Issue 149 of Norfolk Nips & Cask Force by Norwich & District CAMRA

E E R F & CA S K FO RC E CAS SK No.149

Summer 2009

Summertime and the drinkin’ is easy!

RURAL PUBS AROUND NORFOLK

MALT AND HOPS WITH NORFOLK SQUARE

MORE OF NORFOLK’S TRUE HERITAGE PUBS

CRONES CIDER VISIT PLUS NEWS AND REVIEWS

Newsletter of the Norfolk Branches of the Campaign for Real Ale

NORFOLK NIPS | Chairman’s Letter

Chris and Glynis invite you to the

Trafford Arms

Chairman’s Bit us in our campaigning, so please contact me if you can assist.

his is my first report as your new Chairman. If I thought it would be a busy role then I was right!

First, I was involved in the presentation to Whin Hill Cider for winning the East Anglia Cider competition. Then we had a great night at The Artichoke, Broome, which is our Branch Pub Of The Year.

Cask Ale, Good Food and Great Customers. 61 Grove Road, Norwich 01603 628466 www.traffordarms.co.uk

email: mail@traffordarms.co.uk

Norwich & Norfolk Branch

I also attended the launch at The Forum of our Real Ale Walks in Norfolk Guide and even appeared in the paper with Warren Wordsworth, our Pubs Officer, who wrote the book. We both later attended the Members’ Weekend in Eastbourne to represent our Branch. All this in such a short time. I've been giving assistance to the Norwich Evening News in support of their Love Your Local campaign. I'm concerned about the continuing closures of our local Pubs; they are important to the community. I encourage all members to help

We are now the second largest branch in CAMRA, with 1857 members, and I would like to reach 2000 total by the year end. If we all recruited just one extra member we could achieve this target easily. Our strong membership can only help us in our campaigning.and I thank everyone who spends time on Branch activities. Finally, some people have asked ‘why is a bloke from Manchester our Chairman?’ I can only reply that it's my own personal campaign to get Norfolk to put a head on its beer. Keep suppin'! Graham Freeman

Got a short pint? If you believe that you have been treated unfairly in a pub, club or bar, you should contact the Trading Standards service by writing to them at Norfolk Trading Standards Service, County Hall, Martineau Lane, Norwich, NR1 2UD or faxing them on 01603 222999. A wide range of consumer information and advice is also available online from the Consumer Direct website at www.consumerdirect.gov.uk

Chairman: Graham Freeman Tel: 01603 687495 Email: chairman@norwichcamra.org.uk Secretary: Carolyn Jones Tel: 01603 865505 Email: secretary@norwichcamra.org.uk Social Secretary: Tim MacDonald Tel. 01603 865505 Email: socialsecretary@norwichcamra.org.uk

West Norfolk Branch Chairman: Tim Spitzer Secretary: Ian Bailey Contact: Bruce Ward Tel: 01485 609107

Branch websites: www.norwichcamra.org.uk www.camra.org.uk/wnorfolk

Branch mailing list web page: groups.yahoo.com/group/ CAMRA_Norwich Published every 3 months by the Norwich, Norfolk & West Norfolk branches of the Campaign for Real Ale © N&N CAMRA 2009 Norfolk Nips is produced and distributed by members of the branch in their own time. Edited by: Andrea Kirkby Email: norfolknips@yahoo.co.uk Chris Lucas Email: chris-stig@tiscali.co.uk Views expressed in Norfolk Nips are not necessarily those of the editor or of CAMRA Design & Production: Daniel Wheeler - Tamoko Design Email: dan@tamoko-design.co.uk Advertising: For advertising enquiries please contact Chris Shilling on: Tel: 01778 421 550 Mobile: 07736 635916 Email: chris@shillingmedia.co.uk Rates: Colour Rates (exclusive of VAT) are: Quarter page - 1 insertion £70 Half page - 1 insertion £130 Full Page - 1 insertion £230 Reduced rates for series bookings

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Offering four real ales and quality home-cooked food we are sure you will have a great time. Open all day every day, food is served:12-2 & 6-9 Monday to Saturday

•BELL•

12-3 Sunday for plated home cooked Sunday lunches with homemade Yorkshire puddings and fresh vegetables. A reduced menu is available on Sundays 6-9 and Mondays 12-2 & 6-9

Salhouse

17th Century timber beamed pub.

From Norwich & Acle head to Salhouse and at the mini roundabout follow the sign to Wroxham, we are 200yds on the right. BT Openzone available

Please call ahead to check availability if dining.

Produce your Salhouse broad mooring receipt and receive £2.00 off your meal when ordering from our full menu. Quiz Nights every Wednesday from 8.30pm A meat raffle is held every Sunday at 4:30 pm.

Tel: 01603 721141 www.salhousebell.co.uk

NORFOLK NIPS | West Norfolk Chairman’s Letter

King’s Lynn Crawl reetings! I thought a few words about our area’s biggest town King’s Lynn would be in order, sadly Lynn doesn’t boast the dizzying array of great ale pubs that Norwich has, you have to look a bit harder. When myself and Stig were doing the GBG surveys we checked out a few places, the one current entry The Stuart House Hotel amongst them. Here’s what we found.

We began at one of the two Wetherspoon’s outlets in Lynn, the Lattice House, a pub once owned by CAMRA, the beer was okay but the service very slow. Moving onto the riverfront, stopped in at Bradley’s, this is a restaurant though it does serve a good drop of Adnams Bitter, and you don’t have to dine to enjoy it (several people were though). Next we dived into the back-

streets to visit Crossways, a Greene King house, the IPA was good, and the pub itself is pleasant, sports are featured on the tv screens. Next up was the London Porterhouse, Greene King again, they used to serve IPA and Abbot by gravity (and it was excellent), but now just served by handpump, and on the day the IPA wasn’t fantastic. Onto the Live & Let Live, a pub which divides the branchsome like it, some loathe it! Myself and Stig both agreed the beer was fine, but the pub could do with a makeover, and the language of some of the locals leaves a lot to be desired. We walked back to the Tuesday Market Place and went in the other Wetherspoon’s pub, the Globe Hotel, the annual King’s Lynn Mart was on outside and the pub was busy, but the staff really looked after

us, and the beer was superb (how can two pubs owned by the same chain be so different?). We later ended up at the Stuart House Hotel, a regular GBG entry and deservedly so - quality ale. Didn’t have time to visit some other pubs we’ve been to in the past, such as the Lord Napier, the White Horse (Gaywood), and the Woolpack, which are all okay and maybe worth a look. Another outlet that once featured in the GBG is the Ouse Amateur Sailing Club (a former CAMRA Club Of The Year), but that’s a whole kettle of fish best left alone, and I believe bar manager Ron has now left. So there you have it, good beer is to be found, it’s just not as thick on the ground as elsewhere. Cheers! Tim Spitzer

Norfolk POTY The Artichoke, Broome is Norfolk Pub of the Year, having beaten West Norfolk branch’s selection, the Union Jack at Roydon. It's a splendid example of a rural pub that offers good hospitality, excellent real ales, and a great atmosphere. John and Nikki Craft, who run the pub, commented that “In these difficult times, it's nice to see a country pub has been given the award.” They ran the Kiung's Arms in Hall Road, Norwich, another excellent real ale pub, before moving here and refurbishing the pub in 2006. The pub serves a wide range of real ales from 4

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handpump and on gravity, and serves freshly cooked food at meal times - as well as a selection of snacks including pickled eggs. We will be carrying an article with John Craft in the next issue.

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Pub News

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NORFOLK NIPS | Pub News

Pub News During the last three months there have been a number of pub closures and reopenings. First the good news! Recently reopened pubs include:The Cross Keys in Wymondham, which has been closed since just after Christmas, reopened for business in March. In Norwich, The Rosary Tavern has opened again, and the landlord intends to convert the conservatory into a restaurant. Both Woolpacks in Norwich (Golden Ball St & Muspole St) reopened in April. The Ferry at Stokesby reported as closed in last NIPS was apparently only closed for a short period in the winter for refurbishment, and is now open again. The Bell in Salhouse has finally reopened after a period of over a year’s closure, and is currently selling a range of four real ales that include Fullers London Pride and Woodforde’s Wherry. And the Maltsters in Ranworth has also reopened. On the downside, it has been reported that the following pubs have closed during the last three months In Gorleston The Dock Tavern has closed and is currently on the market for sale leasehold, free of tie. Dukes Bar shut as of March. In Yarmouth the following have also recently closed; Two Bears , boarded up as of 6

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March 2009 (compulsory notice on door from Council). Croppers Bar Ex East Suffolk Inn & Jaks Bar (ex Ice bar) are reported shut as of March 2009. In Blofield Heath The Two Friends is currently shut as is The Pleasure Boat in Hickling and The Lacon Arms in Hemsby. The application to convert The Kings Head in Horsham St Faiths into a dwelling house as reported in last NIPS was, despite an objection from Norwich & Norfolk CAMRA successful and this pub has now closed its doors for business permanently. There is good news for drinkers in the south Norfolk village of Great Moulton. The Fox & Hounds which last autumn was the subject of an application for change of use to a private dwelling has been saved. Mr Les Christman and his wife, who were former landlords of The White Horse in Kenninghall, have taken the pub over on a one year lease.

Brewery and Trade News Uncle Stuart's Brewery has moved into new premises at Wroxham Barns, from existing premises at Lingwood. The Beer Shop will also move to

Wroxham, selling up to 100 bottled beers from other local brewers. The Publican awarded Batemans Brewery the title of Best Pub Company of the Year. Norwich drinkers will know the Leopard, Champion, and King's Arms as Batemans pubs. Research by Greene King revealed that one in ten Brits believe cask beer is a kind of lager; more than half of us don't know that barley is one of the key ingredients in beer; and more than a third of Londoners don’t know that real ale contains hops! Elmtree Brewery shop on the Oakwood Industrial Estate at Snetteron is now open 11-4 at weekends, and whenever they're brewing - ring ahead on 01953 887065. Banham Stores (opposite Banham Zoo) also stocks Elmtree’s beers.

News from the West Back in the last issue, you may recall that I was enthusiastic about our visits to the Woolpack at Walpole Cross Keys. It is sad to relate that shortly after our Branch gathering a problem was discovered with the roof of the pub and it was forced to close. We came past recently and the shutters were still up. There is a long tradition of a good pub here – one of the first CAMRA meetings I attended in Norfolk was in the

Woolpack, nearly 30 years ago. There is also a lot of traffic passing close by on the Lynn to Sutton Bridge Road. I realise that it will cost a lot to bring the building up to scratch, but surely it must be worth a go, especially if they can get the excellent chef back. In Kings Lynn the town centre and London Road areas are pretty much the only places left for a drink. In South Lynn the last remaining pub, the Jolly Farmers is closed and up for sale. Up on Pandora Meadows the Norfolk Harvester has been reported as being closed for much of the time, whilst the New Inn on Wootton Road looks fine from the outside but has been closed when people have tried to go in. We have heard on the grapevine that it is hoped to be fully functional again ‘in a few weeks’. Over in Loke Road, there is slightly better news of the Bentinck, which looks like it is having a bit of money invested and may well have a future as a pub. Meanwhile out in the villages, the Rampant Horse at Gayton is under new ownership, having been taken on by a local garage owner, and by all accounts is very popular. Up the coast in Snettisham, the Compasses is now open again after a long closure. Other pubs reported to have changed hands recently include the Carpenters Arms at East Winch, the Horse and Groom in Swaffham, the Sandboy at Bawsey and the

Jolly Sailors in Brancaster. In all cases these seem to have been acquired by people with a good track record of running pubs and we hope that they will all become excellent places to drink. Any feedback would be most welcome. In the travel section of one of the national papers recently was a section with recommendations by readers of the best seaside pub. I was very surprised to find the Waterside listed in Hunstanton, as I have never heard of it. Further enquiries revealed that it is the old Three In One overlooking the promenade. According to the Guardian it has a decent pint of Adnams. Between Kings Lynn and Gayton is the Leziate Sailing Club, which is now open to non-members and regularly serves Abbott and Spitfire. We went out there for a quiz recently and were very impressed by both the beer and the welcome from the staff. Out at Newton by Castle Acre the George has been reported as being well worth a visit, and having taken the advice we were not disappointed either by the food or the beer. It’s on the Swaffham to Fakenham road and is going to be the venue of an up and coming branch meeting. We also felt that we had to check out the Norwich Branch pub of the year over in Broome. The Artichoke is right down by the Suffolk

border and is a wonderful pub with a range of about 8 beers, which can be seen through the glass front of the cellar. Every year we wonder why the West Norfolk pubs never quite make it through to the regional round of the Pub Of The Year. We thought that we had an excellent candidate with the Union Jack in Roydon this time round, but hats off to the Norwich guys who once again have discovered an absolute gem. I have received two press releases which tell of the return of a former GBG pub and the rebirth of a North Norfolk brewery, as they’re co-located at the Jolly Sailors at Brancaster Staithe, I’ll tell you about both. The Jolly Sailors reopened on the slightly inauspicious 13th February (a Friday!) having been fully refurbished. The new proprietor Cliff Nye aimed to create a good value “grass roots” village pub and having ensured the pub was up and running well decided to make good use of the brewery plant he inherited with the pub. The brewery is called, of course “Brancaster Brewery” and is initially producing two ales, “Brancaster Best” and “Oyster Catcher”, both available on tap or bottle conditioned. You should be able to try them at Ely beer festival or of course, best tried at the pub! I like to wish all at the Jolly Sailors good luck - it’s always nice to report some really positive real ale news.

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The Kings Arms 22 Hall Rd Norwich NR1 3HQ Tel: 01603 766361

13 Real Ales always served from Batemans, Adnams and Wolf breweries plus many other local and national beers. Always serving a mild plus a stout, porter or old and real cider. A range of Belgian Ales and Fruit beers now available! R GU A ID GO W E OD e 2 in ar 00 BE it! e 9 ER

Quiz Night! - The last Wednesday in every month!

CA M

Come and try our lunchtime bar menu or have a night out with friends and order in your favourite take-away! Now serving Roasts every Sunday !

