Cheers North East magazine #80 - April 2018

cheers WWW.CHEERSNORTHEAST.CO.UK // MAY 2018 // ISSUE 80

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SPOTLIGHT ON COUNTY DURHAM BACK YARD BREW TO CATHEDRAL ALE

RAISE A GLASS TO HONEST LABOUR

THE MESSAGE IS DISTINCT: TO THE WORKERS EVERYWHERE

BREAKING THE MOULD Consett Ale Works is a micro-brewery based at the Grey Horse pub in Consett.

Leaning heavily on the town’s iron works heritage, we have developed our distinctive brands, Red Dust and Steel Town Bitter.

Our beers hark back to the days when prosperity could not be separated from the steel which built Blackpool tower and the nation’s nuclear submarines.

The recipes for the brews were created with the former ironworks in mind. We wanted to have ales that we thought would be flavoursome enough to have quenched the thirst of the ironworker’s as they left work after a hot and gruelling day in front of the furnaces.

Consett Ale Works, 115 Sherburn Terrace, Consett, Co. Durham, DH8 6NE. Telephone: 01207 591 540 www.consettaleworks.co.uk

WELCOME This time of year is a great one for pubs; it marks the beginning of what should hopefully be a great spring, summer and early autumn – with opportunities galore to fling doors open and see people smile as they drink, dine and socialise. Having two Bank Holidays in the one month is also a bit of a bonus – and the royal wedding might be a good excuse to go out and celebrate, if there’s ever an excuse needed.

The old saying goes: “Ne’er cast a clout till May be out” but we still don’t know if the advice means it’s not until the end of month of May that we can safely discard our thermal underwear, or if it’s may blossom on the trees that marks a rise in temperature and a wearing of shorts.

We’ve got a bit of a County Durham special, too, with a focus on its pubs and breweries as different from one another as chalk and cheese in an area ranging from coast to castle and cathedral with some stunning scenery joining them up.

Alongside that we visit a micropub set in a 700-yearold building, pub and brewery investment opportunities, the changing face of tradition, music and beer festivals, “house” moves and exciting news of a Gateshead container village. Then there’s an artist who invites us into his favourite pubs and how the Campaign For Real Ale (Camra) decided to sit on the fence.

Please enjoy this month’s issue; it’s a cracker.

Cheers, Alastair Gilmour Editor, Cheers North East

EDITORIAL

Alastair Gilmour 07930 144 846 01661 844 115 alastair@cheersnortheast.co.uk @CheersPal www.cheersnortheast.co.uk Photography: Peter Skelton www.thepsp.net

CONTENTS 20

BRAND NEW FACES

Rebranding your company and its products is a serious business. It’s expensive process in every respect so getting it right is crucial.

Both Consett Ale Works and Durham Brewery are going through the exercise to present a spanking new face to the world with some of the most innovative and wellcrafted beers the region can produce.

An effective brand must have clarity and truthfulness and resonate with consumers and employees alike, ensuring everyone is travelling in the same direction towards a shared goal.

COVER: CONSETT ALE WORKS’ RED DUST ALE, POURING WITH PRIDE IN ITS HERITAGE

WE THOUGHT IT WAS TIME TO CREATE A BEER AND MUSIC FESTIVAL; A NO-BRAINER REALLY KIRSTEN SUTHERLAND, THE PACK HORSE ELLINGHAM, NORTHUMBERLAND

ADVERTISING

Emma Howe 07854 011 704 01661 844 115 emma@offstonepublishing.co.uk

@cheers_ne @cheersnortheast @cheersmagazine_ne

While every effort has been made to ensure accuracy, the publisher cannot accept responsibility for omissions and errors. All material in this publication is strictly copyright and all rights reserved.

04 HEAVENS 10 ABOVE BIG LAMP FOR 12 UPGRABS ANARCHY 18ONMOVETHE LATEST NEWS

PUBLISHED BY: Publishers: Jane Pikett & Gary Ramsay Unit One, Bearl Farm Stocksfield Northumberland NE43 7AL Email: enquiries@offstonepublishing.co.uk Website: www.offstonepublishing.co.uk Twitter: @offstonepublish

When you have finished with this magazine please recycle it

26 PUB ARTIST 33 SAYS VELO PELE BACK 36 THE YEARS FUN WITH 38 FUN STUFF COUNTY COUNSEL

CHEERS NORTH EAST

brings out the best in pubs and brewing that exists in the region. The magazine, published ten times a year, is distributed to almost 300 pubs, bottle shops and specialist outlets from the Borders to North Yorkshire and across to the fringes of Cumbria. It is packed with stories from them with suggestions on where to go and what you’ll find there. But most of all, Cheers is about people – after all, it’s people who make beer and people who make pubs what they are. And to be able to bring you more information, our A-Z pub guide can now be found at www.cheersnortheast.co.uk Tell them who sent you.

NEWS

MINIMUM PRICING OVER THE BORDER

Scotland has begun a vast live experiment by introducing a legally enforced minimum price for all alcoholic drinks. The price was set at 50p per unit to help tackle problems with chronic alcohol abuse.

Scottish government ministers claim the policy will save approximately 400 lives over the next five years and lead to about 8,000 fewer alcohol-related hospital admissions. Death rates are highest among working-class men, and Scots drink the equivalent of nearly 11 litres of pure alcohol a year on average – which is 40% more than the recommended safe drinking limit.

Overnight on May 1 a standard bottle of whisky (700ml) cost at least £14, compared with the previous £11.25 for a supermarket own-brand, while vodka now costs £13.13 or more, compared with £11 for own-label bottles. Similar legislation is to come into force next year in Wales.

BLOW AS CAMRA VOTES NOT TO REPRESENT ALL BEER DRINKERS

Campaign for Real Ale (Camra) members have voted against widening the organisation’s remit to represent all beer, cider and perry drinkers.

However, new diversity and equality policies were approved at its annual general meeting.

Almost 18,000 members voted and while arguably the most progressive change was not approved, members did vote in favour of the rest of the national executive’s recommendations. To approve the changes, motions required 75% of the vote or more. The objective which recommended that Camra should “act as the voice and represent the interests of all pub goers and beer, cider and perry drinkers" received a vote of 72% and so narrowly missed out on approval.

Critics, such as the outspoken beer marketing man Pete Brown and Melissa Cole took to social media to say (Brown): “Bye bye Camra. 1971-2018.

RIP. You did so much good. It was nice knowing you.

What a shame you couldn’t change to reflect the very revolution you hoped to bring about, and did. Looking forward to meeting your heirs.”

Roger Protz, long-term Camra supporter and editor of its Good Beer Guide, wrote: “To those saying that @Camra_Official is living in the past, its members have their heads in the sand pushing up daisies and are cutting up their membership cards, it must be pointed that a very significant majority 72.6% (compare Brexit) voted to embrace change: 75% was needed.”

The new objectives render the organisation "more inclusive, relevant and welcoming" according to the body. Members voted to approve:

T

he Pele is truly a unique micro pub in the beautiful village of Corbridge.

With its contemporary restoration, fabulous location and unmistakable heritage.

Opening times: Mon - Thurs 12pm - 11pm Fri - Sat 12pm - 12pm, Sun - 12pm - 11pm 07565 801463 / info@thepele.com

www.thepele.com

4 / CHEERS / www.cheersnortheast.co.uk

Vote complete: Revellers at Camra's Newcastle Beer Festival

To secure the long term future of real ale, real cider and real perry by increasing their quality, availability and popularity To promote and protect pubs and clubs as social centres as part of the UK’s cultural heritage To increase recognition of the benefits of responsible, moderate social drinking To play a leading role in the provision of information, education and training to all those with an interest in beer, cider and perry of any type To ensure, where possible, that producers and retailers of beer, cider and perry act in the best interests of the customer.

Members also agreed that Camra's beer festivals should not be limited to serving real ale and also called for new diversity and equality measures. A controversial motion to reduce tax relief for small breweries was also overwhelmingly defeated, while it was also voted on that members should not demand or expect discounts from pubs or breweries.

NEWS

MARQUEE SIGNINGS AT TYNEDALE Hot spot: Tynedale Beer Festival

The vagaries of the British summer are such that the Tynedale Beer & Cider Festival held in June could either be bathed in glorious sunshine or washed away by torrential rain.

It is nevertheless one of the North East’s biggest beer and cider festivals, taking place in marquees at Tynedale Park in Corbridge, the home of Tynedale Rugby Club.

Over three days in June some of the best beers and ciders that the region and the UK have are on offer, along with great wine, food and live music.

The festival is a joint venture between Tynedale Lions Club and Tynedale Rugby Club with its main purpose to raise money for

good causes – as well as providing wonderful entertainment.

The festival started in a modest way back in 2002; since then it has gone from strength to strength, growing in size and popularity and raising more than £450,000 for charity in the process. Tynedale is always a wonderful occasion – there’s something about the aroma of grass underfoot and canvas overhead that makes beer drinking an extra pleasure. Regular train and bus services stop at Corbridge Station, from where it’s only a short walk – and one full of beery anticipation. *Tynedale Beer & Cider Festival, June 14-16.

Visit www.tynedalebeerfestival.org.uk for details.

NEW BOY BREWS FESTIVAL’S ‘CANNIEST BEER’ The 42nd Newcastle Beer & Cider Festival was yet another success for Camra’s Tyneside & Northumberland branch. The annual Battle of the Beers was divided into two categories.

Winner in the American Pale Ale category was American Pale (5.0% abv) from Wallsendbased Two By Two Brewery. Second was Great North Eastern Brewing Co’s Delta APA (4.5% abv), while third was Lantern by Rigg & Furrow (5.0% abv). Firebrick Brewery, based in Blaydon, Tyne & Wear, came top of the Wheat Beer tasting session with Little Belgian (5.0% abv). Second in this demanding category was Hexhamshire Best Endeavours (5.5% abv) and at number three was Errant with The New Sound (4.7% abv).

Festival-goers voted on the overall festival winner – the Canniest Beer – with Tyne Bank Stalin’s Cow (10% abv), an imperial chocolate milkshake stout, taking the title. It is one of the first beers that new head brewer Alan Dunlop produced, so perhaps that’s a pointer to the future. Stalin’s Cow is intensely chocolatey and malty with accents of dried fruit and a smooth, sweet warmth. Canniest Cider was Seacider Blood Orange (7.5% abv), a medium cider blended with fresh blood oranges.

www.cheersnortheast.co.uk / CHEERS / 5

NEWS

Tonic: Water avens in flower

TRADITION IN THE ROOT OF NEW BEER

The North East’s newest brewery produced its inaugural brew at the beginning of last month and is progressing quickly by also looking at the past.

