Issue 176 of Norfolk Nips & Cask Force

No.176

Spring 2016

LET THE BEER FESTIVALS COMMENCE!

RAISE A GLASS TO CHARITY! Local breweries get involved to raise cash.

See pages 13 and 17

AN OFFALEY LANG WAY FOR A BEER A Tale of Haggis and beer north of the border. See page 18-19

Magazine of the Norfolk Branches of the Campaign for Real Ale

* see pages 46 - 57

Special Festival Section

E F RE

Norfolk Nips | City of Ale 2016

In this issue: Reasons to be Beer-ful!

3

Beer of the Year Awards 2016

5

Pub and Brewery News

6-8

The Ed’lines

10

Stig’s Words

11

Wolf Whiskers

13

Around Breweries

14-15

Tobi’s Tipple

17

Offaley lang way for a beer 18-19

Eight reasons to visit Norwich City of Ale! Over 40 fantastic pubs taking part More than 40 Norwich pubs take part in City of Ale, many of them historic beauties, all of them offering ales from local breweries and running their own events and promotions.

As you delve your way through the picturesque streets of the city, you’ll struggle to be much more than a stone’s throw away from a participating pub - and a terrific beer that’s new to you.

40 amazing breweries involved City of Ale is all about beers from Norfolk and close surrounds. The fantastic array of breweries from within a 40-mile radius of Norwich provide rich pickings in terms of beer choice for the participating pubs.

Different styles and flavours abound. Many of the breweries

offer tours – so you might like to build time into your trip for a jaunt out to see them.

Ale It’s not called City of Ale for nothing. After all, it’s a city. And it has ale; lots of ale; lots and lots of ale. There’s a fabulous Ale Trail awaiting your discriminating palate…

It was unique when it started – and it remains the best city-wide celebration of ale This is not a festival tied to a single venue, rather an experience extending across a whole city. Since 2011 when it started, other towns and cities have followed suit and create terrific beer events of their own, but Norwich City of Ale remains

Bird’s Eye View

21

Cider wells up for Spring

21

Pub is the Hub

23

Letter to the Editor

25

Beer Miles

26-27

From the Archives

29

First Friday Five

31

Health Issues

33

CAMRA AGM 2016 Liverpool

35

Whatpub?

37

CAMRA LocAle Update

41

CAMRA Discount Scheme

43

CAMRA Beer Festivals Calendar 45 Beer Festival Listings

46-57

Join CAMRA

58

Warrens Word’s

59

Steve’s Words

59

CAMRA Branch Calendar

61

Contacts

62

Continued Overleaf Spring 2016 | 3

Norfolk Nips | City of Ale 2016 - continued the inspiration - and showpiece of ale celebration.

Grain to glass like nowhere else This region, with its light soils, low rainfall and sunny climate grows some of the best barley in the world – and local maltsters create exceptional malt from it. So, it’s hardly surprising that so many craft brewers in the area source their main ingredients (barley and other cereal malts) locally.

The city is beautiful Norwich is a gorgeous city filled with historic architecture intertwined with chic modern buildings. It is home to a fabulous castle, a lovely cathedral, a traditional market, art centres, theatres and - by the way, have we mentioned - an array of fantastic pubs? It’s a happening place – with more than ever happening during Norwich, City of Ale! CAMRA Branch Outings City of Ale holds everything (or almost everything!) your branch could possibly want from an outing. To do it justice you’ll really want to stay over for a night or two!

It Celebrates Entrepreneurship The beer and pub industry is full of entrepreneurs – nowhere more so than Norwich and the region that surrounds it. And there are also the two people who created the concept and set up the whole event.

Norwich City of Ale is the brainchild of Dawn Leeder, creator of PintPicker, which has profiled over 16,000 beers (look it up if you don’t believe it!) and Phil Cutter, licensee of the award-winning Gardeners Arms. If you’re lucky enough, you’ll meet them on your way round the Ale Trail, and can have a chat over a pint. But in any case be sure to raise your

glasses to them, and to two of the things that are best about Britain: our beer and our pubs.

So, City of Ale is a fantastic opportunity for CAMRA members, or CAMRA branches, to visit Norwich and take in the sights and ales. The fun starts on the 26th of May and lasts until the 5th June, with a whole host of events crammed in between. Why not get a group together, make the trip down, and enjoy Britain’s City of Ale? There’s plenty to drink to.

Further info: www.cityofale.org.uk Facebook: Norwich City of Ale Twitter @CityOfAle

Norfolk CAMRA Beer of the Year Awards 2016 Norwich & Norfolk CAMRA are pleased to announce that the first Norfolk Beer of the Year Awards will be held at the Hostry, Norwich Cathedral, on Friday, February 26th at 7.30pm.

This is our version of the Oscars and the Golden Globes all rolled into one! We'll be presenting all the awards for the Norfolk Cask Beer of the Year, Bottled Beer of the Year, and

Norwich Beer Festival Beers of the Festival, so come along, meet the brewers, and join the celebrations.

We’ll have a selection of the prize-winning cask beers available at £3 / pint, you'll get your first pint FREE, along with a great buffet, all for just £15 per person! Visit www.norwichcamra.org.uk for tickets. Limited availability - book early!

Spring 2016 | 5

Pub and Brewery News | Norfolk Nips

Pub and Brewery News Ian Stamp’s News The big news for this edition is the closure of the Owl Sanctuary, and the unprecedented response to it, including national newspaper coverage, visits from local MPs and over TWO THOUSAND people nominating it as an Asset of Community Value!

Why such an outcry? Well first a little history. There has been a pub on what is now Cattlemarket St, Norwich since at least 1864, and possibly 1834, known until recently as the Shirehall, or variations of, except for a five-year period as the One & Only. It closed in 2010, and was empty for over two years, finally re-opening in 2012, after a lot of hard work and investment from two young entrepreneurs, as a music pub, the Marquee, promoting lesser-known and new alternative, punk & metal bands. Closing again, it re-opened in 2014 as the Owl Sanctuary, the name taken from an episode of I’m Alan Partridge, and continued as a music venue, but also providing a base for local charities, such as the Norwich Soup Movement.

Unusually for this style of pub, and to my great surprise when we walked past a few weeks after the opening, there were three handpumps on the bar, with pump clips facing forwards! On investigation, we 6 | Spring 2016

found Adnams Ghost Ship and Panther Beast of the East (a 5.5% IPA no less) and one other, all in excellent condition.

Several irregular visits, and reports from others, confirmed that this was not a one-off, and the pub was a welcome addition to the real ale scene in Norwich as well as a great music venue.

So I was very disappointed to see, in the first week of January, a Facebook post from the management of the pub, stating that the building had been sold to Richard Pratt, and that they would be leaving at the end of January. Mr Pratt also owns the building next door, currently occupied by Warings furniture shop, and had previously applied for, and obtained, planning permission to develop seven flats on land behind the building.

I immediately asked, via a reply to the Facebook post, for someone to complete our ACV nomination form with details of the pub’s facilities and events, so we could pass that nomination to Norwich City Council, expecting that maybe one or two people would respond.

That was about 8pm. By 7am the next morning 15 people had already nominated the pub, and by the time I got home from work, it had grown to 1,900, with a new nomination coming in every 15 or 20 seconds! Even a note on the form to thank people and say we had sufficient information

didn’t stop them, and by the end of the day we had a total of 2,347 nominations, a staggering figure.

Within 24 hours we had obtained the Land Registry documents, and after making sure we’d got the application right, we submitted it to the Council a couple of day later.

With over 5,000 people sharing the Owl Sanctaury’s original post, the media were naturally involved, with front page stories in the EDP and EEN, a big article in the Independent, and visits and messages of support from both Norwich MPs. As I write, the future is uncertain - the Council have visited the pub, but still have to make their decision.

And even then, the ACV does not prevent the owner from closing the pub, and applying for planning permission to do whatever it is he wants to do with it. But it will make it harder!

Of course, the Owl Sanctuary isn’t the only pub we’ve ACV’d - in total, in the last 6 months, Norwich & Norfolk CAMRA have submitted 41 ACV nominations, of which 30 have been listed, 5 rejected, and 6 are still in the pipeline. In addition, the people who nominated the Owl Sanctuary also nominated a dozen other pubs, which we’ll be following up on asap.

And by the time you read this, we may well have been able to nominate even more pubs,

Norfolk Nips | Pub and Brewery News following a very interesting meeting which I’ll tell you about in the next edition!

Remember, the best time to nominate a pub as an ACV is NOW, not when it has already closed and it may be too late!

All you need to do is fill in a form here, norwichcamra.org.uk/msc/acv. htm, and we’ll do the rest (your name will not be used!).

We do have some good news to report in Norwich though!

In Union St the Coach & Horses, now owned by Jason Barker, has had a major refurb, with new wood flooring, leather sofas and big screens, and two handpumps, albeit currently serving national brands. Mr Barker and new landlord Martin Jared intend to spend more money on the pub, upgrading the garden and the food offer as soon as possible.

Also we hear that Number 12, on Farmers Avenue, has been taken over by Russell Evans and John Linford, to add to their three recent acquisitions in Norwich, the Buck, the York and the Belle Vue. James Watkins, part of the team currently running the York, will take over as manager.

And - finally! - we believe Brewdog will be opening in late March in the old Hogshead, Queen St, presumably still not selling any cask ales, but no doubt with their usual extensive range of keykeg (some possibly being real ale, for what it’s worth) and bottled

beers. They’re also bringing back what was once commonplace in pubs, by having an off-sales area (or a BottleDog, to use their terminology!).

In Great Yarmouth the Dukes Head has had an upgrade and re-opened, with new carpets and seating, and is still serving real ale, and a recent correspondent tells me that Allen’s Bar was serving three wellkept local ales when he visited over Christmas. However the Star Hotel on Hall quay closed suddenly just before Christmas, and is now for sale.