Cambridge Bitter 3.8%

Gold Award Champion Bitter of Britain 2006 Available all year round:

SEASONAL ALES Thin Ice 4.7% Jan/Feb Old Wagg 4.0% March/April Double Swan 4.5% May/June Mad Dog 4.4% July/Aug Barleymead 4.8% Sept/Oct Old Black Shuck 4.5% Nov Snickalmas 5.0% Wenceslas Winter Warmer 7.5% Dec

North Brink Brewery, Wisbech, Cambridgeshire 8

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Tel: 01945 583160

NORFOLK NIPS | Pub Post Its

DUKE of WELLINGTON TRADITIONAL REAL ALE HOUSE 14 REAL ALES GRAVITY SERVED available all year round from our glass fronted tap room

6 MORE ALES ON HAND PUMP

BEER FESTIVAL Friday Aug 28th – Sat Sept 5th

100 REAL ALES! Barbecue food available throughout

Raffle – proceeds to MS Society

Open Monday to Saturday 12 to 11pm Sundays - 12noon to 10.30pm

As always, remember that these post-its are subjective and reflect the personal experience of our correspondents. Please feel free to email your post-its in to norfolknips@yahoo.co.uk - and if you really like the pub, why not nominate it for next year's CAMRA Good Beer Guide? Alby - Horseshoes - This pub is well worth a visit. Richard seeks out interesting beers, there is always something from Woodfordes, Wherry is permanent and there could be Nelson's Revenge or Nog. Beers from Nethergate, St Peter's and Humpty Dumpty appear regularly and are always in good nick. The food is tasty. This is an honest pub with a landlord who knows his beer. It is an unfancy pub but the beer choice is imaginative compared to the usual suspects in North Norfolk of only Adnams and Wherry.

GKIPA, GK Abbot, Adnams Bitter, Black Sheep Bitter and Thwaites Lancaster Bomber. What a boring choice!

Thorpe - The Buck - There's been a change of manager at “The Buck” in Thorpe. He's a chef by training and hails from Glasgow, and seems keen to continue stocking some ales over and above the standard Adnams, Woodfordes and Greene King wares. Unfortunately, as a manager rather than a landlord he's restricted in what he can stock. It looks hopeful and I think he deserves encouragement!

Litcham - Bull - Two Beeston beers on. Sullen yoof serving.

Hempton - Bell - A splendid pub. That rare beast, a beer house with no food. Unspolit interior with a lovely old bar counter. Three real ales, Wherry and John Smiths Cask are the regulars with one ever changing guest (Mayfields when I visited with Slaters due next.)

some indoors, some in the Marquee outside

Live acoustic Music Tues night

Pub Post-its

Come and enjoy our Tap Room with a selection of Belgian bottled beers, Schneider Weiss, Erdinger and Dunkel.

wa l k s e t u 5 min Jus t 1 C i t y C e n t re f rom

91 - 93 WATERLOO ROAD | NORWICH | 01603 441182

Strumpshaw - Shoulder of Mutton - This pub keeps a really good pint and is our friendly local, Maybe you could try it on one of your friday trips out. They always have Bitter, Broadside and a seasonal Adnams and one other quest beer all kept well. During the winter theres always a great pint of 'mother-in law'! Lessingham - Star - Three beers on; GKIPA, Courage Directors and Buffys Bitter. Landlord has installed three antique Masons handpumps and is using them in anger. Smallburgh - Crown - Lovely multi-roomed pub, a rarity these days, great food. BUT -

Happisburgh - Hill House - Six beers on, three local. I tried a Tipples which unfortunately wasn't very good. Attleborough - London Tavern - Guest beers were from Tring and Cheddar Ales. Both were excellent.

Great Cessingham - Windmill - Food operation. Uninspiring beer range. Some original fittings left if you know where to look. Bell, Salhouse - Re-opened as an Enterprise Inns pub, four real ales, Flowers IPA, Woodfordes Wherry, Directors and London pride, at present. All in good condition. Landlord seems positive about CAMRA. Ship - South Walsham - Re-opened as a gastro pub. One room completely laid up for meals, the other, half. Adnams Bitter, Broadside and Wherry. The first pint out of the pump was tired. Norwich - Vine - Tiny pub, nice intimate feeling. Just look through the window and you see the handpumps, with Wolf Coyote and Oakham JHB permanent, Erdinger Weissbier, and guests. Friendly, and no bother to just drink a pint as I did though there's a Thai restaurant if you fancy some grub. A wonderful little hideout! Swan - Horning - Interesting list of forthcoming guest ales, plus a meet the Everards brewer event was being advertised. The beer quality was excellent. Somebody must be taking an interest. Continued Overleaf

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Pub Post Its continued

Wreningham, Bird in Hand - This food pub has put real ale and more of a pub atmosphere back on the menu. 5 real ales are on pump Norfolk Nog, Wherry and Nelson’s Revenge, and Adnams bitter are staples, with a regular other guest beer - Adnams Broadside when I visited last. I tried the Nog and Broadside, both were in tip top condition. A friendly welcome, good food and excellent beer makes this one bar, food pub well worth a visit. Geldeston - Locks - Visited Geldeston Locks Inn one afternoon. Plenty of people inside and out on their large lawn leading to the river. Green Jack Canary and Trawler boys were on and were very drinkable. Same old dirt track and generator, enjoyable afternoon. Frettenham - Rose & Crown - Imposing brick building on the Buxton Road to the north of the village, opened out into one large room with a central horseshoe shaped bar. I normally prefer my pubs to be a bit cosier, but that said I felt very comfortable sitting in the window seat looking over the pig field opposite. The beers on offer were Bombardier and Evans Evans Warrior. I obviously went for the micro and very good it was too. The pub doesn’t open lunchtimes Monday to Friday. Weybourne - Ship - Don’t stumble if you get off Norfolk Green’s ‘Coasthopper’ when you get to Weybourne or you will fall through the restaurant window of the Ship. Although food is important this is very much a pub that serves good food rather than a restaurant that sells drinks. This is a destination, or at least a waystop for walkers to the extent that on some days it could be renamed the Gore-Tex Arms. On my last call all hand pumps were serving Norfolk brewed beers and, most importantly, those tasted were in v.good condition. Mundesley - The Manor Hotel - A beacon on the north coast, the Manor Hotel and Victorian Bar (both under the same ownership since Autumn 2008) offer a limited (IPA and Wherry) but well kept real ale selection. Hotel has seen better days but is in process of 12

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NORFOLK NIPS | Pub Post Its continued

| NORFOLK NIPS restoration, Victorian Bar now busy on a Sunday afternoon. Despite all locals watching TV and waiting for pool table, a friendly reception was had, and 3/4 pint of beer pulled off prior to service, which ensured a good pint on an unseasonally fine day. Worth your custom! Kings Head - Coltishall - Adnams Bitter and Extra. House beer Broadland Harvest comes from Bedford. Nowhere to sit, crowd of drinkers round the bar, every table in the place was laid up. That said the Extra was excellent. White Horse - Upton – Excellent village pub, off the beaten track but worth seeking out when you are in the Acle area. Three beers were on when I visited, Adnams Bitter and Broadside plus Fullers London Pride. The real treat here is the fish and chips. The Landlord goes to Lowestoft fish market every Thursday and serves the best fish and chips I have ever eaten in a pub. You should be OK on a Saturday, but a Friday visit is essential to guarantee availability. Go hungry! New Inn - South Wootton Landlord, Andy, is still in residence but not trading. Reported for sale at £50 000. Rampant Horse - Gayton Busy under the new management. Various events. Two beers on eg XXB + Bombardier but restricted to Enterprise’s list. Bentinck - Lynn New landlord now in. Being refurbished (smartened?). Unclear whether Real Ales will be on. Compasses - Snettisham, In the same hands as The Dray & horses, Tottenhill. Only IPA spotted on a recent visit. The Fenman in King's Lynn is under new management and still offering Greene King IPA and Abbot for those with a few minutes to wait before their train. Railway - Docking Now has taken the Bircham Newton lunchtime trade from The King’s Head; apparently fell out with the management.

Norfolk Harvester, Lynn Only seems to be open evenings and weekends. Dolphin - Thetford Re-opened early this year. Enterprise have put in a temporary manager who seems more permanent than some regular ones. Wherry + two guests with the strong possibility of a fourth and maybe a cider. They’re also taking advice from customers on beer. Much impressed. After some doubt things are looking promising at the Bentinck, it is now undergoing a refurbishment. No real ale as yet but it is good to see it open again. The London Porterhouse has a new landlord and a new look having been tastefully refurbished. It still attracts a good local trade and has Greene King IPA served from one of the handpumps.

And three pubs further afield Stamford, Lincs - Tobie Norris - A very busy lunch service in this award -winning refurbished pub on the first post-snow Saturday. Service was slow but the staff were friendly and the Ufford Ales very good. The place is a warren of nooks and crannies with some lovely looking food. Definitely worth a visit. Oakham - Grainstore - A brief stop here for a pint of the delicious Cooking Bitter for me and Rutland Panther for my wife. The pub was quiet for a Sunday lunchtime but the barman was friendly and I managed to buy some take-away bottles. The on-site brewery can be seen from inside the pub. Peterborough - Charters - A converted barge by the Town Bridge on the river Nene. We had some delicious Thai food and a couple of pints of some of the ten well kept ales on offer. The barman was able to tell us about the beers. We tried some one from the new Art Brau brewery and a joint offering from Oakham and Newby Wyke. A unique setting which would make an ideal summer`s evening destination. Matt Phelps, Graham and Yoko Downes, Michael

Croxford, Paul Hewitt, Des O'Brien, Trevor Wadlow, Alan Goodson, Jon Knight, Roland Coomber, Chris Lucas and Andrea Kirkby.

Correspondence I was bemused by Michael Cullup's description of The Champion in issue 148 of Nips as I was in the pub at the time (2 days ago) and enjoying both the quality of the beer and the friendly atmosphere. I gather the current landlord has only been in the place about 5 weeks, and from what Michael says of it in December he has clearly done a very good job. I am happy to report it's back up to its previous high standard. Have to agree with Michael that the Ribs is worthy of a GBG entry, but then Norwich just has more great pubs than most cities, it should be allowed more entries!! Keep up the good work with Nips, I usually have to read it on your web site as I live in Hampshire and it always makes me want to visit the Fine City again! Geoff Tester In response to the piece on the Crown and Mitre, Lynn, in the Spring edition: I was delighted to discover the Crown and Mitre when I moved to Lynn last September. It is everything a CAMRA member could want. Fine old building, no music, no machines, no unpleasant people, warm atmosphere, character of a landlord and – most important – a good selection of real ales in top condition. There are usually six and a constantly changing range. When the Anchor Brewery comes on stream there will be an even greater variety to look forward to, something which Lynn badly needs. The re-introduction of simple pub food at lunchtime adds to the experience of a traditional English pub. I am at a loss to know why this pub does not feature in the Good Beer Guide as it ticks all the boxes. At a time when traditional pubs are closing rapidly I would have thought that the local branch of CAMRA would be doing all that it could to support places like the Crown and Mitre. Peter Rollings

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NORFOLK NIPS | Yacht Charter

Mine’s a pint and a Wherry

www.spectrumhygiene.co.uk he Wherry Yacht Charter Charitable Trust will be sailing the Broads this year - and stopping at a number of pubs en route, offering real ale lovers the chance to combine boating and a drink.

The Trust will also be selling its own beer - Hathor Bitter, named after one of its wherry yachts, which has been brewed by Blackfriars Brewery of Yarmouth for the Trust. (Unfortunately the name 'Wherry' has already been taken. And since Woodforde's helps support the Trust too, it would have been rather tactless to compete.) Katy Walters of the Wherry Yacht Charter Trust says the wherry tour is popular with pubs, as not only are the passengers usually thirsty when they arrive, but many people turn up just to have a look at the boat when she's tied up outside. “The Locks at Geldeston is a favourite,” she says, “and this 14

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year we're also going to be visiting the Ribs of Beef in Norwich.” To get there, the mast has to be lowered to fit under the Wensum bridges - and turning the wherry round to go back downriver is tricky, as there's not much room. Some of the sailings are easily accessible from public transport (Reedham Quay, Berney Arms, and Beccles, for instance) and the price of the sailing includes a return trip by coach or train. The full list of viewings and sailings is available at wherryyachtcharter.org. The Trust has a big fundraising target this year, as it needs GBP 100,000 to refit its base and overhaul its three wherry yachts. The tour is also ‘Hathor’s Farewell’. It won’t be a permanent goodbye to this splendid boat, which is, unusually, designed on an ancient

Egyptian theme, but she needs an overhaul and will be laid up till at least 2013. No one can doubt that wherries and beer go together. Bob Malster's book ‘Wherries and Waterways’ contains a marvellous anecdote. It was not entirely for the sake of the hirers that pleasure wherry skippers contended that all the best moorings were those alongside public houses. Some skippers would arrange for a ‘birthday’ telegram to be sent to them each week, and upon the hirers seeing it they would of course have a whip round or stand him a few drinks at the inn. The results of this trick made up for the cost of the telegram, but they had to take care if the same party returned the following year in a different week! Farmers’ markets More and more brewers are now selling their bottled beers at farmers’ markets. Here’s where to get your supplies. Aylsham - Ynot on first Saturday of the month, Humpty Dumpty on third Saturday of the month Wymondham - Spectrum Brewery, third Saturday of the month Dereham - Spectrum, second Saturday of the month. Beccles - Humpty Dumpty, first Saturday of the month

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GBG 2011 nominations

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Branch calendar 16 June - branch meeting, The Ribs of Beef, Fye Bridge Street

25 June - Beer festival planning meeting at the White Lion, Oak St, 8pm

3 July - First Friday Five, starting 2000, venues to be arranged

12 July - Bowls match at the Duke of Wellington, Waterloo Road, 12 o'clock.

21 July - branch meeting 7 August - First Friday Five 27 August - Beer festival planning meeting at the White Lion, Oak Street, 8pm 4 September - First Friday Five 15 September - branch meeting 24 September - beer festival planning meeting 2 October - First Friday Five 18 October - beer festival panic meeting 25 October - setting up for Norwich Beer Festival - volunteers always needed at St Andrew's and Blackfriars Halls! 26-31 October - Norwich Beer Festival. Come along and volunteer you get free beer, free grub, and a jolly good time will be had by all. For updates on the social calendar check www.norwichcamra.org.uk with the full branch events calendar. You do not have to be a CAMRA member to come on the socials or the First Friday Five - you just have to want to drink real ale and have a good time.