The First & Last Brewery, based on a site at the Bird In Bush pub at Elsdon in Northumberland, is using indigenous water avens to add distinctive clove-like notes to its latest beer. Water avens is a flowering plant found on riverbanks and boggy areas; other names include cure-all, water flower and Indian chocolate.

Head brewer Red Kellie says: “Water avens has historically been used to flavour beer but we’re hoping it performs better than it looks and smells.”

The water avens root is used in herbal medicine for diarrhoea and dysentery and other situations where a stomach tonic is required. According to 17th Century naturalist John Pecher his 1694 Compleat Herbal of Physical Plants: “Wine wherein the root has been infus’d has a fine pleasant Taste and Smell. It cheers the Heart and opens Obstructions. The Root infus’d in Beer is excellent for strengthening the Joints and Bowels.”

CALLING LOUD AND CLEAR

It might seem early days but the annual Craft Beer Calling (CBC) festival of progressive beers and breweries is bubbling under the surface even with six months to go before it opens its doors.

Verdant, Cloudwater, Magic Rock, Siren, Northern Monk and Beavertown breweries have already signed up to the event hosted by Wylam Brewery at its Exhibition Park, Newcastle, headquarters. Yet another coup has been announced, however, with one of the stars of Dutch brewing.

Making its CBC debut in the three-

COMING SOON... WWW.BYTHERIVERBREW.CO

6 / CHEERS / www.cheersnortheast.co.uk

day event – held over the weekend of October 18-20 – is Brouwerij ’t IJ, from Amsterdam. which is located in a former bath house next to the famous De Gooyer windmill. It was opened in October 1985 by Kaspar Peterson, a former musician – one of several similar ventures that sprung up in cities around the Netherlands in response to consumers’ dissatisfaction with beer brewed by the larger companies. It brews eight standard beers and three seasonals, besides limited-editions. The brewery’s logo features an ostrich with an egg, and the neighbouring windmill.

NEWS

Fairy tale: Bikes, canal, it must be Amsterdam.

Photo by Adam Lang

DUTCH BEER WEEKEND FOR WHITLEY BAY A flavour of continental Europe is heading for Whitley Bay with a popup version of a classic bar style.

Café Amsterdam is designed in the tradition of the Dutch city’s fabled “brown bars”, quintessential elements in its culture and favoured haunts of colourful characters, great beer and local delicacies.

Drafted in to advise on the beer selection is Andy Hickson, manager at The Green in Wardley, Gateshead, and previously the Bacchus in Newcastle.

“I’m a huge fan of Amsterdam and they seem to get their ordinary bars just right,” says Andy. Café Amsterdam is a celebration of all things Dutch – and of course, Holland is the birthplace of gin.”

Café Amsterdam will pop up over the weekend of June 8-10 at The Storm Cellar, 10 York Road, Whitley Bay NE26 1AB.

TRAIN BEER ON THE RIGHT TRACK

Muckle Brewery head brewer Tom Smith took the train from nearby Haltwhistle (pictured) to Newcastle on the way to the Camra Newcastle Beer & Cider Festival – along with a green-wheeled companion.

His mission was to be the first brewery to deliver beer by train to CentrAle, the Central Station-

Brown bars are internationally renowned for their dark wood and smoke-stained walls. They’re part of the Dutch psyche and wonderful little pubs. The Café Amsterdam idea is to celebrate new-wave Dutch craft beer, including small breweries such as Uiltje from Harlem and a special tasting event with Tommie Sjef Wild Ales from Den Helder which ages its beers in oak casks. There will also be traditional and progressive spirits, Dutch cheese plates, and samples from Wilde Chutney – a lady who ferments and pickles her own produce. The Amsterdam experience, flavour and ambience will be enhanced by fabulous photographs of Amsterdam taken by Adam Lang of Lang Shot Photography with a few Newcastle shots displayed to connect the two cities.

based bottle shop that promotes “train beer”.

Tom says: “Bruce Renwick who runs the shop is keen to get people to buy beer for their journeys – and after – from his great selection, but I thought I’d be the first to deliver some by the same method.”

So, he delivered Muckle Chuckle, Muckle Moss Stout and Whin Sill Blonde by direct line, en route to the festival where Muckle King’s Crag APA (5.4% abv) was being served.

CAMRA 2017 SOUTH WEST NORTHUMBERLAND PUB OF THE YEAR WINNER

TRADITIONAL PUB WITH REAL ALES, A REAL FIRE AND A WARM WELCOME (12 Handpulls - 12 Ciders/Perrys) Pie & Peas,toasties & sandwiches available every day

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NEWS

HIGH TIMES AND FULL BOOKS

GROWLING WITH A SMILE Visitors to Rehills will appreciate the new keg dispense system that complements the Jesmond, Newcastle, store’s huge offer of bottled and canned beer, wine and spirits.

Growlers are filled from an ever-changing range then can be returned to be replenished with something completely different – with Wylam’s beers being particular local favourites.

“We looked at a lot of systems and found this one the best for our purposes,” says Tony Rehill, who owns the food store with his brothers and sister. “It’s going really well and has proved extremely popular.”

Already one of Newcastle’s longest-running and largest off-sales retailers, Rehill’s also has big plans in the pipeline for the premises – it’s a bit of a “watch this space” scenario.

8 / CHEERS / www.cheersnortheast.co.uk

High House Farm Brewery’s plans for a micropub are still very much alive, despite the project having seemingly gone quiet. It’s all happening at Hexham Station behind closed doors, however.

Restoration work in the Grade II-listed former first-class waiting room has taken longer than anticipated while various bodies had to be consulted on the ambitious plans.

“The good news is, the Victorian fireplace has been restored,” says Heather Scott, who operates the brewery, visitor centre and weddings and events venue near Matfen in Northumberland, with husband Gary and family. “The tiling around the fireplace has also been finished and the legal side is all complete. Some of the woodwork was completely rotten

and actually other places had deteriorated quite a bit from first inspecting them. We’re waiting for new doors to arrive, but it’s definitely taken an awful lot longer than we anticipated. As for the other parts of the business, we’re ticking over nicely in the brewery while the weddings are set to start this month and will continue until the end of October. Next year is looking good with weddings booked from February till December. All we need now is a heatwave to get everybody out drinking beer – we’re all getting impatient."

Next pub stop: Hexham Station

NEWS

STERLING STUFF FROM BOTTLE SHOP Never ones to stand still, Coppers of Brunton Park, Gosforth, has taken yet another step forward – this time on food and beer pairing. A new delicatessen counter has been installed with the quality of cheeses and charcuterie reflecting that of its beers, wines and spirits.

Owner Andrew Cossey says: “We’ve now got The Crafty Deli up and running which fits in with everything we do here from the front of the shop to the back of the shop. Coppers will always be a convenience store though, we’re here for when people need us, but

having all the craft beers we stock has put us in a different light.”

The deli chiller sits beside the shop counter using corrugated steel for a backing which is ideal for hygiene since it’s easily cleanable.

“We’re using the highest quality suppliers we can,” says Andrew.

“Some small farmers and producers are offering amazing stuff these days, and we’re all about supporting local businesses anyway. Great beer goes with great meats and cheeses.”

Andrew’s influence is Friends of Ham, bottle shop and charcuterie in Leeds and Ilkley, West Yorkshire, in a bid to reproduce a laid-back hangout

BACK TO THE FUTURE

for people who simply want the best.

“And how good are our tastings going to be?” says Andrew. “We’ve got the knowledge on the beers and with the support of our top-class suppliers, we’ll have the knowledge on the deli products.

“You can pick a certain cheese, for instance, and we’ll advise on what beer goes with it.”

It’s an interesting development for Coppers – its Hop Secret timber-clad “den”, on what previously was its car park, started life as a shipping container and is perfect for entertaining and hosting tastings and meet-the-brewer events.

Hadrian Border has delved deep into its history books to come up with a range of craft keg beers that demonstrate the brewery’s forward-thinking and market awareness.

Horace, Nero and Seneca – along with Hadrian himself – were significant figures of the Roman Empire which at its greatest extent, reached from what is now Iraq to Central Scotland. That’s enough history, though – Hadrian Border has also introduced a fine, true-to-style Pilsner which should prove extremely popular during the summer months. Plus it’s encouraging to note the prominence of alcoholic strength on the keg beer badges – no more fumbling for specs.

www.cheersnortheast.co.uk / CHEERS / 9

PUB NEWS

Amazing: Hemelvaart Bier Cafe

"Quality from field to glass"

Trade: 01661 886769 General Enquiries: 01661 886192

Coming Soon

...

Please call to pre-order your cask!

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Brewery Restaurant Tea Room Weddings & Functions 10 / CHEERS / www.cheersnortheast.co.uk

NEW DOOR TO HEAVEN ON EARTH

When a door doesn’t fit the space it’s intended for, most folks would shave off the necessary height or width. But not John Atkinson, who owns Hemelvaart Bier Café with partner Phil Walker in Ayton, Berwickshire.

John had stored the handsome etched bar door for 35 years, waiting for the right place and the right time to hang it, so now that the Belgianstyle pub is undergoing a refurb it has taken pride of place – fitted neatly by extending the door frame.

John and Phil have also put down a new floor, changed some furniture and reorganised the bar and counter to accommodate an amazing range of British and continental beers – bottles, craft keg and hand-pulled. A restyled coffee lounge to the rear is also a work in progress.

“The tables we bought are all stamped underneath with the name of a German brewery,” says John.

“Everything we do has authenticity.”

Hemelvaart Bier Café attracts some of the best live acts on the circuit, from bands to individual artists and stand-up comedians that have included Sarah Pascoe and Gary Delaney (Sarah Millican’s husband), often attracting more of an audience than there are seats available.

The name Hemelvaart is derived from Hemelvaartdag, Flemish (and Dutch) for Ascension Day, the commemoration of Christ’s elevation to heaven after his resurrection on Easter Day. The shorthand version is “died and gone to heaven” which sums it up rather well.

Ayton is eight miles north of Berwick upon Tweed – and well worth the short detour off the A1.