Mixed news from Gorleston, where a planning application for conversion to housing has been approved for the Ferry Boat Inn, which is still open but up for sale. However, the Belle Vue, believed closed since at least 2014, has reopened as The Celt, after a major refurb, with beers from Greene King and Humpty Dumpty. And the King William IV, on Quay Rd, is now selling up to seven real ales from local breweries such as Green Jack, Lacons, Tombstone and Humpty Dumpty.

At the Artichoke, Broome, it’s the end of an era as John Craft has retired after eleven years at the pub, having been involved in the trade for many years before that, with partner Nikki, at the Rumsey Well’s (then known as the St Andrew’s Tavern) in the 90’s, and the King’s Arms until 2004 when Bateman’s bought it. The Artichoke has been sold, and the new owners (mother &

daughter I’m told) should be taking over in late February / early March.

I hear the Lord Nelson at Reedham, closed for over a year now, has been bought by the owner of both the Windham Arms and the Robin Hood in Sheringham (and a few others!), and may reopen

by Easter, following over a year’s work to completely renovate the pub.

Punch have sold the Lifeboat, at Wells, and the Falgate, Potter Heigham, which has re-opened and is now selling two Greene King beers.

Unfortunately I also have a couple of closures to report, in Filby, where the King’s Head closed at New Year, and Coltishall, where the Rising Sun closed suddenly in January.

Apology I would like to take this opportunity to apologise to Richard Elkin, the previous owner of Number 12 in Norwich, for stating, in this column in the previous edition of Norfolk NIPS, that he had purchased Kings in Kings St. I am happy to clarify that Richard has not purchased Kings, and never had any intention of doing so.

News from the West It seems that our pubs managed to survive the postChristmas slump and they are now looking forward to trade Continued Overleaf Spring 2016 | 7

Pub and Brewery News - continued | Norfolk Nips picking up as the weather improves however there are still a few properties with the shutters up facing an uncertain future. In Lynn, the landmark Wenn’s Hotel on the corner of the Saturday Market place remains empty as I write.

In December, the EDP reported that it had been sold to three local businessmen who hope to restore the 1730’s building back to its former glory. The plan involves a pub on the ground floor and 8 apartments on the upper floors. A similar scheme was granted planning permission in January 2014, so there is a good chance that this plan will be approved.

The fate of other pubs is less certain, with the Lord Kelvin, by Lynn’s bus station remaining idle, the Winch at West Winch shuttered up and the George and Dragon at Newton by Castle Acre still being advertised as for sale.

There is better news up in Hunstanton, where the Wash and Tope is now reopening after a major refurbishment. The reports I have had suggest that the place has been transformed and is well worth a visit. Further along the coast at Brancaster Staithe, the White Horse has had a conservatory restaurant added, with breath taking views over the tidal marshes. There is also a new drinks lounge and an enlarged bar area, developments which should enhance the pub’s reputation as one of the gems of the North Norfolk coast.

The Lattice House in Kings Lynn is one of the 34 Wetherspoons outlets countrywide which is on the market. I have heard no end of rumours of potential purchasers, some more credible than others, but as I write, the pub is trading as normal and the Grots continue to agonise over the future venue of their monthly steak and ale meeting. In Downham Wetherspoons are planning to go ahead with their plans for the White Hart despite the opposition of other local traders who are worried about the traffic and parking provisions for the new venture.

Although pubs continue to struggle, the number of breweries in Norfolk continues to grow, with Beermad listing 42 active breweries 8 | Spring 2016

in the county. These are almost exclusively over towards the east, leaving Kings Lynn as one of the largest towns in the country without an active brewery. For several years, the Anchor brewery has seemed to be about to come into production, but, if my information is accurate, they may be beaten to the punch as another enterprise comes on stream and at last the once great brewing town will again produce beer.

The challenge then, is to sell it, and it has been interesting that in January a couple of pubs held ‘Meet the Brewer’ events, with Shackleton at the Willow House in Watton and the Norfolk Brewhouse at the Live and Let Live in Kings Lynn. I managed to get along to the Live and Let Live event and was well impressed by Dave, the brewer of the Moongazer range of beers dispensing samples and wise words from behind his trestle table in the bar. His charity special, Tobi’s Tipple was especially good and washed down Rosie’s Sausage and black pudding pie a treat. Hopefully events like these raise the awareness of local brews and also attract extra customers to the pub.

Jeff

The Ed’lines Well, Spring is arriving or has it been around for some time. What happened to our winter? I remember being on our Christmas Crawl and sitting outside the Wig & Pen at gone 10pm as it was so warm. Hopefully this will continue and we avoid the devastation that is occurring up north. I know some of the pubs under water and it is hard enough to keep pubs open without this extra burden. The Winter is always a dark time for our pubs as they recover from the Christmas period. Unfortunately some close forever and it just shows how important your support is for your local.

to the pub. I have yet to visit but I like the idea of sitting in the pub and sending a post card to friends telling them what beers I'm drinking. I would also ask you to note the Beer Festivals that are being held in the next few months.

Please visit one or two as I know you will enjoy them. I would like to apologise to Richard Elkin formally of Number 12 as he has not bought the freehold to the Kings as we reported. I hope we see him in trade again. However Number 12 has new owners who have said they have plenty of ideas so we will keep an eye on them as we have their number.

The recent issue with The Owl Sanctuary and over 2000 nominations for it to be listed as an ACV is a record for any Pub in the UK. However it is still closed. Hopefully with all that support it we can see it open again shortly. It sold some real ale but also the keg craft beers that are becoming popular throughout the county.

These beers have been attracting a younger drinker which can only assist in keeping open the pubs.

This year we will be having for the first time a Beer of the Year Awards Evening on 26th February at the Weston Room, C of E Cathedral.

I hope you can join us and have a great time.

We will let you know who won what next time.

And finally I have just seen that the Icelandic Brewery Skedji has brewed a beer with minced whale testicles and smoked in sheep dung.

Hopefully our Norfolk Brewers will use more traditional ingredients.

Graham

In the next edition we hope to have an interesting and I suspect controversial article on this development. I have even noted the Cellar House on Eaton Street has added a post office

STOP PRESS: Tthe National Winter Ales Beer Festival will be coming to Norwich for the next 3 years. WOW. More details next issue!

Don’t miss out on an issue of Norfolk Nips We have a growing number of postal subscribers to Norfolk Nips and Cask Force, and I would like to send my thanks for the kind comments and best wishes from those who have renewed their subscriptions recently.

If you would like to join them in receiving the next 4 issues by post, send 10 first class stamps or £6.50 cheque payable to West Norfolk CAMRA, 91 Tennyson Road, Kings Lynn, Norfolk, PE30 5NG. 10 | Spring 2016

Norfolk Nips | From the Editors

Stig’s Words Welcome to the spring edition of Nips/Caskforce, I confess I won’t miss the winter which was mild temperature wise but a tad on the stormy side!

Thank goodness there are still pubs to shelter in, and dark strong winter ales to drink.

In many pubs this winter the fires have been lit more for ambiance than to heat the bar. This ironically means that global warming will render them obsolete even quicker! Never mind the money saved can always be spent on pumps to dry out the cellars.

Personally I have just enjoyed a great visit to the Elysian winter ales festival and was pleased to see Three blind mice brewery going from strength to strength in the years since we reported its creation in this magazine.

I hope we have an entertaining mix of articles in this issue, with such new features as a woman’s perspective on real ale something we intend to make a regular feature, plus tales of long distance ale hunting and some thoughts on issues such as the current government advice on “safe” dinking levels (there aren’t any safe levels) and a historical perspective on beer transport.

There is also some significant news on a major CAMRA event which I will let Norwich tell you about, but well done to all concerned!

Finally thanks to every one who contributes to the production of this magazine and its distribution, plus all those of you who pick it up and read it, see you out there!

Stig.

As I write West Norfolk Branch are about to decide on both our branch pub of the year and put forward our entries for the next good beer guide, probably the most critical time of the year for us. Remember if you don’t agree with the outcome, it is a democratic process so if you are a branch member get involved, the more input we get the more representative the results will be next year.

Next an apology, when I asked members to help with Nips distribution I asked you to contact Ros, forgetting that her details are not in the magazine! If you want to help contact the branch contact first (or Norwich branch if you would like to help them), details in the panel at the rear of this issue.

Thanks to those who responded to my craft beer thoughts, I have included one of the replies. Also thanks for the entries to the pump clip competition, many of which originated from outside Norfolk, the winner will be selected in due course and contacted, good luck.

Spring 2016 | 11

Norfolk Nips | Brewery News

Wolf Whiskers raise cash for Local Cancer Charity

Norfolk Real Ale drinkers choose Whiskers to support Movember The Wolf Brewery wishes to thank real ale drinkers across Norfolk for choosing Wolf Whiskers in November last year, to support a local charity - the Norfolk & Waveney Prostate Cancer Support Group.

Following a successful donation of over £300 from sales in 2014, Wolf Brewery decided to again offer Wolf Whiskers to publicans during last November’s Prostate Cancer ‘Movember’ awareness campaign, on the understanding that a donation from every pint sold would be made to a prostate cancer charity.

The beer and associated logo was well received

by publicans and their customers across Norfolk and over 2000 pints were supped, in support of raising awareness about prostate cancer, which is the 3rd most common cancer in the UK. Over 1000 men are diagnosed in Norfolk each year and the Support Group now run 6 meetings per year in Norwich and Great Yarmouth just for newly diagnosed men and their partners.

Noel Warner, Chairman of the Norfolk & Waveney Prostate Cancer Support Group, visited the Wolf Brewery to receive a cheque for £223.20(3) from salesman, Simon Davey, on behalf of owners Kay and John Edwards. The money will be added to their fund raising pot which is used to support men with prostate cancer and their families in the Norfolk and Waveney area and by donating money for the purchase of specialist equipment at the Norfolk and Norwich University Hospital.

Spring 2016 | 13

Norfolk Nips

Around Breweries News from the Brewery Liaison Coordinator Thank you to all the people who came forward and volunteered to cover some positions as Brewery Liaison Officers. There are still three available: The Shackleton, Oakwood (new) and Fox. If anyone is interested in becoming a BLO, or would like to know more about the role, please email me on eastanglia.blc@camra.org.uk.