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Good Beer Guide 2011 nominations t may seem strange to some that I am writing an article about nominations for the 2011 CAMRA National Good Beer Guide (GBG) when the voting Meeting for the 2010 GBG occurred only just over three months ago and the deadline for 2011 nominations is not until 31st December 2009, another six months away.

The reason I write this now is that this is the time of year when the long summer evenings are approaching and Branch members are more likely go out in the county and visit some of our more rural pubs. In the past there has never been much interest or enthusiasm for GBG nominations when I advertise for nominations in November and December, when dark winter nights prevail and Christmas arrangements are top of most peopleâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s priorities. So why not get out into the county now and give me your recommendations for new pubs to be considered for possible entry into the GBG. Below is a list of a few early recommendations of possible nominations that I have received:The Banham Barrel The Crown Sheringham The Earle Arms Heydon The White Horse Kenninghall The Greyhound Tibenham

The Pelican Tacolneston The Murderers Norwich The Rose Norwich Now is your chance when visiting pubs around the county to have your say as to which pubs get nominated for the next GBG. Please add to this list and/or visit any of the pubs listed above and give your opinions on whether you reckon they are worthy contenders for inclusion in the National Good Beer Guide. Nominations or comments can be submitted to me either by E-mail to:pubsofficer@norwichcamra.org.uk Or by post to Warren Wordsworth, (Pubs Officer) 16 Grove Avenue, Norwich, NR1 2QD I look forward to hearing from you! Warren Wordsworth West Norfolk Branch would also be pleased to hear of any pubs in their area which deserve a place in the Good Beer Guide, so if you come across a worthy pub in West Norfolk please contact Andrea Briers on e-mail: RD.EastAnglia@camra.org.uk or send the details to her via CAMRA HQ, 230 Hatfield Road, St.Albans, AL1 4LW.

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NORFOLK NIPS | Heritage Pubs

Norfolk’s True Heritage Pubs 2 n the last issue of Norfolk Nips I detailed the background to CAMRA’s National Inventory of Pubs with Interiors of Outstanding Historic Interest (the ‘National Inventory’). I also explained that pubs with a reasonable amount of genuinely historic internal fabric and / or sufficient of the layout for the historic plan-form are eligible to be called one of East Anglia’s True Heritage Pubs.

King Abbot Ale is sold from a cask behind the bar. Phone 01953 887849 - website is www.redlionkenninghall.co.uk

In this issue I am delighted to advise readers that a Norfolk pub, the Red Lion, Kenninghall, was recently added to the Part Two of the National Inventory for its rare snug. It is therefore one of only 80 pubs in the UK with interiors that, although

The dining room of the Red Lion, Kenninghall 18

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The rare ‘snug’ at the Red Lion, Kenninghall – one of only a handful of such rooms left in the country altered, have exceptional rooms or features of national historic importance, and it will be featured as one of only 280 in the forthcoming book “Britain’s True Heritage Pubs”. The Red Lion is an early 19th century pub, which had been shut for seven years when in the mid 1990s Bruce Berry, a builder by trade, was employed by the then owner of the Red Lion to renovate the pub. When it reopened in February 1997 he and his wife Mandy became the managers, and after a year the owners. Fortunately, the owner realised the rarity of the snug and so it was carefully restored and is situated to the right of

the entrance. Probably one of Norfolk's finest pub rooms, it has curved partition walls forming high backed settle seating; but in line with the current demands for light rather than dark interiors it no longer has its original stain. This tiny room has an old Norfolk pammet floor and wood surround fireplace (but modern inner brickwork). There are only a handful of such rooms left in the whole of the UK with other excellent examples at the Kings Head, Laxfield, Suffolk; Old White Beare, Norwood Green, W. Yorks, Holly Bush, Makeney, and Malt Shovel, Spondon, both in Derbyshire – all appear on the National Inventory and stock a range of real ales.

Much of the fittings in the public bar come from the renovation; the old bar top has been re-used as a table top in the dining room. A corridor to the right has the original Norfolk Pammet tiles that have been turned over and leads to a large dining room (not part of the original pub) with tiled floor, stable-like seating areas and large fireplace. The Red Lion is situated at East Church Street, Kenninghall NR16 2EP. Opening hours are Mon to Thu 12 to 3; 5.30 to 11; Fri, Sat, Sun 12 to 11 (10.30 Sun). Food is served from 12 to 2 and from 7 to 9. The real ales on sale are Greene King IPA, Old Speckled Hen, Woodfordes Wherry and a guest beer, which can be from a local micro brewery. Also, Greene

I now wish to introduce another category of pubs that feature in CAMRA’s lists of ‘True Heritage Pubs’. We often find pubs that still retain historic layouts of two or more rooms and/or old pub fittings but they do not comply with the criteria for national or regional recognition. So as to draw attention to these fine pubs and encourage people to visit them CAMRA includes ‘Try Also’ pubs in True Heritage Pubs guides. As example of this is the Bell at Hempton, near Fakenham – an 18th century village local situated at 24 The Green, NR21 7LG, which still retains two rooms. The Bell is an increas-

ingly rare example of a drinker’s pub in the country and I can recommend it as a delightful change from the ubiquitous dining and restaurant country pubs. Its little altered interior owes much to the fact that the pub has been run by the same family for 23 years – Graham ‘Nobby’ and Kathy Watts ran it from 1987 to 2005 when their daughter Rebecca and husband Jason Nicholson took over. Also a George Rye ran it from 1960 to 1986 – the start of the period when massive changes were made to pubs in this country. Today the main bar is on the left, but until the mid 1960s it was the Smoke Room - (note the ‘2’ on the inside of the door). When in the late 60s / early 70s the pub was Continued Overleaf

Heritage Pubs

The renovated public bar of the Red Lion, Kenninghall with ‘real ale from the cask’

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NORFOLK NIPS | Heritage Pubs

extended to the left to bring the toilets inside, the Victorian bar counter was moved from the right hand room (you can check the markings under the carpet to confirm this). If you take a look at the far left part of the counter you will see it consists of three small pieces indicating it had to be cut up to make it fit! The bar back is at least 30 years old with some modern additions.

The Victorian counter at the Bell, Hempton, which was originally in the right hand bar were originally in the left hand main bar. These allow the right hand bar to be divided into two and are still used to create a separate room for meetings and small functions on the right, which has some old, possibly 1960s, bench seating. The majority of people visit this pub for the time-honoured essentials of a pub - good conversation and good beer. If anyone does ask “What food

Originally the main bar was the room on the right and is now the lounge. This has another old counter but this was installed in the 1970s originally it was in the Crown, Fakenham and has been shortened to make it fit. Note the folding partition walls (presumably they replaced a wall), which

The exterior of the Bell, Hempton

Text and photographs by Mick Slaughter of CAMRA’s Pub Heritage Group.

The lounge at the Bell, Hempton with an old counter from the Crown, Fakenham 20

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do you have” the answer will be “Crisps and Nuts” i.e. not even a sandwich is available! There are trad jazz sessions on the 2nd and 4th Thursdays of every month starting at 8.30pm and occasional other live music – no karaoke or discos, as befits a traditional pub! Real ales on permanent sale are Woodfordes Wherry and John Smiths Cask and these are joined by a guest beer from either an independent or micro brewery. Phone 01328 864579 - website is www.hemptonbell.co.uk

If you require photographs of your pub interior / exterior you can contact Mick on 01733 390598 or email m.slaughter45@ntlworld.com to discuss your requirements.

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Crones Cidermakers visit

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One thing that distinguishes Crone’s cider is the commitment to organic production. Apart from a small amount of non-organic fruit processed back in the 80s, Robbie claims “Everything is organic and always has been. We’ve had 22 years of being organic, and we've stuck to organic because we believe in it.”

Crones cider notes here’s a pattern to these things. The sun was shining as I put on my helmet and gloves, and eased my motorbike gently out of Norwich - but once I got half way to Kenninghall it had started to rain. So I arrived at Crone’s slightly damp, my leathers muddy from the back roads.

I was meeting Robbie Crone, one of no fewer than four cidermakers around Kenninghall and Banham. That must make it the centre of the local cider universe! Robbie is a real stalwart of the trade - he has been making cider here for over twenty years. Robbie admits he wasn’t much of a cider drinker in his early days. But when a friend of his made a couple of cider presses, and brought a jug round, he began to change his mind. “I had tried the usual ciders and never really enjoyed them, but I loved the taste of this,” he says. “I started just knocking on people's doors asking for windfalls.” The next year, he managed to increase his production to five or six barrels, and in his third year he was lucky enough to get free apples from a local orchard, and produced 1500 gallons. It was at that stage that he knew he had a business on his hands. “That basically meant I had to sell some,” he says; “I couldn't go on hoarding it.” But the cider was still a sideline 22

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to his furniture business until, in the late 1980s recession, he found he had to choose between them - and chose cider. Robbie admits at first “I was clueless, particularly about the extent to which the licensed trade is stitched up by the brewers”. Many 'free' houses weren't really free, and he found selling his product a thankless task. But eventually, sales in Cambridge began to take off, and the Tap & Spile chain started taking the product. That made a huge difference as Crone's was selling to 20-30 pubs - pubs that he says had customers who liked their real ale and enjoyed the chance of drinking real cider. Crones started out with a strong cider - Robbie says “I just assumed people drank cider to get legless”! More recently, he’s introduced ‘User friendly’, a lighter and slightly sweeter cider intended as a session drink. It’s particularly popular with landlords, and Robbie grins as he explains why - “Publicans said the strong stuff was all right, but their customers fell over after a couple of drinks, so the pub made no money out of it.” Production has varied over the years. At one point, it built up to 6,000 gallons a year, then Pubmaster (which owned Tap & Spile) sprang an unpleasant surprise. Robbie says “They

sent me a curt letter saying we could carry on supplying but we would not be paid”. Over the years, Crones had built up a lot of stock, and so they pulled in their horns production wise. At the same time, organic apple juice began to take off. So Robbie switched production and reduced the cider to below the 1500 gallon limit, taking him out of having to pay duty on the cider, for five years, until the stocks finally got dangerously low. But there’s a happy ending to the saga. Business has slowly built up again, and last year saw a record - “We topped 10,000 gallons for the first time ever,” Robbie Crone says proudly. (If you’re wondering just how much cider that is and I did - we worked out that it would just about fill the average suburban bungalow.) In the meantime, as government subsidies for on-farm diversification have brought new competitors into the business, apple juice has become a less important market for Crones.

He's very convincing about the dangers of organophosphates, commonly used in commercial fruit growing. “An organophosphate is basically a nerve toxin which will kill everything in the orchard, including beneficial insects as well as harmful ones, creating an ‘insect desert’ and leaving birds nothing to eat,” he says. Besides organically grown apples, Crone’s uses a nonGMO champagne yeast culture - a lot of modern yeasts are GMO, apparently. Add a little sugar at the point of sale (Robbie warns me that “Norfolk ciders tend not to lend themselves to being served bone dry, they get too acidic”), and that's the lot - no additives. But Robbie does take issue with the CAMRA stance on ‘real cider’ being unpasteurised. “Why does CAMRA have such a problem with pasteurising?” he asks.

sulphides, also used in some bottled ciders. He would probably prefer to make the ‘Rolls Royce’ of ciders, methode champenoise, with a secondary fermentation in the bottle making a sparkling cider. But changes in the duty regime (it’s now charged at the same rate as sparkling wine) make this too expensive as a regular cider. The problem comes down to Norfolk cider being made with dessert apples. Farming land in Norfolk is expensive, and so farmers just can’t afford to grow cider apples, which only fetch GBP 150-200 a ton, against GBP 1,000 a ton for dessert apples. But use dessert apples, and your cider will ferment out very very dry and bitter if it’s bottled and not pasteurised. “The cider industry centres around the crumbs from the horticulturalists’ table,” Robbie says - Crones get the misshapes and windfalls, and insect damaged fruit - “scrumping the damaged apples.” They also buy up excess stocks of apples like Discovery when their season comes to an end (Discovery doesn't keep, so supermarkets prefer varieties like Worcester which have a

longer shelf life). Despite his difference of opinion with CAMRA over pasteurisation, Robbie believes CAMRA has been invaluable for cider maker. “In the early stages they gave us a seal of approval which was invaluable for marketing, and beer festivals kept us in the public eye,” he says. “And generally, CAMRA has been instrumental in saving traditional cider, in particular in East Anglia”. Where to get Crone’s: The cidermaker delivers direct to Norwich, and to pubs around Kenninghall; you may find the cider in Kenninghall White Horse, which has a decent selection of real ales too. In Norwich, Take 5, Ketts Tavern and the Rose serve Crone’s. Robbie is also glad to be serving the White Lion in Oak Street again - “they were one of our old customers and it's good to see them back”. Crone's also supplies pubs elsewhere in Norfolk through Wolf and Elgoods breweries, and the bottled cider is available at Rainbow Wholefoods in Norwich. Andrea Kirkby

“Why pasteurise?” I ask in return. “That’s because it stops the bottles exploding,” he says. At least pasteurisation is additive free - unlike the addition of

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NORFOLK NIPS | Hops and Malt

August Beer Festival Friday 14th 11am - 11pm, Saturday 15th 11am - 11pm Sunday 16th 12 noon - 10.30pm

Wide selection of Beers from around the UK. Live music: BB

Saturday 8pm “The Rum Brothers” Country and Irish Music Sunday 6.30 pm “The Rocking Johnnies”.

