Cheers North East magazine #97 - February 2020

cheers WWW.CHEERSNORTHEAST.CO.UK // FEBRUARY 2020 // ISSUE 97

I T ’ S

A B O U T

P U B S ,

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P E O P L E ,

B E E R

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WELCOME The most encouraging parts of February are the lengthening days and the promise of spring around the corner – but the best part of this month is that it’s not January. Dry January, to be precise. Dry January and Slow Business January.

The month of incoming festive-season bills, self assessment and credit card payments is bad enough for our pubs and breweries, so any attempt like a campaign to cajole people into renouncing alcohol for a few weeks is not at all helpful.

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 yours.

And, talking of the easily led, we are now out of the European Union, the most stupid, short-sighted, selfindulgent, self-inflicted decision a single nation has made in the history of the planet. There, said it…. let’s move on.

We’ve got a cracking magazine for you here with a range of news and features that hopefully covers much of the region’s pub and beer scene.

See you in the pub/ brewery tap/bottle shop.

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 10

PLAY YOUR CARDS RIGHT

If there’s one thing that we at Cheers North East are partial to, it’s initiative. That and enterprise with a dash of fun and education drizzled on top. So, let’s meet Andrew McGuigan, a creative character from Blaydon, Tyne & Wear, who has developed a card game featuring craft beer and how recipes are put together and what ingredient influences another. It took him two years to get right. The game is great fun – give it a go.

COVER: AMY STEPHENSON, LEFT, AND KAREN ERRINGTON SHARE A JOKE AT THE RAT INN ANICK, HEXHAM. PHOTO: PETER SKELTON.

NEVER DISCUSS POLITICS OR RELIGION WITH PEOPLE WHOSE VIEWS DIFFER FROM YOURS DAVID WILKINSON, THE GREAT HORSE, CONSETT

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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 20 RALLY FOR 24 12 HEINZ (57) THE YEAR 16 OFRATTHE 28 AWARD FUN WITH FOR OLDE 19 CROSS 30 FUN STUFF LATEST NEWS

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OLD FRIENDS IN NEW LOOK ALL THEIR OWN WORK THE GEORDIE SONGBOOK

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

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Drillers: Borehole engineers at Thyolo District, Malawi

TIME STOPS STANDING STILL

Sunderland has recently got a little bit of its history back – although you have to look up to appreciate the fact that time has stopped standing still. The Dun Cow’s famous clock has been fully restored along with extensive work carried out on the High Street West pub.

The clock, above right, has been a landmark in Sunderland’s city centre since the pub was built in 1902, but its hands had stood still for more than three decades. Now, after specialist help was recruited from a renowned clock company, it has been restored to its former glory.

The dual-faced clock’s restoration is part of £760,000 worth of work being carried out at the Dun Cow and its sister pub The Peacock across the road. The funds needed to repair the Grade-II listed bars has been provided by owners Leighton Management along with Sunderland City Council and the National Lottery Heritage Fund.

The repair was carried out by the Cumbria Clock Company; Penrith-based specialists who work on prestigious timepieces, such as those at Hampton Court Palace and Salisbury Cathedral. The company’s turret clock maker, Terry Hill, has 40 years of experience on such projects and oversaw the Dun Cow’s dials being put into place.

He said: “It went very well.

There was some paintwork needed then finished off with gold leaf.”

4 / CHEERS / www.cheersnortheast.co.uk

BREW GOOD THEN BREWGOODER

A Scottish craft beer brand is on a mission to invite craft beer to bring clean drinking water to 100,000 people around the world. Brewgooder has attracted more than 240 brewers for The Global Gathering, a collaborative brewing project producing unique, small-batch beers to be released over the weekend of World Water Day – March 20-22 2020.

The campaign has gained the backing of brewers from California to Hong Kong, with the UK represented by more than 145 brewers as far apart as Fort William in the Scottish Highlands to Bodmin in Cornwall and all points between.

There will be one-off beers from the likes of Northern Monk, Cloudwater, Vocation, Harbour, Beavertown, Tiny Rebel and Curious Brewing, plus our own Wylam, Black Sheep, Black Storm and Anarchy Brew Co. Each Global Gathering brew will raise upwards of £500 that will contribute to a fundraising target of

£250,000 for the overall campaign.

All proceeds will be donated to The Brewgooder Foundation and spent on its clean water projects in 2020/21. Bars and drinks retailers across the UK are being encouraged to support the collaboration by stocking Global Gathering beers.

To date, Brewgooder has worked with BrewDog (who will also be releasing a special beer for World Water Day) on their flagship clean water lager, with 100% of profits going to support more than 130 projects in Malawi which include the sustainability of well drilling, new borehole construction, sanitation systems and water mapping.

Brewgooder has also partnered with Crisp Malt who are kindly donating 20 bags of malt to each participating brewery for their unique brew. Brewers are also invited to contribute a song inspired by their local area to a Spotify playlist for the World Water Day weekend which will show the variety of communities involved in making a difference.

Alan Mahon, founder of Brewgooder, said: “The craft beer community is no stranger to collaboration, but this project takes that to a whole new level. It will help empower 100,000 people by giving them something the rest of us take for granted: clean water.

“Water is the basis of life, and there are far too many people around the world who have their ambitions, dreams and potential limited by lack of access to a safe source of it. With clean, accessible water, kids grow up healthier, girls stay in school longer and people build better lives for themselves.

“To have already received the support of almost 250 brewers in this campaign is incredible. Our whole team is humbled by the willingness of so many incredible brewers to adopt our mission as their own. We cannot thank them enough.”

To find out more and join the movement visit www.brewgooder.com/gathering

NEWS

OWNERS TO TAKE THE HIGH ROAD

The 18th Century Red Lion Inn, in Milfield, Northumberland, has been put up for sale by owners Iain and Claire Burn.

After more than 30 years in the trade, the couple are looking to sell the award-winning pub and restaurant to move on to other projects.

The Red Lion is an established country village inn sitting right on the scenic A697 between Morpeth and Coldstream, close to the Northumberland National

Park boundary and the nearby market town of Wooler. Originally frequented by sheep drovers and passengers on the Mail Stage Coach between Edinburgh and London, it is now undoubtedly one of the county’s most impressive food and drink venues.

These days, fishermen, golfers, shooting parties and tourists benefit from Claire and Iain’s

simple innkeeping principles – wellkept ale, wholesome food, efficient service and a bed for the night with a generous breakfast that sends folks happily on their way.

“We have a great local following for lunch and beer from pensioners to the young farmers on a weekend,” says Iain. “The four chalets at the rear have been going really well in the five years we’ve

had them, as are the two upstairs rooms.”

The Red Lion offers a range of sandwiches to pub classics – wholesome home-cooked food, freshly prepared using locally sourced seasonal ingredients such as steak and ale pie and pan-fried salmon fillet with garlic king prawns, followed by decadent homemade desserts.

THE BRIDGE TAVERN BREW PUB & EATERY

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NEWS

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LANDLORD WITH A DARK SECRET Timothy Taylor’s has announced that its wellloved but mainly regional dark beer Ram Tam will now be sold under the name Landlord Dark.

With an ever-increasing interest in dark beers (the style won Camra Champion Beer of Britain in 2016, 2017 and 2018 and also won SIBA Beer of the Year for the last three years) the family-owned Yorkshire brewery feel the time is right to introduce Ram Tam to a wider audience.

Ram Tam is brewed to the multi award-winning Landlord Pale Ale recipe but with the addition of caramelised sugars to give a rich yet light and drinkable dark ale.

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BELL RINGS AFTER THIRTY YEARS

The Campaign For Real Ale (Camra) National Pub of the Year Award is the Bell Inn in Aldworth, Berkshire.

The only Grade-II listed heritage pub in Berkshire, the Bell Inn has been owned by the same family for 250 years and last received the prestigious award three decades ago.

The National Club of the Year is Cheltenham Motor Club. Catering for motor enthusiasts (think Clarkson, May and the other one), it’s the third time the club has taken the top prize.

6 / CHEERS / www.cheersnortheast.co.uk

PUBS ON THE UP – AND DOWN Despite a small rise in the number of pubs of all sizes last year, the overall number of pubs in the UK had previously been dropping for more than a decade.

Previously, the Office for National Statistics (ONS) reported that this fall was mainly driven by small pubs – employing fewer than 10 people – closing. The figures showed that the number of medium sized and large pubs was actually growing.

New figures published show that, while the total number of pubs

fell from 51,120 to 39,130 between 2007 and 2019, total employment grew from 426,000 to 457,000 over the same period.

Statistics show that the growth in employment has been driven by customers eating, rather than drinking, with the share of pub employees working as bar staff falling from 37.6% in 2007 to 28.9% in 2019, while the percentage employed as kitchen and waiting staff increased from 29.1% to 43.8% over the same period.