December was busy and interesting. On Saturday 5th of December I went (as former BLO) to Humpty Dumpty brewery in Reedham for their open day. The weather wasn’t brilliant, quite windy but the visit was excellent.

There was an excellent selection of beers to choose from including the Christmas brews, Christmas Crack and Christmas Crackling. All the money donated was given to the brewery’s designated charity, the local First Responders.

At the end of December I went to visit Poppyland brewery in Cromer, as I am the BLO for the brewery. It is a small brewery but creating and brewing great and interesting brews. The latest one is a very interesting beer, Norwegian Farmhouse (7.4%) and as all their other beers it is gluten free. Martin went expressly to Norway to get the yeast 14 | Spring 2016

(“kveik”) and learn all about the Norwegian Farmer home brew tradition.

The brew also includes junipers, but as Martin didn’t have any, he substituted it for some Serbian spruce growing in his garden, which gives it a herbal bitterness. Before we drank it, we headed to Martin’s garden to offer it to the Scandinavian Gods, which involved throwing some of the “vossaoel” into an offering stone and telling Odin to move away! Afterwards, we sampled it, the result is a red-brown ale with a gorgeous caramel aroma, notes of raisins and malt reminding you of a rich and fruity Christmas Pudding.

It has a silky and creamy mouthfeel with a rich caramel malty taste combined with a powerful herbal bitterness which ends in a subtle smooth and sweet aftertaste. It’s available in bottles from Poppyland brewery, Hellesdon Barns, the Real Ale Shop in Wells, Beers of Europe and other outlets.

For more information go to their website www.poppylandbeer.com Also in December I learned that Fakir brewery has stopped brewing, which is a shame and we will miss the hoppy beers. I wish Moses the best and lots of luck in the future.

Norfolk Nips | Brewery News Norfolk Brewhouse has been very busy doing new brews. Their Christmas brew, Winter Porter (4.5%), is a collaboration with Jon from the Ramsgate brewery, it is a complex porter containing five malts, one of them is a smoked oat wheat, which adds the delicate smokiness of the beer, plus some orange and coriander.

The second brew can be sampled in lots of pubs around Norfolk at the moment, Tobi’s Tipple (4%) is a nice balanced amber bitter, very quaffable, which has been brewed to raise money for the charity It’s On the Ball, raising awareness about testicular cancer.

Tombstone have moved the brewery site, and also opened a Tap, their Saloon Bar in Great Yarmouth, where everyone can sample their beers and several others from Norfolk. For more information you can visit their website www.tombstonebrewery.co.uk Also in December I came across Martin from Panther Brewery at the Assembly House Christmas market, selling and promoting their new brew, Hopster, which is alcohol free and with plenty of flavour.

And big Congratulations! to four Norfolk breweries who won awards at the recent judging of the East Anglian round of the Champion Beer of Britain. Both Golden Triangle, with Mosaic City in the Golden Ales category, and Woodforde’s, with Wherry in the Bitters, won gold.

Woodforde’s also won two silvers, with Norfolk Nog, in the Old Ales, and Headcracker in the Barley Wines & Strong Ales. And Jo C’s and Elmtree scored bronzes for, respectively, Norfolk Kiwi in the Bitters category, and Dark Horse in the Stouts.

Oli Fernandez

Spring 2016 | 15

Open from Midday Everyday Fresh home cooked food to be found on our bar and specials menus Ever changing selection of local ales and fifty whiskies to be sampled Upcoming Events Real Ale, Cider, and Music Festivals during the Spring (May 27th-30th) and Summer (August 26th-29th) Bank Holiday weekends, with acts including: The Lovin’ Handfull, Starbuck, James Summerhill, Those Darned Mouldy Figs, The A13 All Stars, and Misserable Man! Pub quizzes every Thursday night, DragonFest open mic nights, and much more!

Check our website and Facebook page to stay updated through the summer

Norfolk Nips | Tobi’s Tipple Charity Beer

Local ale hopes to prove a life saver Local brewery Norfolk Brewhouse joined forces with Norwich based charity It’s On The Ball in a to raise awareness of testicular cancer. The specially brewed beer, Tobi’s Tipple Special Edition Ale, was sold with support from many pubs and clubs. Below is a message from the Norfolk Brewhouse team:A huge heartfelt thanks go out from the team at Norfolk Brewhouse to all of the pubs and clubs in Norfolk who have helped raise awareness of the It’s On The Ball testicular cancer charity during January. A big thanks also to all of you who drank and enjoyed a pint or two.

We embarked on this project with two key objectives; to get men chatting about the difficult topic of testicular cancer, and also to give pubs a new product to offer during what is traditionally a tough month of trading for them.

To say we were bowled over by the response would be an understatement – just short of 80 pubs took part.

The month included a mini pub tour by local band The Naked Lights – who gave up their time for free to pump out some tunes and spread the word about It’s On The Ball. So, cheers to The Kings Head, Holt; The Murderers, The Rose Inn and The Plasterers in Norwich for hosting the events. Judging by the reaction I think this is a band who we will be hearing a lot more of in the future.

Pubs also did their bit off their own back, it’s really hard to name them all but activities ranged from a 3-day Tobi’s Tipple weekend at The Chequers Inn, Binham, where a quiz, indoor fete and bingo night raised over £400 and the good folk of The King’s Head, Magdalen Street, in Norwich chipping in 50p a pint, along with countless other pubs completing the Tobi’s raffle

cards and donating money. Apologies for not being able to mention all of the pubs but we have done so on social media and will do so in person as we catch up with you.

The biggest benefit however, has simply been the posters in the toilets about testicular cancer, displaying the pump clip and pubs spreading images on social media. Beyond that, the immeasurable bit is how many conversations have been sparked as well as plenty of rather amusing tales shared with us about how couples have joined in the fun! But that’s the serious point – thanks to all of the pubs’ efforts more people in Norfolk now know about It’s On The Ball and the importance of gents checking themselves regularly.

However, the journey and our support for the charity doesn’t stop here – Tobi’s Tipple will be back in cask later in the year and also look out for bottles of Tobi’s Tipple in shops during March. The bottle version is different to the Special Edition cask version which was a brand new, unique brew. With the bottles we will simply be relabelling our Moon Gazer Amber Ale as a way of getting the message on shop shelves.

So, please spread the word, keep checking and also check out the work of the small, dedicated, and very deserving charity team at itsontheball.org. Thanks again from all the team at Norfolk Brewhouse David, Rachel, Shane and Cathy Spring 2016 | 17

Norfolk Nips

An offaley (or tale of haggis and a

For thirty two years the Angel Inn at Larling has staged its Burns event. Landlord Andrew’s uncle Dudley celebrates his birthday on the same day and Dudley’s mother is Scottish, so began a pub tradition.

The first event on 25th January 1984 needed a piper, Ray came forward, an ex army piper, Ray has been officiating ever since, the only thing better than his address of the haggis is the later (ruder) haggises reply, not I suspect, by the bard himself. To the accompaniment of pipe music the haggis is distributed and this year Dudley’s shooting party friend, a genuine Scot, gave his own impromptu speech which was really funny!

Andrew told me that the first year of the event it was planned (as has become the norm) to hold 18 | Spring 2016

Norfolk Nips | North of the Border

lang way for a beer pallet of beer North of the [Suffolk] border) the celebration in the public bar, in those days the crowd attracted was relatively small, which turned out to be lucky. In the morning a bus load of Millwall supporters turned up enroute to Norwich for football (being a Saturday), it was a very cold day, in the eighties we still had winters.

Despite the fact that the Millwall faithful had phoned Carrow Road and been ensured the game was on, it was in fact cancelled due to a frozen pitch. Andrew now had a bar full of Milwall supporters going nowhere and an event in the afternoon! All worked out fine with the Burns event moving to the other bar, something you could not do with present numbers, and the Millwall party staying all afternoon. By any standards, a start to remember.

At this years event the featured beers were from the island of Orkney, Andrew has always tried to get appropriate beer for the Scottish event and made plans to visit Orkney in his friends light aircraft, a long way in a Cessna.

Eventually the weather and other circumstances made this impossible. However the link with the islands and their breweries meant that the desire to visit still remained.

This year everything came together and Andrew, Liz and a group of friends finally made

it to Orkney and were treated to a one off brewery visit to Highland Brewery guided by Rob Hill (visits are not normally possible). He revealed that the name of the brewery is about to revert to Swannay Brewery as the Highland name had led to some confusion over the location; of course “Orkney” is already taken.

Andrew negotiated the purchase of over a pallet of beers which were still available at the time of writing; many are named to reflect the proximity of Scapa Flow Naval base the wartime mooring of the Grand fleet in the First World War and the Atlantic fleet in the second.

I sampled the Scapa Special, Island Hopping and Munro Mild all were excellent and in tip top condition.

On a lighter note a very interestingly named village was encountered, I’ll let the photos do the talking! Anyway a long way for a pint maybe not so bad for a pallet of beer or two, maybe another tradition has started?

Finally congratulations to Liz, who is now brand sales manager for Lacons.

Stig Spring 2016 | 19

Norfolk Nips

20 | Spring 2016

Norfolk Nips | Bird’s eye view

Bird’s Eye View: Turned to the Dark Side My dad liked his beer; he was an ale man.

My mum liked beer; her favourite tipple was a Makeson. My first husband was a lager drinker; clearly that marriage wasn’t destined to go the distance. Husband number two (the Chap), I can safely say, appreciates real beer.

I love my beer. To those who say that it is full of carbs and calories I say “It’s not a beer belly darling, it’s the fuel tank for this love machine!”

I once read somewhere that certain vitamins in beer can regenerate the skin and have a positive impact on pigmentation. Your skin becomes smoother and suppler. I’m not sure if that is true but after my third pint I want to believe!

I guess a lot of us started on cider, before moving on to maybe a shandy or a lager-top.

I was no exception but it didn’t take me long to get a taste of beer, with Ruddles being an early favourite.

