Cheers North East magazine #87 - February 2019

cheers WWW.CHEERSNORTHEAST.CO.UK // FEBRUARY 2019 // ISSUE 87

I T ’ S

A B O U T

P U B S ,

P E O P L E ,

B E E R

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A N D

SEVENTIES STYLE AND SOVIET SPIRIT NEWCASTLE PUB’S QUIET REVOLUTION SHIVERING WHIPPET A COMIC BEER JUST GOT REAL

OINK! IT’S THE YEAR OF THE PIG

BREWERY GRAINS KEEP PORKERS IN THE PINK

Y O U !

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S I X C A S K A L E S - T WO C R A F T K E G S R E A L C I D E R - R E A L F O O D - R E A L F I R E

R E G U L A R B E E R F E S T I VA L S A N D E V E N T S , F O L L O W U S O N FAC E B O O K F O R M O R E I N F O R M AT I O N .

D O G S W E L C O M E Y E

O L D E L M T R E E , 1 2 C R O S S G AT E , D U R HA M C I T Y, D H 1 4 P S

1 2 C R O S S G AT E D U R HA M C I T Y

5 3 C R O S S G AT E D U R HA M C I T Y

9 1 A C L AY PAT H D U R HA M C I T Y

WELCOME It’s February and I’ve narrowly avoided running over a tiny daffodil bravely peeping out of the soil next to my oilspattered drive. It’s a sign of spring. Spring I tell you.

That might be stretching a point, but it’s at least something to look forward to.

The best thing about February is not the lengthening days and the promise of spring around the corner, but that it’s not January. Dry January, to be precise.

The month of incoming festive-season bills, self assessment and credit card payments is bad enough for our pubs and brewers, so any attempt like the campaign to cajole people into renouncing alcohol for a few weeks is not at all helpful. Granted, the Dry January intentions might be honourable but when it has the potential to put another nail into a challenged sector it deserves to be confronted.

So, thank goodness for the #Tryanuary initiative and its stout resistance to the followers of fad and fashion and the easily led. Remember that the leisure business is available all year round and our pubs are too. And what joys they are; individual, unique, homely, welcoming… and all ours. See you there.

And, while on the welcoming theme, say hello to new sales manager Paul Bramley. He’ll be making himself known to all and sundry in the coming weeks (details below), so get the kettle on.

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 16

THE CHINESE YEAR OF THE PIG

It’s something of a tradition that Cheers aligns the Chinese New Year – which falls this month – with something relating to pubs. The Year of the Pig is no different, so we’ve sought out a family (who happen to be brewers) who raise piglets on a diet of spent brewers’ grains before “going off ”. The chef in the pub next door makes a mean brawn, superb rillettes and divine scotch eggs, so all’s looking crack(l)ing for 2019.

COVER: RARE BREED PIGS AT BROOM HOUSE FARM, WALLINGTON, NORTHUMBERLAND. PHOTO: PETER SKELTON

I ALWAYS THOUGHT I HAD ONE OF THE BEST JOBS IN THE WORLD, BUT BREWING BEER IS SUCH A NICE THING TO DO ALEX COLLIER, VIZ CARTOONIST AND SCRIPTWRITER

ADVERTISING

Paul Bramley 07976 471 245 01661 844 115 paul@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 22 VIEW FROM BOXING 10 CLEVERLY 24 THE COAST THE BEER INSPIRING 18 SEVENTIES 28 OFDOGTHE OUR FUN WITH MAN IN 20MYANMAR 30 FUN STUFF 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

MADE IN ITALY. NOT

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.

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NEWS

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ALL SET TO RAISE LARGER SAILS

Gateshead is certainly the place to be when it comes to fine watering holes. By The River Brew Co opened up on the south bank of the Tyne last June and since day one the container community has been lauded by virtually every visitor and sightseer. Close by, the Central bar has been awarded Gateshead’s finest by its local Campaign For Real Ale (Camra) branch; the Old Fox in Felling is attracting a lot of attention – and custom – with its focus on quality beer and a warm welcome, and the adjacent Wheatsheaf runs and runs on great Big Lamp beers. Similarly, Low Fell’s homely Black Horse continues to serve the local community in a quietly confident manner.

Just as 2019 turned, Dave and Julie Campbell took back control of The Schooner on South Shore Road, following a two-year hiatus when the pub was leased out. The Campbells originally bought it in December 2012 and transformed it into one of the region’s best-loved public houses – by simply knowing what they were doing and giving customers what they wanted but didn't know where to get it.

Many people are allergic to change, however,

and The Schooner appeared to have suffered from the adjustment to regular customers’ lifestyles. But following a few weeks of January trading, food, beer and events at the pub have blossomed.

“It’s good to be back after a two-year break,” says Dave Campbell. “In that time we set up the Mean Eyed Cat in Newcastle and now that’s up and running well we can devote a bit of time to here. We’re concentrating on a core range of four beers for now and we’ve already got the live bands back on a Sunday – rocking roots music and Americana from the Shiverin’ Sheiks and The Palominos this month – and brilliant performers like Archie Brown have been on the phone.

“We’ve got a revised, shorter menu available from 12noon till 8pm, as well as Sunday lunches which are again proving very popular. We’re building on the positives; it’s all about quality.”

The Wednesday quiz has been attracting around a dozen teams and the monthly Auld Rockers’ Quiz is as much fun as it always was.

“It’s been lovely seeing all the old faces,” says Dave. “Some of them haven’t been in The Schooner for a while.”

NEWS

AN INVESTMENT TO BANK ON

Tyne Bank Brewery’s agm takes place on February 9 at the Walker Road, Newcastle, brewhouse, tap and events premises. Two years ago, the brewery took advantage of a crowdfunding scheme to help fund its move from a nearby industrial estate which it had outgrown physically and ambitionwise.

The initial target was £150,000 but 347 investors outstripped that, ending up with a total of £207,050 which has helped enormously with new equipment that includes kegging, canning and bottling lines.

Tyne Bank owner Julia Austin wrote to shareholders saying: “The craft brewing sector remains competitive and in this market the margins are harder to maintain. Despite this, the brewery has seen 14% growth from 2016 and a further 14% growth from 2017.

NEW YORK NEW FUTURE North Yorkshire brewer Black Sheep has acquired York Brewery for an undisclosed sum after the latter lapsed into administration at the back end of 2018.

Black Sheep announced the deal in late December, with chairman Andy Slee stating that it fitted “perfectly with our strategy of developing our

With good Christmas sales in November and December we expect to be near breakeven at the end of the year.

“Our supermarket sales in Morrisons and Co-op are steadily growing, and we are pitching to ASDA at their range review in February.

“I have recently returned from a DIT mission to China. Although it will not be an easy market to enter, I have made several contacts with importers who in time I hope will prove fruitful.”

Over the past year, the brewery has appointed Megan Dryden as sales executive, promoted Richie Southern as events manager, while the appointment of Alan Dunlop as head brewer last January saw one of his first “specials” Stalin’s Cow (10% abv) take the title of People’s Choice at the Camra Newcastle Beer Festival.

BEEN AND GONE AND DONE IT

Regular readers will know that Cheers has been following the fortunes of Ye Olde Cross pub in Ryton, Tyne & Wear, and the local community’s desire to reopen it and run it for the benefit of the village and beyond.

Concerned locals set up Ryton Cross Community Society Ltd to raise funds, and successfully listed the pub as an Asset of Community Value. And, you know what?

Though it was a tough call, enough money to buy Ye Olde Cross was found. Previous owners Enterprise Inns accepted the offer – £250,000 – which was raised between community shares and a grant and loan from Power To Change’s More Than A Pub programme.

There is still more needed, however, with equipment, building work and other costs factored in, another £35,000 will be required.

Further information, visit yeoldecross.co.uk

presence in our Yorkshire heartland and owning pubs.”

In addition to York’s £2.1m turnover and its beer brands, the purchase also includes four of its pubs; the Last Drop Inn, The Tap Room and The Three Legged Mare (“The Wonky Donkey”) in York, and Mr Foley’s Tap House in Leeds. It’s believed that in excess of 40 jobs will be transferred to the new operation.

York Brewery, together with its parent company, Mitchell’s of Lancaster (which bought it in 2008), entered administration on 13 December. www.cheersnortheast.co.uk / CHEERS / 5

NEWS

That's the spirit: Poetic License gin distillery in Sunderland

IS IT THAT TIME OF YEAR ALREADY?

