos says, has over a quarter of a million bottle caps he has collected over the years. I wasn't going to start counting. One glance alone and I believed him. Behind the bar, bottle after bottle can be seen. Some are old (such as a 1975 Jubilee Ale, no longer fit for consumption I hasten to add), others are there because the fridges are full, and some are to show you what's available. It's organised
New Full Measure AUTUMN 2016 23
24 New Full Measure AUTUMN 2016
CYPRUS TRIP - CONTINUED
Over the course of ten days, there were several post-dinner trips to the Old Fishing Shack, where I was treated to some very good beers. Athos, though born and raised in Paphos, was educated in the UK, where he became a big fan of the more traditional bitters, but that doesn't stop him providing for the needs of modern beer drinkers. On the first night that I was there, he shared with me that he'd sold several cases of canned Beavertown Smog Rocket, despite (on his own admission) their being a little expensive due to the cost of importing.
chaos but, although Sue occasionally struggled to find what I was after, Athos clearly knew where everything was. Cider is also a major part of the bar, with Athos refusing to stock anything that isn’t natural. On the bar, a hand pump of Old Rosie is testament to this. Old Rosie is also used as a base for the fruit ciders; fresh fruit is added to provide some unique and refreshing flavours. Athos does all this to order, no concentrates, no preservatives, just juice he presses himself.
If you're a beer or cider drinker heading to the beautiful town of Paphos, then the Old Fishing Shack should be at the top of your places to visit. You will not be disappointed. Athos and Sue are very welcoming, friendly and courteous. They cannot do enough for their customers. I went in as a stranger and walked out with new friends. The Old Fishing Shack Margarita Gardens Tefkrou Street Kato Paphos Tel. +357 99 805390
Strewn around the bar are various editions of CAMRA magazines and newspapers for people to read. On closer inspection, they are around because the Old Fishing Shack gets a mention. Athos is very proud of the coverage and promptly showed me a copy of What's Brewing from fifteen years ago, in pristine condition, with a picture of a youngerlooking Athos staring back at me. It included an article about Pendle Witches Brew being available on hand pump at his bar. On the pump, as I write, is beer from a local brewery, Aphrodite's Rock, which supplies him with beer in casks and bottles.
New Full Measure AUTUMN 2016 25
Real ale in a bottle
10 Reasons to Buy Real Ale in a Bottle 1. It’s a living product, which means lots of stimulating, fresh flavours. 2. It’s the nearest thing to a pint of real ale down at your local. 3. It’s not artificially carbonated; the pleasant effervescence is generated wholly by the yeast in the bottle.
Real Ale in a Bottle
4. Almost all bottled real ales are made from just four natural ingredients: malted barley, hops, water and yeast – there are no additives or E numbers. 5. It’s mostly brewed by small breweries and sold locally, so you'll be helping your local economy.
CAMRA supports real ale in a bottle. This is the next best thing, and the bottled equivalent, to the draught real ales you can enjoy at the pub. CAMRA has launched a logo "CAMRA says this is real ale" to clearly identify products that are the real thing: natural, living, bottle-conditioned beers. It is important to note that some cask-conditioned real ales do not undergo secondary fermentation once bottled. We hope that this logo will be able to clearly identify real ale in a bottle. Increasingly you will see this logo appear on bottle labels of bottleconditioned products. When you see this logo you can be sure that you are drinking real ale in a bottle. Real ale in a bottle is unpasteurised and is not artificially carbonated. It is
a natural live product which contains yeast for a slow secondary fermentation in the bottle. This process provides wonderful fresh flavours and a pleasant, natural effervescence. How to Identify a Real Ale in a Bottle The technical term for real ale in a bottle is bottle-conditioned and this is what appears on most bottled real ales. You can also check the label on bottle beers for the "CAMRA says this is real ale" logo which forms part of its Real Ale in a Bottle Scheme. If you are in any doubt about whether a beer is a real ale in a bottle, just hold it up to the light and see if it contains any sediment – the lifegiving yeast that makes all the difference. You can also refer to CAMRA's Good Bottled Beer Guide available to buy in our online shop.
6. It's a hand-crafted product and brewers take extra care when producing real ale in a bottle. 7. There is so much variety to be enjoyed – well over 500 real ales in a bottle are now produced in the UK. 8. There are some magnificent bottled real ales from other countries, which go to prove that life outside Britain isn't all bland, international lagers. 9. It makes an excellent accompaniment to food and with so many different bottled real ales available, it's fascinating to try to match their flavours with various dishes. Try real ale in a bottle instead of wine for a change. 10. And most importantly... It tastes great!
New Full Measure AUTUMN 2016 27
sadly departed Steve Staindale after being elected to the Leeds University Real Ale Society committee, it was Steve who welcomed us and chatted throughout the evening. Without this friendly introduction we wouldn’t have returned. He was always keen to attract new people of all ages into the branch and delivered New Full Measure magazines to all the Otley Run pubs, which are much frequented by the student community.