Regular X1 Bus Service to/from Dereham and Norwich CAMRA Good Beer Guide 2008 & 2009

The Street, Hockering, Nr Dereham NR20 3HL

Q availabl e at all sessions

01603 880507

THE RED LION – FREEHOUSE – East Church Street, Kenninghall, Norfolk, NR16 2EP 01953 887849 Email: theredlionltd@aol.com OPENING TIMES Mon-Thurs 12noon-3pm, 5.30pm-11 pm

Open all day Friday, Sat urday and Sunday from 12noon. Events coming up Friday 26th June CHEESE & WINE NIGHT Sunday 12th July ACOUSTIC JAM SESSIO N - FROM 3.30PM Thursday 16th July TAPAS NIGHT - 7-9PM Sunday 9th August BEACH PARTY (ACOUSTI C) & BBQ August Bank Holiday We ekend SCAVENGER HUNT

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A traditional country pub with real ales and excellent home-cooked food. Restaurant open lunch and evening. Regular live music events. Open for Bed & Breakfast every night of the week. Featured in the CAMRA Good Beer Guide Greene King s Free Trade National Community Pub of the Year (2007) Greene King s East Anglian Pub of the Year (2006)

www.redlionkenninghall.co.uk

Hops and Malt with Norfolk Square Brewery he recipe for beer is simple - malt, hops, water and yeast. Only it’s not quite that easy if you want to make a really drinkable beer, says Carlos Branquinho of Norfolk Square Brewery.

In the beginning there was yeast, barley, hops and water. The four lived their separate lives for thousands of years happily. Then man came along and beer was born… Nothing has been quite the same since! And then Norfolk Square Brewery came along. I know that we do not brew beers to meet everyone’s palate, but we do endeavour to ensure that the beers we brew are enjoyable. You see, my personal thoughts on this are that if I can’t enjoy our beers, who will? So we brew a small range that encompasses two golden ales (not to be confused with pale ales), two delicious bitters, a Porter style ale and a traditional mild. In order to do this, the brewing team had to formulate recipes, and this is done using two tools - literature and the taste buds. So aside from reading we have also sampled many ales, and are now experts! Malt to us is what will define the ale; it is the foundation. So a lot of thought must go into this. Not only will it define

the underlying taste of the ale, but also how it will feel in your mouth, and its colour. We have decided to use the excellent locally grown Maris Otter pale malt, which we obtain from Branthill Farm, located near Wells Next the Sea, as the base for all our beers. We then have a huge selection of speciality grains to choose from. Now depending on your beer style, you will need to select different malts and grains to attain the colour of the beer and also flavours such as roastiness and caramel, as well as to ensure that the ale has the correct mouth feel and head. We like to put a certain amount of wheat malt in all our ales, as this will help with the smoothness of the ale as well as the head. For our darker ales, we use the lighter of the deep roasted malts, chocolate malt, as this not only imparts a chocolate roast flavour, but also the very dark amber colour to the ale, without the acrid burnt favour of the roasted malt or roasted barley. There are two caramelised malts that we also like to use. Carapils, a lightly caramelised malt, and Crystal, darker and sweeter. In the golden ales you can see their effect as the ales are not pale, but rather a very light amber colour. In the bitters, we add a little more,

thus changing the flavour of the ale and also darkening them. So the most important aspect of using multiple malts in ales is the combination and percentage used in the mash. Next we come to hops, a fairly young addition to ales in brewing terms. Aside from the hop plant’s preservative and medicinal uses, when brewing, the plant is used to add both bitterness and aroma to the ale. Each hop plant variety can give different degrees of bitterness. The aroma is a little more complex. Here it’s not only the hoppy aroma we are looking for, but also citrus and blackcurrant tones. In our golden ales we use a hop that gives a citrus background. As they tend to be ales that can be drunk slightly chilled, it adds a refreshing aspect. With our mild and porter we wanted to go for more traditional hops and thus we use a local English hop to achieve this. In our bitters, we are a little more adventurous and have used a combination of more traditional English hops as well as some new varieties on the market. The most exciting part of brewing for us is the designing of new beers. We certainly have had a few thoughts for our Autumn Ale, but I think it still requires more drinking... er… research…

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Angel Gardens Free House

Under same ownership for 21 years

Six reasonably priced Real Ales including three guest ales Home Cooked Food Live Music on Saturdays Beer Garden with heated smoking shelter

2 Bars (with one for Private Hire) Ample Car Parking 96 Angel Rd, Norwich NR3 3HT 01603 427490 email: ikwarren-angel@tiscali.co.uk www.norwichinns.com

The Lobster

Heath House

& Stables Restaurant

FRESH FOOD SERVED DAILY n Vegetarian and Vega le ilab ava ns tio op

OPENING HOURS Monday to Thursday 10am to 11pm Friday to Saturday 10am to 1.30am Sunday 12 noon to 12pm

BEER FESTIVALS ON BANK HOLIDAYS 10 Real Ales • Fine Wines • Childrens Menu Baby Changing • Disabled Facilities Large Beer Gardens • Dogs are welcome 13 High Street, Sheringham, Norfolk, NR26 8JP Tel: 01263 822716 www.the-lobster.com

Norwich

Traditional Family Pub

Beer Festival Monday 22nd to Sunday 28th June Ales from near and far Crone’s Organic Cider (7.4% ABV) Live music from ‘Beyond Duplication’ on Friday erved ‘Just Kevin’ on Saturday ood S turday Jus Pub F Sa

t 10 m the Cid ins from er She d

to esday on to Wedn 9pm (12no to ) n m u p S 6 n 5pm o

The Heath House, 99 Gertrude Rd, Norwich, Norfolk NR3 4SG Tel: 01603 406417

01603 625891 www.thewigandpen.com

6 St Martins Palace Plain, Norwich NR3 1RN

This warm and friendly 17th century Freehouse is to the north side of Norwich cathedral. Owned by Craig & Lynne McLaren since 1993. ‘The Wig’ as its affectionately known, has built a reputation for fresh, fast, affordable British cuisine.

• Good Ale • Good Food • Heated smoking area Sky & Setanta Sports TV • Late Night Opening • Real Fire Look out for our Cask Marque Plaque. This guarantees beer quality in the Wig & Pen and the opportunity to TRY BEFORE YOU BUY.

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For the 12th successive year, the Wig & Pen has been included in CAMRA’s Good Beer Guide. We are very proud of this achievement.

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Beer & Music

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NORFOLK NIPS | Beer & Music Lord Nelson, Walsingham Road, Burnham Thorpe Greene King Abbot and Woodforde’s Wherry

Music & Real Ale TRADITIONAL JAZZ Water Rats Jazz Band Annual Tour of Norfolk Broads – Sat 18th July to Friday 24th July. At the time of writing these notes the full itinerary was not available, although it is known that their tour this year will be confined mainly to the Southern rivers of the Broads. However, as Woodforde’s Brewery will again be providing sponsorship for the band, it is understood that they will be appearing at the Fur and Feather at Woodbastwick on Sunday 19th July. Watch out for full details in the press or visit the website at water-rats.co.uk Acle Recreation Centre, Bridewell Lane, Acle Real Ales include Adnams Bitter, Theakstons and Tipples Redhead Tuesday 23rd June Jim McIntosh’s Jazzaholics Jazz Band Friday 4th September Barry Tyler’s Original Dixieland Jazz Band Tickets/enquiries – Brian Davis 01493 701880 The Quality Hotel (Filby Suite), Bowthorpe, Norwich (off Dereham Road) Fat Cat Bitter is being laid on specially for the jazz sessions. 28

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Tuesday 14th July – Mick Murphy’s Chosen Six Jazz Band

First Friday every month – Lumiere Rouge Ragtime Band

Tickets/enquiries – Rod Playford 01362 688269

Marsham Arms, nr Hevingham (B1149 Norwich-Holt Road) Adnams Bitter, plus alternating guests including Adnams Broadside and Woodforde’s Wherry

King’s Arms, Market Place, Reepham Adnams Bitter, Elgoods Cambridge Bitter, Timothy Taylor Landlord, Woodforde’s Wherry and Abbot Ale Every Sunday lunchtime to mid September in the courtyard at the rear of pub (weather permitting), the bands alternating through the summer will be Nene Valley Jazzmen, Climax Jazz Band, Vintage Hot Orchestra, Norfolk Jazz (who include several former members of Just Jazz Good Time Jazz Band) and Simon Nelson’s Dixie Mix. In addition, there will be a lunchtime session on Bank Holiday Monday 31st August. (Phone King’s Arms for more details - 01603 870345) King’s Head Hotel, Beccles, Suffolk Adnams Bitter and Broadside plus special house beer Matilda’s Revenge brewed by local brewery Opa Hays in honour of the resident ghost Every Sunday evening Red Beans ‘n’ Rice New Orleans Jazz Band Feathers Hotel, Market Place, Holt Greene King Abbot Ale and IPA

Third Friday every month – Lumiere Rouge Ragtime Band Ingleside Hotel, Mundesley (B1159 coast road between Mundesley and Trimingham) Real Ales include Greene King Old Speckled Hen and IPA, plus seasonal guest beers. Also Weston’s Draught Scrumpy on handpump Sunday 28th June (12.30 – 3.00 pm) – Chris Wigley’s Dixieland Jazz Quartet Railway Tavern, Coltishall Black Sheep Bitter, Oakham Bishops Farewell and Hop Back Summer Lightning Saturday 4th July (2.00 – 4.00 pm) – Dixie Jazz Bandits with Mary Lou Lambert Village Hall, Reedham (in conjunction with Humpty Dumpty Brewery) Friday 10th July – Dixie Jazz Bandits with Mary Lou Lambert

Thursdays 11th June and 9th July – Chris Wigley’s Dixieland Jazz Quartet Northrepps Country Hotel (Nr Cromer) Sundays 14th June and 12th July (12.00 – 3.00 pm) – Chris Wigley’s Dixieland Jazz Quartet Dereham Jazz Society, Lakeside Country Club, Quarry Lane, Lyng (Nr Dereham) Adnams beers plus guest beers on handpump Wednesday 24th June – Barry Palser’s Savoy Jazz Band George and Dragon, Newton by Castle Acre Elgoods Cambridge plus local guest beers Second Tuesday every month – Black Bowler Hat Jazz Band (Also folk music on first Thursday every month) The Buck Inn, The Street, Flixton, Suffolk Woodforde’s Mardler’s, Morland Original and Adnams Bitter are the regulars at present, but in addition there are guest beers, and an increased selection in the summer months Every Thursday Sole Bay Jazz Band

MAINSTREAM / MODERN JAZZ Green Man, Wroxham Road, Rackheath Woodforde’s Wherry, Adnams Bitter and Broadside plus guests Every Tuesday – Full programme consisting of various bands and musicians. For further details, phone Barbara Capocci on 01603 413443, or e-mail b.capocci123@ntlworld.com Dereham Jazz Society, Lakeside Country Club, Quarry Lane, Lyng (nr Dereham) Adnams beers plus guest beers on handpump Every Wednesday – Full programme consisting of various bands and musicians in varied styles, which usually includes one ‘traditional’ session each month (see above). For further details phone 01328 863511 or 01362 696741 or visit website www.lakeside-jazz-club.co.uk Keith Chettleburgh

FOLK IN THE EAST (AND WEST) Sumer is icumen in, Lhude sing cuccu! (Middle English c.1260) Hopefully by the time you sit

down to read these notes the forecast ‘barbeque’ summer will have well and truly arrived so why not take the opportunity to get out there and combine a decent pint with some live music and entertainment? Starting with Morris dance; Golden Star are dancing out at their sponsor’s, Grain Brewery, which is holding a open evening on the 13th of June (from 16.00) at the brewery at Albury (near Harleston), while on the 30th Star will be sharing an evening with Rumburgh Morris at the Queens Head at Earsham. Over in the west The King’s Morris, based in Lynn, having hopefully survived dancing at dawn on May Day on Knights Hill roundabout (the highest point in West Norfolk), will dance out on selected Friday or Saturdays between May & September. These dance-outs are usually outside pubs (no great surprise there it has to be said) which often finish with their take on folk music in the bar. See thekingsmorris.co.uk for more details. Like many sides King's, formed in 1978, are a revival side from a district with no Morris tradition and dance in the Cotswold style associated with the recorded dances of the Bledington, Fieldtown, Bampton, Bucknell & Adderbury traditions. Last, but hardly least, Kemps Men of Norwich ( who like Star have a brewery sponsor in the form of Buffy's) have a full programme this summer. Continued Overleaf

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Crown Inn Sheringham Seafront, Sheringham NR26 8BQ Tel: 01263 823213

Four Real Ales London Pride, GK Abbot, GK IPA and Woodfordes Werry

Large Beer Garden overlooking the sea

Live music every Wednesday Popular Extensive Menu serving good traditional pub food available 12noon - 9pm, 7 days a week plus daily specials

NORFOLK NIPS | Beer & Music With most of the appearances starting at 19.45 these include; June 3rd Queens Head Hethersett, Wymondham Feathers on the 10th, Riverside Norwich on the 17th and Rockland St Mary New Inn on the 24th. In July they are at the White Horse in Chedgrave on the 8th, the Banningham Crown on the 15th, Bridge Inn Acle on the 22nd and finishing the month off on the 29th at the Fur & Feather (the Woodforde Brewery tap) in Woodbastwick. If your dance interests are not completely sated there is the 14th Lobster Potties dance weekend at Sheringham on the 7th & 8th of July. Road closures in town should preclude (most) fatalities as this is street dancing and a perch outside several of the towns pubs should give you a good view of the proceedings. Geldeston Locks has a full entertainment programme; as usual, visit www.geldestonlocks.co.uk for full details. Most Thursdays and Sundays there is a good chance of folk or blues content. They have the Lockstock Festival on the 13th of June (ÂŁ5.00) from 12.00 to 24.00 with, it seems, something for everyone, and a Solstice session on the 21st with Strummer & friends.

wich) with Thursday & Sunday the evenings to look out for. Also in the city there are weekly band and or singer appearances at The Duke of Wellington, von Krapp Family on Tuesday evenings Micawbers: The Shufflewing sessions Tuesday evenings The York Tavern on Fridays And Jurnets Bar at the Music House every Friday, not by any means exclusively folk but well worth a visit to this very rare11th century building (with club membership available for regular visitors) There are a whole host of folk based, events typically taking place once (or twice) a month at pubs throughout our area of which the following is just a sample:- Folk at the Railway (Mondays) at the Railway North Elmham the Wisbech Folk Club meet at the Angel Wisbech on Tuesdays a session takes place at the Reedcutters at Cantley on the 1st Wednesday of the month the 2nd Wednesday is the Burlington Hotel Sheringham.

