The Magazine of the Leeds Branch of CAMRA
CONTENTS
WELCOME TO THE SPRING ISSUE OF
FULL MEASURE
Welcome to issue number 139 of New Full Measure. We hope you’ll find some items of interest amongst our pages.
As I sit typing it's still cold, miserable and wintry outside but, by the time you're reading this, I hope the weather will be showing signs of improvement. Spring will be fast approaching, and with it the lighter nights and warmer weather. Also approaching will be the Leeds Beer, Cider and Perry Festival which gets more than a mention or two in this edition. The last newsletter was pretty controversial in parts, and I've received some excellent feedback. It certainly sparked a lot of debate amongst the drinkers I spoke with, and I received a few supportive emails in response. This copy is a bit more sedate, but we hope to have more campaigning articles next time around. I'm very fortunate to work with a great team of people at NFM Towers. Everyone here is a volunteer and has given their valuable time freely, so I'd like to say thank you to all the crew, whether they’ve written, taken photos, been involved in distribution or proof-reading, or even just been quietly supportive. Your help is much appreciated.
Welcome
3
Pub and Brewery News
5
Cardigan Arms
7
City Brew Tours
8-9
Festival Diary
9
It’s Official, Dave is Tapped 10-11 Festival Ploughs On
12-13
Leeds Beer Festival Poster
14
Grow Beer
17
Awards
19
NBSS - My View
20-21
What Pub?
23
New Roscoe
25
Going Towards Pudsey Contacts
26-29 30
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 2017. 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 (#140) will be published on Thursday 18th May. NFM #140 copy deadline is 4th May 2017. Advertising: For advertising enquiries contact: Tel: 01778 382718 Email: CAMRA@orchardhousemedia.co.uk Rates: Colour Rates per insertion (exclusive of VAT) are: Quarter page: £80 Half page: £140 Full Page: £250 Inside Front / Inside Back: £285 Outside Back Cover: £310 Discounts available for series bookings.
New Full Measure SPRING 2017 3
4 New Full Measure SPRING2017
PUB AND BREWERY NEWS NEWS IN BRIEF Ridgeside Brewery have produced their first canned ale, Roosevelt, a 4.5% American pale ale. Leeds Brewery will be ten years old this summer, and as part of their celebrations will be brewing with a new hop. We hope to look back on their first ten years with a piece in a forthcoming edition of New Full Measure.
Rooster’s Sponsor LDFC Knaresborough-based Rooster’s Brewing Co. has announced a sponsorship partnership with Leeds Deaf Football Club (LDFC) that will see the brewery’s logo adorn the team’s shirts for the next two seasons. The football club was established through a desire for the deaf community to participate in competitive sport and not be limited by the lack of communication that often precluded playing in hearing leagues. It dates back to 1871, when the club first played Glasgow Deaf Athletic Football Club. We wish them every success.
local brewery roster grows! We start this time with yet another new brewery starting up in Leeds. Nomadic Beers are starting production and, by the time this newsletter is published, Ross and Katie's first products should be hitting the pumps in some local establishments. If the ales haven't been seen in your local yet, why not have a trip to Leeds Beer, Cider and Perry Festival at Pudsey Civic Hall? We suspect some may be on the beer order.
Kirkstall Brewery Update A couple of our gallant crew paid a visit to Kirkstall Brewery to have a look at their new malting set-up. Many photos were taken, including a shot of their new decorative gates.
Across the Pennines to Burnley and Moorhouse's have unveiled their seasonals list for the forthcoming months. Personally, I'm looking forward to trying the Irish Red Ale in March, and the Pendle Pilsner in June, but I hope to sample most on the list. On to pub news now and the New Roscoe at Sheepscar has closed. We believe it is to be turned into an Italian restaurant. See elsewhere in this newsletter for some history of the pub. Also we have news of an attempted community buy-out of the Cardigan Arms on Kirkstall Road. Again, there is more information on another page in this publication. Otley has a new pub to add to its existing twenty. The Stew and Oyster opened towards the end of 2016 and offers eight cask ales along with a good selection of bottled beers. A new outlet called The Cat's Pyjamas has opened in Leeds on Eastgate. It sells craft beers as well as Indian street food. Reports have come in from the recently refurbished Penda's Arms in Whinmoor of a new manager who is putting the emphasis on a good choice of real ale. We understand that licence applications have been submitted for two new city centre venues due to open in the next few months. The Dockyard on Merrion Street and Cosy Club on Albion Street.