Senior statistician Hugh Strickland said: “While smaller pubs have been struggling to survive in recent years, bigger pubs have been growing in number. This growth has been driven by food rather than drink and we’ve seen a big rise in the number of people employed as pub kitchen and waiting staff.

“The latest year, however, shows the first rise in total numbers since before the financial crisis, with growth in pubs of all sizes. We’ll have to wait to see if this marks a revival for smaller ‘locals’.”

THE LOW AND NO SECTOR IS HERE TO STAY

Dry January is thankfully over for another year. The month has traditionally been viewed as a quieter month for the beer and pub industry, with consumers abstaining from alcohol and reducing their visits to the pub.

However, driven by healthconscious consumers, demand for a greater range and quality of low alcohol and no-alcohol beers in the UK is greater than ever

before. In fact, as a category, low and no-alcohol beer has grown by 232% in just five years (2013 to 2018).

During Dry January alone, the

British Beer & Pub association (BBPA) calculated that 4.8 million pints of low and no-alcohol beer were sold.

Whether on draught or off the shelf, 4.2 million people participated in Dry January but still crave a refreshing beer, and the rapidly growing range and variety of non-alcoholic lagers and ales to satisfy all tastes can no longer be dismissed – all year round.

NEWS

Tight head: Left to right, Black Sheep's David Croft, Jo Theakston and Ben Greaves

JOIN THE SCRUM AT THE BAA-R Black Sheep Brewery is looking forward to the 2020 Six Nations tournament with the return of its rugby inspired beer, Ram Tackle.

The Masham, North Yorkshire, brewery has a history of producing rugby themed beers to coincide with major tournaments and Ram Tackle has become a firm favourite of pubgoers. Avaulable exclusively in cask throughout February, drinkers will be able to ruck-over to the bar for a pint of Ram Tackle, a 4.1% abv ruby ale, brewed with a line-out of eight different English hops offering

rich and fruity characteristics throughout while a complex malt base adds a defiant and charismatic layer to the robust ale.

Jo Theakston, innovation and export director at Black Sheep Brewery, said: “Being huge rugby fans here at Black Sheep, we’ll be raising a pint of our full-bodied Ram Tackle in the hope that the momentum England achieved by reaching the World Cup Final can be continued by bagging a Grand Slam at this year’s tournament.”

& THAI ON THE TYNE CUISINE

WHERE HAS THE GIN FIZZ GONE? During January, tonic water producer Fever-Tree’s shares were trading at their lowest level since April 2017 after the company said it expected full-year profits to be around five per cent lower in 2019 than in 2018.

Indicating that the upscale mixer market might be losing its fizz, Fever-Tree put the share price dip down to poor UK sales over the Christmas period and a general slowdown in consumer spending.

“The expected improvement in trading during this important period did not materialise with the macroeconomic uncertainty leading to a subdued end to the year across both the on and off-trade,” the company said in a statement.

The brand did however perform strongly in the US, where sales were up by 33%, and also in Europe, which saw a 16% rise in sales last year.

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NEWS

MARK HIRD AN APPRECIATION The death of one of the region’s entrepreneurs has robbed the leisure industry of huge potential, writes Alastair Gilmour

The North East hospitality sector has lost one of its most innovative entrepreneurs. Mark Hird, founder and managing director of the Sunderland-based Tavistock Hospitality Group, passed away in early December after a long and courageous battle with cancer.

Mark, a great friend of Cheers North East – an admiration that was mutual – achieved mountains more than many in his 47 years. He was widely known throughout the pub, brewing, catering and distilling industry as an energetic character, pioneer and leader, forever driving new ideas forward. Plus, for a man who worked tirelessly to raise the profile of drinking and dining in Sunderland and Wearside, he delighted in revealing he was a passionate Newcastle United supporter.

Mark graduated in 1994 and worked in various restaurants before opening his own in 2000 with his wife Nicola – the award-winning 11 Tavistock Place, in Sunderland.

Over the next 19 years the energetic couple opened and renovated more than 30 properties in the North East under different brands, such as Tavistock Italia, Sonnet 43 Gastro Pubs, Tavistock Thai China, Italian Farmhouse and the flagship Roker Hotel.

The business won many coveted awards regionally and nationally with the Publican Award for “Best Value Gastropub Chain” being a particular highlight. After finding inspiration in locally-sourced produce and taking every aspect of that right across his businesses, Mark studied at Brewlab

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8 / CHEERS / www.cheersnortheast.co.uk

NEWS

Inspiration: Mark Hird at Poetic License Distillery, Sunderland.

Left: An example of the forward-thinking S43 beers he was so proud of.

A hoppy blonde session ale (3.9% abv) called The Mark is being launched next month in Sunderland and set up Sonnet 43 micro-brewery in early 2015 so he could brew his own craft beer, which led to the development of S43 Brewery – currently enjoying fantastic growth.

Poetic License Distillery was developed in 2015 in an expanding gin and vodka market; the distillery has continued to grow with major contracts in place with supermarkets and pub chains.

Mark made long-lasting friendships through his charisma, energy for life and kindness. He and Nicola were devoted to each other and always put their three children first.

The Whole Of The Moon

by The Waterboys played as the congregation settled at his standing room-only funeral in St John’s Methodist Church in Sunderland – with the song taking on a haunting new meaning and a sudden realisation for many in attendance. One interpretation of the song is not only an individual’s uncanny ability to perceive the grand scheme of things and aspire accordingly towards lofty goals, but also to graciously accept that there are people in the world who are more informed and experienced than we are ourselves – typical of Mark’s generosity of spirit. “With the wind at your heels… Too soon…” will stay with us when we think of him.

Jonathan Graham, operations director of the Tavistock Group, said: “I am deeply saddened at the passing of Mark; he was a true inspiration. I have a lost a best friend of 30 years and the world has lost a wonderful man.”

Too soon.

www.cheersnortheast.co.uk / CHEERS / 9

INNOVATION

Full house: Andrew McGuigan flourishes two years worth of work. Pictured at The Bodega, Newcastle, by Peter Skelton

CARDS ON THE TABLE When does a drinking game become educational?

Alastair Gilmour finds out

Andrew McGuigan’s wife supports Gateshead FC. She probably needs something as ordinary and straightforward as that to counteract the never-ending creative processes that fill her husband's head with ideas, possibilities and solutions.

After writing and publishing a series of horror anthologies set in the Lake District – which other contributors added to – Andrew created a “disaster preparation” card game which teaches people how to survive worst-case scenarios such as nuclear war. Now he has turned his attention to Craft Beer Brewer, another card game under the overall title of Bazcardz that demystifies and lays bare virtually every aspect of making beer.

The fact that Andrew previously wrote a television series to get into Northumbria University to study media production – he now works for HMRC – is now almost by-the-by.

His horror stories were written in the manner of HP Lovecraft which were posted online for other writers to join in and extend the narrative.

Andrew says: “Cumbrian Cthulhu was the start 10 / CHEERS / www.cheersnortheast.co.uk

of seven books which are available by on-demand online publisher lulu.com “There weren’t great profits in them but we gave what there was to the Mountain Rescue in Cumbria as that’s where they were set. Illustrator Andy Paciorek from Durham makes the stories come alive.

“I started Bazcardz to develop card games.

Disaster Preparation is not just about zombies.

Americans are really into that, so I looked into creating a card game to teach people how to survive in places like Alaska where they have to take that sort of thing seriously.

“I had some ideas for various card games that contained a bit of real life information and education, rather than just goblins and wizards.

Nothing wrong with goblins and wizards, though.

“Making a game from scratch involves coming up with a subject, basic game mechanics, rules, creating the artwork, thoroughly play-testing and then finally having prototypes printed and releasing them through an online print-on-demand website.

“I really enjoy the whole creative process

with an initial idea of a single sentence evolving into final product based on fifty pages of notes, corrections and re-writes.

“I’m really into my beer and I’m a big fan and supporter of our regional craft beer scene so then looked at a simple card game structure. Craft Beer Brewer took two years of development and I went down a lot of rabbit holes of information along the way. There’s a lot of detail which I knew I had to get right.”

Dogged determination and almost a sense of owing it to himself and fellow beer lovers kept him going. “Early on in the process I thought ‘this is ridiculously complicated’, he says, but kept at it.

Craft Beer Brewer grew into a competitive card game that teaches players about the real processes of brewing. Between one and four players compete to brew the highest scoring beer possible from a deck of Ingredient cards made up of Yeast, Malts, Hops, Flavours and Brewing Techniques.

Players quickly become familiar with creating a host of classic beer styles, each with their own

INNOVATION

variations of flavour adjuncts and specialist versions.