These days I’m particularly partial to golden ales but I’ll try pretty much anything (within

Cider wells up for the spring When I moved to England in the late 80’s I was taken to my first beer festival. At the time I didn't drink beer so I found myself at the cider bar and it was a revelation. Having spent years drinking the standard fizzy cider that was available in pubs I discovered a drink that tasted of apples and you could taste the flavours coming through from the fruit. I also discovered the variety of drinks that were available.

I quickly learnt that very few pubs sold real cider and that the only place that I could guarantee being able to find it was at the larger CAMRA beer festivals so I joined to find out where the festivals were and started travelling to those which were easy to get to.

reason!). But dark beers? I don’t know why but they never really appealed. I always imagined those dark intimidating brews being very bitter, and they looked so heavy and hard to drink.

Then a few months back Chappie suggested I try Titanic Plum Porter. Yes, there was a bitter finish, but a calm, gentle bitterness. And that sweet plumy fruitiness and aroma….I was hooked. Another instant hit was Damson Stout from Burton Bridge, and on recent trip to The Chap’s home county of Sussex I tasted what is surely nectar of the gods; Dark Star’s Crème Brulee.

So to all those girls out there who are afraid of what is lurking in the dark, I say be bold. If you enjoy dark fruits, and rich and intense coffee and chocolate (don’t we all?), then I’m sure you can find a beer that you’ll adore.

I’m off now for a pint of Plum Porter and a cheese roll in the Fat Cat. Heaven. See you there.

The Beer Bird Thankfully we now live in a very different world. We have seen the number of cider producers increase in recent years so many areas now have a cider producer somewhere nearby. Most beer festivals now sell real cider and Perry, with even the smaller ones having a small selection. There are also a lot more pubs with at least one available and many stocking a good range.

If you search for pubs that sell real cider in Norfolk on our Whatpub website you are given a choice of over 60 pubs spread throughout the whole county. It is even possible to arrange cider crawls of larger places.

May is one of CAMRA’s cider campaigning months so, now that it is easier to find in pubs and at beer festivals, why not take the opportunity to try some real cider or perry and discover the variety of flavours that you can find in these drinks.

Andrea Briers Spring 2016 | 21

Norfolk Nips

A popular pub with locals and holidaymakers alike, the Crown Inn is perched right on the clifftop overlooking the beautiful sandy beaches of Sheringham in Norfolk.

Enjoy a meal or snack from our extensive and popular menu.

Five Real Ales always available Every Saturday - Live Local Bands

Monday nights - Pub Quiz with prizes, refreshments and free entry Tel: 01263 823213 crownsheringham@hotmail.co.uk www.crownsheringham.co.uk Lifeboat Plain, East Cliff Sheringham NR26 8BQ

22 | Spring 2016

The Real Ale Shop is a unique off-licence offering over 60 bottle conditioned ales from 15 Norfolk brewers.

We are located on a beautiful arable farm close-by Wells-next-the-Sea, which provides much of the malt used in brewing the ales we sell.

The Real Ale Shop, Branthill Farm, Wells-next-the-Sea, Norfolk, NR23 1SB.

Tel: 01328 710810 www.therealaleshop.co.uk

Norfolk Nips | Pubs’ are for the people

The Pub is the Hub ship of their pub was put forward. A positive response to a negative situation, the co-operative was to give Shouldham control of the King’s Arms at a time when economic stagnation had left them feeling powerless.

Reviving not only the pub, but the community spirit, the King’s Arms co-operative has made Shouldham a social village of envy to surrounding areas. With a summer fete, classic car weekends and a hugely successful beer festival, the re-opening of the King’s Arms has put Shouldham on the map.

Ongoing legislative changes and, in more recent years, the economic downturn, have resulted in a noticeable and steady decline in UK Pub numbers since 1980. Alcohol consumption tends to rise and fall with economic prosperity, but the shockwaves felt from the 2008 global financial crisis have affected much more than just the nation’s thirst. It has been hard to ignore pub closures, ever present the length and breadth of the country during the last decade with the British Beer and Pub Association quoting a peak closure rate of 52 a week in the first half of 2009. When you couple this with land and house price increases, changing tastes, increased competition from leisure pursuits and cut throat prices for supermarket drinks, pubs have had their work cut out to keep their heads above water.

The King’s Arms, Shouldham, was for a brief moment in time, one of those very statistics, another historic watering hole destined for the developers. This is a scene all too common in rural communities, places that can find themselves isolated and secluded during times of macro-economic calamity. The people of Shouldham, however, were not quite ready to wave their white flag. In a bid to save their redundant relic, the idea of co-operative owner-

So much so, that the narrative has formed the basis for a University dissertation. As a third year Geography student, I was intrigued by the story of the King’s Arms and many like it. Last summer I was lucky enough to visit several of these new co-operative pubs, speaking to regulars, committee members and barmen alike, experiencing the resounding enthusiasm and delight at which this new breed of social hub has impacted the community in the surrounding areas.

France has its cafés, America its diners, and we Brits have our pubs – the need for public social space is undeniable. With beer the oil to our social machine, the example set by the people of Shouldham and places like The King’s Arms indicates a rise of community resistance and a time of togetherness in this country. In an age of globalisation and increased online social media, pubs offer us tradition, authenticity and identity.

With the advent of co-operatives we can add to that list a new ideology of will power and determination. These new social strongholds are paid for by the people, for the people - a co-operative like the King’s Arms is a pub in its purist form.

Ben Charlton Third Year Human Geography Student at The University of Sheffield.

Spring 2016 | 23

Norfolk Nips | Letter

I found Stig’s piece about Craft Beers in the Winter issue of ‘Norfolk Nips’ very much to the point. I distinctly remember the time in the 1970’s when real ale first appeared on the pub scene, and I’m also old enough to remember the first appearance of Keg Bitter.

CAMRA’s fight to make sure that real ale survived in British pubs was a battle against huge vested interests in the production and marketing of pasteurised beers and its victory was a victory for consumers which has no equal. CAMRA has always been adamant that a real ale has to be a properly cask conditioned beer, and has always emphasized that this beer must be properly stored and dispensed. Pubs, their cellars, their storage, and the dispensing of their beers have always been carefully inspected to ensure that the consumer is served with a product which meets the now firmly established criteria which determine whether the beer is a properly defined and properly served real ale.

However, the food and drinks industry is even more dominated by big players than it was, and these huge commercial concerns have always been keen to create the largest possible markets for their produce, and they have always spent very large sums of money on sophisticated advertising. Their basic interest is in products which make the most money, irrespective of consumer tastes.

Indeed, one of their primary aims is to manipulate consumer tastes to suit their own commercial programmes.

The demand for real ale, through CAMRA’S brilliantly imaginative publicity, dogged persistence, and uncompromising defence of a threatened product, turned the tastes of a

minority into something much larger and more powerful. In the end, the big brewers had to face up to the fact that they were losing an important sector of the market.

They were also having to face the fact that the definition of what was a true beer had changed, and the demand for real ale had to be satisfied.

The advent of so-called Craft Beer has, I think, given the food and drinks industry the chance to weaken the demand for real ale and, in the process, boost the demand for keg beer. This is what they have always wanted. As the image of Craft Beer becomes more widespread, the very exact definition of a real ale will weaken. The general public doesn’t have the same attitude to their beer as members and supporters of CAMRA. In fact, one of the purposes of CAMRA is to educate beer drinkers into what a genuine real ale tastes like, and to emphasize its special quality.

This primary interest is now becoming blurred. If the market for so-called Craft Beer (and it’s definition is not as clear as it should be) increases, then the definition and maintenance of real ale, which is CAMRA’S main concern, will be weakened. This should not be allowed to happen, and it should be the primary concern of CAMRA to see that it doesn’t. The current, and increasing fashion, for so-called Craft Beers is no concern of CAMRA and CAMRA should concentrate on preserving the availability and quality of properly cask conditioned real ale.

Mike Cullup Spring 2016 | 25

Think of a famous diary and it might be Samuel Pepys or perhaps Bridget Jones, but the chances are that you have not heard of Mary Hardy. That’s a shame as she is a Norfolk girl who wrote a daily record of her life every day for 34 years until her death in 1809, a total output of over half a million words. These have been published in 4 volumes edited by Margaret Bird, and an article based on them is in the October 2015 issue of The Local Historian.

Mary was married to William who managed a farm, maltings and brewery near Coltishall, before purchasing a similar enterprise at Letheringsett in north Norfolk. He would be in control of the whole process from growing the barley, malting the grain, brewing the beer and delivering it to around 50 pubs, many of which were tied to the brewery. The diaries provide a unique insight into their everyday life, especially when combined with the diaries of her nephew, Henry Raven who kept a journal for four years whilst a brewing apprentice, the only one of its type in existence. One of the most difficult tasks was delivering the beer.

Whilst the roads were considered to be some of the better ones in the country, navigating a

COAST ROAD, WALCOTT, NORFOLK NR12 OPE Telephone

(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 www.lighthouseinn.co.uk 26 | Spring 2016

horse drawn dray loaded with up to two tons of barrels down narrow country lanes was no easy task. The horses were the same ones used for ploughing the fields rather than the huge dray horses we sometimes see today. The beer came in 36 gallon barrels and, unless the weather was very poor, the men would work alone. Most of the pubs were within about 15 miles, but for over a year William had to deliver to the Coltishall pubs as no one could be found to take over. One of his men was recorded as having travelled 555 miles delivering beer in a month.

At an average speed of between 2-3 miles per hour this took a great deal of time, but he would be expected to do other tasks on the farm on top of this, often working from 5.30 to midnight. Indeed the working hours have been calculated at around 3,700 per year compared with 1677 for full time UK workers in 2007.

In the area which Hardy delivered to in North Norfolk, calculations show that there was one pub for every 187 people in 1797, and some of the orders were large. On 21st December 1793 the Falgate at Hindringham spoke for four barrels of Nog, a strong beer and eighteen barrels of small beer. Even given that it was close

to Christmas and trade may have been brisk, a total of 6336 pints is quite a task for even the most committed revellers.