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The CARDIGAN ARMS
COMMUNITY BUY-OUT BID FOR THE CARDIGAN ARMS John Thornton recently attended a meeting about saving a very special PUB. He decided to let us know at New Full Measure Towers. CURRENT OWNERS:
GREENE KING ASKING PRICE:
£295,000 REPAIRS:
£105,000
The Cardigan Arms on Kirkstall Road could, hopefully, be bought by a community group later this year. The pub is currently up for sale by the owners Greene King for a reported £295,000. The recently formed group, The Cardigan Arms Community Pub Ltd., is already in negotiations with Greene King. The idea came from Jim Brettell of Leeds Civic Trust with campaigner and project manager Chris Hill who saw the urgent need to save this pub. The Cardigan Arms, listed Grade II, is not only a fine Victorian building but has an original interior of both regional and national importance. The building has become rather run down in recent years, not helped by closure following the Boxing Day
floods in 2015, and is in urgent need of repair and restoration. The group needs to raise £350,000 to purchase the pub and begin repairs. Encouragingly, the group has already been promised a grant of £100,000 by The Plunkett Foundation, a community co-op support trust, but still needs £250,000. A public share issue will be launched in the spring allowing all enthusiastic supporters to contribute to saving this pub. We hope that Greene King will agree to sell The Cardigan Arms to the community group, allowing them to save this important pub. More information will emerge later in the year, watch this space!
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City Brew Tours Washington DC Anyone who spoke to me about my holiday in September 2016 will have, no doubt, picked up that my favourite beery trip was probably DC Brew Tours. an organised trip on a mini-bus to a number of breweries in the area around Washington DC. At a very reasonable price, reduced for non-drinkers, the Original DC Brew Tour (there are other options) takes approximately five hours. The number of breweries on the trips varies, but you're guaranteed plenty of samples, information and fun! They even throw in a meal too. Our tour guide for the day was Spencer, very knowledgeable, passionate about the scene, and entertaining. It was an incredibly hot day (30+ Celsius) and so the air-
8 New Full Measure SPRING2017
conditioned minivan that carried a group of seven of us proved to be a welcome break from the heat whilst Spencer navigated us to each of our breweries. First up was Capitol City Brewing, Shirlington Village in Arlington, Virginia. One of Capitol Ciry's two brewing sites, this was a large microbrewery that doubled up as a bar and restaurant. They have the brewery set off to one side, but the conditioning tanks sit in the middle of the bar copper in colour, bright, shiny and a real focal point. It quickly became clear that we would be spoilt with samples of beer on our tour! Here I got to try Lost Summer American Wheat (4.7%), Gose (4.4%), Amber Waves Ales (5.6%), Pale Rider Ale (6.3%) and Capitol Kolsch (5.2%), all
brewed on site and all very fresh. A freshly made pretzel with cheese dip was also provided, a nice touch. Although not a brewery, next on the trip was Brookland Pint in Washington DC. This was also our food stop, with generous helpings of spicy chicken wings and thick cut fries to help line the stomach as much more beer was to come. This place was modern, light and had a great beer selection, of which I tried 3 Stars Brewing Co's Peppercorn Saison (6.5%), DC Brau's Penn Quarter Porter (5.5% and superb!) and Franklin's Restaurant's No Sleep Til' Brookland! (7.5%). Hunger no longer an issue, and with the alcohol starting to take effect, it was time to carry on our journey. Up
FESTIVAL DIARY MARCH
16th to 18th (Thurs - Sat) Leeds Beer, Cider & Perry Festival. Pudsey Civic Hall, Dawson’s Corner, Stanningley, LS28 5TA. www.leeds-camra.com 31st to April 1st (Fri – Sat) North Leeds Charity Beer Festival. North Leeds Cricket Club, Old Park Road, Roundhay, LS8 1JX. northleedscharitybeerfestival.co.uk
next was the smallest brewery on the tour - Public Option, Langdon. Describing itself as a "neighborhood bar", this place definitely felt like it was aimed at the community. The brewery was a very small setup in the garage next door to the main bar. The main bar itself seemed to be a converted small café. It was an amazing place and really showed what was possible if you have the drive, desire and passion. The beers sampled here were all brewed on site - Sam's Stout (5.5%), American Amber (6.2%), Scottish Ale (8.1%) and Henry Adam's Summer Pale (5.9%). The final stop was the largest brewery we'd visit on the tour - Hellbender Brewing Company, Washington DC. This was on a much bigger scale, perhaps of a similar size to
APRIL
7th - 8th (Fri – Sat) Rothwell Beer Festival. Holy Trinity Church Parish Centre, Church Street, Rothwell, LS26 0QL. 13th to 17th (Thurs – Mon) Tyne & Wear Beer Festival. Old Cock, 11/13 Crossgate, Otley, LS21 1AA. www.theoldcockotley.co.uk 14th to 16th (Fri -Sun) Morley Beer Festival. Morley Cricket Club, Scatcherd Lane, Morley, LS27 0JJ. www.pitchero.com/clubs/ morleycricketclub
22nd (Sat). Thorner Beer Festival. Victory Hall, Carr Lane, Thorner, LS14 3EY. http://thornervictoryhall.com/ 20th to 30th (Thurs – Sat). Skipton Beer Festival. Ermysteds Grammar School, Gargrave Road, BD23 1PL. skiptonbeerfestival.camra.org.uk
MAY
11th to 13th (Thurs - Sat). Doncaster Beer Festival. Unity House, Carr Lane, Doncaster, DN4 5AA. www.doncastercamra.org.uk
INSIDE HELLBENDER BREWING CO. something like Timothy Taylor's. After a trip around the brewery, we were taken to a decent-sized tap room. As our final beers, we got to sample North by Northeast (5.1% and on nitro), Te Pahu Pale Ale (4.2%), Southern Torrent Saison (5.5%), Red Line Ale (6%). With that, our tour ended and we were dropped back at our meeting place, having enjoyed a
great tour. I have to admit I didn't really know what to expect from the tour, but Spencer was a great guy, the brewery staff were all so friendly, the beers were excellent and I left feeling it was exceptional value for money. A great trip, well worth doing!