Andrew says: “After a few games players will understand top and bottom fermenting yeast, base and speciality malts; which hops are chosen for bittering or aroma, and the problems that can occur during brewing. Players will also learn how to name and describe their created beer in terms of strength, taste and ingredient geography.

“There are many hundreds of ingredient combinations and beer styles to create. If you can think of a beer, you can probably make it in game. I’m looking to demonstrate them and sell them at beer festivals like the recent Friends of Anarchy one.

“Craft Beer Brewer could develop into a pub game with the winner getting a pint of something similar to what he’s created through his hand.

Some brewers have bought them for their taprooms and I took the game to a beer festival in Hartlepool and

met quite a few beer nerds who had the knowledge who really liked it. I thought, ‘great I’ve cracked it’.

“I’m really proud of the variations – around 23 different beer styles and when you add flavours it’s possible to make any beer that’s out there through the game.”

A game winner could end up creating something called Lemony Snicket, a strong Citrus Pale Ale brewed with Caramalt and Maris Otter malts, Galaxy and Mosaic hops, with additional citrus flavourings of lemon zest. You could explain that you had a slight brewing problem with old yeast so it’s not as good as it could be, but it’s still worth 110 points.

Once you master the rules, Craft Beer Brewer is a real fun and competitive way to learn about brewing. Wonder what Andrew McGuigan will spend the next two years developing? www.thegamecrafter.com/ crowdsale/craft-beer-brewerv

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HOW TO PLAY

Players are each dealt a Yeast card representing a beer style, and five random Ingredient cards.

The Yeast card determines the basic beer style (Stout/Porter, IPA, Pilsner, English Ale, Belgian Ale, Saison and Wheat).

The Yeast card also shows what colour roasted malt cards are applicable (Pale, Golden, Amber, Brown or Black) and what type of Hop is appropriate (Bittering, Aroma or Dual Purpose.)

Players then have four turns discarding and replacing ingredient cards to build a beer hand that consists of the Yeast with at least a single compatible Malt and single compatible Hop card. Flavour and Brewing cards to make Strong and Imperial beers.

There is huge creative scope for variation in style, quality and strength. www.cheersnortheast.co.uk / CHEERS / 11

CHARITY

Prost!: Heinz Dieter Sieh enjoying the special beer launch held in his honour at The Town Mouse Ale House in Newcastle.

Below: The special pumpclip showing a young Heinz in a Bayern Munich shirt

SPECIAL BREWS FOR A SPECIAL MAN Friends rallied round when a pub regular received some awful news, writes Alastair Gilmour

Last August, Heinz Dieter Sieh developed back pains which his doctor didn’t like the sound of. So he ordered blood tests. Then he ordered more. Heinz, a German national who has been living in the North East for 12 years, was diagnosed with metastatic prostate cancer.

“It floored me,” he says. “I didn’t go out for a while. Then my old friend Duncan Moncrieff thought about a couple of things to cheer me up again. The first one was getting my oldest German friend over here to Newcastle without me knowing.

That really worked out.

“His second idea was a bit more diverse and more difficult – brewing a beer in my name.

Following an afternoon of playing pool he cornered Town Mouse Ale House landlord Jon Sibley who then asked Dr Chris O’Malley, project lead at Stu Brew – Newcastle University’s own microbrewery – if this was possible. The answer was yes.”

12 / CHEERS / www.cheersnortheast.co.uk

Stu Brew put together a Fruit Cake Stout and an Irish Coffee Stout on Heinz’s behalf. A single brew was divided in two with different flavourings added to each and diverse conditioning times making them decidedly dissimilar. All proceeds from the beer – the single cask of Irish Coffee Stout disappeared at a special unveiling last month – have been donated to Prostate Cancer UK. Jon Sibley also commissioned two special pumpclips with artwork by Lewis Ryan who creates a lot of design work for Abbeydale Brewery and has previously collaborated with BrewDog. “I like Lewis’ style and he puts lots of little detail in,” says Jon. “He’s a clever guy and brews some great beer himself.

“We sent him an old photo of Heinz – he looks a bit like Gerd Mueller in it – and he put him in a Bayern Munich shirt (his team) and added a pool cue and fruit cake, plus Duncan is represented by

CHARITY

Stout fellows: John Sibley, Toen Mouse owner, left, and Heinz Dieter Sieh a little town mouse waving a Scotland flag.”

This is all rather appropriate as Heinz is a popular character around Newcastle pubs, particularly the Town Mouse which is a particular favourite of his – and Tyneside & Northumberland Camra branch’s Pub of the Year in 2018. He had been working in an Irish bar in Florence when Scotsman Duncan Moncrieff became a regular while also working in the city. They became firm friends and after Duncan moved back to the UK (he and his daughter ran a pub in Langley Park, County Durham, for a time) Heinz called in to see him. That was in 2008 when a short visit teamed up with a couple of pints turned into a permanent stay.

The idea was that if he found a job in the North East he would stay on – he didn’t want to go back to either Germany or Italy – and found work in a hotel then in an office, translating documents.

Heinz says: “I had already had cancer 30 years ago and was operated on in 1989 and was looking forward to having a little celebration last October to mark 30 cancer-free years. Now it’s all over the bloody place and they can’t do anything about it.”

Heinz (who is 57) is originally from Cologne – Köln in German – where the local beer speciality, Kölsch, is an unusual top-fermented lager.

He says: “Coming from Cologne I like beer, proper beer, and Kölsch is the best lager in the world.

The most important part in all this, in my opinion, is that money from the sales of the two beers will be going to Prostate Cancer UK.” Prostate cancer is the most common cancer in men in the UK and is set to be the most commonly diagnosed form of the disease overall by the end of this decade.

The number of men dying from prostate cancer in the UK has hit an all-time high, according to new figures. In 2017 (the most recent figures available), 48,561 men were newly diagnosed, up from 48,523 the year before and 47,864 in 2014.

The rise is is largely due to an ageing population,

which means more men are being diagnosed with the disease.

However, a man diagnosed this year has a much better chance of survival than a man diagnosed a decade ago.

Heinz has a mischievous sense of humour delivered with an engaging twinkle, but he appears philosophical about his illness. He is extremely proud of his international connections and laughs at what could be the start of a joke: “A Scotsman and a German met in an Irish bar in Italy…”

He’s undoubtedly told that one a lot in the past.

Here’s to hope and many more times.

Information and charity donations: prostatecanceruk.org

QUOTE: “WE’RE DRINKING MY FRIEND, TO THE END OF A BRIEF EPISODE. MAKE IT ONE FOR MY BABY, AND ONE MORE FOR THE ROAD.” JOHNNY MERCER, SONGWRITER

The Station house, durham

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COMMERCIAL FEATURE: WINE

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UNDER THE SKIN OF MARVELLOUS MALBEC

Wine is the UK’s favourite alcoholic drink, with more than eight in every 10 drinkers opting for vino. And, 38% of us will pick a fullbodied red, such as a Malbec.

If you google ‘Malbec’ you’ll find ‘…is a purple grape variety used in making red wine and is known as one of the six grapes allowed in the blend of red Bordeaux wine.’

Our friends at Lanchester Wines are sharing some more interesting facts to help you really get under the skin of one of the nation’s favourite drinks – the marvellous Malbec.

THE TECHIE STUFF The typical Malbec has rich, dark fruit flavours and smooth chocolatey finish, with primary flavours of red plum, blackberry, vanilla, sweet tobacco and cocoa. Its full bodied with medium tannins and should be served between 15-20ºC So, what does ‘Malbec’ mean? While romantics suggest the name comes from a French term designating gossipmongers, historical evidence indicates it comes from the Hungarian surname of a peasant who spread the Malbec grape variety throughout France.

Argentinian Malbec is comparable with the most famous Bordeaux wines in terms of characteristics and pairs wonderfully with game and red meat. The key growing regions are Mendoza and San Juan – the higher the better.

Malbec struggles to maintain acidity in lower elevations but does fabulously in higher elevation spots where there is a large diurnal temperature shift (cold nights and sunny days).

Lanchester Wines has this month launched High Side, which is a high altitude, single vineyard 14 / CHEERS / www.cheersnortheast.co.uk

Malbec from the Calingasta region west of San Juan in Argentina. Due to the sun exposure, the great thermal amplitude and the height (it is the highest cultivated area with vines in San Juan and one of the highest in Argentina) the grapes are developed with a high concentration of aromas and colour creating deep wines with big body.

The water with which these cultivated valleys are irrigated comes exclusively from the snow thaw of the Andes Mountains, being completely pure waters without any contamination. The climate is desert, with average annual rainfall of 160mm and the region is characterised by having one of the cleanest skies in the world. Wow!