PUB NEWS

PUB AT THE CROSSROADS

could be also used by disability Ye Olde Cross Ryton hosted The village pub is too groups and creative circles, it’s a public meeting attended important an asset to give on popular walking and cycling by around 60 interested up. That’s the view of one routes, so let’s have a go.” individuals – who included Tyneside group who were Friends of Ye Olde Cross local Blaydon MP Liz Twist dismayed when theirs shut report that pub is generally in and a babe in arms – to gauge up shop in January. good condition, plus there’s the interest in forming a coYe Olde Cross in Ryton a very well-equipped kitchen operative to buy the pub and Village, Gateshead, is now and a two-bedroom flat above. run it in conjunction with likethe focus of an action group However, there is no disabled minded tenants, a sympathetic who are hoping to by the access to any of the building pub group or brewery.

1909-vintage pub and have it and double glazing would also A steering group has been up and running for the benefit be a priority. of the local community. Owners set up to assess, among other A business plan is issues, why the pub didn’t Enterprise Inns decided it was being prepared to present seem to work in latter years no longer viable and put it on to Enterprise Inns and and if it wasn’t making any the market for £295,000. The Gateshead Council with the money previously, how could question has to be asked, if a idea of applying for an Asset they do things differently and national pubco can’t make a of Community Value (ACV) make it sustainable. fist of a Ye Olde Cross, why which improves the chances of Local opinion goes would a gang of neighbours owners selling to community something like: “If it’s run by succeed? The answer lies in groups. the 80 or so community-owned the community it’ll be for the *Follow Friends of Ye Olde community, plus it’ll be more pubs across the country, each Ryton on Twitter: pub, it’s too important running successfully.

HOS_DURHAM_MAKEOVER HALFthan PAGEa ADVERT.pdf 1 25/04/2018 Cross 13:56 @ouryeoldecross. an asset to simply give up. It Last month, the Friends of

All at the co-op: Ye Olde Cross, Ryton Village

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www.cheersnortheast.co.uk / CHEERS / 11

PUB NEWS

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Engage staff with challenges to draft their own beer recipes, conduct a brew on our micro brewing kits, bottle the product and compare for character and quality.

We provide a tasting session in advance to outline how beer is judged and have a wide range of ingredients for standard and novel beer styles.

Our professionally supervised Brew Days allow up to six teams to produce a beer of their own design with full support for recipes and final packaging.

Contact us today to discuss your corporate event on +44 (0) 191 543 7813 or email us at info@brewlab.co.uk

THE LAMP IS FLICKERING

In October 1982, the Ford Sierra was launched to replace the Cortina; Sony introduced the first consumer compact disc; Henry VIII’s flagship, the Mary Rose, was raised, and Culture Club topped the charts with Do You Really Want To Hurt Me? Wince a little; beer was 62p a pint.

At the same time, a new microbrewery mashed in its first brew at a former undertaker’s on Westgate

Hill in Newcastle – and Big Lamp has been illuminating the caskconditioned beer sector ever since.

And hopefully it will continue long into the future as Big Lamp – operating from Newburn, Newcastle, since 1996 – has been put on the market along with the adjoining Keelman restaurant and brewery tap, plus two well-equipped lodges enjoyed by walking and cycling enthusiasts.

/brewlabltd @BrewlabTraining

www.brewlab.co.uk

TO ADVERTISE

IN CHEERS Make sure you’re part of our annual events pull-out – an overview of the best festivals, food, arty and beery things to celebrate sunny days – in our June and July/August issues

Please get in touch with Emma Howe on:

E: emma@offstonepublishing.co.uk or T: 01661 844115 12 / CHEERS / www.cheersnortheast.co.uk

THE BIG LAMP SWITCH ON

Philosophical Society on Westgate Road which he delivered to the Newcastle Chemical Society.

The Newburn Pumping Station where Big Lamp Brewery now operates was built by the Whittle Dene Water Company in 1855 The Big Lamp Brewery Company to serve the needs of industrial was formed in 1982 by five real revolution Newcastle. The water ale enthusiasts, Terry Harrison, supply from the tidal Tyne was Tom Harrison, Norman Bell, John subject to varying degrees of Tomlinson and Paul Needham, with saltiness and though it was fed a capital of £5,000. The company from the river through a gravel filter was established in a three-storey channel it still wasn’t particularly converted workshop in Summerhill Street, Westgate Road, in Newcastle clean – the supply from the lower Tyne was the suspected cause of (the area known as Big Lamp).

1,527 deaths in a cholera epidemic In 1986, the brewery bought its in 1853. only tied house – the Wheatsheaf The former Wylam to Lemington in Felling, Gateshead – from waggonway runs close by the Newcastle Breweries, which it brewery where coal was hauled from continues to operate today. the Tyne Valley mines to riverside Lee Goulding joined the five founding Big Lamp partners in 1987 staiths. The first waggons were horse-drawn but steam engines and George Storey, whom he knew designed by William Hedley had from their days together at Joshua Tetley’s Cavalier Inns division, signed come into service by 1815, known as Puffing Billy and Wylam Dilly. In up a year later. The pair bought the 1876 the route was replaced by a business outright in 1990.

The top of Westgate Hill is called mainline railway which joined the Newcastle to Carlisle line on the Big Lamp in recognition of one of south side of the river at Wylam. It the first electric street lights – one closed in 1968. arc lamp stood in an arched iron The Pumping Station Engine structure at the junction with Elswick House was dismantled stone by Road. The incandescent electric stone, numbered and moved a short light bulb was first unveiled by distance in 1996 to house the Joseph Swan in 1860 just down brewery. the hill at a lecture in the Literary &

PUB NEWS

Top venue: Big Lamp Brewery and Keelman pub Big Lamp is the oldest microbrewery in the North East but now its two directors Lee Goulding and George Storey have decided that retirement beckons. The pub and restaurant is based in the Tyne Riverside Country Park and on the banks of the River Tyne at Newburn, around six miles from Newcastle city centre.

The brewery produces around

40 barrels (11,520 pints) per week, around a third of which are consumed by the Keelman. Named after the River Tyne boatmen, The Keelman’s traditional pub and restaurant has seating for around 100 diners and has a mezzanine level often used for private functions and events. It also has a large conservatory, which overlooks an extensive external patio.

The pub has 14 en-suite bedrooms

in two purpose-built buildings set in the grounds – The Keelman’s Lodge with six en-suite family rooms and Salmon Cottage with eight en-suite rooms, each with king size beds and Juliet balconies. The rooms are fitted out to top hotel standard which has enabled the company to win several tourism awards for initiative and customer service. It has an ambience of peaceful isolation with only

birdsong interrupting the evening silence.

The freehold asking price for the pub and brewery is £725,000, and with the addition of Keelman’s Lodge and Salmon Cottage the price tag rises to £1,425,000. The Big Lamp brand and beer recipes are available by separate negotiation.

The brewery itself sits within a restored 19th Century water pumping station and is fitted out as a traditional Victorian tower operation. Simple gravity does most of the work – the grain is mashed at the top level and is sent into the copper to boil before it drops down a floor to the fermenters, then finally to conditioning tanks at the bottom where it’s delivered into casks.

Beers include Sunny Daze 3.6% abv), Summerhill Stout (4.4% abv), Big Lamp Bitter (4.2% abv) Prince Bishop (4.8% abv), Lamplight Bitter (4.2% abv) and Keelman Brown (5.7% abv).

Hopefully, someone will take over the whole operation – life is far too short to go without Sunny Daze.

Full range of Durham Distillery brands available through LWC North East.

To order contact, either your Local LWC Sales Manager or Tel 0191 3851600 www.cheersnortheast.co.uk / CHEERS / 13

COUNTRY FILE

SMALL VILLAGE BIG AMBITIONS

Country pubs are under pressure way to attracting new and existing customers. from all quarters, particularly Manager Kirsten Sutherland when the population of your says: “We are a small country pub in home village barely scrapes a small village – but nonetheless we above 300. They need to work are popular for our food and beer very hard to hang on to their and I believe we provide a great regulars and to attract new atmosphere. I’ve been managing the custom. pub for just over a year and as I’m a But country pubs are the stuff big beer and music fan, we thought of dreams – take The Pack Horse it was time to create a beer and at Ellingham in Northumberland music festival, a no-brainer, really. (population 282), a very tidy, stone“Northumberland is a huge built inn with Tardis-like attributes. attraction for visitors; It’s the quintessential tourism is going village pub but it still nuts and the needs regular pub is doing influxes of well. We get visitors to lots of local keep it hale custom from and healthy – Ellingham in this case, itself – a good beer really good and great mix – plus food aided First festival: people come and abetted by Kirsten Sutherland at regularly from five letting rooms The Pack Horse Belford and Alnwick and a small selfand once the sun starts catering cottage. shining we’ll get a lot of other On top of that, The Pack visitors.”

Horse has organised its first festival The local community is right next month which should go a long

behind the weekend event and Ellingham’s church and community centre are joining in with a fundraising programme that will take full advantage of the expected influx of visitors. For example, a vintage motorbike rally will finish up at the community centre on the Sunday.

“It’s taken a lot of planning,” says Kirsten. “We’re involving Rigg & Furrow Brewery from Ackington, Bear Claw from Spittal and Alnwick Brewery with bands from Newcastle and Berwick, including Brydon Acoustic and The Dissidents, plus some musicians I know from Bristol.

“All the food and drink produce is as local as it can be and the menu changes daily to keep the interest.”

(She points to a herd of Dexter cattle in the next field, though not

quite going eeny-meeny-miny-mo.)

Regular open-mic sessions have proved extremely popular in the pub, which prompted Kirsten and her team to investigate the festival idea.

“They’ve been a roaring success,” she says. “We’ve had people in who have never performed at an open mic night before, and there are so many around here who are musical they’ve been loving it. I’m trying to jam the pub full of as much that is Northumbrian as I can.

“At the festival we’re going to have a marquee with bands, a cocktail bar, spit roast, vegetarian burger bar, and of course, a beer tent.”

The Pack Horse, Ellingham, Chathill, Northumberland NE67 5HA. Tel: 01665 589292. Beer and music festival: June 8-10.

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BREWERY NEWS

ANARCHY IN THE UK, RUSSIA, BRAZIL, NORWAY In years to come, staff at Anarchy Brew Co will sit down and say: “Where did 2018 go?”.

The Morpeth, Northumberland-based brewery has taken the massive decision to move to bigger premises. Its facility at Whitehouse Farm Centre is bursting at the seams with no space left to expand capacity.

The Anarchy team has also started supplying a bar in Moscow – called Anarchy – and has brewed a beer in collaboration with a Russian brewery, with a return “leg” scheduled for later this year.