Mike Hampshire New Full Measure SPRING2017 9
It’s Official
DAVE IS TAPPED 10 New Full Measure SPRING2017 SPRING 2017
DAVE SANDERS
Dave Sanders.
The name might not ring a bell, but for those that do recognise it, the name is synonymous with excellent beer. He is a quiet celebrity, a star in the fermenting firmament, a superhero in beery circles. He improved Dogbolter, developed Kirkstall's classic beer range and invented 1872 Porter. Having worked for eight breweries, he's a veteran brewer, but one with a modern and forward-thinking outlook. He started in Leeds, at the Feast and Firkin (now The Library), and having travelled around Yorkshire leaving a trail of award-winning beers in his wake, he’s back! Tapped Brew Co. on Boar Lane is home to a shiny steampunk brewery of tangled pipework and horizontal serving tanks. Luckily, Dave can make sense of all this, and since October has been brewing the core range and the odd special. The latest chapter started when Jamie Hawksworth, beer importer and owner of Pivni pubs and associated breweries, which include York, Euston, Harrogate and Sheffield Taps and the Leeds bar, got together with Dave at the Sheffield Tap brewery to cook up something delicious for the Great British Beer Festival's global beer bar. Franz Lager was that brew, and the start of a relationship that would lead to Dave being invited to become Tapped Leeds' Brewery Production Manager (that's Head Brewer to you and me). Although Dave oversees both breweries, Nick brews the beers at Sheffield Tap, which supplies most of the pubs, and Dave brews on the Leeds kit just for the Leeds bar and the odd beer festival. He also helps Nick out on the larger Sheffield kit, which is where most of the experimentation is done and one-off beers are produced. Special beers of particular note are the Porter at 5%, USP (Unique Selling Pint?) at 4.5% and the 5.3% IPA – all of which may come around again as they were so well received. Dave described his IPA as “quite good”, which, to anyone who knows him, really means “flipping marvellous!”
style, and as the fermenting tanks also double as lagering tanks, they are matured to perfection too! The five tanks have pipework that travels up across the ceiling and back down to the bar to transport the beer to the three horizontal serving tanks. The pumped beers are then served from one of the many taps protruding from the bar back, alongside a startlingly huge range of real and keg ales, as well as cider. The serving tanks operate on a ‘bag-in-a-box’ or ‘keykeg’ type system, where the real ale is served by gas squishing the bag, and therefore the beer out, without any gas actually touching the beer. Paper labels dangling on bulldog clips behind the bar name all the keg beers (top row of taps) and cask (bottom row) plus the ciders, Dave is very keen to point out that the staff at Tapped Leeds are super-helpful and happy to assist with beer choice and any questions you may wish to ask, but I knew that. He tells me that the pizzas are excellent. This I did not know, but the menu is tempting and the pizza oven at the back of the bar is nearly as exciting-looking as the coppery tank arrangement at the other side of the pub. Dave’s opinion seems to be shared by other people. At the end of our interview, it seems that there have been over thirty pizza orders placed in the last 6 minutes! Dave Sanders, he’s home! Back in Leeds and heading up a small, innovative brewery with room to collaborate, experiment and develop new recipes. I wondered if he might brew a beer with pizza, but apparently not. It’s already been done.