“HIGH SIDE MALBEC: SOFT AND VELVETY WITH AN INTENSE HIT OF RIPE BLACKBERRIES AND DARK PLUM ON THE TONGUE ALLIED TO NOTES OF DARK CHOCOLATE AND A SLIGHT TOUCH OF BLACK PEPPER. IT ALSO BENEFITS FROM A LONG AND SATISFYING FINISH.” JOHN CLARKE, THE INDEPENDENT

MALBEC’S BLIND TASTING TELL Look for a magenta-tinged rim. Malbec wine is a deep purple-red that is nearly opaque, similar to Syrah and Mourvedre. However, Malbec wines will often have a bright magenta rim.

April 17 is Malbec World Day. The date commemorates April 17 1853 when future Argentine president Domingo Faustino Sarmiento commissioned Michel Pouget to bring new grape varieties from France to Argentina.

Malbec is not popular with French winegrowers. In the calcareous and rocky areas of Cahors in France, Malbec thrives on almost unfertile soils and at high altitudes.

However, the grapes are prone to rot, often develop downy mildew and have almost no resistance to frost causing most French winemakers to give up on the grape and replace it with Merlot. The landscapes of Argentina and Chile, on the other hand, where it thrives, are matches made in heaven for the Malbec grape.

Malbec has a much higher concentration of the antioxidants, polyphenols and resveratrol, than other varieties – resveratol has the power to regenerate cells and reduce the risk of heart disease. And, the difference is significant.

Malbec will typically have twice the antioxidant content of a Cabernet Sauvignon and four times a Merlot. Obviously, drink all wine in moderation.

However, not all Malbec is red. Malbec Rosé is an intense wine with fresh red fruit aromas and a vibrant acidity. Worth looking out for.

For more information on Lanchester Wines’ range of Malbecs, please visit www.lanchesterwines.co.uk

STAYCATION

BEAL ALE WITH GREAT FOOD

The Inn Collection Group has carved out a real name for its award-winning pubs with rooms in Northumberland and further afield in the region.

Open all day, every day, they’re friendly, they serve cracking homemade food and offer an array of delicious drinks.

Plus they’re dog friendly and welcome walkers, cyclists and muddy boots.

One of the inns always worth a visit is The Lindisfarne Inn at Beal, the closest mainland inn to Holy Island. Its superb facilities make it a magnet for

cyclists, walkers and dog owners and a particularly pleasant place to while away time over a lazy lunch, breakfast or evening meal if you’re waiting for safe tide times to visit the island.

Until March 31 you can enjoy a two-night bed and breakfast stay for two people for £120, including dinner to the value of £22 on the night of your choice plus a bottle of house wine.

To book, call 0191 580 3610 (offer not available online, a £20 supplement applies for Saturday night stays). www.lindisfarneinn.co.uk

www.cheersnortheast.co.uk / CHEERS / 15

THE YEAR OF THE RAT

RAT’S THE WAY TO DO IT Hopefully 2020 will prove so good they named it twice.

Alastair Gilmour delves into the Chinese New Year Happy New Year. Don’t worry, what follows that greeting isn’t a repeat of Dry-JanuarySlow-Business-Month-Glad–To–See-The– Back–Of–It but the start of the Chinese New Year. And this one promises wealth and high fertility.

The Chinese New Year can fall anywhere between late January and the middle of February (2020 started on January 25). The next 12 months commemorates the Year of the Rat, 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.

As coincidence would have it, The Rat Inn at Anick, near Hexham in Northumberland, has just been voted number 15 in the Estrella Damm Top 50 UK Gastropubs – up two places from 2019 and its fifth consecutive year in the top 20. Locally, The Staith House in North Shields is number 13 and Broad Chare in Newcastle sits in 30th position.

This is an amazing feat, as according to co-owner Karen Errington (with partner Phil Mason), “keeping the pub element is really important to us and cask beer is the best seller above anything else”. Put simply, The Rat isn’t a restaurant that happens to have a bar – but significantly the food is some of the best in the region.

“The year we moved in – 2008 – was also the 16 / CHEERS / www.cheersnortheast.co.uk

Year of the Rat,” says Karen. “It was also the time of the global financial collapse, so now it’s the same this year with Brexit. Things really do go in cycles.”

The current Rat Inn started life as a farmhouse and outbuildings constructed with stone from Hadrian’s Wall, in common with most of the farms around this part of Northumberland. Then it became the Board Inn, a drovers’ stop-off on the road to Hexham Mart.

Karen says: “Someone mentioned that it became The Rat Inn in the 1930s or 40s and that there’s a rat carved into the lintel above the front door – which was itself built over in the 1950s.

There’s every reason to think it might still be there.”

Rat references around the four-part pub include several pictures on the walls, fireplace tiling, on floorboards, small statuettes, tiny models and from time to time, an ale called Ratty from First & Last Brewery, also in Northumberland. There might be rat images on the overhead chamber pots but you have to be tall to inspect them.

“Things are going really well; lunchtimes are all good,” says Karen, also happy in the knowledge that weekends are particularly busy with drinkers and diners. “Our style is traditional and relaxed with an emphasis on local produce.

All our suppliers are listed on the board and all from local farms.

There’s no real pattern to it, if something looks like it might work we’ll put it on the menu. We concentrate on cooking with flavours that go together. People like that.

“For example, the parents of staff member Amy Stephenson rear the pigs for the pork that we use, plus we try and recycle all we can,

On the tiles: Rat Inn staff, left to right, Phil Mason, Dylan Banks-Johnson, Karen Errington, Connor Mackinnon, Emily Ryan and Amy Stephenson.

Photos: Peter Skelton

THE YEAR OF THE RAT so waste vegetable peelings go back to their Dukesfield Hall farm for feed.”

So Amy, what’s it like serving slow roast belly pork, black pudding, leek and cannellini bean stew knowing that you once knew the live animal?

“You can’t let that get to you,” she says. “It’s quality pork and I know the pigs have had a good life.”

The mainstay of all menus at The Rat is a wide range of locally sourced, seasonal produce and the menu changes daily to incorporate the best produce available.

And, when you have a kitchen brigade that includes the highly experienced co-owner Phil Mason, head chef Kevin Maclean and chefs de partie Connor Mackinnon and Dylan BanksJohnson (Kevin and Connor came from the celebrated Three Chimneys on the Isle of Skye) there’s an awful lot to be said about what appears through the swinging doors.

Diners can choose from three areas to enjoy their time at The Rat; the cosy bar area, the conservatory with its stunning views, or the more restaurant-style atmosphere of the dining room for a special occasion. Then there’s the beautiful beer garden overlooking the Tyne Valley, perfect for enjoying a drink or al fresco dining in the warmer weather.

Karen says: “We purposefully keep the bar tables free for drinkers – you can’t book them for dining – but at the same time it’s fine if people are already there and they want to eat.

“As for great beer, there’s no real need to go further afield than the locality, plus picking up casks from other parts of the country is always a problem, so we concentrate on Allendale, Hexhamshire, Corby and Potting Shed (High Spen) breweries. Walking groups are a regular feature and the Beaufront shoot come in twice a week, brvinging pheasants with them.”

Karen and Phil are concerned with environmental issues and the climate crisis, doing as much as they can to recycle things like coffee grounds and tea bags which they compost.

Plastics are being phased out; herbs are grown in raised beds at the rear of the pub while leeks, onions, beetroot, speciality potatoes such as pink fir apple, and salad crops are grown in their home garden.

Just how the Rat Inn come by what must surely be one of the oddest names in the country for a pub remains shrouded in mystery. Several interesting theories are offered – some say that it was a regular meeting place for local rat catchers; others say that the largest rat ever seen was caught here.

Perhaps the most intriguing tale tells of the then innkeeper who gave information to the Crown during the Jacobite risings of 1715 and 45 and thus became known as “The Rat”. Historically, Northumberland had a strong www.cheersnortheast.co.uk / CHEERS / 17

THE YEAR OF THE RAT

THE YEAR OF THE RAT

Outside inn: The Rat is perfect for al fresco dining

network of Jacobite sympathisers who met under cover of games of bowls and horse races at local pubs and alehouses. Government spies were posted across the county to gather information.

Karen recalls the previous Year of the Rat. She says: “Twelve years ago, some people commented that what we proposed to do wouldn’t work. It’s

too expensive, they said. We’re a seven-day-aweek operation now. We’ve had people work with us while they were at uni who now have families and still come back to see us, which is really nice.

They all say, ‘You’re still here’.”

Hear hear. www.theratinn.com

RAT BEERS

A Northumberland butcher is now selling sausage in support of wildlife charity Northumberland Wildlife Trust.