The Hardys were forward thinking, and installed water power on the farm in 1784 to power the brewery, maltings, and a new corn mill, some of which we later converted to housing and can still be seen today. They also developed new brews such as porter and exported their beer by sea to Yorkshire, Lancashire and Tyneside. The business passed down through the generations, who moved up the social scale, with one of the descendants becoming the first Lord Cozens-Hardy, one time Master of the Rolls, whilst his brother took up residence at Cley Hall. The brewery, which started production before 1721 under the stewardship of John, was, like so many in Norfolk, sold to Morgans and production finally ceased in around 1897, though soft drinks production continued until 1936, when the premises were damaged by fire. bar.man@btinternet.com This article first appeared in the Lynn News

Spring 2016 | 27

Norfolk Nips

08/02/2016

The Farmer’s Arms ‘The pub on the hill’

11:47

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tel: 01553 675566

tel: 01485 534411

Open for meals 12 noon – 9.00pm daily - Real food, Real ales, Real pub

www.traditionalinns.co.uk

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28 | Spring 2016

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Norfolk Nips | From the Archives

A look back through some of The Branch minutes of 40 years ago At the Norwich & Norfolk Branch Meeting of 19th January 1976 which was held at ‘Jaquard Club’ Magdalen Street in Norwich there was an attendance of 38 people.

The Branch funds at that time stood at £49.11 which even taking account of inflation seems a low figure but it must be remembered that the Branch had only been formed the previous autumn and the first Norwich Beer Festival was still over a year and a half away.

It was reported at the meeting that Courage are shortly to make a ‘draught beer’. A number of tenants were willing to supply this new real ale but unfortunately they had no hand pumps. The minutes state “The tenants are willing to put draught on, but have no hand pumps. A call put out for hand pumps”.

It was also noted that Watneys were brewing a real ale in Norwich called ‘Fined Bitter’ but it was only to be available in London’s Watney pubs. It was queried that if it were to be made available in London then why is it not available in any of the Watney pubs in Norwich? The Committee was asked to look into this.

It had also been requested that could Watneys replace their Watney signs with Bullards and Steward & Patteson signs. They were however informed in no uncertain manner that it was Watneys policy of making all their pub signs look alike or as the Branch Secretary of the time put it “all cheap plastic and stainless steel”.

The Committee had also approached Watneys about the loss of public bars in their pubs but again that request appeared to be ignored by Watneys.

The next Branch Meeting was held on 24th February 1976 at The Beehive in Norwich and was attended by 22 people, 20 of whom were members. At that meeting it was decided the The Branch was to produce its first local real ale guide. The guide was to be “20 - 24 pages litho’ print with two colour glossy

cover. Line drawings of pubs. Quote of £108 for 2,000 copies with ability of another 1,000 on reprint. To sell at 20 – 25p and have brewery adverts. Outlets were to be Jarrolds and East Anglian Tourist Board”.

Also at this meeting a motion was put from the floor to produce a branch newsletter by April but was rejected. Later a second motion put forward “that a newsletter be produced when required”, and this time it was carried.

The Branch social with Ipswich Branch mentioned in the last meeting had now been scheduled for 12th March and the coach would leave from Hotel Nelson at 7pm, cost 75p per head.

Following from the last meeting the Committee had followed up the request regarding whether Watneys would supply ‘Fined Bitter’ to pubs in Norwich. The official reply had been that they had no plans to sell ‘Fined Bitter’ in Norfolk. Their priority at that time was to promote their new ‘Anglian Strong Bitter’. For those of you too young or not familiar with the Norfolk pub scene in the mid 70s ‘Anglian Strong Bitter’ was a strong heavy malty keg beer that had recently been made available in Norfolk’s Watney pubs in addition to Norwich Bitter.

The March Branch Meeting was held on 23rd March 1976 also at The Beehive and was attended by over 30 people. Items discussed at this meeting included a section about hand pumps being supplied to Courage pubs. Cambridge Branch had offered some but the offer had met “with a chilly response from Courage under their new area manager”.

Also advertised was a beer festival at The Scole Inn near Diss in Norfolk on 8th April. Tickets were to be £1 each with beer priced at 10p per pint!

Norfolk Nips

30 | Spring 2016

Norfolk Nips | Out and about

January First Friday Five will be back there shortly. The final stop was The Murderers but is also known as the The Gardeners Arms if you look at the dual signs.

The January First Friday Five started at The Surrey Tavern and even though it was just after the holiday period we had a large crowd of nearly 50. It seemed we all wanted to start the new year with a grand night out. The Pub has a welcoming atmosphere and it is close to the local offices which are their main customers. The Grain Best was the only beer on offer. It was of reasonable quality and was quickly running out. We moved on at various times to the next Pub The Pig & Whistle as some people just do not stop talking. That is why these events are fun. This Pub is your typical country pub but in the heart of the city. It has an old fashioned look but also caters for sports events and has many dart boards upstairs. Meals are good and varied but the Flaming Galah’s Pies are extra special. The beers were Winters Golden, Robinsons Dizzy Blonde and Trooper. All were in fine condition and with the 10% CAMRA discount this Pub is well worth a visit when you are in town.

Doesn’t help much when you have been drinking.

Dating back to 1696 it is one of my favourite Pubs in the city. Please read the history on their website and guess in which seat did the murder take place.

Hopefully it wasn't mine as I drank the Thornbridge Jaipur IPA. The other beers were London Pride, Wolf Edith Cavell and Timber Wolf, Bullards No2, Golden Traingle Black Hops, Wherry, Panther Golden and Doombar. They were in excellent form which befits a cellar team of Phil Cutter who has something to do with the Norwich City of Ale. Overall a good start to the year. We have the First Friday Fives at the beginning of each month which concentrates on Pubs in the city. Anyone is welcome. You do not have to be a CAMRA member but after you find out how enjoyable and varied are our events I’m sure you will want to join. I did.

Graham

Onwards to The Lamb where our group swelled even more. Was it the food or the beer? This Pub has a large secluded beer garden, local live music and Beer Festivals. It has been part of Norwich life for hundreds of years and is steeped in a fascinating history. Wolf Golden Jackal and Granny Wouldn't Like it were fine but I tried the Hobgoblin which went down well. Sometimes I do feel the beers are served a little too cold.

Next stop was The Bell which is a Wetherspoons Pub near the Norwich castle which is popular and can get quite crowded. It is said it dates back to 1480 and was home of the Hellfire club amongst others. Stories of watching hangings whilst having a beer are legend. Well our club were able to sample Wolf Lupus Lupus, Woodfordes Nelsons Revenge and Wherry, Oakleaf Poppy Royal, Burton Bridge XL Bitter, Doombar and Abbot just upstairs. Our CAMRA 50p off Real Ale & Cider vouchers were in abundance and some of our group didn’t realise members can also get 20% off food. I expect they Spring 2016 | 31

Norfolk Nips

The King’s Arms • Martham The Green, Martham, Norfolk NR29 4PL

5 real ales • Real food • Real friendly • Real cider Lovely stunning garden seating For further information please call: 01493 749156 32 | Spring 2016

Health issues?

When I first started to write my newspaper column, I was concerned that I might influence people to increase their alcohol consumption to a level that was detrimental to their health. I was consoled by the government guidelines and stories that alcohol in small doses was beneficial.

There was also the feeling that the recommended limits were somehow plucked from the air, rather than being the result of scientific research. That, however, is history. Since Friday 8th January, the Department of Health has ruled that all consumption of alcohol is bad for you.

The new limits which have been published are designed to lower the risk, not eliminate it.

So finally we can say farewell to the days when the factory workers knocked off or the miners came up to the surface and downed a dozen pints of weak beer to replace the lost fluid. We will never see the likes of Winston Churchill again, who was reported to have drunk 42,000 bottles of champagne during his lifetime, even though he was equally partial to brandy.

I look back at my childhood and fondly remember the days of roaming the Pennine moors and collecting used bullet cases from the army firing range to sell at the scrapyard. I mourn the loss of the mill on the River Irwell, washed away in the recent floods, which me and my mate visited by climbing over the back wall up from the river bank when we were teenagers. I marvel at the way that I along with my twelve year old schoolmates was allowed to catch the train from Bury to go trainspotting for the day in places such as York, Birmingham, Derby, Crewe and London.

We now live in an age of seat belts, breath tests, speed cameras, red warning dots on food packets, fire certificates, wired in plugs, squashy rubber mats under swings and advice on cups of

coffee that the contents might be hot. You must wear your helmet when you ride a bike or play cricket, and stick to the path when you go for a walk. We are advised not to consume too much fat, salt, sugar or alcohol. Children go to football coaching and have to be told to ‘Close him down’ or ‘Push it wide’ rather than be given a ball and sent off to the back alley. We deter right wing politicians such as Trump by organising an on line petition rather than driving them from the streets, a la Oswald Mosely in the East End.

And do you know what? Taken individually, I would be strongly in favour of most of these initiatives, but taken together don’t they somehow squeeze all the joy from life? Look of the old pictures of a past age and they are black and white, but my memories of the time are in glorious vibrant colour, and it is today that seems increasingly sepia toned. Perhaps to be truly alive you need to take a few risks, and if one of them is to go down the pub now and again and have a few pints with my mates, I might take that chance.

But don’t let me encourage you to ignore the advice. Children of today, get your excitement from watching the Kardashians on TV and thrill to playing Fifa16 on the computer. You can follow the guidelines and live on spring water and kale smoothies and build into your schedule time for your recommended 150 minutes of moderate aerobic activity per week. You can avoid alcohol, tobacco, drugs, caffeine, salt, sugar, legal highs, and loud music. And after all that, do you know what? – Spoiler Alert- you will still one day die. bar.man@btinternet.com A version of this article appeared in the Lynn News.

Spring 2016 | 33

Norfolk Nips

34 | Spring 2016

Norfolk Nips

THE RED LION OPENING TIMES Mon-Thurs

12noon-3pm, 5.30pm-11 pm Fri & Sat 12-11pm, Sun 1210pm

Open all day Friday, Saturday and Sunday from 12noon.