Christine Jopling
Collaborations with Thornbridge Brewery have taken place in the past, with Dave brewing a Tapped exclusive, Merrie, a 5.9% strong ale made with juniper, coriander and lavender for the winter of 2016. It was so successful that, happily, future collaborations are expected. The standard range brewed at Leeds goes like this: Growler, Secret Bud, Secret Bud Light and Hefeweizen (the last will be available at this year's Leeds Beer Festival on the Global Beer Bar in rare cask form!). All use special yeasts and are brewed in the authentic German or Czech
New Full Measure SPRING 2017 11
Festival ploughs on The Leeds CAMRA Beer Cider and Perry Festival returns in 2017 For over 20 years the Leeds branch of the Campaign for Real Ale (CAMRA) has been presenting Leeds Beer Cider and Perry Festival at Pudsey Civic Hall, and this year is no exception. It is anticipated that about 150 real ales will be available throughout until the casks are empty; no beer will be held in reserve. Beer will range from easy-drinking mild ales to strong sipping beers, from black stouts to very pale, almost straw-coloured beer, a bit of something for everyone from old traditional styles to modern innovative ones. Leeds Beer Festival has always prided itself on sourcing the best from local breweries and, once again, we are attempting to have at least one beer from every brewery based in Leeds. With over twenty breweries within the metropolitan area there are plenty to choose from, so that's nearly a festival by itself. Adding 10 miles on to the boundaries of that area gives us what is defined as a local beer, or LocAle as CAMRA prefers to call it. Beers from our LocAle area will be featured in a trail, drink five of them and get one for free. If you are looking for beer from further afield, then the Global Beer Bar caters for you. With beers from sources across the world, whether craft breweries in Leeds city centre or large operations thousands of miles away, the
Global Beer Bar will have it all. Some beers defy categorisation but expect to see IPAs, milk stouts, porter, wheat beer and fruit beer. Speaking of fruit, the cider bar this year will feature a selection of ciders made with real fruit – no concentrate, no colourings, just pure fruit added to cider. This selection will complement the traditional cider which showcases the breadth of flavours obtained from apples and a bit of magic known as yeast. Ranging from modern light easydrinking ciders, strong scrumpy-style ones and bone dry cider to sweet, fruity little numbers, the cider bar packs a mean punch for its small size. Let's not forget cider's cousin perry that is much the same as cider, but made with pears instead of apples. There's not much of it about but the festival will feature plenty. Holding all of this together is this year's theme of “Down on the Farm�. Look out for the farming links running throughout the festival. The plans are yet to be finalised but we expect to have beer brewed on farms, cider and perry made on farms, beer and cider with farmyard animal names, farmhouse ales, and a few connections to farms which could only be described as corny (groan).
This is the last year Leeds CAMRA will be holding its beer festival at Pudsey Civic Hall as the hall will be undergoing a mini transformation during 2017. Don't worry though, Pudsey Civic Hall will continue and so will Leeds Beer Festival, but after 24 years together we have decided now is a good time to go our separate ways. Look out for future announcements of where the festival will be held from 2018 onwards.
WHERE
Pudsey Civic Hall, Dawson’s Corner, Stanningley, LS28 5TA, (5 minutes walk from New Pudsey BR Station, which serves Leeds, Bradford, Halifax, Huddersfield, Wakefield, York and Manchester. Buses: 9, 16, 16A, 72, 508, X6.
WHEN
Thursday 16th March 11am - 3pm; 5pm - 11pm Friday 17th March open all day 11am - 11pm Saturday 18th March open all day 11am - 11pm
HOW MUCH
Thursday am session FREE; pm session £4.00, FREE to NUS members. Friday FREE before 5pm then £5.00 Saturday £5.00 before 5pm then £3.00 CAMRA members FREE at all times (except Friday evening, £3.00) and can gain admission 15 minutes before the official opening time at all sessions. FOR MORE INFORMATION visit leedsbeerfestival.co.uk
David Dixon (Festival Organiser).
New Full Measure SPRING 2017 13
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, 2015 and 2016! 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
16 New Full Measure SPRING 2017
GROW
BEER Even if you've never brewed before, you can join Leeds Hop Growers by growing a plant in your garden, yard, or on your roof and contributing to a special beer to be brewed this autumn. The "Grow Beer" idea is not new, there are hop growing clubs in many British cities now. For keen home brewer and fruit grower, Alan Thornton, the open-source "how to guide" and template made it an idea too good not to try. "Hops aren't difficult to grow, and by lots of us growing the same variety all over the city we can come together to make our own special beer". Through the website, leedshops.wordpress.com, anyone with space for just a large pot can pre-order one or more plants to pick up at the Leeds Beer Festival. It's ÂŁ20 for the starter pack and then ÂŁ10 for extra plants.
The pack will include the rhizome (root), compost, and string for it to grow up. They'll need to be planted out straight away and will grow high, with flowers at the end of summer. You'll be harvesting the "cones", as they are called, around September and they'll go straight into a special Sunbeam Ales beer within a few hours. Nigel Poustie, Mr Sunbeam Ales, said: "I've grown a few hops myself and brewed with green hops, but this is taking it to another level. It will be LocAle with really local hops". But Leeds Hop Growers are not just interested in the growing and brewing side; it's also the social and community side of it that makes it different. Growers will be keeping in touch over the summer and then all coming together to drink a few pints of beer that they grew. Hops are a perennial plant, which means they'll keep growing every year, leading to more beer in the future.