Bellingham Craft Butcher has created a Ratty delicacy in support of the Restoring Ratty project with a percentage from each sale being donated to a project working to reintroduce water voles to the Kielder Water and Forest Park area of the county.

However, the sausages aren’t made from water voles but Ratty Pale Ale (4.1% abv), first brewed

by First & Last Brewery in Elsdon in 2018 to mark the reintroduction of the creature made into a lovable character in Kenneth Grahame’s Wind in the Willows.

First & Last Brewery, owned by Sam and Red Kellie, donates 20p from every bottle sold, and at the end of 2019, the couple were able to donate £700.80 towards the project.

This comes as no surprise. First & Last is deeply entrenched in everything Northumberland; it’s part of their DNA, their USP and their raison d’être.

Sam Kellie says: “Northumberland inspires

YOU DIRTY RAT

RAT FACTS

us. As a family-run business, we believe in living life to the full and contributing to the community that we live in. We also like having as much fun as we can along the way.”

A recent Twitter post from the Mean Eyed Cat in Newcastle read: “We’ve sold 604 pints of White Rat this week. Well done for breaking the record all concerned. We’re proud of ya!”

White Rat Pale Ale (4.0% abv) is produced by the Rat Brewery in Huddersfield and s hugely popular around the North East for its easy drinking character. The Crown Posada in Newcastle hosts regular Rat Brewery tap takeovers which feature other rodent-inspired beers as Rat Sputin Imperial Russian Stout, Dirty Rat Mild, Ratmospheric Hoppy Pale Ale and Black Forest Rateau Cherry Stout.

The James Cagney line “You dirty rat, you killed my brother” was never actually said in a movie, although he did utter something similar in Taxi (1932) and Blonde Crazy (1931). Why let facts get in the way of a good tail?

18 / CHEERS / www.cheersnortheast.co.uk

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. Rat is the first of all zodiac animals, as according to one myth, the Rat tricked the Ox into giving him a ride. Then, just as they arrived at the finish line, Rat jumped down and landed ahead of Ox, becoming first.

In Chinese culture, Rats were seen as a sign of wealth and surplus. Because of their reproduction rate, married couples also prayed to them for children.

Optimistic and energetic, people born in the Rat year are liked by all. They are sensitive to other’s emotions but are stubborn with their opinions. Their personality is kind, but due to weak communication skills, their words may seem impolite and rude. On the financial side, Rats like saving and can be stingy. However, their love for hoarding will sometimes cause them to waste money on unnecessary things.

Recent Years of the Rat are: 1924, 1936, 1948, 1960, 1972, 1984, 1996, 2008, 2020.

• Rats can’t vomit • In New York there are two distinct species of rat: Uptown Rats and Downtown Rats which rarely mix • When happy, rats have been observed to “chatter” or grind their teeth • Rats’ teeth never stop growing • A rat can swim for three days without drowning • Rats can live for up to 18 months but most die around one year old • A group of rats is called a mischief.

• Male rats are bucks while females are does.

RAT AS FOOD

According to The Penguin Companion To Food (Alan Davidson) rats are a major item of diet in West Africa.

These include the cane rat, the giant rat and also the common house mouse. In some areas this group may provide as much as half of locallyproduced meat.

In rural Thailand, particularly in Pathum Thani province, small rice rats are relished, usually when pork and chicken prices are seasonally high.

AWARD WINNER

HARD WORK PAYS OFF

Campaigners who saved a pub in Ryton, Tyne & Wear, creating the first community pub in the Tyne Valley have received a national award for their efforts.

The Campaign for Real Ale (Camra) Pub Saving Award recognises communities that have successfully rescued pubs from closure.

Friends of Ye Olde Cross scooped the crown for successfully re-opening their valued local as a community pub after it closed in 2018. They registered the pub as an Asset of Community Value (ACV) and with the help of the Plunkett Foundation and the Power to Change’s More than a Pub programme, they developed a business plan and share offer to buy it for community to use and be proud of.

They established a Community

Benefit Society which more than 300 locals invested in, raising £150,000 to purchase the pub.

Further fundraising and a team of hardworking volunteers allowed them to completely transform the pub interior for its reopening in July 2019. Today, Ye Olde Cross runs a number of community events, including a regular quiz and open mic night, yoga lessons, food pop-ups, business networking, a yarn group and book club.

Colin Cheesman, from the Friends of Ye Olde Cross, said: “We are honoured and proud to be chosen for this prestigious award.

It is testimony to the commitment and effort of the community who all pulled together to raise funds to buy Ye Olde Cross.

“The renovation continues – as does the successful day-today running of the pub by our

Champion: Friends of Ye Olde Cross celebrate their Camra award appointed tenants Andrew (‘Billy’) and Abigail Billingham who have really embraced the concept of developing a successful community pub.”

Runner-up in the competition is the Three Tuns Action Group, which is responsible for re-opening a historic 17th

Century pub in Guilden Morden, Cambridgeshire. The Three Tuns was closed by Greene King and sold to a developer in 2014 but thanks to the efforts of the local community, they were able to buy it and refurbish the interior, the tenant flat and the half-acre garden.

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CONTINUAL IMPROVEMENT

THROTTLE OPEN FOR ACCELERATION

An admirably progressive North East brewery has launched new company branding to mark its eighth birthday.

Also as part of its celebrations, Anarchy Brew Co hosted a hugely successful Friends Of… beer festival and introduced three new products at its Walkergate, Newcastle, base.

The new logo has been created by local artist Ryan Roadkill who was responsible for the

artwork on two of the brewer’s previous beer releases, Flat Out Session IPA and Speed Demon Lager.

Fuelled by punk rock and black coffee, Roadkill explores the fragility of subcultures in a fastpaced modern world and the gradual erosion of rebellion in a climate of constant surveillance.

Mosaic Sour Kettle Sour (5.0% abv), Hit The Juice Hazy IPA (6.0% abv) and The Great Elmyra Barley

Wine (10% abv) are among the first beers to benefit from a customer-focused upgrade, with “vegan-friendly” or “contains lactose” messages now displayed on the front of cans, keg, and cask badges to make it easier for customers to understand if a beer is suitable for them to drink.

Daisy Turnell, marketing manager at Anarchy Brew Co, said: “I started working at Anarchy in February 2019 and being able to work on brand development and create new events like Friends of Anarchy has been fantastic.

high house farm brewery 01661 886192

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STARTERS King Prawn Cocktail (*gf)

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20 / CHEERS / www.cheersnortheast.co.uk

WHAT’S ON urs 2 for 1thto rch until 19

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Live musicnds ke most wee

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of 6 bottles r £10 o f Helles op Bottle sh p Merch Sho Staveley Mill Yard in The Lakes, LA8 9LR

NEW PRODUCTS

“For our new keg and cask clips we’ve also added our barcodes at the bottom, so anyone wanting to check in their beers via the Untapped app can now do so even quicker.”

The Friends of Anarchy beer festival featured a host of craft breweries from several regions, plus Echec & Malt from Switzerland also brewed a collaboration beer with Anarchy Brew Co during their visit.

Brewers and their teams such as Weird Beard, Donzoko, Wylam, Alpha Delta and Brass Castle joined the Anarchy team in their Newcastle taproom to pour their beers and chat to visitors. The festival had a unique approach with an emphasis on introducing different local and not-so-local breweries to the community.

As part of this, each Friends of Anarchy festival has a completely new line-up, with previous breweries invited back as customers.

Simon Miles, co-owner of Anarchy Brew Co said: “Since Dawn and I set up our brewery back in 2012, we’ve been keen to keep refreshing the beers we brew, so making sure our branding reflects those changes is vital.

“Being able to work with our amazing team at Anarchy, whilst also bringing like-minded craft breweries to the area for our beer festival is wonderful.”

AND INTRODUCING . . .

Brew Co is monumentally monstrous with chewy notes of mixed granola, vintage fruit cake, port wine, dark chocolate torte and roasted pecan nut. The beer marks the destruction of the ‘Get Carter’ multistorey car park at nearby Trinity Square in Gateshead in 2010.

S43 BREW CO Two new releases from County Durham’s S43 Brew Co. Pretzels On My Mind (10% abv) is a mighty imperial chocolate pretzel stout, while I Love Oats Me Citra Oat IPA (6.1% abv) takes the brewers’ art to a different level.

FULL CIRCLE BREW CO Save the koalas and other endangered species – in a terrific Support Australia charity gesture, fifty pence from every pint of Full Circle Cooper, Hoop and Repeater sold is being donated to the WWF Australian Bushfire Emergency.