The Campaign For Real Ale (Camra) Tyneside & Northumberland Pub and Club of the Year winners 2019 have been announced. (Opens the golden envelope.) They are: • Overall Tyneside Pub of the Year: Dog & Rabbit, Whitley Bay • North Tyneside Pub of the Year: Dog & Rabbit, Whitley Bay • Newcastle Pub of the Year: The Town Mouse Ale House • Gateshead Area Pub of the Year: Central Hotel, Gateshead • Tyneside Cider Pub of the Year: The Free Trade Inn, Byker • Overall Northumberland Pub of the Year: The Office, Morpeth • North Northumberland Pub & Cider Pub of the Year: The Curfew, Berwick upon Tweed • SW Northumberland Pub & Cider Pub of the Year: The Boathouse, Wylam • S E Northumberland Pub & Cider Pub of the Year: The Office, Morpeth • Overall Northumberland Cider Pub of the Year: The Curfew, Berwick upon Tweed • Tyneside Club of the Year: Tynemouth & District Working Mens Social Club & Institute • Northumberland Club of the Year: Haltwhistle Comrades Club Huge congratulations from Cheers Winner: Tony Patton, Dog & to all the winners.

Rabbit, Whitley Bay

STILL A LOT OF GROWTH

The explosion in gin sales in the UK has led the number of distilleries almost tripling in five years, according to information published by HMRC. In total, there are now 361 registered distilleries in the country, almost triple the 128 registered in 2012.

The gin boom has also led to England overtaking Scotland in total registered distilleries, while distilling in Wales and Northern Ireland also continues to grow.

In 2018, there were 166

distilleries in England and 160 in Scotland, while in 2017 there were 135 in England and 149 in Scotland. There are currently 19 registered distilleries in Wales – an increase from just one in 2012 – and 16 in Northern Ireland, up from two in 2012.

Scotland still boasts the largest distilleries in the UK. However, the increasing number of smaller distilleries across England and Wales are also diversifying and making new gins, whiskies, vodkas, rums, brandies and liqueurs.

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NEWS

FAMILY VALUES AT THE ROOT OF SUCCESS To paraphrase a well-known saying, community begins at home. Following a £550k joint refurbishment with pub group Star Pubs & Bars and All together: Shaun and Michael O'Rourke, with Blaydon MP Liz the introduction of food, new Twist and, right, Councillor Chris McHugh life has been breathed into The Coachman in Whickham, real force for good. They play an important social role, Gateshead, with trade increasing 300% and 15 providing a place for residents to come together and jobs created. helping turn neighbourhoods into communities.”

The once little-used estate pub has become a Shaun and Michael have immersed themselves in meeting place for the community, with people of all the spirit of things, also raising significant amounts ages using it for lunches, dinners, coffees, drinks, for local charities, social organisations and schools charitable events and private functions. through different initiatives.

Blaydon MP Liz Twist recently joined the new “We’re very family centric, a pub for everyone,” operators, brothers Shaun and Michael O’Rourke, says Shaun. “What’s really lovely is that women living to celebrate the amazing turnaround in the pub’s nearby who hadn’t been in the pub for 20 years are fortunes since they took it on last March, and the now coming in on a regular basis, and a number of contribution it has made to the community since its residents have mentioned how the pub has brought revamp. the community together."

She says: “Local pubs like The Coachman can be a

MAXIM OUTPUT This road tanker is being filled with more than 50,000 pints of Double Maxim and its big brother Maximus then heading off to be bottled.

Houghton le Spring-based Maxim Brewery reports: “Last month was our busiest January since we opened more than ten years ago.”

What wonderful news to share with the Dry January lobby. Stick that into your tanker and quaff it.

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NEWS

SHARPISM TO THE BOTTOM OF THE GLASS

A new range of beers from Camerons, the fiercely independent Hartlepool brewery, celebrates its coastal heritage under the overall title of Anchor. The nautical theme continues with the names

8 / CHEERS / www.cheersnortheast.co.uk

of the one permanent cask ale, one permanent keg, and eleven monthly seasonals to be launched during 2019 – which include Sanctuary Pale Ale, Old Sea Dog Brown Ale, May Day and Sea Coal Chocolate Stout.

The reasoning is obvious when you discover that five pence from every pint of Sanctuary and May Day is being donated to the RLNI (Royal National Lifeboat Institution).

Camerons commissioned American artist Travis Moore to create the imagery for the range. Known for

his ‘Sharpism’ pieces, he created 13 different designs based on the beer names the brewery created.

Camerons’ head of marketing, Yousef Doubooni, says: “We first met Travis when we launched our Motörhead collaboration beer, Röad Crew, given that he created the iconic Lemmy Kilmister memorial statue situated at the Rainbow Bar & Grill in Los Angeles.

“We felt his simple style artwork would work beautifully so we have been working on the various designs over the last six months – and we are delighted with the outcome.”

Travis Moore describes the job as “a killer project”. He says: “It’s such a great concept and what an awesome experience this entire creative process has been. I am so pleased with the designs we created, and I’m really looking forward to seeing the final product

on the shelves and in the pubs this coming year.”

The beers themselves are based of classic styles with a modern twist with new recipes developed and trialled by Camerons’ head brewer Chris Deakin and include a chocolate stout, best bitter, IPA, Dunkel hefeweizen, blondes, steam beer, pale rye, red rye and brown ale.

Camerons has also announced that it is rebranding its ’Heritage’ range of beers with a retro look and feel. These include iconic Strongarm ‘Ruby Red’ and classic North East beer Trophy Special.

And, the brewer has confirmed that it will release a minimum of six new beers this year from its pilot plant Tooth & Claw, a collective of Camerons employees dedicated to producing a range of innovative beer styles with complete creative freedom.

NEWS

ANOTHER ONE BITES THE DUST?

Killer project: Artist Travis Moore takes a well-earned rest from work

Fuller’s, the celebrated London brewery and pub operator, has accepted a faith-shaking £250m offer for its entire drinks business from the Japanese beer group Asahi – a deal that includes its flagship London Pride Original Ale. Fullers said it had taken the decision to quit production after 174 years of brewing to concentrate on running its 182 pubs and 200plus hotels, which actually make up some 90% of its profits.

The deal includes the Griffin brewery in Chiswick in west London, sitting on the banks of the Thames, which represents a chunk of valuable real estate worth up to £100m. In 2006, Fuller’s bought Hampshire brewery Gales and closed it. Then it took over celebrated craft brewer Dark Star (Sussex) in February 2018. What goes around comes around. How does that little ditty go again?

Big fleas have little fleas upon their backs to bite ’em And little fleas have lesser fleas, and so, ad infinitum.

www.cheersnortheast.co.uk / CHEERS / 9

NEWS

Boxing clever: Glenn McCrory being hoisted high by supporters.

Photo: Property of Glenn McCrory

DOZEN THIS SOUND GREAT?

Black Storm Brewery is running an exciting project throughout 2019 in collaboration with brewers and illustrators across the UK to create a unique beer for each month of the year.

The Whitley Bay company is working with other independents to create and brew bespoke beers with artworks for can designs created by local artists also part of the collaboration.

The beers are being launched as limited editions, with 500 cans and a select amount of kegs. Beers will be released at the end of each month and launched in the Storm Cellar Tap Room and bottle shop in Whitley Bay and retail craft beer emporium Beer Box at the Stack social hub in central Newcastle.

The first beer (already launched) is Pink Champagne (6.0% abv), a hibiscus and berry brut IPA brewed in collaboration with Green Duck Brewery Co from Stourbridge, Warwickshire.

Hibiscus flowers bring a beautiful pink colour to the beer, alongside a refreshing tart lemon and rich berry flavour. Cranberry and strawberry create undertones of flavours while Citra takes the hop lead with juicy citrus notes.

The illustration for this beer is by Sleep Sparrow, whose illustrations are influenced by music and colour theory.

The second beer, a New England Black IPA in collaboration with Fallen Acorn Brewing Co from Gosport, Hampshire, is being launched at the Craft Beer Rising Festival in London over the weekend of February 21-23.

Stockists, brewers’ and illustrators’ information at www.12beers12months.com

10 / CHEERS / www.cheersnortheast.co.uk

CARRY ON OUR HERO The noble art is the inspiration for a theatre production and a new beer

Saturday June 3, 1989 is an important date in the North East’s bulging sporting achievements catalogue. It was the day that Glenn McCrory won the World Cruiserweight title and became the firstever boxing world champion from the region.

Glenn, then 24, took on the worldrenowned Patrick Lumumba at the 1,500seat Louisa Centre in Stanley, County Durham, in front of a huge television audience and the world’s media.

Despite being the 5-1 underdog, Glenn’s grit and determination saw him rewrite the history books. It was arguably the greatest individual sporting achievement by anyone from the region in the 20th Century.

As the 30th anniversary of that historic occasion approaches, Consett Ale Works is set unleash a new beer to commemorate the victory. Our Hero (3.8% abv) pale ale will also coincide with the build-up to the world premiere of a new play that traces the inspiring story. Carrying David, written by prolific dramatist Ed Waugh, celebrates Glenn’s terminally ill adopted brother who had a muscle-wasting condition and was often piggy-backed around by Glenn and the McCrory family.