New Full Measure SPRING 2017 17
18 New Full Measure SPRING 2017
AWARDS We start our round-up this time in Otley, where we visited The Old Cock, our Pub of the Month for November 2016. The Old Cock has previously been Pub of the Year on three occasions, as well as picking up other awards from ourselves and our friends at SPBW (the Society for the Preservation of Beer in the Wood). It’s a warm and friendly hostelry which we enjoyed the excuse to visit, and many of our merry throng tied in a visit to Otley Beer Festival, which I'm assured was a great success.
As regular readers will know, we at Leeds CAMRA like giving out awards for excellence, and this quarter is no exception.
Just a week later, and Leeds CAMRA were out and about again, this time to present the coveted Club of the Year award for 2016 to Gledhow Sports and Social Club. Sadly, I could not be present for this one, but I'm told that those who got there had a rather jolly time. Next on the list was a trip to The Templar. The October Pub of the Month award 2016 was theirs, and it was time to call in and hand it over. The evening was most enjoyable and another good turnout of branch members saw the ceremonies proceed. We seem to be getting more people these days at presentations, and they make for a lovely social occasion. The Templar is a cracking city centre pub, and it was a pleasure to see them receiving recognition. Our next presentation was at the Brudenell Social Club, our January 2017 Pub of the Month. As it happened, they had a beer festival planned just a couple of weeks after the vote and they had kindly invited our members down for a sneak preview, so it would have been silly not to deal with the formalities whilst we were there. A lovely selection of ales was on offer, and plenty of good company. Finally, we had the December 2016 Pub of the Month award to deliver. This time we were at Foleys Tap House on the Headrow, yet another fine establishment and one which is particularly welcomed by the cider drinkers amongst us. There was a relaxed atmosphere as our gallant crew took over the quiet back room and settled down with a pint or two. This was a great period for presentations. I'm sure there'll be more to tell you about in the next edition of New Full Measure. Congratulations to all our winners. You can be proud of your achievements. Members of Leeds CAMRA can nominate and vote online for the Pub of the Month awards by visiting the Members' Page on our website at www.leeds-camra.com. If you're visiting this year's Leeds Beer, Cider and Perry Festival, don’t forget to enter your voting slips for the Beer, Mild and Cider of the Festival awards. Voting boxes will be provided.
New Full Measure SPRING 2017 19
National Beer scoring system Following on from the article about WhatPub and the National Beer Scoring System (NBSS) in the previous edition of New Full Measure, below are some thoughts and opinions on beer scoring mainly based around questions I have been asked regarding NBSS. Firstly, the issue of what criteria should be used to judge the beer. I believe that the beer should primarily be judged on the quality of the beer as served, rather than whether it is to your personal taste. This is because CAMRA branches will be using NBSS scores as a guide to overall quality of real ale served in a pub, which makes it different to beer scoring on other sites/apps. So, what do I mean by the quality of the beer? There are several features I would look for:-
1. Condition
- properly conditioned real ale should have bubbles of carbon dioxide, but not be overcarbonated. There should be some level of head retention as the beer is drunk; the consistency of the head will vary greatly based on where the beer is brewed and how it is dispensed. Most northern beers are brewed to create a tight creamy head when pulled through a hand pump with sparkler. Many beers (mainly southern) are brewed on the assumption that a sparkler will not be used, producing a much looser head, but should still not be flat and lifeless. Condition will start to be lost if the cask has been open for too many days.
2. Smell/Taste - these are very intercon-
nected and are both a guide to problems with the beer. An obvious off-flavour is a vinegary smell/taste which in general will mean that the beer
20 New Full Measure SPRING 2017
has started to degrade in the cask. There are many other off-flavours, but everyone’s palette is different and some will be more sensitive to certain flavours. Off-flavours can be caused by an infection which can happen in the brewery or in the pub. It will help a pub detect off-flavours if the beer is sampled by more than one of the members of staff. If you search online you will find several guides to off-flavours or even better, if you get the chance, is to go on a tutored tasting course. Another thing to be aware of is that if a real ale is put on before it has had time to develop properly in the cask it may be thin and lacking in taste (commonly known as “green beer”). This is obviously easier to detect if it is a beer that you drink often.
3. Clarity
- this can be quite a controversial issue. Some beers are brewed to be cloudy (for example some wheat beers). There are also beers which are packed with hops or other ingredients which mean that they will take a very long time to clear and by the point they do they will be past peak condition. For me the question to consider is whether there is a problem with the beer that has caused it to be cloudy - has it been put on too early so it has not conditioned properly or is it the end of the cask and you are getting the sediment from the bottom? Cloudy beer can also be an indication of an infection, normally combined with an off-flavour as above. In my view, if the beer is not perfectly clear, but is in good condition and tastes fine, then I am not going to mark lower on NBSS. Secondly, the issue of what the individual scores should represent. In the last New Full Measure the official descriptions of the scores were shown (they are also on the Beer Scoring page of the WhatPub site), but here are my interpretations of them.