BY THE RIVER BREW CO Pecan Maple Twist Imperial Stout (14% abv) from By The River

THE FEATHERS INN invites you to attend a

BEER & FOOD

FESTIVAL to celebrate the annual running

Easter Weekend

Friday 10th - Monday 13th April 2020

T H E F E AT H E R S I N N , H E D L E Y O N T H E H I L L , N E A R S T O C K S F I E L D N E 4 3 7 S W

W W W. T H E F E AT H E R S . N E T

Hedley on the Hill is near Stocksfield, which is just beyond Prudhoe, about a 15-minute drive west of Newcastle. Coming along the A695, which runs parallel with the A69 from Newcastle to Hexham, take New Ridley Road south out of Stocksfield, keep to your left, and you’ll hit Hedley on the Hill, where you can’t miss The Feathers. But if you do, give us a call on 01661 843607!

www.cheersnortheast.co.uk / CHEERS / 21

COMMUNITY

EAT - DRINK - SLEEP - EXPLORE Award-winning pubs with rooms in Northumberland’s very best locations!

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*Valid on selected dates until 31st March 2020. Price varies by date, venue and room type. Must be booked two or more days in advance.

Winter Breaks rate includes two-course dinner to the value of £22 per person. Additional spend is chargeable. Family rooms include meals for two adults – additional meals charged as taken. Subject to availability.

See website for full terms and conditions.

Full prepayment required on booking. www.inncollectiongroup.com

22 / CHEERS / www.cheersnortheast.co.uk

Beer matters: Christine Frazer and Simon Tuyrner pictured at The Staiths Cafe, Dunston, Gateshead

THE MIRACLE OF WORDS AND PICTURES It’s rather refreshing in these all-consuming social media days that switched-on community activists should take to printing beer mats and greetings cards to help spread their message.

The audience that Christine Frazer and Simon Turner address as part of a Big Local initiative at the Teams area of Gateshead use neighbourhood shops, health centres, pubs, cafes and clubs because that’s where the community gleans its information. It’s a case of joining the dots.

Their overall aim is to improve the lives of local people and make the area an even better place to live. Big Local has been designed to be radically different from other funding programmes – at its heart is a vision of empowered, resilient, dynamic, asset-rich communities making their own decisions on what is best for their area. In this case, “asset-rich” refers to people.

“We’re trying to challenge

mental health issues and loneliness by getting people to come and talk to us and tell their stories,” says Christine, a writer who formerly worked in education at the European Commission in Brussels.

She and designer/illustrator Simon Turner invite local people to share their life experiences and family stories. And some of the results are amazing.

“Listening to these stories is unbelievable,” says Christine. “One lady who was non-verbal got so excited by what she had read on the plaque near Dunston Staiths (“The days when the river once teamed with black coal”) that it unlocked a whole load of memories and she started to talk. It was the first time her great-grandchildren had heard her voice.

“She started telling family stories that otherwise would have been forgotten. And, some of the stories from asylum seekers are just amazing.”

A beautifully illustrated

COMMUNITY

greetings card celebrates a character called Lawrence – a real stalwart of the Teams community – who became a foster father and managed to get some of the lads in his care out of all sorts of trouble. The card represents his life with references to his wife, sons, daughters, parents, foster children, soldiers, neighbours, the community and the pub.

The beer mats (pictured below) highlight one tale from the rich life of Tony Rowan who died a couple of years ago.

Christine says: “One day when he was young, the River Team (known locally as The Gut) flooded and the teacher sent all the children home, not that they were in any danger, but so they could get their swimming trunks and play in the water.”

Gateshead Council supplied trees to plant in Tony’s memory. The illustration shows him diving into the water with one special sapling picked out in red. Her words on the back of Simon’s graphic explain all: Tony was a dab hand, sifting flour at Baltic Mill He cherished his big family, who love and miss him still.

Deep in the past young Tony would laugh and dance and strut And then upon occasion, would go swimming in The Gut! “Connecting to the community has a positive effect on health and helps counteract isolation,” says Christine. “The female

groups in this area are very strong, organising coffee mornings and craft clubs but we need to engage the men more.

“We’ve been out in all the pubs and clubs in the area as well as The Staiths Café which is a bit of a community hub and stocks a great range of bottled beers, cans and a couple on tap. The manageress at the Tudor Rose in Dunston has been very supportive and put the beer mats out straight away, saying it was great to have something local for a change.”

The Teams community’s stories involve the gasworks, ropeworks, Dunston Staiths and a boxing club in the crypt of the church. A walking group meets every week to talk as they gently stroll, telling their tales and sharing their memories of the area.

“We also invite people from different walks of life, such as firemen, to share their stories,” says Christine.

Beer mats as part of a community development programme – now there’s something creative. AG Big Local Gateshead, The Bungalow, St Aidan’s Primary School, Gateshead NE8 2HQ www.ourgateshead.org/biglocal In association with the Lottery Community Fund

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A bigger splash: Simon Turner's illustration for the beermat

@TAPHEATON www.cheersnortheast.co.uk / CHEERS / 23

CREATIVITY

ART AND BEER MIX AND MATCH

Pub walls were just made for hanging pictures that have a relevance to time and place.

They set a tone.

But sometimes, familiar images can become just… wallpaper. The conundrum is that people want something different but nobody likes change.

One solution is to encourage artists to display their talents on your walls and rotate them every few weeks – or replace any that have been sold with a fresh piece.

And if they’re local, so much the better.

One pub engaged with its creative community is Beer Street, situated in the railway arches on

Forth Street in Newcastle (Beer Street itself is named after an 18th Century William Hogarth print).

Manager Ryan Simpson hit on an idea after the pub’s grey corrugated steel walls began to stare back at him. The pub is already blessed with a huge artwork on the stairs by Gateshead artist Toby Heaps (aka Sune), so something

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24 / CHEERS / www.cheersnortheast.co.uk

to reflect that outpouring of talent could be the answer.

Ryan says: “The walls were empty, apart from Sune’s mural and I

thought that involving the local art community could be a symbiotic relationship. We wanted to support local people which we already do with our beers. We started it at the end of December with just one work of art and it grew from there.

Now the place looks full.

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CREATIVITY

Big draw: Harrison Askew, left, and Beer Street manager Ryan Simpson enjoying the new view.

Right: The mural by Sune.

Photos: Peter Skelton

“We promote and sell for local artists, it’s about working together.

We’re not taking any commission, it’s all for fun – and we get the pub looking like it is. We’ve got six or seven artists as backup, so I wish we had more room.”

Ryan graduated in film

production, so has a sensitive eye for what the artistic community can offer and what the public might fancy (“but I’d like it better if we had flat walls”). Current works on show vary from traditional watercolours through social and political comment, surrealism, illustrations, drawings and photography. Something more experimental and challenging wouldn’t go amiss but that will no doubt develop as word gets about.

Music – big in The Box Social – is next on Ryan’s list with perhaps a regular acoustic night on the cards.

Beer Street has seven local beers on tap and on handpull from the likes of Two By Two, Almasty, Firebrick, S43, Out There and Allendale, while the needs of lager aficionados are well covered with the sublime Pilsner Urquell from the Czech Republic.

“Newcastle is a great city for art and music and everything like that,” says Ryan. “But sometimes it’s difficult to know what customers want at a given time – for instance, a 9.5% abv stout is flying out.”

Here’s hoping dozens of artworks do the same.

AG

He has also put out a call for an artist to come up with an idea for the blank cellar and toilet doors – a free hand for a real creative solution. The brief appears to be “you’re an artist, there’s a space, fill it”.

Beer Street and The Box Social pub next door enjoy a particularly good working and social relationship with both offering intimate spaces and complementary beer ranges.

Fine ales, great atmosphere, honest food.

The heart of Birtley.

PROPER NORTH EASTERN PUB, GREAT WELCOME, REAL TRADITION, STUNNING BEER GARDEN.

Cask and craft Ales including Bass • Fine Lagers and Stouts • Regular Live Entertainment • All sports shown Quiz Nights • Pool • Great Juke Box • Discount for CAMRA members Look out for Firebrick Brewery’s Toon Brron, Pagan Queen as well as Little Belgium (4.7% abv) Witbier (white or wheat) named in honour of the ‘Birtley Belgians’

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

www.railwayhotelbirtley.co.uk www.cheersnortheast.co.uk / CHEERS / 25

VOTE VOTE VOTE

MIXING PUBS AND POLITICS The lead-up to the 2019 General Election inspired David Wilkinson of The Grey Horse in Consett to invite the local candidates for a lounge-bar grilling

“It seemed like a good idea at the time,” I said to my wife Sandra as I ended the phone call to John Wolstenholme, the Brexit Party candidate for North West Durham. “Now I’m not so sure.”