An invitation to take a stand at the Bergen Beer Festival in Norway was taken up earlier this month; flights have been booked for a collaboration with a Brazilian brewery – and that’s before we’re brought up to date with a trip to Vietnam by owners Simon and Dawn Miles. Whoosh, it’ll soon be 2019.

“I’ve been thinking about bigger premises for

a while,” says Simon Miles. “We’re at absolute capacity here now, brewing close to 5,000 hectolitres. We can’t physically make any more beer, so do we stand still and do what we do now or bite the bullet and take over larger premises?”

Height restrictions at the Whitehouse Farm Centre unit have necessitated using a system of two, 10-barrel equipment which takes up a lot of floor space. It’s a cat-swinging conundrum.

“We particularly wanted to stay in our home town, Morpeth,” says Simon, “so we settled on the former Northumberland Council grit store, a huge kit, so in effect we’ll have a 40-barrel brew length.” building on Coopies Lane. It’s 11,000 square feet A new canning machine is on its way and floor space and has lots of height so we can use racking is being planned to store casks for woodconical fermenters which means there’s not so ageing beer, meaning the extra floor space and much movement of beer from tank to tank. We’ve height will be put to good use. A taproom and ordered a brand-new, 20-barrel brew kit – we’re events space are also in the plan, as is a southyet to decide on gas or steam to power the boilers HEX-06 cheers ad awk.qxp_Hexhamshire Brew cheers ad awk 30/04/2015 08:46 facing beer garden.

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BREWERY NEWS about access. The taproom will serve keg beer only and some that will be available exclusively there.

We want our valued customers around Morpeth to continue to enjoy our cask beer, such as Blonde Star, and have the choice.

We think that’s very important.

“It’ll be great to start with a blank canvas rather than bolting everything on as we have been doing.”

In Moscow, the Anarchy delegation met the owner of Tight fit: The Anarchy brew crew Squat ¾, an amazing 19th Century building situated near the Bolshoi Theatre which was Simon says: “We’re looking at the end of August to get the 20-barrel kit working, but there’s originally a Turkish Baths and is now a nightclub.

“It was out of this world, ornate and beautiful,” a long way to go with new drainage and a new says Simon. “A distributor had taken our beer there roof to think about. It’s the perfect location, only and the owner had a space where he wanted to ten minutes’ walk from Morpeth Station and five a bar Anarchy. from the town centre, so people can come from TBF-18 Cheers ad 1/2 18 awk.qxp_TBF Cheers 1/2put page 18–awk 27/03/2018 12:08 Page 1 “Our brewer Les Stoker did a collaboration all over for a drink and for regular events. It’s all

beer with the female brewmaster at Gletcher Brewery about 70km outside of Moscow which has a great reputation in Russia for its quality. They had been emailing details for some time, looking at recipes and methods.

“Gletcher is about three times the size of ours, an amazing brewery, all computerised. The brewmaster sat with her computer mouse and clicked on various parts of a screen – mashing in was automatic, as was everything else right down to the hop dozing. It was really interesting for us to see the other side where there had been a lot of investment in technology; it was a great feeling to be part of. They’re going to sell it through their own outlets and we’re bringing them over here at some time to brew it and distribute it to our customers.

“As for the Bergen Beer Festival, we were told simply to ‘turn up in good spirits, sell your beer, and talk to customers’. They’re banging the drum for British beer and there are some great names there. And next February we’ve been asked to do a collaboration with Blend Bryggeri, a small brewery in Criciúma in the south of Brazil. The trip is sponsored by Brazil’s biggest malt supplier.

“Blend Bryggeri is owned by a journalist who came to Anarchy a couple of years ago with a small film crew and spent about a day here. I think they also went to Wylam and Hawkshead breweries. He’s obviously thought about doing some brewing himself.”

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BRANDING

TO THE WORKERS The design work might be entirely new but Consett Ale Works’ new branding reflects its industrial history, writes Alastair Gilmour Visit Consett in County Durham today and you’ll come across very little of its “Steel Town” past. It has all the trappings of the 21st Century satellite town; shopping malls, retail parks, high tech industries and services by the tonne. Consett has changed dramatically over virtually 40 years from noisy, belching industrialism but it has a long way to go before it morphs into the 1988 Talking Heads song Nothing But Flowers: “There was a factory, now there’s just mountains and rivers”.

Not that long ago in the grand scheme of things, the town was built on the Consett Iron Company but referred to universally as The Company. Consett was where they made the steel that constructed Blackpool Tower and Britain’s fleet of nuclear submarines. There was hardly a family in the area that didn’t have a relative employed by The Company.

For the past 15 years, Consett Ale Works, situated in former stables at the Grey Horse pub in the town, has brewed beers that lean heavily on this industrial heritage. Steel Town Bitter and White Hot celebrate The Company itself, while Red Dust recalls Consett’s infamous blanket of iron oxide that covered the whole area and coloured the sunset until its closure in 1980 with the loss of 3,700 jobs and doing its best to destroy a vibrant community. But not quite.

Mindful of the local identity in every brew, Consett Ale Works has embarked on a rebranding which leans heavily on the Steel Town tradition, its heritage, history and working folks’ culture. The Company might have gone but brewery owner Jeff Hind is determined its legacy will live on.

He says: “It’s about our industrial heritage.

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We’re a good, solid brewery, we’ve been here for more than 15 years and we’re as much about new business as being traditional, so we wanted our new branding to reflect that.

“We’re not the biggest brewery, but we brew good beer. I got artist Mick Oxley involved in the design work to begin with – he has a gallery in Craster – and he did pages and pages of drawings until we got where we wanted to be.

“We both liked the Russian propaganda imagery approach that he came up with which allows people to know that Consett is still here.”

Mick Oxley went to school in Consett for five years and he remembers well the red dust on his legs from playing football, so heart and soul went into his coloured-pencil “scribblings”.

He says: “Jeff Hind and I went for a pint and put a few ideas down then chatted through the whole thing. It was clear there seemed to be a lot of tradition coming through.

“Consett Ale Works ales are informed by the steel works which in turn defined Consett. Among other things I looked at Soviet propaganda art and the fact that it was for the workers which gave it its tradition. It was a solid base to work from.

“The Company was the main reason that Consett existed and when it went it left a big hole. I did lots of ideas on half-a-dozen sheets, different ideas with different fonts, all freehand with different colours. Then it was, ‘I like that and what about that’. Once we had settled on something we gave it to the graphics guys who I’ve got to say picked it up and ran with it.”

One of those graphics guys was Dean Rutter, managing director at South Shields-based design and branding company We Are Concept.

He says: It was all quite fluid and the

steelworks silhouette and billowing smoke Mick drew was a good starting point.

“We did the pumpclips first and had them die-cut around the clouds then quickly followed up with the bottle labels. We printed them on a metallic surface so parts look like steel which was a bit of a challenge but looks really, really effective.”

Not forgetting the glassware, The Company angle was paramount, so the logo was etched on one side and the phrase “To The Workers” on the other which acts as a toast with every raise of the glass.

Along with the Grey Horse in Consett, Jeff Hind owns several pubs around County Durham and Teesside, reasoning that he likes traditional pubs full of characters that have cask ales and huge fireplaces. But he recognises that the beer world is moving fast.

As Nothing But Flowers repeats with every verse: “You’ve got it, you’ve got it”.

DURHAM FAST-FORWARDING A brand is a perception of a company or product built over time, tapping subconsciously into people’s experiences and emotions. So, when your company is more than a quarter of a century old, how easy is it to change the direction of what you’ve been doing from day one It’s the conundrum that faced Durham Brewery – how do you live up to your strapline: “Innovation with tradition”?

Durham’s Elly Bell has been leading their new branding project

with Tom Lamb of Newcastlebased brand development, digital and design agency Blumilk.

She says: “We needed to move our branding to reflect more about Durham Brewery as an innovative and forward-thinking business which we undoubtedly are. It’s about who we are and what we are.

“Everything in the brand has to fit around all our products; cask, keg and bottle – we have three different ranges within the bottles alone. Consumers are happier when they’re comfortable and

www.cheersnortheast.co.uk / CHEERS / 21

BRANDING know what they’re getting. When they walk into a pub they have ten seconds to decide what they want – and we want that to be Magus, White Stout, Evensong or Kama Citra.

“We’ve got great beers and have never looked backwards as a business and the current labels and pumpclips have done us well.

My mum Christine (Gibbs) did all the original artwork and created her own font in pen and pencil, working on the dining room table.

She did a really good job, but maybe it’s too traditional now and a little bit dated.”

Tom Lamb’s brief included the plea, “we don’t want to slap heritage in the face”, so it was a challenge, particularly as Elly Bell insisted that they should also “head back to our roots”.

“Branding is the personality of a product and its story,” says Tom. “We wanted to emphasise the Rose Window at Durham Cathedral which was part of the original design work. We’re reflecting years of planning and production; we want all the

Brand new: Elly Bell, Tom Lamb, centre, and Steve Gibbs at Durham Brewery elements of Durham Brewery to come through in a modern way – the market has moved on, but it’s not a case of ‘out with the old’. “ In the meantime, Durham Brewery managing director Steve Gibbs is listening and engaging with all this and points to the quality of Durham Brewery’s production over more than a quarter of a century. He says: “We’ve got a reputation for

Kings Crags, an outcrop of hard, grey sandstone north of Hadrian’ s Wall.

An evocative place where King Arthur sleeps below the crag which is often bathed in amber evening light. A hue captured in this clear, strong beer that has a hint of citrus and caramel. Brewed with Cascade, Azacca and Centenial hops Muckle Magic star light ale is brewed with Goldings hops. A light ale with a honey aroma and a universe of spiced earth flavours Website: www.mucklebrewing.co.uk Twitter: twitter.com/mucklebrewing Facebook: www.facebook.com/mucklebrewing/ Instagram: www.instagram.com/mucklebrewing/ 22 / CHEERS / www.cheersnortheast.co.uk

brewing beers that are really easy to drink, even the strong ones like Temptation (10% abv). We’re now doing beers with mango, blood orange, wheat and all kinds of fruit.”

Steve, as the region’s brewing confraternity knows, is a perfectionist, even popping in to the brewhouse on days off and at weekends to twist, turn and roll an oak cask full of Bombay

106 IPA that’s been conditioning for months to replicate the sea journey that an 19th Century IPA would have endured to reach India from Burton upon Trent.

In its small way, it demonstrate the time, effort, research and passion that Tom Lamb has been trusted with in creating a new branding for Durham Brewery.

“In a way it’s almost like business therapy,” he says.