Carrying David continues Ed’s passion for heart-rending dramas and comedy

about North East heroes. His previous works include Hadaway Harry, Mr Corvan's Music Hall and The Great Joe Wilson. It was after seeing Hadaway Harry, about world champion Geordie rower Harry Clasper, at a sell-out run at Newcastle Theatre Royal that Glenn asked Ed to adapt Carrying David for the stage.

Ed says: “When Glenn was in his darkest hours being written off prior to winning the title, his brother David was there for him, encouraging him to continue and to succeed.

“Carrying David might be about boxing but ultimately it’s a story of the unashamed love two brothers have for each other; one aiming to become a world champion, the other fighting every day to stay alive.”

Final tweaks are now being made to the brewing recipe for Our Hero. Consett Ale Works’ Jeff Hind says: “Rocky was a great film, but this ‘County Durham Rocky’ story is even better – and true. Glenn is a real hero, not just to the people of County Durham, but to the whole of the region.”

Carrying David – supported by Arts Council England – will tour the North East in May and June this year in theatres and venues in Newcastle, Stanley, South Shields, Whitley Bay, Hartlepool, and Richmond in North Yorkshire. www.wisecrackproductions.co.uk

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NEWS

RAISE THE STANDARD FLY THE FLAG

A Dunston, Gateshead, brewery has achieved an industry quality production standard that should help it market its beers further across the country.

The Great North Eastern Brewing Company (GNEBC), established in 2015, has gained SALSA Plus Beer Standard which encourages excellence in the brewing and bottling industry and has helped it to demonstrate accountability and traceability to the companies it supplies.

SALSA stands for Safe And Local Supplier Approval and the Plus Beer Standard has long been a target for GNEBC managing director Paul Minnikin.

“It’s a real mark of quality for us and allows us to confidently

provide our suppliers with our accredited, quality ales,” says Paul.

“We started to work with Absolute Quality Consultancy & Training a couple of years ago when they assisted us with becoming compliant with HACCP (Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Point) a risk assessment methodology for ensuring food safety. Following this, they guided us through the complex challenge of achieving the SALSA Plus Beer Standard and delivered training to all of our staff.

“It sets us in good stead to achieve our expansion plans for the future and, ultimately, to become a large-scale brewery in the North East. The next step is to extend the standard to cover our canned and bottled ales.”

Red Ellen: Rachel Hughes at Great North Eastern Brewery Co. Photo: Peter Skelton The brewery, known for Rivet Catcher, Swinging Gibbet and Red Ellen, also operates The Brewery Tap bar and shop and is

expecting to double its turnover to around £500,000 and expand its workforce from 10 to 30 members of staff.

Fine ales, great atmosphere, honest food.

The heart of Birtley.

PROPER NORTH EASTERN PUB, GREAT WELCOME, REAL TRADITION.

Cask and craft Ales including Bass • Fine Lagers and Stouts • Regular Live Entertainment • All sports shown Quiz Nights • Pool • Great Juke Box • Stunning Beer Garden • Discount for CAMRA members

Durham Road, Birtley • Tel: 0191 4102582 Mon to Thurs 11-11 • Fri & Sat 11 – Midnight • Sun 11.30 -11

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NEWS

International: Melanie Gall

HELLO LADIES AND GENTLEWOMEN International Women’s Day – Friday March 8 – is to be celebrated in the North East with a programme of cultural and beer-centred events. And the Cumberland Arms in Byker, Newcastle, is at the forefront, hosting a diverse menu in the shape

of Opera Mouse, a Knitting Cabaret, and The Impossible Concert from theatre company CaroleW Productions and starring internationally-renowned singer Melanie Gall.

The weekend before International Women’s Day and the following week will include music, theatre, comedy, children’s opera, and a cask and keg take-over featuring some of the UK’s most notable female brewers.

Cumberland Arms manager, Jo Hodson, says: “Building on our weekend event from 2018 we decided to make this year’s event a week long. When Carole approached us with these three plays we thought it would be a perfect way to launch the programme. We also have film nights, craft nights, a Victoria Wood tribute evening, music from Coven, and a pop-up choir from Beccy Owen, plus a night brought to us by Rock n Doris (details tbc).

“Alongside all these events we have a fantastic range of beers taking over our cask and keg pumps showcasing fabulous brewers and women in beer from all over the UK.” In Opera Mouse, Tilly Mouse sets out to prove that even a mouse can become a star. A Knitting Cabaret is a scintillating selection of the lost knitting songs of WWI & WWII from Canada, Britain, America and France, while The Impossible Cabaret celebrates French and Belgian music icons Edith Piaf and Jacques Brel.

Details: thecumberlandarms.co.uk and CaroleWProductions.com

CAN DO ATTITUDE

We don’t know what it looks like but it sounds devilishly clever. A new bit of kit is being trialled in three Head of Steam venues this month.

The idea is that you choose any keg beer and staff will can it for you in front of your very eyes so you can enjoy it further at home. Look out for this initiative in Durham, Birmingham and Leeds Heads of Steam.

S C H O O N E R T U N E Ss Brought to you by Mean-Eyed Cat Sun 3rd Feb Sour Mash Trio 4:30pm Sun 10th Feb Ruby & The Mystery Cats 4:30pm Sun 17th Feb the Shiverin’ Sheiks 4:30pm Sun 24th Feb The Palominos 4:30pm Sun 3rd March El Caminos 4:30pm Thurs 21 Feb Acoustic Gathering 7:30pm Sat 23 Feb The Snake Rattlers 8pm Sat 2nd March Hillbilly Hookahs 8pm every Wednesday night we quiz from 8pm

South Shore Road, Gateshead, NE8 3AF 0191 477 7404 | www.theschooner.co.uk

www.cheersnortheast.co.uk / CHEERS / 13

PUB NEWS

A HEAD FOR HEIGHTS

Light bulb moments: Publican Dave Carr.

Photo: Peter Skelton.

Below: The Punch Bowl in Jesmond

A former star in the Scottish & Newcastle portfolio is about to twinkle again, writes Alastair Gilmour It’s no exaggeration to refer to entrepreneurial pub landlord Dave Carr as something of a genius. He has an amazing ability to judge the public mood then embellish his findings and act on the results to the pub-lover’s advantage. The only surprise is I’ve used “something of” to qualify “a genius”.

Dave Carr has operated the Brandling Villa in South Gosforth for a number of years, hoisting the once so-so pub into the realms of “much-loved” and “gotta go” by the simple process of giving the general public something that they didn’t know they could have in the first place – and now can’t live without. Live music, regular events, an eclectic menu, plus a fabulous range of beers right across the board from straight-forward and old school to the more experimental and one-offs, dished up with a whole lot of fun, are Carr standards.

A similar approach at The Tannery in Hexham didn’t seem to come off quite as well, although it wasn’t through lack of effort but more the decreasing amount of time he had available to nurture it in the way he wanted.

He has now taken over the Punch Bowl in Jesmond, Newcastle, at the invitation of Heineken’s pub group Star Pubs & Bars and is about to transform the handsome, highly visible pub into his vision to be unveiled some time towards the end of April.

“The Punch Bowl will be an amalgamation of what I’ve seen elsewhere,” says Dave. “It’ll be very European, particularly Belgian, with some of McSorley’s in New York, a bit of Budapest, and those places in Rome that have never changed from the Seventies.

“If I could pin it down, it would be Mark Toney’s in Newcastle – that same feeling; old-fashioned and much loved but still engaging with younger 14 / CHEERS / www.cheersnortheast.co.uk

people. That’s the script."

Dave has recently returned from a month’s working holiday on the TransSiberian Railway, a near 6,000-mile trip that takes in Cologne, Warsaw, Moscow, Omsk, Irkutsk, Beijing and Hong Kong (if like him you divert onto “branch” lines, rather than terminate at Vladivostok). Ideas for pubs and food and drink were noted constantly. “I’ll see something and think, ‘I’ll pinch that’,” he says.. “But a lot of craft beer bars in China are no different to what we have here – keg taps, exposed brickwork and customers with peaked caps and beards.”

Dave Carr likes “old-style boozers” and The Punch Bowl will reflect that with a dash of inspiration. The Newcastle Breweries’ blue stars will be given pride of place; the pub’s typography will hark back to the heyday of the CIU club – block lettering – while vermouth and sherry will be available alongside cheese and pickles on a Sunday.

One theme will be Soviet space travel (something of an obsession) with the upstairs function room called the Bobik Room, named in honour of one of the first dogs in the Russian space programme which ran away hours before blast-off. Dave likes that sort of positive mentality, particularly from a dog.

He has his reservations, though. “I don’t know what 20-year-olds want these days – or 60-year-

olds either,” he says. “I just hope they like it.

“I used to love working at Tilleys which is next to the theatre on Westgate Road and you’d get all these strange people in. They were great; it’s an honesty thing. We’ll do a lot of things for fun – they might take off and they might not. Some pub companies can’t do that because they’re too worried about their wallet.