Sunday brunch continu es to be served weekly from 10a m-3pm along with Sunday roasts from 12-3pm.

We Also Have Free Wi fi Available To Customers.

Telephone for further deta ils of any of our events, or come in and have a look for yourself, ever yon e welcome.

East Church Street, Kenninghall, Norfolk, NR16 2EP 01953 887849 Email: theredlionltd@aol.com

A traditional country pub with real ales and excellent home-cooked food.

Restaurant open lunch and evening.

Open for Bed & Breakfast every night of the week.

EVERY FRIDAY IS FRESH FISH FRIDAY

Delivered that morning, available Lunch & Dinner!

Crispy, Beer-battered Fish, Chips & Peas-£9.95

Regular Monthly Events: Jam Sessions (second Sunday of the month) Quiz Nights Open Mic Nights (last Tuesday of the month)

www.redlionkenninghall.co.uk

“The Country Pub On The Edge of Town” Bacton Road, North Walsham NR28 0RA FREE

ACCESS

OPEN ALL DAY FIVE REAL ALES Meals Served

12noon to 2.30pm and in the evening 6.30 to 9.30pm

Bookings 01692 404800 38 | Spring 2016

Norfolk Nips

The pub with no bar, ales direct from cask.

Watch www.nelsonslocal.co.uk for forthcoming events.

Tongue twizzling food, and great value.

Huge garden and children’s play area.

Shooting parties, lunch & dinner menus available

Victory Barn Function Room for Weddings and Parties Come & visit Nelson’s local.

Walsingham Road, Burnham Thorpe, Norfolk PE31 8HN

01328 738241

The Heart of Norfolk Winter Opening Hours Friday 6pm - Midnight Saturday 2pm - Midnight Sunday 2pm - Midnight Regular Monthly Events After The Rain 2.30pm - 1st Sunday Defibrillator Fundraising Quiz 7.30pm - 2nd Sunday

Numerous other events including:Thomas Bainbridge Lee Vasey

Bradenham 01362 822111 Spring 2016 | 39

EATON COTTAGE UNTHANK RD, NORWICH Tel: 01603 453048

Fine Real Ales, lagers, wines and spirits

All Sky & BT Sports • A traditional pub Good covered outside areas Doggies welcome

“A festival of beers every day”

CROWN FREE HOUSE THE BANNINGHAM

We are in it!

Traditional Country Pub and Restaurant •5 Real Ales•Great Food• •Sheltered Gardens•

01263 733534

Colby Road, Banningham, Aylsham, NR11 7DY

www.banninghamcrown.co.uk 40 | Spring 2016

Here is a current list of all the pubs in Norfolk which are part of the CAMRA LocAle scheme. New entries are in Bold.

Horseshoes, Alby Black Boys, Aldborough Crown Inn, Banningham Chequers Inn, Binham Cock Inn, Barford Kings Head, Brooke Artichoke, Broome Green Gate, Caister-on-Sea Reedcutter, Cantley Crown Inn, Catfield George Hotel, Cley-next-the-Sea Three Swallows, Cley-next-the-Sea Victory, Clenchwarton Muskett Arms, Clippesby Red Lion, Coltishall Ugly Bug Inn, Colton Albion, Cromer Cottage, Cromer Red Lion Hotel, Cromer Royal Standard, Dereham Bob Carter Centre, Drayton White Hart, Downham Market Railway, Downham Market Royal Standard, East Dereham Queens Head, Emneth Erpingham Arms, Erpingham Bull, Fakenham Wellington, Feltwell Rampant Horse, Freethorpe Locks Inn, Geldeston Wherry, Geldeston Dock Tavern, Gorleston Mariners Compass, Gorleston Dabbling Duck, Great Massingham Barking Smack, Great Yarmouth Mariners, Great Yarmouth Oliver Twist, Great Yarmouth Red Herring, Great Yarmouth St. Johns Head, Great Yarmouth Fox & Hounds, Heacham Kings Head, Hethersett

Greyhound Inn, Hickling Pleasure Boat Inn, Hickling Swan, Hilborough Eagle, Hockham Victoria, Hockering Buck, Honingham White Hart, Hopton Brickmakers, Horsford Elm Farm Country House, Horsham St. Faith Live and Let Live, Kings Lynn Star Inn, Lessingham Swan Inn, Loddon Dog Inn, Ludham Fox and Hounds, Lyng Anchor Inn, Morston White Horse, Neatishead Relish Restaurant & Bar, Newton Flotman Railway Hotel, North Elmham Orchard Gardens, North Walsham Adam and Eve, Norwich Angel Gardens, Norwich Beehive (Leopold Rd), Norwich Bell Hotel, Norwich Cellar House, Norwich Champion, Norwich Cottage (Silver Road), Norwich Duke of Wellington, Norwich Earlham Arms, Norwich Eaton Cottage, Norwich Fat Cat and Canary, Norwich Fat Cat Tap, Norwich Fat Cat, Norwich Garden House, Norwich Jubilee, Norwich Kings Head, Norwich Leopard, Norwich Lollards Pit, Norwich Lord Rosebery, Norwich Maids Head Hotel, Norwich

Murderers, Norwich Plasterers Arms, Norwich Red Lion (Bishopgate), Norwich Reindeer, Norwich Rosbery, Norwich Ribs of Beef, Norwich Sir Garnet, Norwich Take 5, Norwich Temple Bar, Norwich Trafford Arms, Norwich Vine, Norwich Wig and Pen, Norwich York Tavern, Norwich Royal Oak, Poringland Ferry Inn, Reedham Ship, Reedham Kings Arms, Reepham Swan, Ringland Three Horseshoes, Roydon Lobster, Sheringham Kings Arms, Shouldham Goat, Skeyton Peddars Inn, Sporle Sprowston Manor Hotel & Country Club, Sprowston Ferry House, Surlingham Red Lion, Swaffham Lynn Arms, Syderstone Pelican Inn, Tacolneston Red Lion, Thetford Black Horse, Thetford Gunton Arms, Thorpe Market Queens Head, Thurlton White Horse, Upton Cherry Tree, Wicklewood Willow House, Watton Stag, West Acre Bell, Wiveton White Lady, Worstead Green Dragon, Wymondham

Spring 2016 | 41

Norfolk Nips

Serving a good selection of changing local real ales Also serving home cooked food.

Sunday roast 2 courses for ÂŁ9.50.

Two main meals for ÂŁ10.00 from our set menu.

(Monday and Tuesday lunch times only.) ghout the theme nights throu Various events and r website ou See nt. r Egg Hu year including Easte nts for all upcoming eve

and 17th July Beer Festival 16d th live music BBQ an

The Street, Catfield, Great Yarmouth, Norfolk NR29 5AA

Telephone: 01692 580128

www.catfieldcrown.co.uk

The Harte Old Costessey, Norwich, NR8 5BS Tel: 01603 742755

FREE

ACCESS

Privately owned freehouse and restaurant with a wide selection of real ales, lagers and ciders.

Freshly cooked locally sourced food.

Child friendly, large beer garden, pool table, easy access from A47, ample parking and on 23A bus route from the city centre.

Visit www.thehartenorwich.co.uk to check out the menu and opening times 42 | Spring 2016

Grab a CAMRA Discount at your local!

The following local businesses offer a discount for CAMRA members (usually on presentation of a Membership Card): The Ugly Bug Inn, Colton: £1 off per full pint The Whiffler, Norwich: 50p off a pint (with your CAMRA vouchers) The Woolpack, Norwich: 10% off Albion, Cromer: 10% off real ales, draught and bottled The Bell, Norwich: 20% off all food. 50p off a pint (with your CAMRA vouchers).

Brickmakers, Horsford: 10p off a half, 20p off a pint of real ale.

Compleat Angler, Norwich: 10% off all real ales Grange Hotel, Ormesby St. Margaret, Norwich: 10% off all real ales Green Gate, Caister-on-Sea: 20p off a pint of real ale London Tavern, Attleborough: 20p off a pint of real ale Leopard, Norwich: 10% off all real ales Lollards Pit, Norwich: 10% off

Red Lion, Drayton: 10% off Oliver Twist, Great Yarmouth: 10% off across the board - please show card before ordering Railway, North Elmham: 10% off B&B and camping Glasshouse, Norwich: 20% off all food. 50p off a pint (with your CAMRA vouchers).

Plasterers, Cowgate, Norwich: 10% off all real ales (available to all customers on Mondays) Pig & Whistle, Westlegate, Norwich: 10% off all real ales The Rose, Queen’s Rd, Norwich: 15p off pints Lighthouse Inn, Walcott: 10% off all real ales Cherry Tree, Wicklewood: 30p off a pint of Buffy’s

The St Andrews Brewhouse, Norwich: 10% of their own real ales If your pub or business offers a discount to CAMRA, but isn't on this list, please contact pubsofficer@norwichcamra.org .uk and let us know the details (including any restrictions).

Please note: We believe the discounts listed are offered at the time of going to press, however pubs may of course withdraw or change offers at any time!

Live Bands, Quiz and Poker Nights We’re in it!

Open Mon - Thurs 11-11, Fri -Sat 11-11:30 Sun 12-10:30.

Mini Beer Festival Every Day! with over 24 real ales, ciders and continental beers Fresh rolls served daily or bring in your favourite take-away

Free Wi-Fi • Dog friendly • Check our website and Facebook page to stay updated

Norfolk Nips | CAMRA Beer Festivals

CAMRA Beer Festivals Calendar MAR 17 - 19 St Neots Beer & Cider Festival Priory Centre, Priory Lane, St Neots, Cambs, PE19 2BH. www.hunts.camra.org.uk MAR 17 - 19 Leeds Beer & Cider Festival Pudsey Civic Hall, Dawson’s Corner LS28 5TA Over 150 Real Ales from Yorkshire and beyond. www.leeds-camra.com/leeds-beer-festival/ 4567790940 APRIL 6 - 9 Maldon Beer Festival 5 minute walk from town centre, if driving, use Sat Nav postcode CM9 6AF, ample parking.