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WINE

T H E G R E AT

NORTH EAST

Glorious grapes: An English vineyard. Photo: The Drinks Business

BREWERY

GUIDE

THE DEFINITIVE GUIDE TO T H E R E G IO N ’ S F I N E S T B R EW E R I E S

THE ENGLISH ARE COMING Suzanne Locke springs some indigenous wine surprises

AVAILABLE TO BUY FROM BREWERIES, SPECIALIST BOTTLE SHOPS, WATERSTONES AND THE CHEERS WEBSITE WWW.CHEERSNORTHEAST.CO.UK

24 / CHEERS / www.cheersnortheast.co.uk

As I sit writing this on St George’s Day, I cast my mind back, that only a week previously on April 17, we were celebrating International Malbec Day. The grape which has graced the world wine map for a only very short time already has a day named after it – George had to wait somewhat longer.

Argentina, where Malbec is the signature grape, has optimised every opportunity – and very successfully too – to bring it to the world’s attention, so it’s encouraging that the English are to have a whole week of celebration of our own viticulture.

English Wine Week this year is May 26 -June 3 when wines from the home countries will feature in restaurants, retail and leisure events. (May 21-23) with more than 40 countries showing in excess of 14,000 wines, while Britain is well represented in wine and spirit categories.

There are more than 400 commercial vineyards in Britain, predominantly in the South of England. Recently, Northumberland had one brave but unsuccessful attempt at growing grapes near Belford and in Cumbria, High Cup Wines near Appleby did have some production but this has ceased now, although they have older vintages for sale. In North Yorkshire there are a couple of vintners having some success, and around the Leeds area, several vineyards are trading commercially.

While wine lovers have familiarised themselves with grape varieties such as Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon and Riesling, the names seen on English bottles may not be so familiar. With Seyval Blanc, Reichensteiner, Muller Thurgau and Bacchus being among the more successful varieties grown in the UK – chosen because they thrive in cooler temperatures. These grapes tend to produce still table wines, but it is the sparkling wines that we have had the most success with.

The Southern shires have similar growing conditions as the Champagne region; soil and temperature-wise, so it is more of an even playing field for fizz production – so much so that famous Champagne houses are buying land in Kent to produce wine here.

English sparkling is a good option for any wedding, as it compares favourably both in quality and price with Champagne (I heard on the “grapevine” that the illustrious English producers Chapel Down are supplying Harry and Meghan’s nuptials). It’s a busy May for wine drinkers with a fair, a wedding and a week to give English wine a try. *Advintage are this year off to Central Italy’s most prestigious vineyards on May 21-28 with visits to Orvieto, Lazio and Montalcino (flights to Rome from Newcastle), based at Lake Bolsena. Prices from £879 per person sharing. Details: www.Advintagewine.co.uk or call Suzanne Locke: 0191 253 2979.

WINE: COMMERCIAL FEATURE

A EUROPEAN WINE ADVENTURE

When asked “which three countries produce the most wine in the world”, you’re likely to guess one will be France, and you’d be correct. But did you know the remaining positions in the global top three wine producers are Italy and Spain? We caught up with Lanchester Wines’ buyer, Lesley Cook, about this summer’s hottest European wine trends and why the Stanley, County Durham-based business feels Italian and Spanish wines are the ones we all should be drinking this summer.

There’s a high probability that everyone reading this has at tried at least one Spanish or Italian wine– most likely more. And, you’re not alone.

In 2016 alone, the UK imported over 132 million litres of Italian wine and close to 111 million litres of Spanish. But, why do we Brits love wine from our European neighbours?

La Dolce Vita Italy is the traditional home of classic wines such as Pinot Grigio or Chianti and, of course, the ever-popular Prosecco; sales of which have risen 6,000% since 2008.

When you think of Italy, often the first thing you think of is food and Italian’s usually only drink wine when they’re eating. Given Italy’s rich gastronomic heritage, it’s no surprise this is often most of our first foray into food and wine pairing as even the simplest foods, such as pizza and pasta, work so well with wine. And, there are so many delicious combinations to choose from that include a rich Chianti to match perfectly with a tangy tomato based pasta; a dry Vermentino with seafood, or a light Pinot Grigio with citric based foods like lemon chicken. (*My top tip with any food and wine pairing is just enjoy what you enjoy. Try different

combinations but remember your own personal opinion is always the best option for you.)

Did you know, Italian grapes have proven so popular that some, such as the previously mentioned Pinot Grigio have taken on the role of the “super varietal” with vines planted across the globe? Indeed, one of the other wine areas to watch over the next few years will be Italian grapes from New World countries. Australia, particularly, is leading the way here and we predict the summer launch of Victorian winery, McPhersons Wine Co’s Aquarius Sangiovese Shiraz to be a huge success.

Viva España Spanish wines are always popular and provide a great range of options. Rioja is undoubtedly the best known wine-producing region in Spain and the UK is its biggest export market. Rioja is a Denominación de Origen Calificada (Destination of Origin, or D.O.) meaning all wine production is closely regulated – similar to Stilton or Melton Mowbray. Only a strict number of grape varieties are currently authorised by the Regulations of the D. O. Rioja, which are: Red: Tempranillo, Garnacha, Graciano, Mazuelo y Maturana Tinta.

White: Viura, Malvasía, Garnacha Blanca, Tempranillo Blanco, Maturana Blanca, Turruntés, Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc y Verdejo.

While red Rioja is the most popular and well known, sales of Rioja whites grew significantly above the market average last year. Sales were up 16%, surpassing growth figures of other regions specialising in whites, with white wines currently making up close to 8% of total Rioja sales, compared to 5% five years ago.

Perhaps this is due to white Rioja’s light, citrus flavour profile which is similar to Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc – sales of which

are continuing to soar. This familiar flavour combined with an attractive price point makes White Rioja a sure-fire hit for any Sauvignon Blanc lovers.

Premiumisation Within the wine sector as a whole, we’re seeing a move towards quality over quantity – spend a little bit more to try a more premium wine.

Successful restaurants and importers already introduce quirkier wine varieties with “by the glass”, offering the perfect solution to trying something new but without having to splash out on an expensive bottle you might not like.

We’ve worked closely with both our Spanish and Italian partners to introduce a number of premium products with a key point of difference. Our ones to watch this summer are: 5 Oros Graciano: From Rioja, this is one of the only 100% Graciano wines available to the UK market. With flavours of cherries and fruits of the forest, this is an elegant and luxurious red.

Sal de Fiesta La Mona: This Moscato/ Verdejo blend is presented in a beautiful, tall blue bottle. While the wine is excellent, the bottle is guaranteed to be the perfect centrepiece for any table.

Le Argille Cabernet di Cabernet: A refined blend of 50% Cabernet Sauvignon and 50% Cabernet Franc, this unique wine is presented in the only cement-dipped bottle available to the UK market. *Lesley Cook is Lanchester Wines’ buyer and is based in County Durham.

All wines mentioned are available across the North East through Lanchester Wines – www.lanchesterwines.co.uk. Ask your local bar staff for more details. www.cheersnortheast.co.uk / CHEERS / 25

AREA FOCUS: COUNTY DURHAM

FROM BACK YARD TO CATHEDRAL

County Durham, once known for its coal mines and heavy industry, is now an area of regeneration and promoted as a tourist destination. Rightly so.

The Durham Dales consist of some of the nation’s most attractive uplands, the Durham coast is little short of stunning, its towns – Durham City, Darlington, Hartlepool, Stockton, Spennymoor and Bishop Auckland – are thriving retail and cultural centres.

Pubs and breweries enjoy a terrific reputation with the choice ranging from corner bars and microbreweries to a regional giant and a Michelin-starred gastropub.

County Durham has it all, so let’s take a close look at what’s on offer.

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MCCOLL’S BREWERY According to owner Danny McColl, the eponymous McColl’s Brewery is a bit like The Queen – enjoying multiple birthdays. Although the business was incorporated on September 26 2016, it wasn’t until May 17 2017 that it produced its first beer.

“We’re calling that our official birthday,” says Danny (an enthusiast

if there ever was one). “Our first beer was Golden Ale, but for our birthday this month we’re brewing something completely different. It’s been a year but it doesn’t seem that long.”

McColl’s is opening a new brewery tap for the general public to come and try the beers and have a glimpse of what’s behind the liquid in the glass, which a lot of people are still not that much aware of, despite the rising interest in beer and brewing.

“The tap is nothing outlandish,” says Danny. “We’re opening the place up on the last weekend of each month – Friday and Saturday – and along with our beers, there’s a street vendor for food.

“Business at the moment is the

best it’s ever been. We had teething problems to begin with and a few hiccups but we’re now in a much better position than we were even three months ago. We just kept going at it as best we could and now a lot of people know we’re here. It’s all positive.”

McColl’s has high hops for its Blood Orange IPA (xx% abv) which has been selected for the official beer of the Orange Pip Market that will continue to run over the summer around Middlesbrough, taking place on the last Saturday of every month.

“It’s a great show,” says Danny.

“We just had to go for that.”

The McColl’s aim is to be like a Thornbridge, Marble or Hawkshead brewery where the fundamentals

AREA FOCUS: COUNTY DURHAM are in quality. He appears to be getting things the way people want them.

McColl’s Brewery, Unit 4, Randolph Industrial Estate, Evenwood, Bishop Auckland, County Durham, DL14 9SJ. Tel: 01388 417250. www. mccollsbrewery.co.uk

THE THREE HORSESHOES AND WORKING HAND BREWERY The Three Horseshoes is a familyrun business and as such takes great pride in the pub and the microbrewery that serves some of its beers. Manager Matthew Frankland has such a knowledge and enthusiasm for what goes over the counter that he is building the

offer up steadily and reckons there will be nine handpulls on the bar by the year end.

He says: “We’ve gone from never being placed in Durham Camra’s awards to being Country Pub of the Year this year. It’s about the relationship we have with other brewers and partly down to the open-door policy we have with our Working Hand Brewery. Anybody can come in and see how we make beer and experience how a small brewery – a 2.5-barrel plant – like ours works.

“We’re very hands-on so they can appreciate things behind their beer like temperature control and fermentation in a small area. The staff in the pub now know more about the beer and that’s half the battle. We actively seek out small brewers such as Roundhill from Billingham and Great North Eastern Brewing Co and I’ve met the brewers of the majority of the beers that we sell, which is important.”

The Three Horseshoes is a sparkling, tidy pub. Its bar and lounge area (the Select Room in days gone by) are traditional

THE

CourtyarD The Courtyard is a modern café bar set within the delightful surroundings of the Arts Centre Washington. Situated in the heart of Washington, the Arts Centre is both accessible for locals as well as for people from further a field.