While, at the Kings Head at Dereham, folk is on the 3rd Wednesday of the month The Alby Horseshoes on the last Thursday of the month and 2nd Sunday of the month in the afternoon try the Gatehouse on Dereham Road Norwich. The Nelson Pub in Nelson Street, Norwich. More Than Folk, round the room, acoustic session. Every Wednesday 8.30pm - 11pm. A jolly session where singers and musicians are welcome. For further details Phone 01953 607483. It is always worthwhile phoning first, if you are travelling any distance, to ensure that the sessions are actually happening that particular day; sickness, holidays and short notice change to plans, happen to all of us and it could save you a wasted journey! There is a new website covering local pub-folk in the Norfolk & North Suffolk region with both regular and one-off events in the listing. Check www.littlebirdtoldme.info very helpful!

In the city the Cider Shed on Sprowston Road continues its Irish session on Wednesday evenings and occasional Folk guests on Sunday afternoons while on Nelson Street, yup thatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s the Nelson, (myspace.com/nelsonpubnor30

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Norfolk Country Pubs

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NORFOLK NIPS | Norfolk Country Pubs

Rural Rides end of the village was where the landlubbers worked - the West End was where the sailors lodged. In those days east and west seldom mixed.

tis summer now, and time to get out into the Norfolk countryside to enjoy the good weather (if there is any) and our local beers (more dependable!). These walks, condensed from Warren Wordsworth’s book ‘Real Ale Walks in Norfolk’, should help you take best advantage of any sunny days we’re lucky enough to get. Or just hole up in a good pub and watch the rain falling outside!

Wells Despite its name, Wells-nextthe-Sea is not by the sea but situated about a mile inland and connected by a channel. Although it has the title of a town, many regard Wells as a large village for its resident population is under 3,000. By Tudor times it had developed into an important port. By the mid 19th century it boasted three shipyard. However, after a railway line from Dereham linked the town with the rest of the country in 1857 much of the port's trade went to the railway companies. Nowadays, Wells is a quiet tourist resort with attractions 32

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particularly for yachtsmen, walkers, and bird watchers. A walk along the quay will reveal more of old Wells where many buildings date back centuries and is evidence of the town’s industrial maritime past. The Ark Royal dates from the 1960s and is a good place to call in before commencing your walk. Usually a range of around five real ales are available that includes Greene King IPA and Woodforde’s Wherry there is also good value for money food available. Wander down the quay, which split old Wells into two well-defined areas. The East

Facing the harbour, The Golden Fleece dates from the late 18th century. Real ales include Adnams Broadside and Greene King IPA. Turn left up the narrow Staithe Street, with old terraced buildings and small shops, an ‘olde world’ of traditional grocers and butchers along with book and antique shops. At the end of Staithe Street is The Corner House, now a wine bar and restaurant, once a pub called the Tewkesbury Arms and later the Prince of Wales. It is worth a stop as three real ales are on tap, with no obligation to order food.

many fine Georgian houses surround the open green. There is a choice of two hostelries. The Globe was an 18th century Coaching Inn. It sells a range of beers from Adnams and Woodforde’s, and is very family orientated allowing children into the bar. It also offers B&B. The Crown Hotel was originally a boarding school; here you can enjoy beers from Adnams or from Fox of Heacham. Kings Arms, Blakeney

Opposite is The Edinburgh Hotel. One of the oldest pubs in town. Its earliest name was The Fighting Cocks until the 1840s after which cock fighting was banned; it was renamed the Leicester Arms until it assumed its modern name. Beers available include Wherry, draught Bass plus guests. After leaving the Edinburgh, turn sharp left inland into a broad street that leads to a tree-lined green. This is the Buttlands, which takes its name from the time of Henry VIII when the green was used for men to practise archery. Today

Cley, Wiverton and Blakeney Walk Forget the City and Market Town Walk! This is as rural as you can get. It is a circular tour about 4 miles in length, along lanes that link the three picturesque villages which lie close to the North Sea coast.

In medieval times all three villages, along with Salthouse, made up a port around the Glaven estuary known as ‘Blakeney Haven’. Today what was a medieval port is now fields. It was important as a port for fishing and trade when wool and grain were exported in some quantity. However, during the 17th century, the port declined as land enclosures caused the estuary to silt up, though quite large ships were still coming to Blakeney as late as the early 1900s. Blakeney has great charm. The narrow streets are lined by well-maintained homes of great age. Old port buildings have been converted into flats. The vestige of a small quay has sruvived where holidaymakers board small boats and at high tide sail the meandering estuary to where the river enters the sea at Blakeney Point, where there are numerous sandbanks and scores of seals. The walk starts in Cley next the

Sea, which is something of a misnomer since it is now about a mile from the sea. The most prominent landmark is an 18th century windmill; energetic visitors may climb to the top. The first pub is The George Hotel, formerly known as the George and Dragon. Only the small bar at the entrance is a pub. Opposite across the road is a large beer garden. Real ales come from Woodforde’s and Greene King. With the parish church behind and the village green in front, The Three Swallows is the country pub we have all imagined. The low ceiling, small windows and old fireplaces convey an ‘ole worlde feeling’, and the cask ale comes from Adnams and Greene King. Walk on to Wiveton where you will find The Bell beside the Green. It has a large open plan bar with exposed beams and an inglenook fireplace. Beers sold here are from Woodforde’s and other guest ales usually from local breweries. Continued Overleaf

SUMMER SPRING 2009 | 33

Norfolk Country Pubs

| NORFOLK NIPS

Next take the Blakeney road; the imposing parish church of St Nicholas is a gem, with two towers - the main tower is very tall with 137 steps, worthwhile for the splendid panoramic views. The second smaller tower was where beacons were once lit to aid navigation. The Kings Arms is an attractive white washed flint Grade II listed building with a spacious interior of six separate bars. Five cask beers are usually available from a variety of different breweries. The Blakeney Hotel is a large building that dominates the skyline of Blakeney Quay. Sir Henri Derterding, Chairman of the Shell Oil Company, built it in 1923 on the former site of the Crown & Anchor, better known to locals as the ‘Barking Dickey’. The quayside location offers fine views across the estuary and salt marshes. The Manor Hotel takes its name from the old Blakeney manor house. There is a large bar, with a conservatory at one end offering an extensive lunchtime menu, and Adnams and Woodfordes on sale. Finally, The White Horse Hotel is a building dating back to the 15th century, but ‘modernised’ in the 17th century. It has a large split-level loung and courtyard bar, and serves Adnams beers. The Bure Valley The Bure Valley Trail is a nine mile trip from Aylsham to Wroxham. You may walk, cycle 34

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Swanton Morley Village Hall and Social Club Manns Lane, Swanton Morley Dereham.

from Woodforde’s, Adnams and Greene King.

The Black Boys, Aylsham or take a more sedate form of travel by riding on the 15” narrow gauge Bure Valley Railway. Passenger services run from mid March until the end of September. For more details check www.bvrw.co.uk. (The Wroxham end of the line is less than five minutes walk from Network Rail’s ‘Bittern Line’ running from Norwich to Cromer.) Aylsham is a very old Norfolk town dating back to Anglo Saxon times, and is recorded in the Domesday book under the name of ‘Elesham’. The town rose to prominence in later medieval times as a result of the linen trade and then from wool, particularly the weaving of worsted. Its fortunes declined with the coming of the industrial revolution, though it retained some importance as an agricultural market town, as seen by its many fine Georgian buildings. The town centre has three pubs around the old medieval market place. Parts of The Black Boys date back to 1655; it also has a claim to fame in that Admiral Nelson danced here. It offers a wide ranging food menu and real ales

2nd ANNUAL BEER FESTIVAL and FOLK FESTIVAL

The Unicorn has a splendid red tiled roof and dates back to the 18th century. It stocks a range of real ales such as Marston’s Pedigree and Greene King’s Old Speckled Hen. Its character is more of a back street local with darts and other pub games. The third pub is The Feathers on Cawston Road. This flint and brick built Victorian building is a welcoming local’s pub, decorated with many old Bullard’s and Steward & Patteson memorabilia. Real ales include Charles Wells Bombardier and a frequently changing list of guests which often include ales from Oulton and Humpty Dumpty. It is worth breaking your journey at Buxton station. The Old Crown in Buxton dates back at least to the early 19th cenutry, with an imposing Dutch gable at one end. The interior is just what you would expect of a pub of this age. It stocks a range of real ales including Adnams. The next station is Coltishall there are no less than five excellent pubs in close proximity to the station. The Railway Tavern is a Georgian style flint faced building with a red roof and old sash windows. A lantern over the doorway inscribed ‘The Norwich Brewery Company’ reminds us that this was once a Watneys pub. Beers sold here today are Continued Overleaf

8TH – 9TH August 2009 17 NORFOLK BEERS & 3 CIDERS TIMES: Saturday 12pm TILL MIDNIGHT SUNDAY 12pm ‘til 7pm (Or when we run out)

FOOD AND DRINK AVAILABLE ALL WEEKEND

01603 279927 john@oleslewfootbrewery.co.uk

3 Pollard Rd, Hainford, Norwich NR10 3BE

Camping can be arranged for the weekend at a small cost.

Entry £5.00 per person

(with free pint glass) All keg beer and cider £2.00 per pint

The Real Ale Shop Branthill Farm, Wells-next-the-Sea, NORFOLK NR23 1SB ON THE B1105 FAKENHAM- WELLS RD

Over 50 bottle conditioned real ales from 15 Norfolk brewers who all use Branthill Farms famous malted barley.

TEL: 01328 710810

www.therealaleshop.co.uk SUMMER 2009 | 35

NORFOLK NIPS | Norfolk Country Pubs

The new rising sun, Coltishall

Real ales, sweet spirits and delicious wines Gaming lounge and garden • Function Room Live music on Thursdays The Shindig on Saturdays The Sunday social....well on Sundays (Formerley the St Andrews Tavern) 4 St Andrews Street, Norwich NR2 4AF

01603 614858 Open Midday Till Midnight

mainly local coming from Humpty Dumpty, Wolf and Adnams. If you have time, go out to the back of the garden and look round the old disused Victorian lime kilm, which is reputedly one of the best preserved in Norfolk. Over the Bure in Horstead is The Recruiting Sergeant, a large roadside pub with whitewash and flint walls; the porch has a Dutch gable. Real ales include Adnams. Back in Coltishall The Red Lion is a large rambling old 17th century inn with mustard coloured walls and a Dutch gable. Inside there are lots of old beams and different drinking areas on split levels including a sunken bar. Adnams and Bass are joined by guest ales.

| SUMMER 2009

century, with commanding views of the River Bure. Many holiday cruisers moor up here in the season. There is a large beer garden by the riverside - a perfect place for a relaxed drink. Real ales include Woodforde’s, Greene King and Deuchars. At Wroxham, the terminus of the Bure Valley railway, is The King’s Head Hotel by the riverbank, a large red brick and flint building with a rambling interior and a beer garden enjoying views of the River Bure. You can now head for Roy’s shopping centre or one of the many food outlets - fish & chip shops, a kebab house, tea rooms, ice cream parlours, Thai, Indian and Chinese restaurants. Finally, Hotel Wroxham, a large modern hotel with a plush interior sells real ales including Adnams

Bitter, Broadside, and Courage Best. On the Waterside Terrace you can drink and eat while watching holidaymakers pass in their pleasure boats. I think the best bus trip you could ever find to explore the Norfolk country pubs would have to be the CoastHopper service run by Norfolk Green. This super service connects all the villages between Cromer and Wells. The service runs every 30 minutes, just enough time for a pint in each village. But be warned there are approx 50 pubs on this route! Bus Time Tables are available on the CoastHopper website http://www.norfolkgreen.co.uk/ti metables/pdfs/coasthopper.pdf For full details of all the pubs on the route check out CAMRA'S own excellent CoastHopper Pub website http://www.norwichcamra.o rg.uk/guides/cheast.htm

Maurice Bobbitt

Real Ale Walks in Norfolk Each pub walk takes in between five to seven real ale pubs, with a description and a colour photo of each pub featured in the walk. A map of the route together with details of other places of interest, (particularly historical) that visitors will encounter along each walk. The book contains descriptions of most of the breweries in Norfolk and neighbouring counties. 128 pages in full colour

The Kings Head is an old 17th century pub facing the main road, a fine old building with Dutch gables and a long sloping roof. An original ornate Georgian doorway leads into the richly decorated interior. Real ales include Adnams, Marston’s Pedigree and guests.

Copies can be obtained by mail order, price £6.95 including postage and packing. (CAMRA members £5.95, quoting membership number). Please send cheques made payable to "N & N CAMRA" to:Pub Walks Guide C/O 16 Grove Avenue, Norwich, NR1 2QD.

Close by is The New Rising Sun, a much bigger pub dating back to the mid 19th

Also available from Jarrolds, Borders, and Waterstones in Norwich, and has now been in the top two of Jarrolds' local bestsellers list for seven consecutive weeks.

SUMMER 2009 | 37

He should have gone to the

EATON COTTAGE, UNTHANK RD, NORWICH 01603 453048

SURLINGHAM OPENING HOURS ALL DAY, ALL YEAR, EVERY DAY FROM 11am-CLOSE FOOD AVAILABLE ALL DAY, FROM 12 TILL 9pm Picturesque riverside walks, RSPB reserve, On Norwich’s doorstep. Moorings available. Open Fire, Real Ales. Good traditional Home Cooked Food,

Main meals from £6.95 All Functions catered for. Live Music, Quiz Nights. Small Children and Dog friendly. You will receive a Warm and Friendly Welcome from Sonia, Andy and All at the Staff at The Ferry

Fine Real Ales,lagers,wines and spirits All Sky Sports • A traditional pub Good covered outside areas • Doggies welcome

Ferry Road, Surlingham, Norwich, Norfolk. NR14 7AR Tel: 01508 538659 Email: surlinghamferry@googlemail.com

“a festival of beers every day”

Website: www.surlinghamferryhouse.co.uk

A light and crisp beer brewed with East Anglian malted barley. The presence of First Gold hops gives this summer beer a refreshing finish.