0 - No real ale available 0.5 - Beer pretty much undrinkable; you would take back to the bar. 1 - Beer in poor condition or with off-flavours, something that you may consider leaving or taking back to the bar. 1.5 - Beer just about drinkable. 2 - Beer is drinkable, but not in great condition. Maybe has been put on too early or close to the end of the cask. 2.5 Beer is drinkable, but in average condition. 3 - Beer is in good condition with no flavour issues. 3.5 - Beer is in very good condition. 4 - Beer is in excellent condition. 4.5 - Beer is near perfect. 5 - Beer is in perfect condition and tastes fantastic. I would give a 5 very rarely and is the one case where it would probably also need to to be the type of beer I like. If I took a beer that was clearly the end of the cask or had a obvious off-flavour back to the bar and it was changed without question, then I would not enter a score for that beer. My view is that a pub that is in the Good Beer Guide should be consistently getting scores of 3.5 or above. Lastly, the issue of whether you should score every beer you drink or just do one score for each pub visit. This is really up to you, but obviously a score for every beer will provide the local CAMRA branch with more information. If you are going to do just one score for a pub I would suggest that you wait until the end of your visit so that you can get a feel for the average quality of the beers you drink. I hope that these musings are useful and thank you to everyone who currently submits NBBS scores and to those who may now have been inspired to do so.
David Ansley
New Full Measure SPRING 2017 21
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
22 New Full Measure SPRING 2017
whatpub.com Featuring over 35,000 real ale pubs
Over 96% of Britain’s real ale pubs featured
Information updated by thousands of CAMRA volunteers
Created by CAMRA who produce the UK’s best beer & pub guide
Thousands of pubs at your fingertips!
24 New Full Measure SPRING 2017
NEW ROSCOE
As another chapter from the early story of Leeds CAMRA ends with the closing of the New Roscoe, I can add a small prequel as they now call such things. Apart from my activities in the world of real ale, I was also an insolvency practitioner. I think it was sometime in 1985/6 that a call came in about a club that was in deep financial trouble. It wasn't long before I was talking to Jack Matthews and his colleagues at the New Foresters Social Club. Having moved from their premises 10 or so years previously, they had built a new club on Bristol Street, Sheepscar. Sadly membership had declined and they were struggling to pay their debts. Enforcement officers had taken possession of nearly everything and it was facing closure. There was effectively a charge on everything and the club could not dispose of any assets. Jack and the rest of the committee were worried that it would then be taken apart, brick by brick, by local van-
dals. Such a fate had befallen another club nearby. The committee were slightly unusual. Like Jack, they were generally over 70 and all widowers. The club was their life. But what could be done? I spoke to C W Harrison & Son (Sheriff's Officers) and they agreed to give me some time to find a buyer. Trading continued, supervised by myself. As the club was not regulated under the Companies Act, we were unable to seek any formal protection from creditors. Instead we just asked them to forbear, which they did. We got a buyer, but the club had to go. The new owner, Mr Aurora, if memory serves, from Halifax, wanted it as a restaurant. Shortly before we completed Noel Squire said he would match the bid, but we were too far down the road to take a new bid. Mr Aurora's new restaurant did not do well and it wasn't long before Noel finally got the building and the Roscoe lived again. I think the committee bought or leased another pub nearby and kept their club alive, though I suspect not for long. It was a daunting thing to stand on the stage to address the members and put the deal to them (and agree a fee), but, like Jack and the committee, I was relieved that something better than destruction had been achieved. If anyone can add to the story I'd be pleased to hear from them at simpsonfield@hotmail.co.uk.
Mike Field
New Full Measure SPRING 2017 25
Going Towards Pudsey
the cask form is brewed at Banks’s and keg form at Camerons). As trade increased, more handpulls were added to reach the current number.
As I write this, a lot of planning and organising is going towards Leeds Beer Festival, which this year sees Pudsey Civic Hall hosting the superb event for the 24th time. This gave me an idea for the article’s theme, going towards Pudsey. Although New Pudsey railway station is ideally located for Leeds Beer Festival at Pudsey Civic Hall (a 4-5 minute walk), it's over a mile from Pudsey itself and there are no pubs en route. However, if you get off at Bramley station instead, it’s the same distance and there are several pubs along the way.