“Star Pubs & Bars have been great; it’s a big spend but they’ve agreed to back it. We’ll have 11 handpulls, seven of which are free of tie. We’re also free of tie on most other drinks, including wine, really good ones from places like Romania and Georgia served through an enomatic set-up that keeps them fresh. It’s not Jacobs Creek.

“We’ll have food takeovers with lots of street vendors; it’ll be dog-friendly with sawdust on the floor; cinema and comedy clubs; a model railway; record club Saturdays; music from Nick Drake, Velvet Underground, Lou Reed and John Cale – and Japanese toilet seats that talk to you.”

Dave references Franz Kafka, Mikhail Bulgakov and Raymond Brigg’s Fungus The Bogeyman – all of whom will influence the Punch Bowl in some way.

“I loved Fungus The Bogeyman as a kid,” he says, “but I’ve since realised that he lives in this existential, dystopian world – it’s for adults really.

It’s no wonder I’m like how I am.”

PUB NEWS

THE

TURKS HEAD aka THE STUFFED DOG 8 Cask Lines 5 Craft Lines 50+ Gins 20+ Whiskey/Malts

Top billing: The Staith House, North Shields

UP WHERE WE BELONG

It was a case of up and downs for the region’s top food-led pubs at the Estrella Dammsponsored Top 50 Gastropub Awards. The Staith House in North Shields leapt an amazing 13 places from last year’s 24th spot to settle in at number 11, while the Rat Inn at Anick, Hexham, dipped slightly to 17th position from 14, and the Broad Chare on Newcastle’s Quayside slipped nine places to number 27 from last year’s 18 high.

It’s a terrific result from our pubs and one we should be very proud of as co-sponsor Morning Advertiser food and drink editor says: “Getting on this list is the jewel in the crown for foodie pubs across the UK. It’s the place to be seen.”

Overall winner – for the fourth time in five years – is the Michelinstarred Sportsman in Seasalter, Kent. Closer to home, The Star Inn at Harome, North Yorkshire – winner in 2017 – came in at number four.

11: The Staith House, run by Masterchef: The Professionals finalist John Calton, focuses on a daily changing seasonal menu.

Charcuterie is made on site as well as cream cheese and ice cream, bread is freshly baked every morning and fish is smoked over apple wood chips.

In July, the Staith House was named as Newcomer of the Year

at the Catey awards and was named as top five in the UK for fish cookery in the Seafood Restaurant of the Year awards. It was also awarded a Bib Gourmand by the Michelin Guide in 2017.

17: Karen Errington and Phil Mason’s country pub, the Rat Inn at Anick, near Hexham, is a local hub as well as a destination dining venue, offering a seasonal, daily changing menu and anamazing range of cask ales for such a small bar. Phil heads up the kitchen alongside head chef Kevin MacLean, both working closely with local farmers and suppliers to create dishes showing off the region’s bounty. Kevin also won Parliamentary Pub Chef of the Year in 2018.

27: The Broad Chare prides itself on being a proper pub with proper food and beer, so expect to find a bustling community hub as well as a spot for a superb meal.

It holds a Michelin Bib Gourmand for offering good quality, good value cooking. Menu highlights can include grilled hake with celeriac, Brussel sprouts, chestnuts and sage; bacon chop with blood pudding, apple and mustard; and cured sea trout with cucumber, dill and soda bread.

The pub also sells its own-label brew, The Writer’s Block, a complex, dry-hopped pale ale. www.top50gastropubs.com

Dog Friendly Live Sport 7 Screens Cask Club – Every Monday £2.30 Camra Discount 10% Monday Night Quiz – 8:30pm Food Served Daily: Mon-Thurs 12pm-9pm Fri-Sun 12pm-5pm

41 FRONT STREET, TYNEMOUTH NE30 4DZ TEL

0191 257 6547

www.cheersnortheast.co.uk / CHEERS / 15

CHINESE NEW YEAR

IN THE PINK

“PIGS ARE VERY SOCIABLE ANIMALS, VERY INTELLIGENT AND VERY CLEAN”

The Year of the Pig is upon us – and it’s wallowing in beer, writes Alastair Gilmour The Chinese New Year begins on February 5 and brings with it a fortnight of celebrations in communities across the world. The next 12 months commemorates the Year of the Pig, as dictated by the Chinese lunar calendar which initiates a cycle of 12 years, each one named after an animal.

It’s a time when ancestral spirits are celebrated, family unity is honoured, and a happy future is anticipated. Strict customs are adhered to and superstition is rife, such as sweeping the floor before the big day else good fortune for the coming year be brushed aside, and the wearing of red which symbolises sunshine and brightness.

Pigs feature highly in the lives of Sam and Red Kellie, the husband-and-wife team who run First & Last Brewery in tranquil Elsdon, Northumberland. They have been keeping pigs for several years, buying them in as weaners, supplementing their feed with brewery grains and building them up before they’re converted into joints and sausages – using everything but the squeal.

Occupying outbuildings behind the newlyrefurbished Bird In Bush pub means there’s a ready outlet for doorstep delivery in beer and a supply of pork for French chef Will Rideau to feast his eyes on. And if there’s anything that French chefs like to do with pork, it’s brawn, rillettes, terrines, confits, black pudding and patés. He’s pretty handy with scotch eggs ausi.

16 / CHEERS / www.cheersnortheast.co.uk

The Bird In Bush reopened fully last October after a lengthy overhaul with the help of The Pub Is The Hub programme and The Prince’s Countryside Fund. It was just in time to be featured in a BBC One edition of Countryfile broadcast in December.

“We’ve been really busy since,” says Katie Bland, owner of the pub with partner Steve Shaw.

“We call it the Countryfile effect because it’s definitely been a big help. We’ve seen people coming in from Alnwick, Hawick, Sunderland and Wylam and from all over the Coquet Valley. In fact it seems to have helped pull the valley together.”

First & Last’s beer also goes into Will Rideau’s kitchen – pickled sprouts in Equinox Pale Ale, cabbage in Mad Jack Ha’ IPA, plus chutneys, marinades and sauces.

Steve Shaw fully understands that feeding animals like the Kellie’s pigs on spent grains totally fits in with the pub’s ethos of keeping things local. Using spent grains as animal

feed alleviates the environmental impact of the brewing process – and contain enough protein and fibre to make them a suitable supplement. Plus, it is environmentally and economically responsible to make them available to agriculture.

First & Last brewer Red Kellie says: “We started keeping pigs nine years ago when we were renting a house with a garden and an old pigsty which we did up.

“The first year we got three piglets, then four or five every year since. It was when we started home-brewing that we started feeding the grains to the piglets. They absolutely love it and

Herd this: Piglets at Broom House Farm, Northumberland.

Photo: Peter Skelton.

Below: Feeding on brewers’ spent grains.

Left: Pork scratchings with a guacamole dip (Photo: Mr Trotters)

go mad for it, sometimes tossing it up in the air.

“Spent grains are still full of nutrients and natural sugars and are great for bone and body growth. Our pigs have a balanced diet – happy pigs make great meat – and it might be my imagination, but they seem to like grain from dark beers and not just a plain barley flavour.

“We usually get them as piglets around March and keep them until September or October, depending on how old they were when we first got them. There comes a stage of growth when they’ll only put fat on – and you don’t want them too fatty.

“Pigs are very sociable animals – very intelligent and clean – and lovely to keep.

You build a real relationship with them and

they’ll let you scratch their bellies. We’ve had Gloucester Old Spots, Tamworths and Saddlebacks but to start us off we got Mangalitsas bred at Broom House Farm in Cambo (Northumberland).

They’re a lovely breed.”

It’s probably not the greatest idea to give names to pet pigs, but if you’ve only got two or three of them plus children, the temptation is obvious. But there inevitably comes a time when

they have to “go away”.

“That’s a difficult time for all of us and we have mixed emotions,” says Red. “We take our time taking them to the abattoir in the Landrover and make sure they’re treated right and cared for right to the end – but they know what’s happening.

“Our kids Noah, who’s 11, and Erin (8) name them after Roald Dahl characters. They keep bees as well.” www.cheersnortheast.co.uk / CHEERS / 17

CHINESE NEW YEAR

Elsdon’s finest: Left to right: Will Rideau, Steve Shaw, Katie Bland and Red Kellie.

Right: Matching beer with pork scratchings (photo: Mr Trotters)

Will Rideau says it’s remarkable what you can do with pigs – “hot smoking, cold smoking, and you can use everything but the squeal.

But I’m not sure about the tail. I cook gammon in Equinox beer and I’d love to hang a full animal up for six to eight months, but I’m too impatient.”