The White Hart The Street, Rockland All Saints

Sally Ann & Binz bid you a warm welcome where our aim is to make your visit as pleasurable as possible with good food, fine drink and a friendly atmosphere! Open Tuesday - Sunday 11am - 3pm & 6pm - 11pm Food Served Tuesday - Sunday 12pm - 2pm & 6.30pm - 9pm ECIAL SUNDAY LUNCH SP

1 course £7.95 £10.95 (main & dessert) es 2 cours al Menu £6 eci Sp h nc Lu k Midwee

01953 483361 38

| SUMMER 2009

SUMMER 2009 | 39

Beer History

| NORFOLK NIPS

NORFOLK NIPS | Beer History rather than a fruit, but nevertheless produces a wonderfully refreshing summer drink and which, to my knowledge, has never been used in a commercial brew. The recipe below suits my taste, but feel free to tweak it to your own preferences.

Summer Fruits rchaeologists tell us that beer has been made for at least 7000 years. Over that time, a large number of plants have been used to add flavour, body or colour and to preserve the precious liquid. For 700 years hops have been the main herb used, but other things can be added to give a different twist.

Since time immemorial, Belgian brewers have been using herbs, spices and fruits to complement their ales, a practice that continues to this day. In the 1960s, Pierre Celis resurrected an ancient wheat beer style from his home village of Hoegaarden using orange peel and coriander to produce a light, refreshing summer beverage that has inspired a whole generation of brewers to emulate it. Celis White is brewed to his original recipe with rather more character than the international brand. Cherries or raspberries are added to spontaneously fermented lambic beers, blond or brown ales, to add sweetness and body, giving us kriek and frambozen. Try the sweet, luscious Ter Dolen Kriek, Liefmans Frambozen, which is increasingly widely available, or the delicately dry, sharp and truly wonderful Cantillon Rosé de Gambrinus. It is only in recent years however that British craft brewers have started experi40

| SUMMER 2009

Rhubarb Beer Ingredients 40 pint Lager Kit (Trust me, it works!) Ale Yeast 1Kg Light Dry Malt Extract (Spraymalt) 1.5Kg Rhubarb 15gms Cascade Hops

menting with fruit beers to produce a variety of styles, many of which make extremely pleasant summer drinks. Hanby’s Cherry Bomb and Heather Ales Grozet (gooseberry) are fine examples of British fruit beers, but there are some being made closer to home. Iceni Raspberry Wheat is an ideal summer pint, golden with a delicate fruit flavour that enhances rather than overpowers. Green Jack Orange Wheat uses the Belgian approach to the style and is a lovely thirst quencher for a hot summers day, assuming we get any this year. St. Peter’s Grapefruit is altogether more robust, with fruit acidity and pith bitterness combining to give the perfect complement to a ploughman’s lunch with a good strong Cheddar cheese.

Method Take a big pan (a large stockpot or preserving pan is good), half fill with water and heat. Dissolve the beer kit and dry malt extract in the water, stirring frequently. Bring to the boil, add the hops and simmer for 20 minutes. Strain through a sieve into a sterilised brewing bin and sparge (rinse through) to capture all the flavours and fermentables. Wash, trim and chop the rhubarb and place in the pan with enough water to cover, bring to the boil and simmer until the rhubarb breaks up. Strain into the brewing bin and sparge as before. Top the brew up to 40 pints with cold water and allow to cool to below 25°C. Add

the yeast & allow to ferment out, around 4-7 days depending on temperature. Siphon into bottle or cask, adding a little priming sugar, 2 dessertspoons for cask, or ½ level teaspoon per pint bottle and allow to stand for at least 2 weeks, preferably a month, before sampling. Bottled, it will keep for at least a year stored in a cool dark place. Enjoy a pint at cellar temperature or lightly chilled & served in champagne flutes it makes the prefect aperitif for a summer dinner party or barbeque.

Fox produce Heachham Kriek, which I have unfortunately not yet had the chance to try. For those of you who are feeling more adventurous, or if you are a gardener with a sudden glut of fruit, why not try making your own fruit beer - it is really simple and the results can be outstanding. My personal preference is for slightly acidic fruits, as this lends a sharpness to the finished brew that is highly thirst quenching and counterbalances any tendency to excess sweetness. Cherries, raspberries, gooseberries, blackcurrants, apricots (fresh or dried), damsons and other plums all work well in beer and can be used by the home brewer. There is one other ingredient that you can try, which technically is a vegetable

Wymondham, Norfolk www.pennycress.co.uk sales@pennycress.co.uk

We stock the full range of

‘Rainbow’ liquid chalk marker pens. Suitable for indoor and outdoor signage. Wetwipe chalk markers are available in ten colours. Liquid chalk wet wipe products come off with a quick wipe from a damp cloth, yet they are waterproof and permanent under even the heaviest rainfall.

Please visit our website or call

07957 938989 SUMMER 2009 | 41

Locks I n o t s e eld Locks Lane, Geldeston nn NR34 0HW Tel: 01508 518414

NORFOLK NIPS | Book Review

London’s Best Pubs

www.geldestonlocks.co.uk (also have myspace and facebook)

Summer Hours Noon to close every day Food 12-2.30pm & 6-8.30pm every day (except sunday evenings) Friday Nights: Famous curries of the world voted best music venue on the Broads!

Events coming up: Sun 30th August Music all day & canoe regatta Fri 18th - Sun 20th Sept Harvest Beer Cider & Music Festival

THE TRIANGLE TAVERN 29 ST PETERS ST. LOWESTOFT NR32 1QA www.thetriangletavern.co.uk

SUMMER BEER FESTIVAL - Sunday 23rd August Featuring Green Jack specials & summer ales from our favourite breweries with Live music every Thursday & Friday evening

(A guide to London’s most interesting and unusual pubs) Peter Haydon, 224 page, full colour, New Holland Publishers. £14.99 ISBN 978 1 84773 421 1 here are many kinds of pub guides. Some will describe every last finial & fenestration, the exquisite mosaic of a long lost brewery name in the entrance and the Edwardian fish tank in the Ladies, while unhelpfully omitting the fact that it serves only the Devil's own urine for beer. In contrast others will list the beers, method of dispense, and opening hours, and leave you in total ignorance of the rare vinyl juke box in the Lounge, the chilli loving cat and the fact that Karl Marx used to pop in for his evening pint after a hard day in the British Library!

Peter Haydon’s guide sits happily between these two extremes with a brief listing of the beer range followed by a

one line précis of the pub, before leaping happily into a enthusiastic description of the said pub's history, character, clientele and those quirky details that make a visit a real, and hopefully, entertaining experience. At a page an entry (115 of them) and with outlets ranging from the West End via the City to the East End, and from Kentish Town Road to Borough High Street, this is a snap-shot of the best of London’s pubs in the first decade of the 21st century, illustrated with a superb selection of colour photographs that makes this reviewer spit with envy.

England plus the Which? Guide to Country Pubs - so no problem with his qualifications for this guide then! This is a guide for planning that next trip to the Smoke and the getting the taste buds purring in anticipation of a good pint in a great pub. Jon Knight

With any guide the question has to be the degree of accuracy achieved, and, as many pubs listed are new to me I would find it difficult to comment, but, as the writer lists two of my personal favourites (the Seven Stars on Carey Street & the Market Porter on Stoney Street), which speaks volumes for his good taste, and concisely lists the very reasons why you should visit the area and enjoy a pint or two I’m prepared to go with his knowledge and judgement. If Peter Haydon’s name seems familiar he is a past General Secretary of SIBA, a director of Meantime Brewery, editor of a CAMRA guide to London pubs and author of Beer & Britannia: An Inebriated History of

The cat is Thomas Paine a good Norfolk name - who inhabits the Seven Stars.

SUMMER 2009 | 43

The Kingâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Head KEG FREE HOUSE

BARRELIEF

MANAGEMENT

Simon and Karen welcome you all to their traditional family pub. Great selection of real ales (new Guest ale every Friday)

Open 12.00noon - 11.00pm Monday to Saturday 12.00noon - 10.30pm Sunday Run by enthusiastic drinkers and CAMRA members.

Keg Free Zone 14 Hand Pumps Norfolk Ales and Cider Mild always available Worldwide Bottled Beers Belgian Beers Bar Billiards Television-free

Your local Bar Relief to cover for your Holidays or Sickness. Personal Licence Holder. Food Hygiene Certificated. Please Call Brian Mayhew on 01603 301356 or 07714657752 to discuss your requirements email: brmpubservices@aol.com www.brmpubservices.co.uk

14th - 16th July Three Day Bastille Celebration French food plus musical entertainment

Saturday 12th September Last Night of the proms Join us for pomp and circumstance!

www.whitehorsechedgrave.co.uk

olk f r o N A R M CA r a e Y e h t f o Pub 8 0 0 2 & 6 0 0 2 Dating from the 14th century, the pub has been restored to a Victorian style. The Kings Head, 42 Magdalen Street, Norwich NR3 1JE Telephone: 01603 620468

www.kingsheadnorwich.com

SUMMER 2009 | 45

Woodforde’s Ale Trail

| NORFOLK NIPS

All ale and hearty at Woodforde’s oodforde’s, famous for their award winning cask ales including Wherry, Nog, Nelson’s Revenge and Headcracker, has announced the return of their Woodforde’s Ale Trail. This time it’s bigger than before, with a chance to win some prizes at participating pubs in the East of England counties.

The Ale Trail begins on Saturday 20th June and runs until the end of September, featuring nearly 400 pubs to explore in Norfolk, Suffolk, Essex and Cambridgeshire, demonstrating the brewery’s support for public houses in these difficult trading conditions. The promotion offers real ale lovers the chance to enjoy the tastes of Woodforde’s beer’s and discover drinking hostels by using the ‘Woodforde’s Pub Guide’, easy pocket-sized, and containing details of all participating outlets, with maps and a voucher and stamp collection card for prizes. Each outlet will stamp your card once for a pint of Woodforde’s beer purchased, and free vouchers will be printed in the Eastern Daily Press during the summer. Woodforde’s has supported each outlet with promotional marketing free of charge, including the individual ‘prize’ stamps to mark up your card. By returning the Ale Trail Card, drinkers can claim free Woodforde’s merchandise including 46

| SUMMER 2009

T-shirts, tankards and beerboxes from the fabulous visitor centre at the brewery. In addition, the ‘Woodforde’s Pub Guide’ contains details of entry into a free prize draw, to win a “Wherry Weekend” for two, including a brewery tour, accommodation and meals. Sharon Chatten, Marketing Manager of Woodforde’s Brewery, said: “This is an exciting time for Woodforde’s. Our sales are continuing to climb despite the economic climate, and we have invested heavily in our brewery over the past twelve months. At the end of last year we appointed a new Head Brewer, Neil Bain, who has an impressive pedigree as a Master Brewer. He will raise the bar even higher and maintain our stringent quality standards. The ‘Woodforde’s Pub Guide’, incorporating the Ale Trail will

be the focus of our efforts this summer – and whilst providing drinkers with a bit of fun - we are also committed to supporting the retail outlets” What could be better for the real ale devotee, a great pub in the summer, cricket, a pint of Woodforde’s ale, and merchandise to win! The pub guides are available at all participating outlets, the brewery’s shop and the Eastern Daily Press’s offices and will be sent to all 14,000 ‘Woodforde’s Club’ members. The website www.woodfordes.co.uk provides further details of the Woodforde’s Club and the Ale Trail promotion. For further details, please contact Mike Betts, Director or Sharon Chatten Marketing Manager at Woodforde’s Norfolk Ales, Broadland Brewery, Woodbastwick, Norfolk NR13 6SW, telephone 01603 720353

73 Oak Street, Norwich NR3 3AQ 01603 632333

First Anniversary Beer Festival 29th September - 4th October 2009 Over 30 beers from Micro-breweries around the country Coming Soon Food from our new kitchen Rotating selection of 8 real ales from Milton Brewery and other British micro breweries. Great choice of fine wines and malt whiskies. A Selection of Belgian and German bottled beers.

Over 120 different real ales sold since 29/9/08

www.individualpubs.co.uk/whitelion/

Ole Slewfoot Brewery

| NORFOLK NIPS

New brewery gains a foothold hey must be putting something in the water. While pubs and breweries close down in the rest of the country, here in Norfolk they seem to be opening all the time.

The county's latest new brewery is the intriguingly named Ole Slewfoot, in Hainford. Brewer John Bates is a bluegrass fan and plays five string banjo - and the name comes from a bluegrass song about a bear that lurks in the undergrowth and steals pigs. The beers, too, are named after tunes - there's Fox on the Run, from a 1960 Manfred Mann song, which is a 4.8 percent dark ale, and Devil's Dream, named

after an American fiddle tune, a 5 percent pale bitter. January 8th, a fruity pale ale, completes the lineup of three beers.

he is trying to use local ingredients as much as possible, getting most of his malt from Teddy Maufe's Branthill Farm in North Norfolk.

John has been a keen home brewer for a long time and last year decided to set up the brewery. He took a three week course at Brewlabs last September, and set the brewery up in the garage next to his house in Hainford.

It's not a good time to be starting any business right now, and John admits that last year, as he saw the business news getting more and more gloomy, he started wondering if he was doing the right thing. But so far, it's gone quite well - his brews are now on as guest beers in a number of pubs including the King's Head, King's Arms, and Eaton Cottage in Norwich; Reedcutters at Cantley; Old Red Lion in Aldborough; and Heydon, Earle Arms. Oleslewfootbrewery.co.uk The brewer can be contacted on his mobile - 07909 636966

He bought second hand equipment which had been used at Glastonbury Ales. He has now found out that some of it was original kit from the Humpty Dumpty Brewery in Reedham. What goes around comes around, as they say! That local connection was accidental, but

The Mermaid Inn Church Street, Elsing Dereham,NR20 3EA Tel: 01362637640 Email: the.mermaid@zen.co.uk

Woods End Bramerton

Situated on the River Yare three miles from Norwich. 5 real Ales, Good Pub Food. Children and Pet Friendly Martin and the Crew look forward to welcoming you.