The Barnleigh Swinnow Rd
Head downhill from the station along Swinnow Road and as the road begins to rise The Barnleigh will soon be on your right (7 minutes from the station). This pub featured in a previous article (edition 135 of New Full Measure) that showcased the massive turnaround and improvements over the last couple of years. It was always a keg-only venue and due to the austere appearance of the building coupled with a poorly maintained entrance area never enticed you in. That’s changed now with a general sprucing up of the outside and welcoming signs beside the road. The lounge has been completetly refurbished and the bar now has four handpulls, which regularly serve a couple of Ossett Brewery beers such as Silver King and Blonde, Banks’s Tetley Bitter and Tetley Mild (it’s believed
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The SWINNOW Sw innow LANE
The Swinnow is a short diversion off the direct route to Pudsey (left for 5 minutes along Swinnow Lane). Although it doesn’t serve ale, many features of this pub remain untouched. Judging by its look combined with some digging on the Leodis website (photographic archive of Leeds), I’d say it was built in the 1950s. Overall, it’s not the prettiest of places but the architectural importance of many post-WWII buildings is only now being recognised. The mosaic-tiled, large entranceway of The Swinnow leads to a set of doors after which you’re provided with a choice of two rooms; the popular tap-room is to the right. Above the small bar is a lovely, ornate stained glass panel in multiple colours with an external window, emblazoned with “Tetley Ales” and “The Swinnow”, having a similar design. The floor is colourful too with primarily large, green vinyl tiles interspersed with cream ones upon which a pool table stands. Behind the fixed, bench seating and between the metal-framed windows are many caricatures of former Leeds United players on the primarily yellow or blue painted walls. It’s far from an Edwardian or Victorian gem like The Cardigan Arms but should The Swinnow be put forward for heritage listing or Asset of Community Value (ACV) status?
Return to Swinnow Road and The Britannia is at the top of the long but gentle hill. The main room and triangular area down a couple of steps are traditionally furnished,
The BRITANNIA
Swinnow Rd
Banks’s Tetley Bitter and a Pot Belly beer were available on my visit and, from talking to the landlord, I discovered that the pub is owned by Red Oak Taverns following their purchase of GRS’s estate of 146 pubs in 2015. Back on the main road and Swinnow Road changes its name to Lowtown. The Crown was at number 118, but closed in 2014 despite being a past winner of Leeds branch’s quarterly Most Improved Pub award; no pub is safe. By the way, the “ Awards Archive “ of www.leedscamra.com has a full list of award-winning pubs going back over 25 years.
MASONS ARMS LO complete with red carpet. Many of the tables are for dining, yet it retains very much a pub feel with the food offering being wholesome fare that was popular on my visit. The dark wood bar, which has handpulls for John Smith’s Cask and Leeds Pale, serves a second, narrower room that has a more modern décor and leads to a function room. Onwards towards Pudsey and after 125 metres turn left along Hough Side Road, where you’ll find The White Horse after 100 metres. This has a brief mention in the Yorkshire Heritage Pubs book, which is produced by CAMRA. Originally there were three rooms located off the central corridor with a bar on the right at the end of the corridor. If you want a comparison, think of a mirror image of The Grove, Holbeck minus the concert room at the back. Many years ago (1938 according to the book) the room opposite the bar was incorporated into the main body of the pub and the door removed from the two rooms at the front, both of which retain original seating. With multiple fireplaces and ornaments dotted around it retains a cosy feel.
WHITE HORSE
HOUGH SIDE RD
WTOWN
It won’t be more than a couple of minutes until you reach The Masons Arms. This is another venue originally with multiple rooms that have been partially or fully opened up. Four beers were available on my visit: Ossett Silver King and Blonde, Saltaire Blonde and Banks’s Tetley Bitter. The first in the list was in excellent condition and I would have stayed to try another beer but time was ticking and there was loud music playing, it being a Saturday evening. However, in the time that I drank a half, four pints of ale were pulled, which I considered a great sign. Just before a crossroads with traffic lights, turn left along Manor House Street and you’ll immediately come across two relatively new pubs facing each other, The Crossed Shuttle and The Manor Inn (formerly Irv/Erv Inn). The former is older and part of the ever-expanding Wetherspoon estate. Did you know there are now eleven in the Leeds branch area with another three in the planning? I’d say this is the smallest ‘Spoons in Leeds and has a more intimate feeling than most. Expect to find a couple of permanent beers that feature in all ‘Spoons establishments together with a good number of local and national brews. If you visit during the day, you may well see Leeds Beer Festival volunteer stalwart and legend, Ken Armitage. A number of festival customers always keep
New Full Measure SPRING 2017 27