MR TROTTERS PORK CRACKLING Mr Trotter was born in 2011 from the shared passion of three pork scratching aficionados – Tom Parker Bowles, Matthew Fort, Rupert Ponsonby – and pork scratching producers Graham Jebb and Karyn Walker from RayGray Snacks.

Pork scratchings are typically made from the rind and underlying fat from the pigs’ shanks (back legs) above the ankle, just two strips a mere 60–75mm long by 18mm wide by 4–6mm thick. Mr Trotter’s Original cracklings are great with sweeter beers, ciders, buttery Chardonnays, and English sparkling wines. English Mustard flavour sits well with Sauvignon Blanc wines, pale ales, or gin and tonic; Jalapeno Chilli flavour with Sauternes, Damson gin or Pimms, and Salt & Vinegar with a hoppy ale, a dry martini or a fino sherry. Stockists include Dobbies and Wyevale garden centres, Booths and the Co-op.

18 / CHEERS / www.cheersnortheast.co.uk

Feeding pigs on spent grains isn’t exclusively a First & Last Brewery exercise – Alan Hogg at the Yard of Ale Brewery at Ferryhill, County Durham, sends his

to Medomsley Bangers and gets sausages back for his trouble (“great black pud too”).

Those from Muckle Brewing near Haltwhistle, Northumberland, provide a hearty breakfast for the pigs at nearby Woodhall Farm, which is owned by a cousin of brewer Tom Smith. Then, delicious pork sausages and joints make the return journey.

Back at the Bird In Bush, Katie Bland says: “Cyclists, walkers and the local market have been great, particularly when Christopher Walker did an article in The Times on country walks and included the area around Elsdon. We had people in the next day.”

Perfectionist Will Rideau is also very much a pragmatist, believing less is more. “There’s a lovely atmosphere in the restaurant at weekends,” he says. “We could do more covers but if we limit it to 40 they all get the same quality rather than messing up going for 60 or 70. Then you’ll find you’ve only got 20 next week.”

Birds, bushes, beer, brawn and bacon? It’s some year.

豬 THE YEAR OF THE PIG The Chinese New Year can fall anywhere between late January and the middle of February. Legend has it that the Lord Buddha summoned all the animals to come to him before he departed from Earth. Only 12 came to bid him farewell and, as a reward, he named a year after each one in the order they arrived – Rat, Ox, Tiger, Rabbit, Dragon, Snake, Horse, Goat, Monkey, Rooster, Dog and Pig.

People born in the year of the pig (2007, 1995, 1983, 1971, 1959, 1947, 1935) are artistic, refined, intuitive, intelligent and well-mannered.

These souls are compassionately aware, yet detached and resigned to their condition. They seek beauty and a sensitive love. They are caring, unique, self-sacrificing, obliging, sensible, creative, empathetic, tactful and prudent. On the other hand, they can also be naive, pedantic, insecure, cunning, indecisive, and pessimistic.

VISIT PIGS ON A FARM

Red and Sam Kellie from First & Last Brewery source their pigs from specialist rare-breed breeder Broom House Farm at Wallington in Northumberland. Broom House is a mixed crop and grassland farm also raising sheep and beef cattle, along with pigmy goats and a pair of donkeys. The farm is 130 hectares in size (equivalent to 180 Premier League football pitches) and wraps around the Wallington National Trust property near Cambo.

It is a commercial business and is as self-sufficient as possible by growing the crops, hay and silage needed to feed the livestock throughout the year and to use the animal manure to fertilise the land.

Visitors can experience life on a farm in beautiful Northumberland, find out about the Broom House animals, and have some fun in the countryside. www.broomhousefarm.co.uk

THE GREY HORSE

BEER FESTIVAL

THU RS SUN 21st to FEB 24th 12.0 RUAR 011.3 Y 0pm

20 CASK ALES ● 5 TRADITIONAL CIDERS LIVE MUSIC EACH EVENING ● PIE & PEAS LOCALLY SOURCED FREE ENTRY The Grey Horse, 115 Sherburn Terrace, Consett, Co. Durham, DH8 6NE. Telephone: 01207 502 585 www.consettaleworks.co.uk

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NEWS FROM ABROAD

BURMESE DAZE

Globe-trotting Cheers reader Nick Snaith has recently returned from Thailand and Myanmar (formerly Burma) where he took special note of the beer scene.

“Alcohol is not a major element in Burmese culture, although beer is widely available in can and bottle throughout Myanmar,” he says. “The most widely consumed beer is the eponymous Myanmar Lager (5.0% abv), retailing at around 2,500 kyats – approximately £1.60 – for 640ml in bars and restaurants, making prohibitively expensive for the majority of locals. Smaller draught volumes can be bought for around 800 kyats.

“Other brands are Black Shield Stout (8.1% abv); ABC (8.0% abv), a dark beer; Dagon

Gigs ’N’ Festivals FROM FEBRUARY 1

SWANNAY BREWERY TAP TAKEOVER Beer Street, Arch 10 Forth Street, Newcastle The brewery from Orkney brewery is making a special trip with its head brewer to present Muckle IPA, Voe Stout and Old Norway on keg, while on cask are Scapa Bere, Abune, A9, Shortest Day and St Magnus, with a special appearance by whisky barrel– aged Orkney Porter and a 2015 Imperial Stout. Crivvens and michty me!

FEBRUARY 14

VALENTINE DINNER The Feathers Inn, Hedley on the Hill, Stocksfield NE43 7SW Bookings being taken and menu available. Also a full early spring calendar of events that include Mothers’ Day (March 31) and the annual Easter Beer Festival and 20 / CHEERS / www.cheersnortheast.co.uk

(4.2% abv); Andaman – brewed

by Myanmar Brewery – in light and premium forms, and Tiger Beer (4.8% abv), originally from Singapore and brewed under licence in Yangon (Rangoon).

Heineken and Tuborg lagers are also available at a higher price.

“Myanmar also produces its own whiskies, gins and rums, all best avoided, although whisky is sometimes added to a small draught Myanmar Lager by the more adventurous – or foolhardy – local.

“In Thailand, Leo Lager (5.0% abv) and Chang (6.4% abv) are the country’s two most popular beers. Chang means elephant in Thai and curiously the animal featured on the Leo branding isn’t a lion as you would expect, but a leopard.”

barrel race, plus BBQ, April 19-22.

Details: Tel 01661 843607 thefeathers.net

FEBRUARY 21-24

‘FOR THE WORKERS’ BEER FESTIVAL The Grey Horse, Sherburn Terrace, Consett, County Durham DH8 6NE Presented by The Grey Horse and Consett Ale Works, 20 cask ales, five traditional ciders, live music each evening, locally sourced pie and peas. Free entry.. Tel: 01207 502585 www.consettaleworks. co.uk

MARCH 3-7

THE WORLD’S BIGGEST PUB QUIZ Various venues around the region A fundraising initiative organised

by PubAid to raise money for charities, including their official charity partner Prostate Cancer UK. To find the pub you’d like to join in with – and when – visit worldsbiggestquiz.pubaid.com/ search

NEWS

LET’S TWIST AGAIN

HERO’S SLAP-DASH TREATMENT

A South Shields reader’s sharp eyes were alerted by the vagaries of nomenclature at Kirkpatrick’s in the town – or should that be The Kirkpatrick or The Kirkpatricks? The JD Wetherspoon pub was named after local WWI hero John Simpson Kirkpatrick – “The Man With The Donkey” – who was awarded the Victoria Cross for his bravery and selfishness during the battle of Gallipoli.

The variants is grammar should have been noticed by staff and signmakers – surely a war hero deserves better from Wetherspoons? Private Simpson provided medical aid and transferred wounded compatriots to safety using a team of donkeys to carry them. He served with the Australian Army Medical Corps and died at Gallipoli on May 19 1915. A statue to his honour stands adjacent to the pub on Ocean Road.

The long-running debate over wine bottle closures – natural cork, synthetic, screw cap – has been joined by this simple little chap in our picture.

Called the Helix, it’s made from top quality natural cork and has a set of grooves running down and around it which helps make it easy to twist off. Then you can twist it back on again to recork the bottle. Other advantages include that reassuring “pop” you don’t get with screwtops and that it’s produced from sustainable sources.

IT’S GREAT WHEN YOU ARE 8...

THE TOWN WALL BORN 2011 REBOOTED 2019 THETOWNWALL.COM

www.cheersnortheast.co.uk / CHEERS / 21

COMMERCIAL FEATURE

THE ITALIAN JOB

Fiano, Nero d’Avola, Vermentino – instantly recognisable Italian wines, right? Well yes, but they don’t necessarily have to be made in Italy. We caught up with County Durham-based Lanchester Wines’ Ian Richardson to ask him about 2019’s hottest wine trend: Italian wines made ‘down under’ Australian winemakers have been experimenting with Italian grape varieties over the last few years and 2019 will see this trend increase further with classic Italian varietals such as Montepulciano, Sangiovese, Fiano, Vermentino and so on, really coming to the fore.