The idea was simple enough. After weeks of hearing the regulars talk about the upcoming election and voting and Brexit and cuts to the NHS, one phrase came up time and time again in the pub: “No candidate ever knocked on my door”.

After hearing it for what felt like the hundredth time that afternoon. I spoke up. “If I could get all the candidates down here to talk to you….”. My voice tailed off. Already I was speaking before thinking. The looks in the eyes of my audience said it all. This was a great idea. Lets go with it.

I emailed party offices and candidates. I stalked them on social media. I messaged the wrong John Wolstenholme (who, by the way, is a lovely chap who lives in Wem, Shropshire). Then I sat back.

Surely no candidate would walk into the lions’ den that is a pub to talk politics during the most divisive campaign of all time. What was that saying again?

“Never discuss politics or religion with people whose views differ from yours?”.

We run a pub. Pub customers can rarely agree on anything, never mind politics. But I was trying to sign up five politicians – each with very different views – to come and talk to an audience that mostly cant agree with each other... What was I thinking?

This had potential to go horribly wrong. But in my mind it was OK, no-one was going to respond.

Then I could go back to my regulars and say, “I did try, but....”

However, this was a December election in Consett, County Durham, where it snows in April and 10ºC is considered a heatwave. If I was a politician, a warm pub with an open fire, an interested audience (and ale) is always going to be preferable to cold weather and people who didn't 26 / CHEERS / www.cheersnortheast.co.uk

really want to chat.

It took less than four hours before I got a call from a lovely lass called Emma “on behalf of Laura Pidcock” our sitting Labour MP. Ms Pidcock it seems, would be “delighted to attend”.

David Sewell of the Greens was next, and then the next day, Richard Holden, the Conservative candidate popped in to introduce himself. Watts Stelling, the Independent candidate followed and then John Wolstenholme from the Brexit Party. We had five candidates from seven nominees (the Lib Dem declined our invitation although I later discovered I had been pestering an outdated email address – similarly for the other Independent).

So, here we are, going against that religion and politics adage. On top of that, I was going to throw alcohol into the mix. What could possibly go wrong?

The posters went up, the Facebook posts went live. Then it began – a lot of words of warning. A concerned Labour campaigner politely questioned the sanity of the whole thing. I got abuse from various people from all sides of the political spectrum, and even called a “scab” for daring to entertain a Tory candidate in a “union town”. Not a single word of encouragement.

But you know what? It all worked out fine.

Laura Pidcock never had to use her emergency escape route (which had been planned by her team in the event it turned nasty). John Wolstenholme wasn’t the nasty racist Brexiteer that people told us he would be – in fact he was quite the contrary. And he could juggle five

lemons! The Green candidate turned out to be opposed to wind farm expansion: “We need more efficient turbines, not more of what we had”. Most importantly, they all promised they’d get Consett Ale Works beer in the House of Commons bar.

When it was all over, I wondered who won. In hindsight we all did.

They spent a few hours getting their message out, to people who wanted to hear it, in front of an open fire, with a pint of ale. The customers got to put names to faces and above all, I never had to hear anyone say, “I’ve never met any of these people.”

vv

NORTH WEST DURHAM 2019 ELECTION RESULT Richard Holden, Conservative, 19,990 Lauar Pidcock, Labour, 18,846 John Wolsenholme, Brexit Party, 3,193 Michael Peacock, Lib Dem, 2,831 Wells Stelling, Independent, 1,216 David sewell, Green Party, 1,173 David Lindsay, Independent, 414

VIEW FROM ABROAD

VERDE OPERA

Globe-trotting Cheers reader Nick Snaith sent us this report from one of his more far-reaching destinations.

He writes: “Cape Verde is an archipelago of volcanic islands 500 kilometres west of Senegal in the mid-Atlantic.

Previously administered from Guinea in Portuguese colonial days, since gaining independence in the mid-1970s it has become a fully independent nation.

Nevertheless, links with Portugal are still strong with Portuguese and Creole being national languages.

vv

“This link is also reflected in drinking habits – Sagres and Super Bock both being very popular brands. Strela is the most consumed local brand with a one-litre bottle retailing for around 400 escudos (£3.20) in bars (300 escudos in rough bars) which is good value for a 5.6% abv beer.

Draught is also available.

“Sagres and Suoer Bock are similarly priced but worryingly, bottles of 20cl and 30cl are the most popular with the local population as they are so easy to drink. Non-alcoholic versions are also available for the less discerning client.”

BOG STANDARD

For this feature you have to pick your moments. Slipping into a pub toilet with a camera in your hand isn’t the most auspicious job on this magazine – but you do come up with some gems.

Left: The gents’ toilets in the Black Bull at Etal in Northumberland (now being run by Cheviot Brewery with a marked upturn in fortune) look more like a really posh hotel – the ladies’ at that.

Well done folks for splashing out – so to speak – on nice toiletries and for treating guys with respect.

Right: The urinal at the Mean Eyed Cat, Newcastle, has been given a makeover with a Perspex fish tank arrangement – which makes a real fun way to answer the call of nature. Trouble is, there’s invariably a queue when word gets around a set of new visitors. With its fishy features, it might be a case of holding on to your codpiece.

PROUD TO BE RANKED NUMBER 15 in the Estrella Damm Top 50 Gastro Pubs 2020 An atmospheric bar with six cask ales, great hospitality and award winning food!

To mark our success in the Estrella Damm Top 50 Gastropubs we are planning a series of events over the coming months to highlight and celebrate the Great British pub. We are proud to remain a true pub-a place where you can meet up for a drink as well as have a great meal. Our first event is a traditional PUB QUIZ on Sunday 16th Feb 7pm.

With the support of our suppliers we have some great prizes and will be supporting some very important local causes too.

Do come along!

The Rat Inn, Anick, Hexham, Northumberland NE46 4LN - Tel: 01434 602 814

www.theratinn.com www.cheersnortheast.co.uk / CHEERS / 27

THE GREAT GEORDIE SONG CONTEST

CLASSIFIED ADVERTS For more information on how to advertise your services, vacancies and events contact Gillian Corney on

01661 844 115 TAKE OUT BEER HOPPERS

Introducing our new handled variety!

2 pint beer hopper with integral carrying handle

Buy on-line at www.gnltd.co.uk sales@gnltd.co.uk 01233-770780

Specialists in Beer Books, Postcards, Posters & Signs Our product range covers material from England, Belgium, France, The Netherlands, Germany and the U.S.A. They will be of interest to beer drinkers, memorabilia lovers, brewers, publicans, bar designers plus many more beer enthusiasts.

We deliver by mail order and can also ship abroad.

Beer-Inn Print (Est 1997) Long High Top, Hebden Bridge, West Yorkshire, HX& 7PF Tel: 01422 844437 Email: beerinnprint@gmail.com order online at: www.beerinnprint.co.uk

28 / CHEERS / www.cheersnortheast.co.uk

A STAR WILL BE BORN Are you the next Sting, Mark Knopfler, or Alex Glasgow? Or further back, Joe Wilson, Geordie Ridley or Ned Corvan? If so, The Great Geordie Song Contest is right up your street, because the winner of this great new competition will have their song performed at Sage Gateshead in November during the Joe Wilson Night 2020.

Playwright Ed Waugh is promoting the North East-wide song contest with Cheers magazine editor Alastair Gilmour. Ed, who has written and produced such hit shows as Hadaway Harry, Carrying David, The Great Joe Wilson, Mr Corvan's Music Hall and The Great Geordie Songbook, says: “Following the success of The Great Geordie Songbook production late last year, Sage Gateshead were keen for our next project, given previous huge successes of The Great Joe Wilson and Mr Corvan’s Music Hall.

“We have put on Joe Wilson Night for the past three years at Tyneside Irish Centre in Newcastle. The annual event, on November 29, marks the 1841 birth date of ‘The Bard of Tyneside’, a prolific singer/songwriter whose 360 songs include Keep Your Feet Still, Geordie Hinny.

“Joe Wilson Night always sold out the Irish Centre because it is different every time. Hence, we are bringing a new Joe Wilson Night to Sage Gateshead and the idea of a song contest came up to give someone a chance to have their composition played professionally to an audience of around 500 people.”

Cheers editor Alastair Gilmour said: “This is a fantastic opportunity for singer/songwriters. We are looking for songs about working class life in the North East. They can be overtly political,

observational, comedic or love songs. Also on the judging panel are Geordie music legend Ray Laidlaw of Lindisfarne and song writer/ producer Jordan Miller, who was musical director of The Great Joe Wilson and The Great Geordie Songbook.