GOING TOWARDS PUDSEY - CONTINUED an eye out at the event for Ken in his distinctive pink t-shirt carrying washed glasses back to the entrance. The landlord of The Manor is keen to promote the venue to all and wants to ensure the next generation of drinkers feel welcome. He contacted me, as branch Young Members’ Contact, to ask for ideas. The question of how to get younger people in pubs is one that I’m often asked. Unfortunately, there is no easy answer and here is not the place to expand on thoughts, suffice to say given The Manor’s styling that blends features of a bar with traditional elements, it can appeal to all ages from youthful grandparents through to their grandchildren in their early 20s. I particularly liked the large “chandelier” consisting of upturned wine glasses. You’ll find four ales on the bar with Saltaire Blonde featuring regularly and there’s a 10% discount on pints for CAMRA members. Revoking of the alcohol licence was the apocalyptic event that saw The World’s End on Wesley Square (off Lowtown) close last year (I hear groans but am sure many of you would have come up with the same pun!). It resembled a night club on a Saturday evening but used to serve ale, which appealed to a more sedate, older clientèle during the day. Through the aforementioned crossroads with traffic lights and you’ll arrive at The Butchers Arms after 2
minutes, passing the bus station on the left. It’s a Sam Smith’s pub so you’ll know what to expect, sort of. Traditional décor and seating, no music, TV or advertising, and cheap beer are standard. The “sort of” arises because, whereas most Sam’s pubs used to serve Old Brewery Bitter from 18 gallon wooden casks, many have had their handpumps taken away. The official line is that floods in December 2015 destroyed many casks but it was quite a few months after when the ale started disappearing and removing handpumps doesn’t look like a short-term measure. Perhaps the pubs simply didn’t have enough turnover to get through 144 pints. Introducing industry-standard 9 gallon casks (72 pints) would be seen as a solution by many but Sam Smith’s business model and policies are anything but standard. Right, I’ll cover the other pubs in Pudsey next time around but in the meantime I hope to see you from Thursday 16th to Saturday 18th March at Leeds Beer Festival. Bus: The following First buses serve Pudsey bus station but join Swinnow Road at different points: 4 and 9 connect at Stanningley Bypass/Ring Road (4 minute walk from Bramley train station), and 11 (daytime only), 11E (evening only) and 14 connect at Swinnow Lane.
Warren Yabsley
New Full Measure SPRING 2017 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. Open to all members. Come and let us know your opinion on the issues facing beer, brewing it and drinking it in Leeds. An up-to-date listing of all events can be found on the branch website (www.leeds-camra.com). CAMRA members can also check “What’s Brewing” for confirmation of meeting locations and details of other events.
FEBRUARY
Tuesday 21st February, 19:30 Oakwood Social. Meet at the Stew and Oyster, 488 Roundhay Rd, Oakwood, LS8 2HU. Oakwood has a couple of absolute little gems, within spitting distance of the Oakwood Clock and public transport. So here is a long overdue trip. Meet in Stew & Oyster Oakwood at 19:30 before ambling down the road to Preston Bar at approx 20:30. Oakwood is well served by the 12, 13 and 13A buses running from the Corn Exchange every 10-15 minutes. Hope to see you there!
MARCH
Tuesday 7th March, 19:30. Branch Meeting. The George, 67-69 Great George St., Leeds LS1 3BB. Sign up to Ale Delight, our monthly branch email, for regular local news. membership@leeds-camra.com Contact: socialsecretary@leeds-camra.com
Leeds-CAMRA @LeedsCAMRA West Yorkshire Trading Standards Service 0113 253 0241 PO Box 5, Nepshaw Lane South, Leeds, West Yorkshire, LS27 0QP
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Thursday 16th - Sat 18th March. Leeds CAMRA Beer Festival. Pudsey Civic Hall, Dawsons Corner, Leeds, LS28 5TA. The annual Leeds CAMRA Beer Festival returns to the Pudsey Civic Hall for the very last time. With over 150 beers and ciders to choose from this promises to be a last hurrah for this venue. See elsewhere in this newsletter for more details. Thursday 30th March, 19:30. Wetherspoons' Beer Festival. Stick or Twist, Merrion Way, Leeds, LS2 8PD.
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 Locale Coordinator: Carole Taylor Locale@leeds-camra.com Membership Secretary: Warren Yabsley Membership@leeds-camra.com Newsletter Editor: Ian Smith Newsletter@leeds-camra.com Press and Publicity Officer: Richard Coldwell Publicity@leeds-camra.com
The ideal chance to make use of that big bundle of Wetherspoon vouchers that dropped through your door.
Public Affairs Officer: John Rowe PublicAffairs@leeds-camra.com
Check leeds-camra.com or “What's Brewing” for more details
Pub Database Holder: David Ansley WhatPub@leeds-camra.com
Thank You for Having Us!
Thank you to Pack Horse (Woodhouse), Leeds Brewery (Holbeck), Pack Horse (City Centre), Baht'ap (City Centre), Fenton (Woodhouse), Brudenell Social Club (Hyde Park) and Editor's Draught (City Centre) for hosting recent branch events. It's much appreciated.
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
Don't be a Wazzock! Don't Drink and Drive.
Webmaster: Christine Jopling Webmaster@leeds-camra.com
Public transport information for the Leeds area is available from Metro offices and at wymetro.com There really is no excuse.
Young Members: Waren Yabsley YoungMembers@leeds-camra.com