Up to 60 Real Ales. Contact Robert Longley on racllongley49@btinternet.com for more info

enu New Mw no e l availab

APRIL 20 - 23 East Anglian Beer Festival Apex 1 Charter Square, Bury St Edmunds IP33 3FD Open 12noon-11pm each day. Good variety of beers + ciders all from independent breweries + cideries.

MAY 23 - 28 43rd Cambridge Beer Festival Jesus Green, Cambridge Cambridge & District branch: www.cambridgebeerfestival.com/cbf MAY 26 - 28 Lincoln Beer Festival 2016 at the Drill Hall, Free School Lane, Lincoln, LN2 1EY www.lincolncamra.org.uk/beer-festival/ MAY 27 - 29 21st Newark Beer Festival newarkcamra.org.uk/festival/

al ourse en n C o i 2 t i d Tra ast r citiz 0 o i n e o s R al £8.9 day un ever(y12S- 4pm)

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Main Road, Clenchwarton, King’s Lynn PE34 4AQ Spring 2016 | 45

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FI ER / S SPR N FE UM IN D N A ST ME G EA B LI R R EE STI YO R N U FES GS !

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Something for everyone at a Norfolk beer festival

As the winter months disappear and the sun starts to shine its time to start planning your beer-based excursions for the spring and summer of 2016.

Norfolk is a hive of fantastic beer festivals from those held in the humble village hall, community centre or Rugby Club like Ranworth, Walsham, and Crusaders to the massive citywide event that is the Norwich ‘City of Ale’.

The locations are as varied as the sizes, fancy seeing out the summer solstice at a 16th century pub by the sea? Check out the Hill House Happisburgh. For steam enthusiasts the North Norfolk Railway hosts it’s beer festival in July.

Norfolk has some amazing walks such as the Peddars Way, which stretches from Knettishall Heath Country Park and follows the route of a Roman road to Holme-next-the-Sea on the north Norfolk coast, and the Norfolk Coast Path which runs from Hunstanton to Cromer. Along the routes are a wealth of country pubs, some of

which are offering beer festivals, other events and accommodation. Why not plan a trip and include a visit to some of these venues.

Combining a healthy dose of exercise with a sociable beer or two, the best of both worlds!

In the following pages is a selection of pubs and other venues which have advertised their beer festivals with us. We have also included a diary which lists all of these events and any others we have been made aware of. To get an idea of location, there is also a map included. The numbers on the map correspond to the numbers next to the diary listings.

A well-run pub can cater for all ages, offering a place where friendships can be formed and provides a convenient stopping point for a family enjoying a bike ride on a sunny day.

So whether you want a quick pint after work, a night out with your friends or a family day out with the kids; check out Norfolk, you won’t regret it.

Norfolk Nips | Beer Festivals

Spring 2016 | 47

Beer Festivals | Norfolk Nips

on Locks Inn Geldest Locks Lane, Geldeston NR34 0HW Tel: 01508 518414

Locks Inn Beltane Beer Festival & May Fayre Friday 29th April to Monday 2nd May open from 11am every day Come and join our celebration of an ancient festival to welcome summer. It includes a night from Huns Records, Murphy’s Lore, crowning the may queen and burning of the wicker man.

Introducing launching a fantastic summer of events at historic historic Broad’s freehouse on

www.geldestonlocks.co.uk 48 | Spring 2016

Norfolk Nips | Beer Festivals

Travelling around Norfolk Norfolk is well served by train and bus services between all the major towns, villages and out of Norfolk via Kings Lynn and Norwich. There are also many cycle and walking routes available for the more adventerous beer hunter or those with families looking for a full day out with some excercise thrown in.

Abellio Greater Anglia Services run everyday into Norfolk from Ely, Peterborough, Cambridge and Ipswich.

All services pass through Norwich where you can then go on to the coastal Norfolk towns of Great Yarmouth, Lowestoft, Cromer and Sheringham.

off from Kings Lynn and covers Hunstanton Wells - Weybourne - Sheringham - Cromer and many of the smaller villages in between. Other services include X8 covering Kings Lynn to Fakenham and Heacham.

X5 and X6 services from Fakenham to Norwich covering many villages including Little Snoring, Erpingham. Aylsham and Mile Cross.

There is a large map of the routes available for download at: www.stagecoachbus.com

Go to www.abelliogreateranglia.co.uk to check times.

The X1 First group service runs into Norfolk from Peterborough passing through Kings Lynn, Narborough, Swaffham and several other villages to Norwich. The service then runs on through Acle and Great Yarmouth. Check out www.firstgroup.com for more details.

Heritage Train services

Cycling and Walking

Mid Norfolk Railway Travelling between Dereham - Yaxham Thuxton - Kimberley Park - Wymondham Abbey

Norfolk has hundreds of miles of quiet country lanes and roads to explore and is a brilliant county for cycling, whether you’re after a relaxing Sunday pedal or something a bit longer.

This volunteer run railway has a variety of locomotives including a fleet of heritage diesels.

Go to www.mnr.org.uk to check times.

The North Norfolk Railway Travelling between Sheringham - Weybourne Kelling Heath Park - Holt The North Norfolk Railway offers a 10.5 mile round trip by steam train (vintage diesel trains on some journeys) through a delightful area of North Norfolk designated as being of outstanding natural beauty.

Go to www.nnrailway.co.uk/timetable.php to check times.

Bus Services Norfolk Green run a number of Bus services into and around Norfolk. The Coasthopper route sets

Information on routes such as Marriotts Way and Peddars Way are available from the Norfolk County council web site at www.norfolk.gov.uk.

The Sustrans National Cycle Network passes through Norfolk and is designed to make cycling fun, safe and simple as you cover huge stretches of the UK. www.sustrans.org.uk/ncn/map /national-cycle-network One third of the Network is completely free from motor traffic, using old railway paths, forest tracks, country parks and bridleways, and the rest uses quiet minor roads and traffic-calmed streets in towns and cities. so if your having a drink - get out of the car and on yer bike!

Spring 2016 | 49

Beer Festivals | Norfolk Nips

Town Green, Wymondham Telephone: (01953) 605675

Freehouse listed in The CAMRA 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!

Featherfest Saturday 2nd July

50 | Spring 2016

Beer Festival Listings 1 18 - 20 March Fakenham 5th Beer Festival Fakenham Community Centre Tel: 01328 855172

2 24 - 28 March

Rampant Horse Easter Beer Festival Freethorpe NR13 3LY Tel: 01493 700103

3 24 - 28 March

Gladstone Arms Easter Beer Festival Stowmarket IP14 2AP Tel: 01449 771608

4 25 - 29 March

Royal Oak Easter Beer Festival Poringland NR14 7JT Tel: 01508 493734

5 8 - 10 April Aylsham Round Table Beer Festival Aylsham Old Cinema, Cawston Rd www.aylshamroundtable.co.uk

6 8 - 9 April Crown’s 1st Beer, Cider and Gin Festival Great Ellingham NR17 1LE Tel: 01953 797070

7 22 - 24 April Black Horse St George’s Weekend Beer Festival Thetford IP24 2BP

8 29 April - 1 May

Wymondam Ex-Services Social Club Beer Festival Friarscroft Lane, Wymondham NR18 0AT

9 29 April - 2 May

Locks Inn Beltane Beer Festival & May Fayre Beccles NR34 OHS www.geldestonlocks.co.uk

10 29 - 30 April

Dereham Round Table Beer Festival derehambeerfestival.co.uk 11 19 - 22 May

Great Yarmouth Beer & Cider Festival St Georges Theatre, Yarmouth Tel: 01493 331484 12 19 - 26 May

White Horse Beer Party Neatishead NR12 8AD

13 25 - 30 May

Dove Street Inn Food and Drink Festival Ipswich IP4 2LA Tel: 01473 211270 14 26 - 30 May Royal Oak Beer, Cider and Music Festival Bintree NR20 5AH Tel: 01362 680221 15 26 May - 5 June

Norwich City of Ale cityofale.org.uk/2016/ Tel: 07949 588 207 16 27 - 30 May Green Dragon Summer Beer Fest Wymondham Wymondham NR18 0PH Tel: 01953 607907 17 28 - 29 May

Grain Festival at Geldeston Locks Beccles NR34 OHS www.geldestonlocks.co.uk 18 29 May

25 2 July

Featherfest Feathers Public House Town Green, Wymondham Tel: 01953 605675 26 12 - 17 July

Heathlands Beer Festival 16 ales and 2 ciders Blofield Heath NR13 4QH 27 15 - 17 July

Crusaders RUFC 8th Beer Festival 30 ales and ciders Camping available Little Melton NR9 3NP 28 16 - 17 July

The Pleasure Boat Inn WW1 Themed Beer Festival Hickling NR12 0YW Tel: 01692 598870 29 16 - 17 July

Crown Beer Festival, BBQ and Live Music Crown, Catfield NR29 5AA Tel: 01692 580128

North Walsham Rugby 30 4 - 6 August Sevens and Beer Festival Angel Inn Beer Festival North Walsham NR10 5BU Angel Inn, Larling NR16 2QU pitchero.com/clubs/northwalsham Tel: 01953 717963 19 30 May 31 5 - 6 August Blues in the Garden North Walsham Beer Fest Crown, Banningham Scout Hut, North Walsham Tel: 01263 733534 northwalshambeerfestival.com 20 3 - 5 June 32 12 - 14 August Morley Beer Festival 7th Ranworth Beer Ales, ciders,food and live music. & Cider Festival morley-village.co.uk Village Hall, Broad Rd NR13 6HS 21 16 - 20 June Hill House Summer Solstice 33 26 - 28 August Panther Beer Festival Beer Festival Stimpson’s Piece, Reepham 120 beers plus ciders and perries Tel: 01603 871163 Tel: 01692 650 004 22 17 - 19 June

Jolly Sailors 7th Ale and Music Festival Brancaster Staithe PE31 8BJ Tel: 01485 210314 23 30 June - 3 July

Kings Arms Beer Festival Norwich NR1 3HQ Tel: 01603 477888 24 30 June - 3 July

Beehive Summer Beer Festival Norwich NR4 7PJ

34 26 August - 5 September

Duke of Wellington Beer Fest Waterloo Rd, Norwich Tel: 01603 441182 35 26 - 29 August

Green Dragon Beer Fest Wymondham NR18 0PH Tel: 01953 607907 36 2 - 4 Sept

Neslon Head Beer Festival Nelson Head, Horsey, NR29 4EE Tel: 01493 393378

Spring 2016 | 51

A beer festival is near you!