The Courtyard operates a continuous cask ale programme sourcing ales from the very best micro brewers across the whole of the UK. Eight cask ales, a real cider and a perry are always available. We showcase in the region of 15 to 20 different ales every week. The range is also complemented by a good selection of guest craft keg beers.

Arts Centre Washington, Fatfield, Washington NE38 8AB T: (0191) 417 0445 E: thecourtyardbar@aol.com www.thecourtyardbar.co.uk www.facebook.com/thecourtyardwashington www.twitter.com/courtyardales

country pub style with marbletopped curved counter, exposed floorboards and highly polished back bar.

The pub is renowned for its food, served in a separate restaurant area and conservatory looking out onto farmland. This all adds up to a whole experience that feels right, feels solid and feels like a proper pub.

Matthew says: “I work here and I drink here, so I have an insight into what people want. Sometimes younger people don’t appreciate how good a pub can be.”

The Three Horseshoes, Leamside, Houghton le Spring DH4 6QQ. Tel: 0191 584 2394. www. threehorseshoesleamside.co.uk THE COURTYARD CAFÉ BAR, WASHINGTON ARTS CENTRE The Courtyard Café Bar at Washington Arts Centre is as busy on a damp Tuesday lunchtime as many pubs are on a Friday night.

It’s non-stop with couples lunching, groups catching up (while their menfolk take the opportunity to have a couple of pints) and gallery

The Courtyard Cafe Bar

visitors wondering whether to join in now or view the current exhibitions first.

“This is normal,” says Martin Thompson, who has managed the place for around 15 years. The beer selection is impressive, too, with a range – eight handpulls, four craft keg lines and a clutch of bottles – of local products and others from the other side of the Pennines rarely seen in the North East.

“We try and keep a blend between the two,” says Martin. “I like to give customers a choice and the chance to try something they might not get elsewhere. The paler ales go best, such as Ossett Yorkshire Blonde or Titanic Iceberg.

“Our Easter beer festival was a great success and the next one is

Yard of Ale Brew Co. Ferryhill - Co. Durham

CELEBRATING 10 YEARS OF YARD OF ALE BREWING Based at the award winning Surtees Arms since 2008, Yard of Ale have been distributing award winning ales across North East pubs and festivals playing a key role in the brewing community for a decade.

10TH BIRTHDAY SPECIALS AVAILABLE NOW Brewery contact no: 07540733513 www.thesurteesarms.co.uk whatpub.com @yardofalebrewer email: yardofale@yahoo.co.uk Surtees Arms opening hours Weds & Thurs 4pm-11pm, Fri 4pm - Late, Sat 12pm-12am, Sun 12pm - 11pm www.cheersnortheast.co.uk / CHEERS / 27

AREA FOCUS: COUNTY DURHAM in August which is always popular.

They always work well with the Arts Centre programme and that’s where our biggest footfall comes from, plus the courtyard surrounded by craft studios is quite a sheltered corner for drinking outside when the weather’s right.

Functions are great too and we’ve got a lovely mix of custom – musicians, thespians and others just coming for a good night out.”

Both the bar and the Arts Centre complement one another well and the cultural bias is evident from the contemporary prints on the walls.

The modern-style bar is long and narrow which is offset by a high pitched, beamed ceiling lending it an airiness.

With a collection that includes Bad Seed Five Degrees, Box Social Sky And Thunder, Durham Paramorph and Silhouette Stout from the Republic of Liverpool Beer Company, there appears to be a beer festival every day.

The Courtyard, Arts Centre, Biddick Lane, Fatfield, Washington NE38 8AB. Tel: 0191 417 0445.

Alastair Wild at Caps Off CAPS OFF, BISHOP AUCKLAND When you ask a pub manager or head brewer how things are going they tend to be positive, but cagily positive. The same question put to Alastair Wild of Caps Off Bottle Shop & Bar brings the reply: “Brilliant. Going really, really well.

Spot on”. Can it get much better than that?

The Bishop Auckland Station premises benefits from the travelling public but not as much as from the town’s drinkers who seem to have taken the place to their hearts.

“It’s great the local support we have built up,” says Alastair, a former peripatetic Wetherspoons manager.

“I’ve lived in Bishop Auckland all my life and there’s nothing else in the town like this. There’s lots of money coming into Bishop what with Kynren (the summer tourist attraction open-air live-action history of England), the castle which is being refurbished, the Spanish gallery about to open, and the Mining Art Gallery. Bishop Auckland is a beautiful town, but it’s been neglected for the last 30 years.

“Yes, we’re doing well; I’ve taken on two new members of staff and we’re now open seven days a week. It’s a lot of work but a nice problem to have. It’s evolving weekly and custom has increased 400% from when we opened, including off-sales.

“It’s different. We’re trying to build a community as much as a business; people pop in just to say hello which is odd for a bar – in a good way – and it’s a really friendly atmosphere.”

All Caps Off beers are locallysourced from bottles to craft keg and the spirits are all from the UK. Alastair says: “We put the bar on at the monthly street-food market

in the town and we’ve bought a former horse-box to develop that side further.

“We keep three cask beers on and six keg taps plus small-batch spirits – gins and vodkas – and we’re moving more into events with regular street food Saturdays. We’re getting a name for being a great little spot.”

Caps Off, Bishop Auckland Station, Bob Hardisty Drive, DL14 7TL. Tel: 01388 603095.

YARD OF ALE BREWERY AND SURTEES ARMS, FERRYHILL A yard of ale is a three-foot long tapering glass with a bulb at one end holding around two-and-ahalf pints of beer. Across the yard

DARLINGTON’S FIRST MICROPUB

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AREA FOCUS: COUNTY DURHAM from the Surtees Arms in Ferryhill Station near Darlington is a small brewhouse. Yard Of Ale – get it?

It’s been run for the past ten years by Alan Hogg with the pub itself being under his and wife Susan’s great care for a year longer.

“The brewery is almost at capacity,” says Alan. “We’re happy at that level, plus we’ve got the pub to run which we try and balance – it’s better to have two businesses doing well than supporting one and neglecting the other. The Surtees Arms is a traditional front-street, no frills pub which is well supported by the locals who drink a bit of ale. We do well on that level.”

Like in a lot of dual-purpose businesses, Alan Hogg has to work hard on both profiles, making people aware of who they are and what they do – and keeping them high on their agenda, acting as one unit but keeping them separate at the same time. Surely a difficult trick?

“Choice is a great thing,” he says.

“There’s a synergy between the pub and the brewery. The North East pie is small and there are more people

now taking bites out of it, but we’re consistently being seen. We’re constantly looking at change and how we approach it.

“We brew a couple of times a week with two specials a month which sell well – in fact it’s gone a bit mad this year with our tenth anniversary.”

Sunday lunches at the pub are a real family affair with Susan and her parents doing everything in the kitchen.

“Everything fresh, sourced locally, cooked simply and done well,” says Alan.

Synergy at work.

The Yard of Ale and Surtees Arms, Chilton Lane, Ferryhill DL17 0DH. Tel: 01740 655933.

HILL ISLAND BREWERY, DURHAM CITY Hill Island Brewery enjoys a magical spot in Durham City, on Fowler’s Yard behind the main shopping attraction, Silver Street, and the steep banks of the River Wear. Virtually the only sound is from the busker on Framwellgate Bridge. The long, low building

Michael Griffin, Hill Island houses artisans that include printmakers and jewellers but Hill Island is also a gem, not only brewing beer on a 1.5-barrel plant (two with a squeeze), but hosting around 15 events a year to tie in with city attractions and regular extravaganzas such as the annual Miners’ Gala, the Lumière Light Festival, Durham Regatta and the upcoming Jazz Festival (June 1-3).

Although the Hill Island portfolio has six core beers – Cathedral Ale included – Michael produces specials for each of them with ’Alf A Scarg Ale being a particular favourite among ex-miners.

“It also has a touch of ginger in it,” he says. “I like fun names.”

Fun names extend to ThaiPA, a

spice and herbal-influenced ale, and Stout For The Count which is fairly self-explanatory. He’s also playing around with the latest version of Fizzy Gillespie for the Jazz Festival.

Michael Griffin has run Hill Island, virtually single-handed, for just over 15 years. “The competition from new breweries is getting greater though,” he says. “But I’m still here, Woolworths isn’t. I often walk around the centre of Durham with a banner saying who and where we are. You sometimes have to swallow your pride and just do it.”

His pop-up bar in Fowler’s Yard is a regular event with a loyal following, normally on a Saturday (see facebook.com/hillislandbrewery) but over the weekends of bank holidays.

Hill Island is the straight translation of Dun Holm, the ancient name for Durham. The brewhouse sits down a precipitous flight of stairs where eventually a bar will be installed with seating on the level above. It’s in the dream, but for now it’s on with the jazzy BrewBeck.

Hill Island Brewery, Fowler’s Yard, Back Silver Street, Durham City DH1 3RA. Tel: 07740 932 584.

www.cheersnortheast.co.uk / CHEERS / 29

AREA FOCUS: COUNTY DURHAM

Chris and Susannah Mansfield, Station House STATION HOUSE, DURHAM Station House has been open under the vast railway viaduct below Durham Station for two-and-a-half years or so. The quirky bar, a former antique and furniture shop, sits over two floors – three if you count the narrow snug down a few steps. It’s a pub with unusual features, one of them being there’s no actual counter for serving, simply a stable door-type hatch with a sill for presenting pints drawn by gravity from a stillage in the cellar and all set out clearly in front of you.

“Things are going really well,” says Susannah Mansfield, who owns the micropub with husband Chris. “We now have five members

of staff and a lot of our custom comes from people popping in on their way to and from the station.

We’ve got a good relationship with the newly-opened Waiting Room pub on platform 2 – he sends people here and we send people there. We’re also looking forward to the Head of Steam reopening.

It’ll be a great circuit for this end of town.”

Susannah is something of a beer educator; she enjoys coaching people in beer’s finer points – students mainly – and explains styles and flavours well.

“Young people have no preconceptions about what beer they like,” she says. “Others might want something malty and traditional or something with a lot of hoppiness. There’s a myth that you can’t sell dark beer in Durham and some people find it a bit strange that we serve beer straight from the cask.”

There are normally four beers ready for pouring with another eight waiting in line in an ever-changing sequence. These can include Bad Seed Kiwi Pale Ale, Abbeydale

CAMRA Durham Country Pub of the year 2018

The Three Horseshoes has been on Pit House Lane, Leamside in County Durham for over 100 years. In times gone by it served a thriving mining community but has changed over recent years to be a popular destination food and real ale house.