Some of these experiments started with climate change in mind, but several winemakers have also long held the view that certain Australian climates were already a good natural fit for the sun-loving varieties of southern Italy, in particular.

When you think about it, this rise of the Aussie Italians makes sense; the Mediterranean climate of much of south-east Australia is ideally suited for Italian grape varieties, coupled with Australia’s diverse culture – Australia has a large populace who claim Italian heritage; more than a million people at the last count in 2018.

All this interest in Italian wines is not just about increasing diversity of available varieties, it’s about introducing broader flavours, styles and structure. The vast majority of Italian grapes maintain good levels of natural acidity in warm (and getting warmer) Australian winegrowing regions, unlike most (although not all) of the more widely planted French-origin grape varieties such as Shiraz (Syrah), Chardonnay, Cabernet Sauvignon, etc. And, natural acid is not just important for the taste of wine – it also assists in the finished wine's stability. Grapes grown for natural acid balance make for less intervention and additions 22 / CHEERS / www.cheersnortheast.co.uk

at the hand of the winemaker. However, these wines aren’t strictly the Italian classics we’re used to. While the Australian climate may be similar, the terroir creates a different depth of character, profile and aroma. These AustralianItalian wines are an ‘interpretation’; winemakers are creating a new style of wine whilst maintaining the characteristics of the grape.

There has been with a shift towards more savoury flavoured wines, partly in rebellion to the fruit bombs of the past, partly due to food culture which has seen a rise in attention to good food.

Wines that are more on the savoury side with more acidity and structure, like those produced from these Italian grape varieties, are generally more food-friendly.

And, of course, Australian wine regulations are not as strict as those of Europe, for example, so there is no restriction on which varieties may be planted or indeed where they may be planted.

Indeed, Australia's wine industry has a history of experimentation, not afraid to dig up swathes of vineyards to respond to changes in taste or in climate.

So, where to start with these nuovi classici? My personal favourite is the new Bella Luna Nero d’Avola from McPherson Wines in Victoria. The nose is floral with a touch of spice, yet earthy with lots of character. This

wine delivers on fruit and style, and is a great all-rounder.

I asked Lou Scanlan of McPherson Wines where the inspiration for the Bella Luna range came from, a range that also includes a Fiano.

He says: “The Bella Luna story came from the vineyards in the first years of the new century, when a lovely picker named Edo (Eduardo) from Rome came to work with us and would testify to Jo (Jo Nash, McPherson winemaker) about the joys of the Italian varietals. After working with Jo for some time and sampling many bottles, Edo convinced Jo that it would be worth planting just one vineyard of Fiano and Nero d’Avola and, finally, she agreed.

“There was just one hitch; Edo insisted the vines needed to be planted on the night of the full moon. He told her planting in this way has been practiced since ancient times and it would make all the difference to the resulting grapes if the vines were planted under the ‘Bella Luna’. Jo is a practical person, however Edo is even more persuasive than Jo is practical, so somehow she found herself overseeing a full moon planting of the vines that would grow the grapes for our Bella Luna wines.

“We will never know if the beautiful moon on the night of the planting made a difference to the wine, but we like to think it did, and we do feel there’s magic in that bottle.”

For more details on Lanchester Wines’ range, including Bella Luna and the wider ‘Italians from Australia’, please visit www.lanchesterwines. co.uk

BREWERY NEWS

Ready to go: (Left to right) Box Social Brewing's Cal Robb, Callum Robson, Ross Holland and Steve Holland

THE WAITING GAME

A Newcastle brewery should have been in full swing in its new premises weeks ago, but it isn’t because of ‘stupid delays’ The time invariably comes around when a brewery realises it has outgrown its original home and is almost compelled to move to larger premises. It happens so often that there should be a manual to follow, detailing the process step by step.

But by the sheer contrariness of the business, that will never happen. Every upgrade is different, every estimate has to be rewritten, every supplier has their own methods and timetables and every deadline comes and goes – except when it all fails to arrive.

This is where Box Social Brewing is at the moment. It’s year-long plan to move into a Newburn, Newcastle, industrial unit and a detailed specification for new kit have almost come good, but not quite. Without going into detail, the plant that father and son team Steve and Ross Holland took delivery of wasn’t quite what was promised in the brochure and there’s been a long wait for missing parts and delayed responses.

“We’ve had holdup after holdup and stupid delays,” says Ross, obviously wearying of going over the story once again. “We haven’t brewed at all on the new kit through waiting for parts and for people to turn up. We’re desperate to start a test brew and we’ll be ready to go as soon as

that happens, but at the moment we’ve got no beer – except for what’s being brewed at the old place.

“As you can imagine, it’s hitting us bad. We’re doing cask beer at the old brewery and we’re really pleased we hung on to the site which is tiding us over. It’s a nightmare.”

The decision to move premises was prompted by the simple fact that Box Social continually sold out of beer at a remarkable rate. The challenge was then to continue business growth and production expansion with a bigger brewhouse and an in-house kegging and canning facility (Box Social beers in cans massively outsell their bottled beer as customers turn on to their ease of use and guarantee of freshness.) This then leads to larger volumes being required so beer can be sold all over the country and abroad to fulfill orders from China, Spain, Denmark, Hong Kong, France and the Netherlands.

“We’ve had nothing in can or bottle for the last few months,” says Ross. “We’re still managing, but not as much as we’d wanted to. The whole idea was that we’d be doing full runs in the new place by now, kegging more beer and packaging on site, so we need to be up and brewing soon.

“The most annoying thing is not being able to

give people a timescale – but there’s very little we can do with what’s missing from the kit. All we can do is prepare as much as we can.”

On a happier note, the brewery tap, The Box Social on Forth Street in Newcastle, is going well and is fully established with a great following and regular faces appearing. And there are new recruits to the brewing arm – both called Callum. Cal Robb joined the company in November to tackle sales and marketing (“I’m easing into the job well”), while Callum Robson has been taken on as an apprentice brewer and is obviously champing at the bit.

A box social is a Victorian term for a social event where guests bring food and drink to swap among themselves in stimulating, sociable company. Curiously, they tended to be sober affairs with no alcohol involved. If this sounds all very relaxed and easy-going, it’s a bit different to the relentless production regime that should be up and running at the 15-barrel Box Social Brewing and its search for ever-more inventive beer styles.

That will come, as Ross Holland says: “It’s a much different ball game to what we were used to. We could be making ten times more beer than we are. When it’s all sorted it’s going to be good though.” www.cheersnortheast.co.uk / CHEERS / 23

NEW FACES

TAPPING INTO HISTORY

Fierce loyalty to their home town is the major driving force behind Tyneside’s latest micropub. Luke Orwin and partner Abbie Naisbitt have opened the Enigma Tap in North Shields because they felt the town desperately needed something of that nature and that its history and contemporary existence should be celebrated far more than it is.

They want to serve great, local beer, of course, and make sure everyone who comes into the Bedford Street pub has a good time. Luke is a chef by profession and he and Abbie had talked incessantly about doing something

24 / CHEERS / www.cheersnortheast.co.uk

like this, combining their skills and passion for people. Abbie, a mechanical engineer, designed and built the furniture, using scaffold planks, metal tubing and couplings for a utilitarian but welcoming feel.

The Enigma Tap is named in deference to WWII war hero Thomas Brown from North Shields who unwittingly rescued the Enigma Code details from a sinking German submarine in 1942, which helped code-breakers understand the hugely complex military ciphers and s reckoned to have shortened the war by three years.

Luke and Abbie obtained the pub’s classic 1950s classroom-

Flying flags: Luke Orwin at the Enigma Tap North Shields style chairs at auction. It’s believed the metal legs and supports are made from recycled WWII aircraft which fits their ethos and is a further link to Thomas Brown.

The couple didn’t get the goahead for the premises until late

October, then planning permission had to be sought, plus the license to gain and the million other things that we customers don’t see. A whirlwind Christmas decorating frenzy helped the Enigma Tap open just as January turned into

NEW FACES

February.

“It’s all been quite challenging,” says Luke.

“We did all the decorating ourselves

with the help of family and friends. I really want to impart my own ethos into it. If we couldn’t have done it in North Shields we wouldn’t have done it anywhere. North Shields is part of the concept and we wouldn’t have felt comfortable on someone else’s patch, say Tynemouth or Whitley Bay. “We were always talking about doing this. It’s part of the local council’s plan to encourage a rise in the night-time economy and we’re flying the flag for North Shields in that respect.”

The attractive

THE COUNTY

double-fronted former nail salon is one of the few original shop fronts on the street. The counter front is being decorated with photographs relating to the town – people, places, architecture, shipping, you name it. The pub walls feature local images from equally local artists and photographers.