22

Brancaster Staithe

1

7

Mor

6 Great Ellingham 30

52 | Spring 2016

Larling 3

Norfolk Nips | Beer Festivals The numbers on the map match the numbers next to the events described on page 51. This map is to show you the general area and is not to scale!

19

14

g

5

33

20

21

31

12

15

10

rley

18

8 35

25

27

16

26

23 24 34

Poringland

28

36

29

32 Ranworth

2

Reedham

11

4

13

9 17

Geldeston

Spring 2016 | 53

Beer Festivals | Norfolk Nips

54 | Spring 2016

Norfolk Nips | Beer Festivals

RAMPANT HORSE Country Alehouse & Restaurant

Rampant Horse

EASTER BEER FESTIVAL 24th - 28th March Quiz Nights & Entertainment Local and Regional Ales Malt whisky Selection Freshly made, locally-supplied, home cooked food

FREE HALF OF CASK ALE on production of this voucher Valid until 30th April. One voucher per person. Cannot be exchanged for any other offer. This voucher has no monetary value.

2 Chapelfield, Freethorpe NR13 3LY Tel: 01493 700103 Bus 730 from Reedham & Acle www.rampanthorse.net

Royal Oak • Bintree BEER, CIDER & MUSIC FESTIVAL

MAY 26th - 30th Raising funds for East Anglian Air Ambulance

Over 30 Ales and Ciders Live Music and Entertainment Fri, Sat and Sun night BBQ and Hog Roast available Free Camping & Parking For more details please ring Graham on

01362 680221 Spring 2016 | 55

Beer Festivals | Norfolk Nips

56 | Spring 2016

Norfolk Nips

Norfolk Nips | Last orders

Warren’s Words As I write this article, we are still very much in winter but spring is coming soon and we may look forward to the long warm summer evenings when we may sit outdoors with a pint or two of real ale and while away the time.

It seems that we hear nearly every day that a pub somewhere in the County is either at risk of, or closing down. The loss of these pubs is always lamented but unfortunately in many cases not enough is done by the locals to attempt to keep them open apart from probably a letter of opposition from our Pubs Protection Officer to the local District Council.

However, a recent exception to this has been in the case of The Owl Sanctuary in Norwich. As many readers will probably already know that in January this year the manager was informed by his owners that the pub is to close on 31st January so it could be demolished and the site used for ‘investment’ purposes. Ian Stamp of our Committee immediately put out a request to help raise an ACV (Asset of Community Value) to save this popular city centre pub and music venue. Please read the full story on page 6.

As this article goes to press the outcome of whether we can save The Owl Sanctuary from permanent closure is unknown but it is extremely heartening to know that so many people care about protecting this popular venue. On behalf of Norwich & Norfolk CAMRA I would like to thank all those 2,400 people who answered our plea for support!

This edition of ‘NIPS’ contains details of many local festivals in Norwich and around the county. I hope that readers will support as many of these events as possible as a great deal of work and planning goes into beer festivals by their organisers.

And finally a reminder that it is only a short time before CAMRA’s National AGM which this year is in Liverpool. If you are going ensure that you register and book accommodation.

Warren Wordsworth Norwich and Norfolk Branch Chair

Steve’s Words It hardly seems three months ago I was writing the last contribution to Nips. It is very heart warming to listen to comments as I deliver the magazine. The majority of pubs are really pleased to receive them.

In the magazine, there is an article by Ben Charlton from Sheffield University. I hope you enjoy this, it is interesting to have a range of articles, covering different areas related to real ale, pubs and brewing. Once again, CAMRA are calling for the Chancellor to reduce the beer duty by another 1p this year. Please contact your MP to encourage them to lobby the Chancellor for the reduction.

Reading an article in What’s Brewing, Professor Robin Dunbar of Oxford University said that friendship and community are probably the two most important factors influencing our health and wellbeing. In this increasingly digital age, what can be better than to keep friendships alive and well by meeting down the pub enjoying a pint of real ale? CAMRA have started a webpage to tell everyone why you love your pub, www.camra.org.uk/pubs-wellbeing.

By the time you read this our Pub of the Year 2016 will have been decided. The competition was as exciting this year as any other year with the combination of new entrants and established contenders. Whoever has won, we wish them well in the Norfolk competition.

The National AGM is at Liverpool this year, for members attending have a really good time. For those who cannot attend, for the first time there is online voting a first for CAMRA. With Easter being early this year, the beer festival season has an early start. Several in the area are planned for Easter. This normally heralds some lighter coloured beers, which are often easier to tempt people to try real ale. Both of my niece and nephew have at last found real ale.

Finally, on behalf of West Norfolk Branch, may I wish you all an enjoyable Easter.

Cheers Steve Barkern W.N. Chairman Spring 2016 | 59

Norfolk Nips

Angel Gardens

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

Free House

This independently run freehouse has been under the ownership of Ian Warren since 1988 and is situated on the north of the city near to Waterloo Park.

Homecooked and speciality meals Prepared by Ian - a qualified chef with years of experience.

Up to NINE reasonably priced Real Ales including THREE guest ales and SIX real ciders available.

Live Music on Saturdays • Beer Garden Sunday roasts from 12-8pm • Ample Car Parking Monthly Quiz and Darts • Two Bars (one for private hire)

FOUR REAL ALES Wednesday Irish Folk Music ursday Folk & Singing Music Friday & Saturday Live Music Sunday Folk Music

96 Angel Rd, Norwich NR3 3HT

Large garden overlooking the River Wensum

www.norwichinns.com

OPEN: Mon - urs 12-11 Fri & Sat 12-12 • Sunday 12-11

01603 427490

email: ikwarren-angel@tiscali.co.uk

60 | Spring 2016

Norfolk Nips | Dates for your Diary

CAMRA Branch Calendar Norwich and North Norfolk Branch

Friday 6th May First Friday Five – 8pm Cinema City, Wildman, Walnut Tree Shades, Birdcage, Vine.

Friday 26th February Beer of the Year Awards 2016 – 7.30pm, Weston Room, C of E Cathedral.

Wednesday 11th May Afternoon Stroll – Noon Duke of Wellington, Angel Gardens, Rosebery, Whalebone, Fat Cat Brewery Tap.

Friday 4th March First Friday Five – 8.00pm start Garden House, Mad Moose, Unthank Arms, York Tavern, Eagle.

Tuesday 17th May Branch Meeting – 8.00pm Compleat Angler

Tuesday 15th March Branch AGM - 8.00pm Take 5, Tombland.

Friday 27th May Campaign Trip – 7.15pm new pick up near Chenery Travel, Castle Mall.

Wednesday 16th March Afternoon Stroll – Noon Glasshouse, Ribs of Beef, Kings Head, Plasterers, Leopard.

Friday 25th March Campaign Trip – Good Friday trip with earlier start time -details tba Friday 1st April First Friday Five – 8pm Marlborough Arms, Artichoke, Leopard, Blueberry, Plasterers.

Wednesday 13th April Afternoon Stroll – Noon Coachmakers Arms, Champion, Lamb, Bell, Murderers.

Tuesday 19th April Branch Meeting – 8pm Lighthouse, Walcott.

Friday 29th April Campaign Trip – 7.15pm New pick up outside entrance to the Mall on Castle Meadow.

Friday 3rd June First Friday Five – 8.00pm Coach & Horses (Bethel), Coach & Horses (Trinity), Georgian Townhouse, Temple Bar, Reindeer.

West Norfolk Branch Tuesday 8th March, Horse & Groom, Swaffham Tuesday 12th April, Hare Arms, Stow Bardolph Tuesday 10th May, Swan, Hilborough Note: All Tuesday meetings start 8pm and normally include a social.

Branch contacts | Norfolk Nips

Contact Details Norwich & Norfolk Branch Chairman: Warren Wordsworth Tel: 01603 665557 Email: chairman@norwichcamra.org.uk Secretary: Rob Whitmore Email: secretary@norwichcamra.org.uk Social Secretary: Michael Philips Email: socialsecretary@norwichcamra.org.uk Pubs Officer: Ian Stamp Email: pubsofficer@norwichcamra.org.uk West Norfolk Branch Chairman: Steve Barker email: steve.barker495@btinternet.com Secretary: Ian Bailey Contact: Ian Bailey Tel: 01553 766904 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 and Norfolk & West Norfolk branches of the Campaign for Real Ale Š N&N CAMRA 2016 Norfolk Nips is produced and distributed by members of the branch in their own time. Views expressed in Norfolk Nips are not necessarily those of the editor or of CAMRA.

62 | Spring 2016

Edited by: Graham Freeman Email: norfolknips@norwichcamra.org.uk Chris Lucas Email: chris-stig@tiscali.co.uk Design & Production: Daniel Speed - Orchard House Media 01778 382758 Email: info@orchardhousemedia.co.uk Advertising: For advertising enquiries please contact Jane Michelson on: 01778 382718 jane@orchardhousemedia.co.uk Distribution: 12,000 copies / four times a year Norwich and Norfolk District: Adam Gannaway 07720 512453 nipsdistribution@norwichcamra.org.uk

West Norfolk District: Ros Harre r.harre@btinternet.com

“Not just a Pub!”

Easter BeerFestival Friday 25th March (Good Friday) until Tuesday 29th March

REAL ALE • REAL WELCOME • REAL FOOD

....

Serving Main Meals, Bar Meals and Sandwiches Food is available 7 days a week Check out our website for opening times and menu FOR BOOKINGS Tel 01508 493734.

Visit us online at www.poringlandroyaloak.com 44 The Street, Poringland NR14 7JT