Affectionately know as ‘The Shoes’ by the locals, it is known for its freshly cooked food and quality real ales. The traditional bar with open fires is complemented by a comfortable restaurant at the rear known as the Back Room.

Even though we are a classic traditional country pub, we are firmly placing ourselves in an up to date Craft and Ale market. We are now a registered venue on UNTAPPD providing real time alerts to our customers when their favourite beers are on. The working Hand Brewery operates an open door policy for those who want to get hands on experience making beer. Contact Matthew at the pub for more information.

The Three Horseshoes, Pit House Lane, Leamside, Houghton le Spring,County Durham, DH4 6QQ 0191 584 2394 info@threehorseshoesleamside.co.uk 30 / CHEERS / www.cheersnortheast.co.uk

Stuntman Pale Ale, Durham Divergence Rich Amber Bitter or North Riding Banoffee Porter, which does as it promises. Ciders are a joy – Bodendens Dry, Lawrences Medium and the sweet Somerset Harry’s Cider.

A mix of flagstone and exposed timber flooring sits well with high tables, tall stools and even a couple of rocking chairs in the prime window slot. Couple those with Gwatkin’s Perry at 7.0% abv and you’ll definitely miss your train.

Station House, North Road, Durham DH1 4SE. www. stationhousedurham.co.uk

Ian Clough, Orb Ale And Whisky House ORB ALE AND WHISKY HOUSE, DARLINGTON

Orb Micropub Ale And Whisky House was previously a hairdresser’s shop with a front styling area, steps up to a back room and an upstairs which is now earmarked for an events space. A large cellar could easily be pressed into use as a microbrewery, given owner Ian Clough’s homebrew expertise and the fact that Orb is an abbreviation of Orchard Road Brewery; a dream that could evolve into reality. Large mirrors left behind by the previous owners make the place look bigger although these days they’re are a far cry from the curly lob and straight bob with bangs that they once reflected.

“Most of the beers we stock suit my palate but there are a few exceptions from customer recommendations and suggestions,” says Ian Clough, a former NHS employee who decided on early retirement to follow his dream. “My aim was always to have six handpulls, the majority from North East breweries, with the odd exception providing a good range of styles and changing regularly.”

The finishes in the pub, particularly the counter, and the attention to detail

AREA FOCUS: COUNTY DURHAM are exceptional, displaying the mark of a man who will not cut corners in any respect, which is encouraging for beer drinkers to say the least. Ian also intends to build up the whisky offer, being a Scotch lover himself, so the plan was always to create a dedicated Whisky Corner tucked away at the rear (but within mirror view). He has some rare expressions available for which customers are willing to dig deep.

He says: “This is a place to relax, talk and meet old and new friends with a glass of exceptional quality ale, beer, cider, or whisky.”

Chalk boards list beers coming soon with suggestions from regulars, along with recommendations to visit similar pubs in the region – from Hartlepool, Middlesbrough, Stockton and Newcastle. But isn’t that inviting people to go elsewhere? Definitely not.

“These pubs are also doing the same for us,” says Ian. Like all orbs – concentric spheres – what goes around comes around.

Orb Ale And Whisky House, 28 Coniscliffe Road, Darlington DL3 7JX. Tel: 07903 237 246.

SONNET 43 BREW HOUSE TAPS IN COUNTY DURHAM With each Sonnet 43 Brew House venue comes the guarantee “for the love of beer”. All three County Durham sites proudly show off their Sonnet 43 name, through quirky branding on the walls and to ensuring each dish on the menu is perfectly paired with a cool pint of something outstanding – not to mention close connections with their sister brand Poetic License, means each venue is permanently stocked with world-class, award-winning gins.

THE NEW PLOUGH, DIPTON Located in the rural areas between

Consett and Stanley, The New Plough is a cosy yet contemporary pub.

Whether it’s to relax with craft ales in the dog-friendly bar area, relish tempting soul food in the farmhousestyle restaurant, or enjoying live music every Friday night, The New Plough is the perfect local. In addition, the outdoor Enchanted Tipis and intimate Loft area also add up to a dream destination for a rustic, countryinspired wedding.

TORONTO LODGE, BISHOP AUCKLAND Toronto Lodge can be found neatly tucked away in the heart of Bishop Auckland’s countryside. This cosy pub offers an extensive menu of hearty dishes that range from Sonnet 43 beer-battered fish and chips to fillet steak and Stilton pie. With stunning views of the North East countryside from the conservatory and terrace area and late-night drinks in the intimate corners of the bar, Toronto Lodge is the perfect pit-stop for tasty grub and quality ales at any time. It’s also handily situated just five minutes from the world famous Kynren liveaction history of England set.

THE LAMBTON WORM, CHESTER-LE-STREET Classically comfortable in the heart of Chester-le-Street, The Lambton Worm is renowned for its country pub-style bar area where you can enjoy hearty food and great live music – plus its legendary pub quiz.

If something more formal is on the agenda, the rustic restaurant offers an extensive à la carte menu serving the best of British cuisine. The Lambton Worm also accommodates 14 modern boutique bedrooms at 4-star quality – the perfect venue for a mini getaway.

Sonnet 43 Brew House, Durham Road, Coxhoe DH6 4HX. Tel: 0191 377 3039.

www.cheersnortheast.co.uk / CHEERS / 31

NEWS

AN ARTISTIC WAY TO HANDLE BARS

The words resonate beautifully enough on their own, but is there any more comforting alliteration than “beer, bikes and bars”? No question. So, that’s what one North East cycling, ale and pub enthusiast is combining in an artistic fashion.

Chris Anderson is a planning officer at North Tyneside Council by day and has such a passion for pubs and cycling that he has turned the combination into an art form.

32 / CHEERS / www.cheersnortheast.co.uk

“I thought I’d put my two interests, ale and cycling, together,” says Whitley Bay resident Chris. “I’ve been producing prints of pubs for about 18 months. Each image has its own signature bike propped up somewhere on it. I started off doing the pubs I go in in the Ouseburn, Newcastle, as limited editions – The Cluny, Cumberland Arms, Free Trade Inn and Tyne Bar – which went down really well. They’re also easy to get to by bike so they’re aimed at

Meet me: Chris Anderson with one of his prints

NEWS leisure cyclist rather than the Lycra Tour de France cyclist.”

Chris has recently embarked on a series called Meet Me At… featuring pubs around the region that complement his previous prints of Whitley Bay and Tynemouth, all in the style of the old railway and tourism posters beloved of travellers and collectors. He has a notebook full of ideas and venues to cover.

Rather cleverly, he chose the name Velomentary for his project, as in “Elementary my dear Watson” (which Sherlock Holmes probably never said), plus “vélo” – French for bike and cycling.

Chris’ prints emerge from a series of photographs taken from different angles, then blended with computer skills, plus a bit of drawing finished off with blocks of colour printed on high quality card which lends them an air of vibrancy.

His colour palette is carefully chosen to reflect the character of each pub, such as his Cumberland Arms edition which nods towards orange sunset hues. He’ll undertake commissions and create images in different sizes, with one-offs and canvases, selling them through his website, in the meantime popping up at various Tyneside markets and craft fairs.

“But word-of-mouth is the best seller,” says Chris. “Someone will tell someone else and they’ll put them in touch with someone else again.”

Saddle up and track him down: www.dictail. com/velomentary

Quay site: Artist's impression of the By The River development

CONTAINER YOURSELVES Fresh on the back of scooping two awards (Tourism & Leisure and Commercial) at the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS) North East awards, Wylam Brewery has announced its latest development project.

The brewery, with its headquarters in Exhibition Park, Newcastle, is transforming a plot of land at Hillgate Quays that nestles under the Gateshead end of the Tyne Bridge, into

By The River Brew Co, a shipping container community featuring independent operators

which will open in time for the Great Exhibition Of The North.

Original plans to build a garden-comeleisure destination on the site were scrapped last month, after the ambitious scheme hit problems. The new village – set to remain in place for four months – will create employment for more than 100 people in a microbrewery, tap room, restaurant, hawkers’ market, street food specialists and custom-build bike and coffee shop, among other attractions.

More information will be released by signing up to www.ByTheRiverBrew.Co

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HOME AND AWAY

CHEERS ON TOUR

Leading beer light Daisy Turnell sent us this photo from Copenhagen. We’re constantly amazed at the places you folks get to only to produce a pristine copy of the magazine ready to snap.

NEW STU BREW CREW

We thought we’d let you see the fresh faces of the Stu Brew team, Newcastle University’s social enterprise – and the first student-run microbrewery in Europe – that focuses on sustainability and developing the experience of running a small business.

The

LATIN AMERICA IN A GLASS

Globe-trotter Nick Snaith sent us a brief report from Mexico and Guatemala on the beers he uncovered on a recent trip.

He says: “Dorado Ice (5.0% abv) from Guatemala’s Centro Americana brewery is a very nice cold filtered beer. Cervecería Centro Americana Sociedad Anónima, to give it its proper name, is based in Guatemala City and was founded in 1886 by Mariano Castillo Córdova and his brother, Rafael Castillo Córdova.

Gallo Pale Lager (5.0% abv) is the brewery’s best seller and Guatemala’s oldest continually

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34 / CHEERS / www.cheersnortheast.co.uk

produced beer, dating back to 1896. It is also the most famous beer in the country, and has become part of Guatemalan popular culture.

“Dos Equis XX Special Lager (4.2% abv) from Moctezuma, one of Mexico’s largest brewers, is also very palatable and, even better, comes in bottles of 1.2 litres, usually around 42 pesos – £1.75. Indio, also brewed by Moctezuma (4.1% abv), is dark and sweet but not really to my taste.”

Nick says he didn’t bother with Sol or Corona as they’re widely available in the UK.

HOME AND AWAY

BOOK A TRIP TO BELGIUM

Camra’s Good Beer Guide Belgium (eighth edition by Joe Stange and Tim Webb. 368 pp. Pbk. £14.99.

With a diverse range of styles, iconic bars and cafes, and a unique drinking culture, it’s no wonder Belgium is regularly cited as the world’s foremost beer destination.

Camra’s Good Beer Guide Belgium has earned an enviable reputation as the definitive guide to the beer, the bars and the breweries – and crucially where to find them – but the best part is the way it’s written in an easy, knowledgeable style full of “wanna-go-there” descriptions.