It is with a very heavy heart that I have to announce the sudden and unexpected passing of Steve Staindale. As well as being an integral part of the branch he was a good friend to many and will be sorely missed. If you didn’t know him by name you probably knew him by sight especially if you’ve been to Leeds Beer Festival where he was Glasses Manager. His big, bushy, grey beard was very distinctive. Indeed, he was an active member of the Festival Organising Committee. Steve is a major reason why I’m here now. When I attended my first branch meeting along with Katie (Vice-Chair and former Membership Secretary)
“He was always keen to attract new people of all ages into the branch” As LocAle coordinator he continued to drive the scheme forward, personally visiting many pubs and was extremely proud to achieve 180 signed-up premises making Leeds branch the biggest supporter of LocAle in the country. He was also as passionate a Brewery Liaison Officer as you could get and never missed a chance to extol the virtues of Ridgeside Brewery, which was founded by Simon Bolderson, another sadly departed friend.
Aside from CAMRA, Steve was passionate about steam rallies and travelled all over the country to attend them. During the day he sold handmade jewellery items and performed face painting and was an active member of the rally community’s activities in the evening. Condolences have already been received from friends all over the country. As I write these words, my eyes are welled up and I cannot do justice to how much Steve will be missed, not just as a CAMRA activist but much more as a friend. Let’s raise a glass to Steve and celebrate his life; his legacy will live on. Warren Yabsley
Since this piece was written, a memorial event has been organised to remember Steve. It will be held on Saturday 8th October starting at 1pm in Ridgeside Brewery, Unit 24, Penraevon 2 Ind. Est. Jackson Rd, Leeds LS7 2AW. There will be fundraising in aid of Wheatfields Hospice and also a buffet.
New Full Measure Autumn 2016 29
Appointment with Beer Leeds CAMRA holds a formal business-style meeting on the first Tuesday of most months, with the occasional Thursday for those who can’t make Tuesdays. The meeting starts at 7:30pm and has an approximate finishing time of 9:00pm. CAMRA members are advised to check "What's Brewing" for confirmation of meeting locations and for details of other events. A full listing of events is also published at http://www.leeds-camra.com/ where it is regularly updated. Leeds CAMRA is organised and run entirely by unpaid volunteers. All members are always welcome at meetings and socials.
AUGUST
Sunday 29th August to Tuesday 6th September. Leeds Beer Week. See page 14 for further information.
SEPTEMBER
Thursday 15th September, 7.30pm Good Beer Guide 2017 launch. Kirstall Brewery Company. 100 Kirkstall Road, Leeds, LS3 1HJ.
OCTOBER
Saturday 8th October 1:00pm Steve Staindale Memorial Event. Fundraising for Wheatfields Hospice. Buffet. Ridgeside Brewery. Unit 24, Penraevon 2 Ind. Est. Jackson Rd, Leeds LS7 2AW. Saturday 29th October 1.00pm. Grey Hawk Brewery Trip. Airedale Business Centre, Skipton, BD23 2TZ £5.00 per head. Meet at the brewery. Bring your own sandwiches. Sign up to Ale Delight, our monthly branch email, for regular local news. info: Membership@leeds-camra.com
Follow @LeedsCAMRA on Twitter or “like” our Leeds-CAMRA Facebook page for up-to-date information about socials, meetings and pubs info in and around Leeds.
Leeds-CAMRA @LeedsCAMRA West Yorkshire Trading Standards Service 0113 253 0241 Po Box 5, Po Box, Nepshaw Lane South, Leeds, West Yorkshire, LS27 0QP
30 New Full Measure AUTUMN 2016
Thank You for Having Us! Thank you to the Brown Cow (Whitkirk), Brunswick (City Centre), Brewery Tap (City Centre) and Griffin (City Centre) for hosting recent branch events. It's much appreciated.
Don't be a Wazzock! Don't Drink and Drive.
Public transport information for the Leeds area is available from Metro offices and at wymetro.com There really is no excuse.
Branch contacts Leeds CAMRA c/o 46 West Grange Green Leeds, LS10 3BB
Committee members
Chairman: Mike Hampshire Chairman@leeds-camra.com 07763274454 Branch Contact: Nigel Halton BranchContact@leeds-camra.com Festival Organiser: David Dixon BeerFestivals@leeds-camra.com Membership Secretary: Warren Yabsley Membership@leeds-camra.com Newsletter Editor: Ian Smith Newsletter@leeds-camra.com Press and Publicity Officer: Sam Parker Publicity@leeds-camra.com Public Affairs Officer: John Rowe PublicAffairs@leeds-camra.com Pub Database Holder: David Ansley WhatPub@leeds-camra.com Pub Preservation: Sam Parker PubPreservation@leeds-camra.com Public Transport Officer: Tony Jenkins PublicTransport@leeds-camra.com Secretary: Carole Taylor Secretary@leeds-camra.com Social Secretary: Adam Wilson SocialSecretary@leeds-camra.com Tasting Panel Coordinator: David Dixon TastingPanel@leeds-camra.com Treasurer: Keith Sunderland Treasurer@leeds-camra.com Webmaster: Christine Jopling Webmaster@leeds-camra.com Young Members: Waren Yabsley YoungMembers@leeds-camra.com