Tel: 01508 538899

Phil and Pam Welcome You to

The London Tavern Free House Church St, Attleborough Tel :01953 457415

Great real ales, fine wines and spirits. Traditional food served daily, pre-booked evening meals, Sunday roasts and Childrens menu. Meals for large parties up to 30 catered for in our funtion room, choice of set menu’s. Bookings only. Parking, Disabled facilities, Smokers sheltered garden, and Beer garden. Wine And Cheese Festival - Sat 1st August & Sun 2nd August.

4th Annual Week Long Beer Festival Starts Friday 25th Sept - 4th Oct Hog Roast 1st Sunday - Lamb Roast 2nd Sunday. Entertainment on weekends. Well behaved dogs on leads welcome 48

| SUMMER 2009

The Trunch Crown Front St, Trunch, North Walsham NR28 0AH Open Monday-Thursday 12-3pm and 5.30-11pm Friday, Saturday, Sunday OPEN ALL DAY (12-11pm) Food served Weds-Sat 12-2.30pm and 6.30-9pm (Sun 12-4pm)

LIDAY BANK HO VAL STI BEER FE, 29th, 30th, 31st

28th AUGUST Ciders 24 Beers + oast sic •Hog R u m e iv L • e come u el ec w b ll ar B ughout - A ro th ay d l Open al

Great Pub Food Menu Try our famous Steak and Kidney Roly Poly with thick beer gravy. We cook our own Ham in real ale, we can't cook it quick enough! INFLATION BUSTER MON - FRI ONLY £4.95!

Freehouse, Freehouse, Real Real Ales, Ales, Real Real Food, Real Welcome! Food, Real Welcome! Look us up in the CAMRA Good Beer Guide 2009 or the CAMRA Good Pub Food Guide. We have internet café facilities!

The Shoulder of Mutton ~ Strumpshaw ~

Fine ales and good food served in a friendly atmosphere Real ales include Adnams Bitter and Broadside plus TWO guest ale (mainly from local breweries) Food served 12-2pm and 7-9pm (Mon-Sat), 12-2pm Sundays Pub games include Darts, Pool, Crib and Petanque!

Ian and Jenny look forward to welcoming you..

Tel 01263 722341

Norwich Rd, Strumpshaw, Norwich NR13 4NT

More information at www.trunchcrown.co.uk

Tel 01603 712274 SUMMER 2009 | 49

COAST ROAD, WALCOTT, NORFOLK NR12 OPE

NORFOLK NIPS | Norfolks Green Buses

Alesupping? Go Coasthopping!

Telephone

runabout tickets covering this route which links in with the newly introduced fast hourly service to Lynn (including connections both ways at the railway station) from Hunstanton. Unfortunately, even those holding such tickets are unlikely to have time to allow full justice to all the fine pubs in the district.

(01692) 650371 FREE HOUSE

Proprietor since 1989: STEVE BULLIMORE

OPEN FOR FOOD & DRINKS ALL DAY, EVERY DAY, 11am - 11pm Food available all day until 10.30pm 10% off food and drink on production of CAMRA membership card

FOUR REAL ALES & CIDER

ave Norfolk Green Buses been reading the feature on North Norfolk in Spring’s Nips & Cask Force 148? Whatever the reason, their recent upgrade of the HunstantonSheringham Coasthopper service to a half hourly frequency has required new buses. And on the side of these is listed a number of activities associated with the North Norfolk coast, one of these being ‘Alesupping’.

Bus information is available from all the usual sources. Ian Bailey

www.lighthouseinn.co.uk Well, it certainly fits . There are that so many fine pubs along the coastal strip that I apologise in advance for any deserving hostelries not mentioned. Even their timetable leaflet even lists eight of them as calling points. Town pubs include The Wash & Tope at Hunstanton, basically a resort house which has recently taken a serious interest in real ales, at Wells there is a variety of pubs selling a range of reputable real ales whilst Sheringham has The Lobster selling both old favourites and guest beers.

The pub with no bar, ales direct from cask. Watch www.nelsonslocal.co.uk for forthcoming events.

In the villages are timeless classics such as The Lord Nelson at Burnham Thorpe , The Lifeboat, Thornham (both a short walk off the direct route) and The Jolly Sailors, sympathetically refurbished by its new owners. More upmarket examples include The Hoste Arms, Burnham Market and The Victoria, Holkham, whilst Weybourne boasts real ale specialist, The Ship.

New Italian menu: not just pizza and pasta. Sunday lunch still available. Live music every Thursday from 8.45pm. All details on the website.

More details of these and the many other good pubs in the district can be found in a variety of guides, also on CAMRA’s Norfolk Pubs Website www.norwichcamra.org.uk/pubdb. Norfolk Green provide a variety of discount and

Walsingham Road, Burnham Thorpe Norfolk PE31 8HN

Real fires. Huge garden. Come & visit Nelson’s local.

01328 738241 SUMMER 2009 | 51

Student Drinking

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NORFOLK NIPS | Student Drinking

Student Drinking t is well known that many students like the odd drink, and when we spent a weekend in Lincoln recently, it seemed most of them were well on their way to capacity by the time they headed out for the night clubs, and an evening of what I believe is known as ‘vertical drinking’ (although for some I fear it may have become horizontal before the evening was out.)

It was not always so. A custom that lingered on into the 1950’s in Oxford was the visiting of the inns in the city by the Proctor accompanied by ‘Bulldogs’ or college policemen who would ask of

students ‘Your name and college, Sir?’ Indeed before the war the Gardeners pub in Oxford ran an insurance scheme, charging an extra penny on a pint to pay the fines of those caught. Longer ago, a trip to town would not have been necessary, as many of the colleges had their own brew house. Beer, of course, was the standard drink in the days before a reliable water supply existed and before tea and coffee were available or affordable. A description of Winchester College in the 1820’s attests that ‘the bedmakers used to carry each evening into each of the seven chambers a huge nipperkin of

beer to last all night. It was beer for breakfast, dinner, supper and beer under your bed’. Unlike the monasteries, dissolved in the 16th Century by Henry VIII, some of the colleges continued until modern times. Winchester College brew house was built in 1394 and was still in action as recently as 1905. The Cambridge colleges ceased brewing in the 19th century. In Oxford most of them closed between 1880 and 1920, but Queen’s continued to brew until 1939. What type of ale did they brew? Most of the production was ‘small beer’ or table beer,

r a i n M e e h T Ale and Cider House rs Maritime Beer Fest Thursday 3rd - Sunday 6th September 20+ maritime beers and food plus live Blues on Sunday Tel: (01493) 332299

E-Mail: Shaun@themarinersalehouse.co.uk

which was fairly weak – probably a good thing, given the quantities drunk. However the records of Queen’s show that Double beer was produced and also College ale with an original gravity of 1068.2 and described by a mid nineteenth century visitor as ‘having a deposit of yeast’. Also brewed was Chancellor ale, a deep rich ruby red colour, with an original gravity of 1135.3. When the brew houses closed, the colleges bought in supplies from local brewers. In Oxford Morrells produced these beers for many years, and indeed some of their beers were named to reflect their links with the educational establishments. I remember attending a student rally in Oxford in the mid seventies and having more than my fill of Varsity bitter, which was a mainstay of their range alongside College and Graduate ales. In Cambridge a host of local brewers took up the task, including Dales Gwydir Street Brewery, which can still be seen. It was not long before these breweries started to be taken over and closed down, but as is still the case, the new owners recreated some of the brews. Probably the last link with these days was Audit Ale. This was a strong beer brewed for the quarter days.

69 Howard Street South, Great Yarmouth, Norfolk. NR30 1LN

Now Open in Gorleston The Mariners Compass - 8 Real Ales plus Ciders 21 Middleton Rd, Gorleston Tel: 01493 659494 52

| SUMMER 2009

When rents became due four times a year, it was the custom for the tenants to bring a gift of food, maybe a chicken or goose or homemade cheese, along with their money. This was used to supplement a feast

at which vast quantities of this Audit Ale was consumed. This was dark in colour and similar to a barley wine. Lacons of Great Yarmouth took over a number of Cambridge breweries in the latter years of the 19th century and brewed and bottled the beer for many of the Cambridge Colleges, each with their own distinctive label, and Whitbread continued the production until 1980. Greene King also acquired Bailey and Tebbutt of Cambridge in 1924 and produced Audit Ale until about 1983. I can find no trace of any brewers still producing beer for a university or college since 1987, when the Bedford brewer Charles Wells brewed a beer for Imperial college. Surely there is a market here for a brewer to revive this tradition. Many pubs have a house beer, so why not a student union bar? So is this centuries old link finally over? Almost, but not quite. In 2007 Blackfriars brewery of Great Yarmouth obtained a recipe from the old Lacons brewery and recreated Audit Ale for the local beer festival. Westerham brewery in Kent have also produced an Audit Ale version recently based on a recipe from the Black Eagle brewery, also of Westerham (long since closed), winning a silver medal with it at the 2009 SIBA awards. I would love to try this style of beer, and would be interested if anyone is aware of other breweries still producing it. Jeff Hoyle

NIPS AND CASK FORCE BY POST! If you would like to receive the next four copies of the newsletter by post send your name and address along with 10 first class stamps to NIPS, 91 Tennyson Road, Kings Lynn, Norfolk, PE30 5NG NOT TONIGHT, DARLING! It's interesting how all sorts of grandees and business people have come out in the press to denounce the 50 percent highest rate of tax. They argue that high rates of tax are a disincentive to high earners, making them into tax exiles, or discouraging them from earning above a certain level. Well, what about beer tax? Isn't that a disincentive to drinkers? Particularly in the current economic climate, when many drinkers are short of cash. If we drink less, Alistair Darling will get less tax... despite the extra penny a pint. More to the point, brewers and pubs will also be in trouble. Country pubs are an important part of community life in Norfolk, and if they close, villages are often left with no social centre. Look at the billions spent on the banks. The government has the power to save an industry if it wishes. But instead, it's imposing higher costs, and increased taxes on our pubs. Frankly, we need fewer bankers, and more pubs!

SUMMER 2009 | 53

NORFOLK NIPS | Cambridge Jolly

(No) Planes, Trains and Automobiles aving not been to Cambridge for a while, it was decided a wee pub crawl was in order, but with a slight difference. Some pubs just outside of the big city would be included. Arriving at Cambridge train station, The Three Norfolk Stooges (Timbo, Stig, and Nige), caught a Citi7 bus out front, each purchasing a Day Rider ticket at a mere 3 Pound 30 Pence, and away we did go!

We began the day at the Red Lion in Histon (opens at 1030!), and what a brilliant pub to start with, eight real ales to choose from, including Tring Blonde, Mighty Oak Oscar Wilde (it’s a mild!), Idle’s Idle Sod (surely they can’t mean us?!), Oakleaf Hole Hearted, and finally, Broughton Bramling Cross. The Red Lion also does a mammoth big breakfast, which Nige barely finished! A quick bus ride to our next port of call, the Railway Vue in next door Impington, not as good as the previous establishment, but the Everards Tiger and Black sheep Bitter were okay. Next to the pub a new electric bus route could be seen under construction, using the rail line that once was here. Mid-afternoon by now, so we caught the bus back into the city, and into one of our fave haunts, the St Radegund, a small pub but packed with

atmosphere, a good venue for the rugby fans out there. The ale ain’t bad either! Me and Nige had St Austell Tribute, Stig plumped for Milton Dyonnisus (sorry if I spelt it wrong), then it was a dive into the backstreets near the Grafton Centre. To the much improved Elm Tree, a good choice of beers awaited, twas B & T Shefford Bitter (Timbo), Wolf’s Wolf Whistle (Nige), and Wensleydale Old Smokey (Stig), get down Gromit. Had a chat with a pair who’d been on the sauce, one from, I think, Zimbabwe, and his very inebriated English friend. Follow the (yellow?) Mill Road, down Gwydir Street to the wonderful Cambridge Blue, run by the nice people who used to have the Carlton Arms (another pub worth a look!), tea-time so we enjoyed delicious food with our beer (such as Thai curry and lemon chicken). The beer! Oh yes, silly me, almost forgot! Two for Grain Harvest Moon, and one for Harwich Bathside Battery, I may have got that one wrong, the ol’ handwriting was getting a tad hard to read (wonder why?).

Brewers Gold at only £7 Pound 20 pence! Time for one final stop, and what a stop, probably my fave pub in Cambridge, the Live & Let Live, a cracking backstreet pub. We supped Vale Edgars Golden Ale, William Wallace Ale (forgot the brewery for that one*), Oakham Inferno, and bottled Belgian excellence in De Ranke XX. What a day! And there are a few other decent pubs The Three Norfolk Stooges didn’t get around to visiting; worth a mention are The Pickerel Inn, Castle Inn, Free Press, Mill Tavern, and The Empress. So if you’re bored of endless colleges, or punting, grab an A-Z and a maybe a “Good Beer Guide” (or simply ask!), and seek out a historic city’s finest pubs. Jenson Button’s Braun razor (aka, Timbo). *Traditional Scottish Ales, Stirling

A street or two over to the Kingston Arms, and the cheapest round of the day, three pints of Crouch Vale

SUMMER 2009 | 55

NORFOLK NIPS | Union Jack

Rural pubs: a view from the west beer then look no furtherTrevor and Mandy Barlow, will be sure to give you a warm welcome. If we want to see village pubs survive we really do need to use them, or all that will remain are “Gastro” emporia with West End prices not East Anglian ones. The survival of returning pubs like the Jolly Sailors and the Dabbling Duck depends on our

he theme of this issue is rural pubs, so I thought it would be good to tell you a little about our choice for the branch pub of the year. By the time you read this you may already have discovered that it was not successful in winning the county competition, however this does not detract from its status as a perfect example of a rural pub.