Belgium is proud of its unique beer culture, not least the many diverse styles of beers, including Flemish reds, saisons, lambics and gueuze; beers with strong traditions in specific areas of

the country. The book also features a plethora of stories on the history of Belgian beer and its many quirks, as well as comprehensive advice on getting there, what to eat, where to stay and where to go to bring the best of Belgium’s beer offering back home with you.

The latest Good Beer Guide Belgium is well equipped to help on this journey, with full-colour province-by-province maps and detailed city guides highlighting more than 800 bars, cafés and beer shops.

It features hundreds of beers from more than 240 Belgian breweries, completely revised and updated since 2014 by co-authors Webb and Stange.

Sadly, this is Tim Webb’s final Guide to Belgium – but it’s a superb way of saying da-aag.

SCOUTING FOR GUIDES? With Fathers’ Day on the horizon – June 17 – it might to a timely to make a note of The Great North East Brewery Guide, published

by Offstone Publishing. It features 35 of the region’s breweries from one-man-and-his-dog operations to regional giants and influential producers in 128 gloriously-illustrated pages.

It’s available from bookstores across the region (including Waterstones and independents), plus the breweries featured and some pubs and bottle shops.

It’s available from bookstores across the region (including Waterstones and independents), plus the breweries featured and some pubs and bottle shops.

Visit www.cheersnortheast.co.uk for details.

PROUD TO SUPPORT ALL OUR LOCAL NORTH EAST BREWERIES WITH THE MOST COMPREHENSIVE SELECTION OF LOCAL BEERS AVAILABLE ANYWHERE.

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PUB REVIEW

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36 / CHEERS / www.cheersnortheast.co.uk

Royal and ancient: The Pele, Corbridge, with all its floors

D’YE KEN YON PELE? One Northumberland pub has Alastair Gilmour reaching for the history books

A North East micropub isn’t named after the greatest footballer of all time, despite the majority of visitors’ assertions. The Pele in Corbridge is pronounced “peel” as you would a sliver of fruit – and quite definitely not Pelé, the nickname of Brazilian football legend Edson Arantes do Nascimento – although it could be fair to describe both as Grade I-listed and classed as a national monument.

The Vicar’s Pele was built in the churchyard of St Andrew’s in 1318, and used as a fortified vicarage. It is built largely from stone taken from a nearby Roman nearby fortress and was in use as a vicarage until the early 17th Century. In the summer of 2016 the tower was reopened as a wedding and events venue after a three-year redevelopment project.

But today, its three storeys serve as one very unusual pub – a ground floor bar, with two upstairs

“lounges” where drinkers can peer through narrow windows at Corbridge going about its business down below or over the rooftops to the rolling countryside beyond.

“The building is 700 years old and it’s where the vicar of Corbridge would have protected himself and his family from marauding Border Reivers,” says Paula Williams, who took a lease out on it in September 2017 with husband Darren. “They would bring their animals and keep them on the bottom floor and live in the warmth on the upper two floors. The front door is believed to be original.”

Paula and Darren had been publicans in Cumbria for 17 years, running businesses in Whitehaven and Cockermouth, which included the Brown Cow, one of the town’s premier venues.

“We’ve been open seven months, sas Paula, "and not really benefitted from any great weather, so we’re really looking forward to summer.”

PUB REVIEW

A SUCKER FOR A STORY

According to Robert Forster’s 1881 History of Corbridge, there were 37 such pele towers around Northumberland, used for calling out to each other from the top of the stairs when trouble was approaching.

And those stairs are narrow – and steep – and so daunting that people take extra, extra care on the up and down, particularly the rather eerie parts with inlaid headstones and narrow lozengeshaped doorways. The second floor features a metal and glass mezzanine floor, a rare splash of modernity. Above that is a timberframed roofspace displaying yet more historical significance.

Paula says: “The height of the average man in the 14th Century was five-foot two, so everything is built around that – so watch your head.

“Everything has to be freestanding and because of its Grade II listing, nothing can be fixed to the walls to protect the integrity of the building.”

The Pele’s beers include The Pele (4.0% abv) from Allendale Brewery, made exclusively for the pub; Tyne Bank Vicar’s Pele (4.1% abv) and Lemon Pele (3.8% abv) from The Great North Eastern

Brewing Company, a heavily citrus ale that probably counts for more than one of the recommended “five a day”.

Rotating beers are a speciality with the likes of Tyne Bank’s Cabana (5.3% abv) plus Pandarillo (4.2% abv) and Allelic Drift (5.0% abv) both from Mordue Brewery. They are dispensed by gravity from a gantry behind the tiny ground-floor bar and supplemented by ten ciders, Hop House Lager, 50 gins, 30 whiskies and 30 rums.

There are plans for a nanobrewery to snuggle into what is currently a large cupboard.

Regular live music is a feature – folk sessions on the first Sunday of every month – with Steve Daggett and Russ Tippins (to drop a couple of names) pointing to the quality of gigsmanship.

Most of the high-backed seating is hewn out of driftwood and surprisingly comfortable despite their throne-like grandeur.

Barrels have been pressed into service as tables.

On one of the narrow doorways is a set of carved initials, J.H.S. It’s anybody’s guess who J.H.S. is or was. Given that there’s a stone step there too, our money’s on Just Hit Shins.

A recent BBC Radio Four programme invited listeners to contribute their most unusual recipes. Among the baked cricket and sheep’s eye delicacies came a message from a former soldier who has served in Afghanistan. He said that conditions were so fraught and dangerous there that on their rest and recuperation periods his compatriots would indulge in unusual food and drink combinations, such as taking up a glass of port through a Crunchie bar.

Apparently, they would bite both ends of and suck until they were blue in the face.

Cheers can report quite categorically that it doesn’t work, but the controlled breathing and rhythmic motion helps calm mind and body – somewhat like yoga where breathing consciously has a biological effect on our mental, emotional, and physical state.

Slowing down the breath has a soothing effect on our emotional state – and the pleasure at spending so much time with a Crunchie is simply beyond imagination.

BOG STANDARD

We continue our look at pub toilets with these two photographs from The Harry Clasper in Whickham, Gateshead. The Wetherspoons pub – former council offices – is definitely the only one we’ve encountered with a fireplace at one end of a room so large you could hold a dance in it. The gents are also immaculately maintained – and don’t those urinals look a bit like Storm Troopers? www.cheersnortheast.co.uk / CHEERS / 37

FUN STUFF

SIGN OF THE TIMES Chicken and egg situation: Which came first in this street in Dunston Hill, Gateshead, the sign or the privet hedge?

THE DIRTY DOZEN TWELVE CORKERS TO UNLEASH YOUR BRAIN POWER

1 A horse called Tree of Liberty with starting odds of 1-20 made history in a race at Chepstow in March – how?

2 In which country did the word tycoon originate?

3 In the James Bond novels, what is M’s name?

4 What is the lightest weight category in boxing?

5 If you roll a four on a dice, what is the sum of the other four visible faces?

6 What is measured by an interfereometer?

7 What is the most common surname in Spain?

A MAN WALKS INTO A BAR… …AND THE BARMAN SAYS, “WHY THE SAD FACE?” THE MAN SAYS: “MY GRANDSON HAS JUST ASKED ME TO MAKE A NOISE LIKE A FROG. I ASKED HIM WHY A NOISE LIKE A FROG AND HE REPLIED: ‘MAM SAID THAT WHEN YOU CROAK WE CAN ALL GO TO DISNEYLAND’.”

8 What is studied by an oologist?

9 How many square metres are there in a hectare?

10 What is the collective name for a group of cats?

11 How many Nobel prizes are awarded annually?

12 Where would you find your tarsus?

1994

EEH! NUMBERS

The year the Beamish Mary Inn at No Place, County Durham, was elected national pub of the year by the Campaign For Real Ale (Camra).

1994: The year the Nobel Prize in Physics was awarded “for pioneering contributions to the development of neutron scattering techniques for studies of condensed matter”.

1994: In the November of that year the Ship Tavern in the Ouseburn Valley, Newcastle, first opened its doors as the Tyne Bar.

QUOTE

“ONLY IRISH COFFEE PROVIDES IN A SINGLE GLASS ALL FOUR ESSENTIAL FOOD GROUPS: ALCOHOL, CAFFEINE, SUGAR AND FAT.” ALEX LEVINE

QUIZ ANSWERS: 1 It finished second, the shortest-priced loser in British jumps racing history. 2 Japan. A tycoon was a hereditary commander-in-chief. 3 Admiral Sir Miles Messervey. 4 Light flyweight. 5 Fourteen. 6 The wavelength of light. 7 Garcia. 8 Birds’ eggs. 9 10,000. 10 A clowder. 11 Six. 12 It’s your ankle.

DIRTY DOZEN APRIL: Thanks to the sharpshooters who contacted Cheers to point out that the average vinyl LP has two continuous grooves rather than one (the answer given). There is one on each side.

38 / CHEERS / www.cheersnortheast.co.uk

OPENING MAY 2018

COMING SOON

STORM CELLAR

BEER BOX

by Black Storm ― May 2018

by Black Storm ― June 2018

10 York Road, Whitley Bay, Tyne and Wear, NE26 1AB.

STACK Newcastle, Pilgrim Street, NE1 6QE.

CALL PAUL FOR BEER ON 07725 762 102 @blackstormbrew blackstormbrewery.com

JOIN OUR GROWING STOCKIST FAMILY

Want to stock Black Storm beer?

order@blackstormbrewery.com or call +44 (0) 191 252 6303

Events @ Arch 2 Ouseburn's newest brewpub and burger kitchen Enjoy a drink and a bite to eat in our modern, friendly bar nestled under one of the Byker Bridge arches in Newcastle's creative quarter.

10 taps of craft beer Onsite microbrewery Undercover courtyard Sit-around fire pit Child and dog friendly Beer tastings Brewery experience days Private parties FEATURE BEER: Newcastle IPA ABV 5.0% Perfect reward for an honest day’s work, a clean, drinkable IPA that’s packed with flavour and offers a bold balance not a smack in the head.

Brewed with our own blend of 4 American hops (Centennial, Amarillo, Cascade and Chinook), the result is a hop lover’s dream with fruity aromas, set off by a dry malt middle and a long hop finish.

May 16th, Jun 27th July 18th The Crafthood Social

May 25th, Jun 29th, July 27th GESÚ presents ELECTRIC DISCO May 23rd, Jun 20th, July 25th Paint Social

NEWCASTLE IPA Unfiltered. Wheat Free. Allergen Advice: Contains Barley

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