Luke, now full-time in the pub, is aided and abetted by Chelsea Venning and Natalie Suniga, both of whom came highly recommended. Beers are from the likes of Almasty, First & Last, Errant and Three Kings (North Shields, of course), with quality “visitors” encouraged.

He says: “What we want to do with the cask and keg beers is to cover every style as much as possible through bitter, pale, golden, IPA, stout and porter, then fruit/sour and low-strength below three percent alcohol “We’re using all-local spirits and mixers so you can have an Alnwick Rum with a Marlish Farm mixer.”

He has being doing some research on hops and discovered Enigma, a new, highly aromatic

7 0 H I G H S T R E E T, G O S F O R T H , N E 3 1 H B

Australian variety that has such a wide range of aromas and flavours that brewers don’t quite know what to do with it yet. But Newcastle’s Errant Brewery is giving it a go, as is Marble from Manchester, so he has those on order. Squaring the circle is another passion.

He says: “Everything relates to the one single concept – Enigma.

I’m a bit picky for detail and we’re going to the nth degree with everything.

“We’re open for everyone – some people don’t want to drink alcohol or just low alcohol but still want to socialise and promote North Shields so they’re very welcome here. We’ve had tremendous support from North East breweries and other micropubs and owners such as the Mean Eyed Cat in Newcastle and Tony Patton from the Dog & Rabbit in Whitley Bay.” The dictionary definition of enigma is “a person, thing or situation that is mysterious, puzzling or ambiguous”. But there’s nothing puzzling about a new venture like a micropub in North Shields.

14 Cask Lines • 5 Keg/Craft Lines 50+ Bottled and Canned Beers 80+ Gins • 30+ Whiskys Beer Garden / Dog Friendly Snug available for Private Hire As featured in Camra’s Good Beer Guide 2019 Tel: 0191

285 6919

THE BEST PLACE IN TOWN FOR BEER AND SPORT. All televised sport live. This months highlights: Rugby: England vs France.

Sunday, Feb. 10th, 3pm Football: Wolves vs Newcastle Utd. Monday, Feb 11th, 8pm Rugby: Wales vs England.

Saturday, Feb. 23rd, 4.45pm Football: Man Utd vs Liverpool.

Sunday, Feb. 24th 2.05pm Plus all other Six Nations games, Premier League, Champions League & England Test Cricket

www.cheersnortheast.co.uk / CHEERS / 25

NEWS

MARCHING ON PARLIAMENT

The Yard of Ale Brewery in Ferryhill, County Durham, is no stranger to producing new beers. It’s what owner Alan Hogg loves to do – along with running the attached Surtees Arms with his wife Susan.

But the latest ale, called Local Hero (3.9% abv), is a real-life Stranger – Yard of Ale supplied it to the Strangers’ Bar at the Houses of Parliament towards the end of January at the invitation of Sedgefield MP Phil Wilson.

He says: “It’s a great honour, even though Yard of Ale remains neutral in all things political. We were delighted that Local Hero was selected for the Strangers’ Bar and grateful to Phil Wilson and the team at the bar for making it happen.

“We’re very proud of our beers and this was a great opportunity to spread the word beyond our usual area of trading.”

Phil Wilson, who won the Sedgefield seat following Tony Blair’s retirement from dayto-day politics, says: “It has been a pleasure to bring this fine beer from my constituency to Westminster and introduce my colleagues to a taste of County Durham.

“Yard of Ale is a real asset to our constituency, brewing wonderful craft beers, providing jobs for local people, and supporting other businesses, including the pubs that are at the heart of our local communities.”

Susan Hogg has equal reason to be cheerful. She has taken on a co-brewer’s role, adding yet another plate to a spinning act that involves the kitchen at the Surtees Arms, plus keeping abreast of the accounts and working in a local care home in her capacity as a registered nurse.

She says: We’d love to think that a pint of Local Hero may have inspired some of our politicians to dream up ground-breaking new policies.”

Local Hero was made available in the Strangers’ Bar as part of a scheme run by the All-Party Parliamentary Beer Group.

26 / CHEERS / www.cheersnortheast.co.uk

NEW VISION’S ON ITS WAY Sonnet 43 Brew Co’s senior craft brewer Alex Rattray has wasted no time in getting his sleeves rolled up to immerse himself in the North East beer world. The colourful Texan arrived in County Durham in late 2018 to complement head brewer Michael Harker’s solid foundations and help take the well-established, award-winning company into new areas.

“First of all, we had a whirlpool tank installed at the Coxhoe brewery,” says Alex. “This will help bring layers of hop flavour to the kind of beers I’m wanting to make and give us flexibility using multiple hop formats and to fully utilise the more aromatic flavours of the modern, contemporary varieties.”

Alex has also been allowed time to explore the UK craft beer and cask ale scene.

He says: “I’ve been able to meet some UK brewery folk at tap takeovers – such as Abbeydale at Head of Steam and Consett Ale Works at The Station House in Durham. I also

FIVE STAR REVIEW This announcement from the Mean Eyed Cat in Newcastle caught the Cheers eye.

Regular TripAdvisor reviews of the St Thomas Street pub are posted on the A-board outside and this one certainly raised the intended smile. Our snap also shows what the well-meaning reviewer was getting at. His dad should be proud.

stumbled upon a collaboration in progress with Beatznik Brewery when I went to visit Steam Machine Brewery. As always, the hospitality of brewers is unmatched and I had a great time hanging out with those talented people. I feel much more aware of what’s out there.”

Alex has been running smallbatch test brews and experimenting with Australian hops that he hadn’t previously worked with.

“The tests have come or great,” he says. “It’s also taken longer than expected to get the necessary parts and to make adjustments to our kit and processes that I would like.

It’s a tall order to be able to pivot on a daily basis brewing very different beers for Hopping good: Sonnet cask and keg, but 43's senior craft brewer Alex Rattray. we’re excited to Photo: Peter Skelton make it happen.

“And I’ve been able to help out our sister distillery Poetic License on various projects and I’ve enjoyed learning more about distilling and running the new bottling line there. Being around the distillery has sparked some new beer ideas in my head too.”

NEWS

FRONT RUNNER SETS OFF A couple who between them had been made redundant six times in ten years have decided to do things for themselves – and open a micropub.

There was also the small matter of a love of real ale and rum to Support: James Benson with, left, Vinaya consider for James Jigajinni and Sarah Smith from Sintons Law Benson and his wife. in rum and we will also have a great range Together they have established Front of ales too from independent breweries in Street Tap House in Monkseaton, Tyne the North East and Yorkshire. The coast is & Wear, following significant investment a brilliant place to be; its real ale venues to transform a vacant property into a are fantastic, and with the regeneration of traditional pub.

Spanish City in Whitley Bay, it’s growing James says: “I reached the point where all the time. I have had so much support I thought either I continue in customer services where I could be looking for a new already from fellow micropub owners, such as the guys from the Left Luggage job every three years, or be my own boss Room (Monkseaton) and the Town Mouse and do something that I’ve always wanted in Newcastle. It’s a very welcoming and to do. Front Street Tap House is one of the supportive network.” only venues in the North East to specialise

ALL SHIP-SHAPE AT NO 1,000

A remarkable set of figures has been presented to us by Michael Hegarty of The Ship Inn Brewery at Low Newton by the Sea in Northumberland.

Michael is a one-man band with one of the quirkiest 2.5-barrel brew kits you’ll find anywhere. Not quite Heath Robinson, but individual – and there’s nowt wrong with that when you can produce consistently great beer.

His upcoming brew is number 1,000 and in that time – 11 years at the Ship Inn and four previously – he has never lost one pint of beer. “I’m very proud of that fact,” he says. That equates to 100,000 gallons of beer, or 800,000 pints.

“Visualise a canal lock,” he says. “Think of two of them full of beer. That might give you some idea of the scale.”

Michael has also filled 111,000 casks by himself – and presumably cleaned them – and has used 55 tonnes of barley and 1.5 tonnes of hops which take a bit of humping around. “And I’ve got a bit of a glass back now from my early days down the pit.”

Here’s to number 1001.

DRINKERS’ TOP BILLING The final RateBeer lists for 2018 reveal that Wylam Brewery’s Imperial Macchiato Double Hazelnut Praline Coffee Porter (10% abv) has been selected as the top beer in England.

Now, that’s something. And, Room 237 DDH Pale Ale (5.5% abv) has made RateBeer’s Top 100 Best New Beers list along with ten others from the UK – and from 108,000 beers that could be considered. Now, that’s something else. Congratulations.

THE VIKINGS ARE COMING

An update on Icelandic Eagle Gin and Mountain Vodka, owned by Hafthor “The Mountain” Björnsson from Game of Thrones, informs us that sales are moving nicely in the North East with a couple of distributors on board with some good volumes going out in Cumbria in particular.

Next thing from Iceland to look out for is a premium beer from a small brewery called Kaldi which has a fantastic reputation at home.