The Union Jack in Roydon is tucked away up a small road just off the village centre and is almost unique these days in surviving on wet sales alone. The prices are fantastic with a typical pint of bitter at £2.40! In conversation I also realised that they have unique opening hours as well catering for villagers on the way home from work and shooting parties by 56

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opening just after lunch and then for the rest of the day! The Jack is also a haven for dog lovers with an assortment of resident and visiting hounds. There doesn’t seem to be any hint of clique culture and all are welcome, this was certainly the case when we made our POTY presentation. So if you want a rare example of a pub that is still only about

support. Recently we opposed the change of use of a pub building in North Norfolk, which would have become a local Tesco, selling no doubt lots of cheap booze. You’ll be pleased to read no doubt that the application was refused. Perhaps that will help protect our local pubs. Chris Lucas

SUMMER 2009 | 57

Mark & Marie offer you a warm welcome to the

Fox and Hounds Heacham Home of The Fox Brewery We are a free house specialising in real ales. The first pub in Heacham to be in the CAMRA Good Beer Guide.

Regular Quiz and Music nights.

West Norfolk’s Biggest Beer Festival 45 + beers plus ciders and Live International Music

Thursday 23rd July - Jazz Proof Friday July 24th - John Gomm (Acoustic Blues) Sat July 25th - ‘Also’ (Genuine West Coast Rock from Los Angeles) and more Sunday July 36th - Songs from the Blue House (Folk Rock)

Tel: 01485 570345 22 Station Rd, Heacham, Norfolk PE31 7EX

OPEN ALL DAY 7 DAYS A WEEK

The Gatehouse Pub 391 Dereham Road, Norwich NR5 8QJ 01603 620340

The Railway Freehouse Station Rd, North Elmham

01362 668300 In the current Good Beer Guide, CAMRA members and supporters of local microbrewers

FOUR REAL ALES Live Music, Friday & Saturday Large garden overlooking the River Wensum OPEN Mon - Thurs 12-11 Fri & Sat 12-12 • Sunday 12-11 58

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REAL ALES • REAL FOOD REAL PUB Colin & Julie Smith look forward to seeing you!

NORFOLK NIPS | Beer Festivals

Beer Festival Diary Beer festivals calendar 19-24 June Beer festival at the Filby Kings Head 18-22 June Solstice beer festival at the Hill House, Happisburgh, with camping available 18-21 June Festival of Beer and Brewing, The Museum of East Anglian Life, Stowmarket. 23-28 June The Vine, Dove Street, Norwich. The city’s smallest pub, which reopened last year, is holding a beer festival focusing on beers from ‘tiny’ breweries. June 22-28 Heath House, Gertrude Road, Norwich, is holding a beer festival. Crone's cider will also be available. 3-5 July Beer festival at the Beehive, Leopold Road, Norwich 3-4 July UEA Beer Event at Dragon Hall, GBP 5 a ticket including a third-pint glass and your first three tastings. This event will feature local breweries including Buffy’s, Ole Slewfoot, Fat Cat, Grain and Humpty Dumpty. 4-12 July The Swan Inn, Stone, Staffs is holding a Peaks and Tractors festival. It wouldn't normally be in Nips but for the fact that it's including a large number of Norfolk beers as well as Derbyshire ales. 7-11 July CAMRA Chelmsford Summer Beer Festival, Admirals Park, Rainsford Road, Chelmsford CM1 2PL. Noon till 11pm. Free to CAMRA members; nonmembers GBP 4 (Tues-Thurs), GBP 5 (Fri) and GBP 3 (Sat). 7 - 14 2nd July Bungay Festival Ale trail 09. 10-12 July Reedham Beer Festival, Reedham Village Hall (ten minutes walk from Reedham railway station). Begins Friday evening; live music, and real ales in the big tent. Organised by the team at Humpty Dumpty Brewery, but other beers will be available - cider too. 11-12 July The first Dickleburgh festival at the Crown, Dickleburgh, with food, live music, and onsite accommodation. 17-19 July North Norfolk Railway Beer Festival, on platform 2 of the Poppy Line Sheringham Station (just across the road from the ‘real’ station with train link to Norwich). 11-11 (closes 430 pm Sunday), hot food, live entertainment, and steam trains.

25 July Mattishall Beer Festival. At South Green Enterprise Park, Mattishall, Dereham. Midday to midnight, with BBQ and hog roast; book in advance at www.cafe-verde.co.uk. (Tickets GBP 5.50 in advance, GBP 7 on the gate.) 4-8 August - CAMRA Great British Beer Festival. Tues 5-10.30pm; Weds-Fri noon to 1030; Sat 11-7. Volunteers always needed - CAMRA will put you up and give you breakfast, youire responsible for the rest! Details on main CAMRA website 6-8 August - beer festival at the Angel, Larling - 70 real ales and ciders, and live music. Friday 28 - 31 August Real ales and live music at The Lord Nelson Reedham, more details at www.lordnelsonpub.com 25-29 August CAMRA Peterborough Beer Festival, The Embankment, Bishops Road, Peterborough. For times and prices see www.peterborough-camra.org.uk. 18 - 20 September Wash & Tope, Hunstanton with sponsorship from Manor Park Caravans. 23-26 September CAMRA Ipswich Beer Festival at the Corn Exchange, King Street, Ipswich. 29 September - 4 October The White Lion, Oak Street, Norwich is holding its first anniversary beer festival. 26-31 October CAMRA Norwich Beer Festival!! Keep the date for this excellent beer festival held once again in St Andrew's and Blackfriars Halls in Norwich - real ales from Norfolk and 'foreign parts’ as well as a selection of Belgian, German and other international beers in the marquee. Email staffing coordinator, Mark Stimpson, Bfstaff@live.co.uk, Staff are also required for set up on Sunday 25th and take-down on Sunday 1st. 30 October - 6 November - Royal Oak, Poringland Beer festival - bus 587/588 will get you there.

West Norfolk Events Sunday 31st May, Anvil, Congham, walk and Sunday Lunch, meet Anvil car park, 11.30, back there for lunch 2pm (normal menu + roasts). Tuesday 14th July, George & Dragon, Newton by Castle Acre 11th August Dolphin, Thetford 8th September Wash & Tope, Hunstanton

SUMMER 2009 | 59

The White Hart Inn 7 White Hart Street, Foulden, Thetford, Norfolk IP26 5AW Tel: 01366 328638 19th Century traditional pub with accomodation in the heart of Foulden, just outside Thetford. With Thetford Forest right on the doorstep, this is a great base for discovering the wildlife and outdoor pleasures of The Brecks.

Real ale pub serving value for money pub meals with music and quiz nights. for full details of whats on email:- hartpub@yahoo.co.uk

Child Friendly and dogs welcome. En suite rooms with private entrance available.

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Town Green, Wymondham Telephone: (01953) 605675

Freehouse listed in The Good Beer Guide Pub food 7 days a week served lunchtimes and evenings. Function Room for parties or meetings. Large Car Park A warm welcome awaits you!

Beer tie

| NORFOLK NIPS

NORFOLK NIPS | Beer tie

The ties that bind he House of Commons Business and Enterprise Committee has recommended that the Competition Commission should look into the relationship between pubcos and their lessees. It says that the current beer tie is simply not working and that pubcos are pushing landlords around far too often.

“We have no confidence that the advantages of the tie outweigh its drawbacks,” the report says. Reading between the lines, that’s MP-speak for “we think it’s a bad thing”. That’s important, since leased and tenanted pubs account for the vast majority of public houses in this country (see chart). In particular, the committee doesn't want pubcos selling pubs for alternative uses with covenants prohibiting their use as pubs. It says that should be banned - a victory for CAMRA which has been campaigning hard on this point. The committee was particularly concerned that rents are set in a non-transparent and subjective way - very different from the way other retail and leisure property rents are set. Pubcos often underestimate running costs when they are assessing the value of a pub - leaving the landlord struggling to make money after he's paid the rent. The committee also attacks the 62

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beer tie, or 'wet rent'. Freehouses are getting a GBP 140-150 discount a barrel, on a £450-480 list price, while pubco tenants turning over more than 500 barrels a year only get a GBP 42 discount - in other words they're paying a lot more for their beer. That looks particularly bad when you consider that the pubco is getting a discount of between GBP 210 and GBP 250 a barrel - and swiping the margin. That affects customers directly. A fascinating table in the report showed that for a pint of draught bitter, you'd pay 14p more at a Punch pub, and 11p more at an Enterprise one. And it’s interesting that one tenant, whose pubco was taken over by Punch, said the price he paid for his beer went up - despite the fact that Punch boasted about its massive buying power. The system is definitely unbalanced, the report says; the pubcos are taking much more out of the business than their tenants. Many landlords are earning less than GBP 15,000 a year - one is not drawing a salary, and the tax credits he claims have to be paid straight over to Enterprise! Another quoted in the report said “Not only do we make no money at all but we have to pay for the privilege.” Unsurprisingly, only 13 percent

of landlords surveyed by the committee were happy with the tie. The committee suggests that the tie should be at the lessee’s choice - with higher rents for free-of-tie pubs. And the urgency of the situation is summed up in the stark sentence - “The status quo is not an option.” Pub ownership

The full report is available at http://www.morningadvertiser.co.uk/images/docs/Pubco_ report.pdf That’s the way to do it Mr Punch is selling pubs Big pubco Punch has been in the news recently, selling a number of its pubs to reduce the size of its portfolio and cut its debts. Brewer JW Lees took on ten, Shepherd Neame

bought 13, mainly around South London, and Charles Wells took a bunch of 17 pubs. One has been sold to small pub group Heartstone, and 23 have gone to tenants. There are many more sales in the pipeline. 1,000 tenants are interested in buying their pubs - and that's an interesting indication just what most landlords think of tied status!

Meanwhile Suffolk brewer Greene King has raised GBP 207m in a rights issue on the stock market. It will use part of it to pay down debt - which may be a good thing to do as it can buy the debt back for less than its face value - and aims to keep the rest for pub acquisitions, cherry picking the best distressed assets on the market. Andrea Kirkby

Managed 9,000

Freehouses 17,200

Leased / Tenanted 30,800

The big pubcos; PUBS Enterprise Inns 7581 Punch Taverns 7287 Admiral Taverns 2386 Marston’s 1932 Greene King 1428 Scottish & Newcastle Pub Enterprises 1205 Wellington 1028

SUMMER 2009 | 63

Your local Roofing Supplies Specialist

The Burston Crown Jonj, Frances, Bev and Steve welcome you to our 16th Century country pub. We offer a fine range of gravity fed real ales, excellent bar and restuarant food every day and a welcoming, warm atmosphere. Every Thursday evening we have a busker’s night and host live music every alternate Sunday.

New Real Ale shop opened in Blofield. Visit the shop at Blofield Leisure Centre, 58 Yarmouth Road, Blofield, Norfolk, NR13 4LQ Or Visit our brewery shop at 7 Estcourt Road, Great Yarmouth, Norfolk, NR30 4JQ

26TH BEER FESTIVAL 2009 - SEPT UK ! the r ove Bands from all details See www.burstoncrown.com for

01379 741257 enquiries@burstoncrown.com

Tel: 01493 854484 email: beer@norfolksquarebrewery.co.uk www.norfolksquarebrewery.co.uk

From its formation in 2006 Anglian Roofing Supplies has firmly established itself as a leading independent roofing merchant in East Anglia. Many years experience in both flat and pitched roofing Suppliers of traditional materials & new roofing systems Large stocked yards at Ipswich and Norwich Callers always welcome to visit our showroom Site visits and samples by arrangement Delivery and collection throughout Norfolk and Suffolk Anglia Roofing Supplies Ltd

Unit 1, Jarrold Way, Bowthorpe, Norwich, Norfolk, NR5 9JD. Tel 01603 271502 Fax 01603 749353

The King’s Head at Brooke 6 Norwich Road, Brooke 01508 550335

Real Ales Extensive Wine List Home Cooked Food Bar Snacks and A la Carte Menu BBQ in the summer Cream Teas • Afternoon Tea Log Fires in the winter A traditional pub/restaurant serving home made traditional British food with a modern slant. All food is prepared in our own kitchens. We only use local fresh produce where possible. Free Range local Pork • Local Game Local Free Range Lamb • Wild Venison Aged Local Beef • Free Range Chickens and Eggs Homemade Bread • Homemade Desserts No MSG • No Colourings • No Preservatives No GM Modified Foods

Alby HorseShoes Inn Freehouse Situated on the A140 Norwich/Cromer Road

4 Real Ales – Home cooked Food 5 STAR ESTABLISHMENT NNDC “Scores on the Doors” Margaret & Richard Rushmer look forward to meeting you

01263 761378 www.albyhorseshoes.co.uk SUMMER 2009 | 65

The Royal Oak at Poringland Come and enjoy the summer sunshine in our extensive beer garden! Dont forget - AUTUMN BEER FESTIVAL October 30th - November 6th

We Donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t Have a Big Screen TV, Food Or a Juke Box We do have 17 handpumps, with Real Ale from far and wide, 2 Real Ciders and 2 Real Ales From gravity, a large car park, large beer garden With heated smoking shelter, darts, pool, quizzes And crib. We hold two beer festivals each year. The Royal Oak lies at the heart of the community and new customers are always welcome. Come along and get a real welcome from a real pub selling real ale!!!!!! Nick, Delia And The Team would love to see you soon.

Norwich And Norfolk Pub Of The Year 2007 Norfolk Pub Of The Year 2007 Good Beer Guide Listed A dream of a pub situated in the village of Poringland on the B1332 road to Bungay. The main bus route from Norwich stops right outside. Contact us on

01508 493734 New email: theroyaloak@fsmail.net

FREEMOUSE 49 West End Street, Norwich NR2 4NA 01603 624364

TWO TIMES CAMRA NATIONAL PUB OF THE YEAR (1998 (1998 & & 2004) 2004) Up to 30 real ales available all year round 80 bottled beers from around the world featuring 25 countries, from Mexico to Mongolia, Jamaica to Japan and China to the Czech Republic

Draught continental beers including 5 fruit beers

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Fat Cat Brewery at the Cidershed, Norwich 98-100 Lawson Rd, Norwich NR3 4LF 01603 624364 UP TO 15 REAL ALES INCLUDING THE FAT CAT RANGE:

LIVE MUSIC & ARTS VENUE

01603 788508 www.cidershednorwich.net

Fat Cat Bitter Honey Ale Top Cat Pale Ale Marmalade Cat Stout Cat

3.8% 4.3% 4.8% 5.5% 4.6%