Kaldi Bar in Reykjavik is very popular with tourists and locals. We’ll be featuring the beer soon in Cheers. More information on Icelandic Gin and Vodka: www.icelandicdrinks.com Kaldi beer: www.bruggsmidjan.is/

THE CRITERION IS BACK!

THE CRITERION, 2 OCEAN RD, SOUTH SHIELDS NE33 2HZ www.cheersnortheast.co.uk / CHEERS / 27

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28 / CHEERS / www.cheersnortheast.co.uk

LIFE IMITATES ART What started as an in-joke between two cartoonists in Viz comic has transformed into a full English IPA brewed in County Durham.

Collier’s Shivering Whippet was what the leader of stereotypical beer drinkers the Real Ale Twats would invariably mention when setting off for a pint in the Viz strip.

It refers to Alex Collier’s whippet Jim who accompanies him to the Three Horseshoes in Leamside, near Durham, along with canine companion – and whippet – Fran. Being a dog-and-pub man himself, fellow cartoonist Davey Jones picked up on it as a little game between the two as they write and draw the stories between them.

Working Hand Brewery head brewer Matthew Frankland Booth, whose dad Darryl owns the Three Horsehoes, had no idea what Alex did for a living, even though he had known him years.

Working Hand operates in outbuildings adjacent to the pub, so when he saw the Viz article in a recent issue of Cheers he invited Alex to bring Shivering Whippet to heady, hoppy real life.

“Brewing the beer was great fun,” says Alex.

“I never thought it would become a real beer. It was a case of ‘when can you do it?’ so Matthew and I did it that weekend, spending a full day brewing. But first he showed me around telling me what everything meant.

“We talked about what style the beer should be and decided on a classic English IPA. We had no particular strength in mind and when Matthew took a reading it was six per cent alcohol by volume.

“I always thought I had one of the best jobs in the world, but brewing beer is such a nice thing to do. It was a bit like black magic seeing what we could get out of it. Davey was over the moon when I told him about it.”

BEER NEWS Gigg(l)ers: Davy Patton, left, on stage with Betty And The Zinc Buckets.

Photo: Tracy Buckingham

ASKING FOR A FRIEND

Jim kit: Matthew Booth hands a pint of Shivering Whippet to Alex Collier at the Three Horseshoes, Leamside, Durham.

Photo: Peter Skelton Below, Alex gets stuck in and the original cartoon by Davey Jones In between times boiling water, mashing in and sparging, along with all the other parts of the process, the pair would nip next door for a pint.

Matthew’s reasoning is that it takes a certain mentality to watch water boil for hours so you might as well be enjoying yourself.

He says: “I love showing people what we do at Working Hand. We have an open-door policy and anybody’s welcome to come and brew their own beer – and now that we’ve got a small bottling line they can take it home with them once it’s ready. It also means we can do more specialist brews.

There’s a five percent brown ale coming along nicely, for example. The grist we used in Collier’s Shivering Whippet is a fairly simple blend. Hops include Simcoe, Willamette, Cascade, Citra and Mosaic – and I might dry-hop it with a bit of Equinox.

With the size of our kit you’ve got to dry hop to get big flavours out.

“Collier’s Shivering Whippet will be ready to drink in ten days or so (which takes us to Tuesday February 5, the day Cheers is published) and I’ve assured Alex he’ll be the first to know when the eight casks are ready.”

It’s perhaps just as well Alex will have met his current deadlines by then. Along with Viz, he writes scripts for animated cartoons such as Dennis & Gnasher, Danger Mouse and Mr Bean, which is commissioned by Baby Cow, Steve Coogan’s production company.

He says: “I’ve been working on a script for Dennis & Gnasher today which is in its second season and I have a deadline for Viz, so it’s a mix of adult and kids’ humour. Switching on and off keeps you motivated.

“Writing Dennis & Gnasher is a long process; I’ll pitch ideas and they’ll pick up on things and ask me to expand them, then it goes back and forth until we go to script. This one’s shaping up nicely. There were 50-odd episodes in the previous series, so it’s looking good for the new one. When me and Davey are doing the Real Ale Twats between us we’ll say things like, ‘What if they went to a library’ then go away and work something up.”

Somehow a book pulled randomly from a library shelf doesn’t translate well into beer. Daring Greatly: How the Courage to be Vulnerable Transforms the Way We Live, Love, Parent and Lead doesn’t exactly deserve a late hop infusion.

We have an update on Davy Patton, the supertalented North East musician who moved to Glasgow in 2017 with his wife Ailsa, ready for a change of lifestyle. However, he suffered a major stroke a year ago – actually playing his bass guitar on stage – and has since been battling back from intensive care with slow, but positive signs of progress.

Friends here and in Scotland have been rallying round to help fund therapies that even our wonderful NHS can’t readily provide, taking part in charity events and gigs at Hedworth Hall in South Shields, The Cluny in Newcastle, and Òran Mór in Glasgow (where the organisers donated the full ticket price). The total exceeds an incredible £21,000 – with more to come. A set from Martin Stephenson at the Òran Mór gig can be viewed at youtu.be/c-_tPkTcI3M where you’ll spot accompanying guitarist Joe Guillan from Hadrian Border Brewery. Good luck, Davey and Ailsa. ???

CHEERS ON THE ROAD

Rock on Bruce CentrAle bottle shop owner Bruce Renwick took a pilgrimage to the Hard Rock HQ in Orlando, Florida, but also made sure he packed a copy of Cheers to send home – and make us all envious.

Mama Mia Felix Brenton from the Ship Inn, Newton by the Sea, Northumberland, says despite some odd looks he didn’t bother to explain himself to the queue at the Abba Museum in Stockholm.

Just one look and I can hear a bell ring.

www.cheersnortheast.co.uk / CHEERS / 29

FUN STUFF

THE DIRTY DOZEN

SIGN OF THE TIMES This sign in Berwick railway station had our correspondent so confused he nearly missed his train.

“How can it be off when it’s clearly on,” he writes. “Why can’t it just display ‘on’ and be done with it?”

TWELVE TEASERS ITCHING TO TICKLE THE BRAIN CELLS

1 Who looked at his watch at 9.21, 9.32, 9.43, 9.54, 10.05, 10.26, 10.28 and 10.29?

TWO MEN WALK INTO A BAR… …AND ONE SAYS: ‘WE’RE BREXITEERS FROM SUNDERLAND, CAN I HAVE TWO PINTS OF YOUR BRITPOP IPA, PLEASE?’ THE BARMAN SAYS: ‘REMAIN THERE, I’LL GET THEM FOR YOU. THIS IS A LOVELY COLLABORATION BEER – MADE WITH CZECH AND POLISH HOPS, GERMAN MALTS AND A BACKSTOP OF IRISH OATS, FERMENTED WITH A BRUSSELS YEAST THEN MATURED IN SPANISH SHERRY CASKS SINCE MAY 2016. THE STUNNING GLASSWARE IS FRENCH, BY THE WAY.’ ‘AAAHH, THIS IS BEAUTIFUL’ SAYS THE CUSTOMER, ‘A BEER FOR THE FUTURE. A TOAST TO MARCH 29, MY BREXITY BUDDY, WHEN WE’LL BE SHOT OF ALL THIS EU NONSENSE.’

*INSPIRED BY A REAL-LIFE ENCOUNTER.

EEH! NUMBERS

31

31 Side, Newcastle: The address of the Crown Posada 31: A Halloween horror film from 2016

31: T he number of footballers who played under Alex Ferguson then became managers themselves.

2 In the 1963 blockbuster movie The Great Escape, who or what were Tom, Dick and Harry?

3 What is the collective noun for a group of foxes?

4 What part of an aeroplane is the empennage?

5 How many years was the Sleeping Beauty asleep?

6 Which word appears 46,227 times in The Bible?

7 What was Taiwan previously called?

8 What is the last word reputed to have been uttered by Napoleon (and it’s not “aaaargh”)?

9 How many states are there in Australia?

10 What is believed to be the oldest alcoholic beverage?

11 What did television screenwriter Gene Roddenberry create?

12 How many times was Kevin Keegan capped for England?

QUOTE

“I COULD GO EIGHT, NINE, TEN PINTS OF GUINNESS. THEN MOVE ON TO THE VODKAS” RIO FERDINAND, TALKING TO THE GUARDIAN ABOUT HIS YOUNGER DAYS IN FOOTBALL.

QUIZ ANSWERS: 1 Chuck Berry (Reelin’ And Rockin’, 1957). 2 The three tunnels dug under the POW camp perimeter fence. 3 A skulk. 4 The tail unit.

5 One hundred. 6 And. 7 Formosa. 8 “Josephine”. 9 Six. 10 Mead (made from honey). 11 Star Trek. 12 Sixty four.

30 / CHEERS / www.cheersnortheast.co.uk

No.1 of 12

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