Visit the Cheers magazine website (www. cheersnorthesat.co.uk) for more details and how to enter. The closing date for entries is Friday, March 27 after which the judges will select six songs to go through to the final held on Monday, May 11 (7.30pm) at Prohibition in Pink Lane, Newcastle NE1 5DW. The final, hosted by comedian Gavin Webster, will also feature Great Geordie Songbook star Micky Cochrane and guitarist Stephen Cochrane.

Tickets for the show are strictly limited to 40.

Tickets cost £10 from: ed.waugh1959@gmail. com or call 07960 066 377.

The song competition rules are as follows: 1. Only one entry per person, who will perform solo on the night 2. Three minutes maximum length.

3. Original and not previously released 4. Entries will be via Cheers North East website (www.cheersnortheast.co.uk).

Digital sound files (eg MP3) emailed via WeTransfer to info@cheersnortheast.co.uk Lyrics to be written into the body of the email, header marked Great Geordie Song Contest.

5. The copyright remains with the writer 6. The winning song will be performed at Joe Wilson Night 2020 (November 29) 7. T he judges’ decision is final. No correspondence will be entered into.

HOME AND AWAY

CHEERS ON THE ROAD

1

2

You people are amazing! Here’s another batch of photos taken in far-flung destinations – all featuring Cheers magazine.

Thank you, loyal readers.

MEXICO (1, 2) Helen and Geoff Dryden visited Puerta Vallarta in Mexico and passed on these images – which include a rather scary looking lady and a band playing on the beach. Last October, The Mean Eyed Cat in Newcastle organised Cat Crawl, a charity pub walk in aid of St Oswald’s Hospice, Newcastle, which provides specialist care to adults, young people, babies and children with life-limiting conditions. Helen and Geoff’s son Alex was tragically one of those young men.

Mean Eyed Cat owner Julie Campbell said: “Alex was only 30 years old when he passed away and the last few weeks of his life were spent at St Oswald’s Hospice and their wonderful care facility. Helen and I have been friends since

4

5

3 (Upwards? Ed). La Quinta brewing company is similar to our micropubs which featured Dave’s favourite Even Par at 7.2% abv. Our favourite pub was the Yard House in Palm Springs itself.

It provided tablets on each table to help browse the beer menus, order drinks, get table service, and also pay at the end so there was actually no need to leave your seat. They also played great music which added to the whole experience – plus great customer service throughout. All in all a great experience along with good customer service throughout.

schooldays and we’re also undertaking a trek this year to Machu Picchu in Peru together with another friend Vicky – also in aid of St Oswald’s.”

Folks, thank you for your contributions and keep them coming.

CALIFORNIA (3, 4. 5) Kath Pells sent us these from a trip to Palm Springs, California, with her husband Dave.

She says: “Idyllwild pub was located in the San Jacinto Mountains. A large variety of IPAs were on offer, ranging from 7.5% abv upwards

The Perfect Accompaniment to Any Pint!

INSIGHT NORTHERN

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

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EMAIL: CONTACT@CENTRALEBEER.COM • PHONE: 0191-2618468

For advertising and editorial enquiries contact Michael Grahamslaw on mjgrahamslaw@outlook.com or visit the website www.northern-insight.co.uk

www.cheersnortheast.co.uk / CHEERS / 29

FUN STUFF

THE DIRTY DOZEN

SIGN OF THE TIMES Spotted in a Tesco store in South Shields – but on reflection, perhaps “Bairn” is just a little too patronising.

THE ‘I SHOULD KNOW THIS’ QUIZ FOR PUB PEOPLE

1. The 1968 Soul Limbo by Byron Lee & The Dragonaires is the theme tune for which televised event?

2. Mark Knopfler famously wrote the theme tune for the 1983 movie Local Hero. But who wrote the ceilidh music for the Scottish country dancing sequence?

3. On a Monopoly board, what sits between Park Lane and Liverpool Street Station?

A MAN WALKS INTO A BAR… …AND WHEN THE BARMAN WASN’T LOOKING, SLIPPED AN EXPENSIVE BOTTLE OF WHISKY UNDER HIS COAT. “I SAW THAT,” SAYS THE BARMAN, “THAT’S A RARE SINGLE MALT. I’M CALLING THE POLICE.” THE THIEF BEGS HIM NOT TO, SAYING HE’LL PAY FOR THE BOTTLE. THE BARMAN EVENTUALLY RELENTS THEN SAYS, “THAT’S £500 THEN.” “MMM…” SAYS THE THIEF. “THAT’S MORE THAN I BARGAINED FOR. DO YOU HAVE SOMETHING A BIT CHEAPER?”

4. If it’s noon GMT, what time is it in Yokohama?

5. What is Inspector Morse’s first name?

6. The movie character Marion Crane suffered a memorable – and earsplitting – end. Where?

7. In which town do Queen of the South FC play?

8. What type of fish is known as rock salmon when sold as food?

9. In the media, what does CNN stand for?

10. The former Russian newspaper title Pravda meant what?

11. What was Lester Piggott’s first Derby winner in 1954?

12. In which county is Stonehenge?

1759

EEH! NUMBERS 1759: The year Guinness was created

1759: The Royal Botanical Gardens, Kew, were founded

1759: Robert Burns was born on January 25 of this year 1759: D ubbed an Annus Mirabilis (Wonderful Year) due to a succession of British military victories in the Seven Years’ War against French-led opponents.

“I SHALL MISS OUR TRIPS TO THE BAR. I SHALL MISS OUR PINTS TOGETHER. I SHALL MISS PUTTING MY ARM ROUND HIM” SIR MICHAEL PALIN ON THE LATE TERRY JONES

QUIZ ANSWERS: 1 Test Match Special. 2 Mark Knopfler. 3 Chance. 4 9pm. 5 Endeavour. 6 She was murdered in the shower scene in Psycho. 7 Dumfries.

8 Dogfish. 9 Cable News Network. 10 Truth. 11 Never Say Die. 12 Wiltshire.

30 / CHEERS / www.cheersnortheast.co.uk

facebook.com/o2academynewcastle twitter.com/o2academynewc instagram.com/o2academynewcastle youtube.com/o2academytv

Sat 1st Feb • 6pm

The The The The

Sat 29th Feb • 11pm

Clone Roses, Casual featuring QFX James Experience, + DJ Dean Paul Walton Courtbetweeners, + DJ Rob Orton Tue 3rd Mar Charlatunes Jonas Blue

Sat 1st Feb • 6.30pm

Guns 2 Roses + MOTLEY CRUED Tue 4th Feb • SOLD OUT Thur 6th Feb • SOLD OUT

Sam Fender Sat 8th Feb

Gatecrasher Classical

Thur 5th Mar

Limehouse Lizzy

ft Spandau Ballet True Gold, The Breakfast Club, The Vinyl Chimes, INXS UK Sat 11th Apr • 6.30pm

The Rezillos

Sat 18th Apr • 6.30pm

+ The Creep Void

Ghetts

+ Che Lingo Thur 12th Mar

The Subways Fri 13th Mar

Wed 18th Mar

Goldie Lookin Chain

Sat 11th Jul

+ L.A. Edwards Sat 25th Apr • 6.30pm

+ Stu Penders + Spladoosh

Fri 14th Feb • 6.30pm

Jax Jones

Tue 28th Apr

Example

Fri 20th Mar

Craig David TS5

Stiff Little Fingers

Thur 30th Apr

Sun 16th Feb

Sigala Fri 21st Feb • 6.30pm

Flash: Tribute to Queen

Danko Jones

An evening with The Buzzcocks’ Steve Diggle

Wed 25th Mar • SOLD OUT

Fri 1st May • 6pm

Blossoms Thur 26th Mar

Tom Clarke from The Enemy

Enemy Greatest Hits Set

Sat 22nd Feb • 6.30pm

+ Conleth McGeary

The Dead South

Fri 27th Mar • 6.30pm

Sun 24th Feb

Bad Manners

Supergrass Fri 28th Feb

The Reytons

Fri 1st May • 6.30pm

Pale Waves - HTN Opening Party Sun 3rd May • 2pm

+ Conor Michael + The Baltics Sun 20th Sep • 6.30pm

Rend Collective Fri 2nd Oct • 6.30pm

Hue and Cry + Toyah Sun 4th Oct

Sat 17th Oct • 8.30pm

Ultra 90’s Dance Anthems Live Fri 23rd Oct • 6.30pm

Sat 9th May

Sat 24th Oct • 6pm

Fri 27th Mar • 6.30pm

Sat 16th May • 6.30pm

William DuVall (of Alice in Chains) Sat 28th Mar • 6.30pm

Roachford Sat 4th Apr

The Marley Revival

Dutty Moonshine Big Band

+ UB40 Tribute Set

+ Funke and The Two Tone Baby

Sat 29th Feb • 6.30pm

Sirocco & The Harriets

+ The Panic Report + Black Acid Mavericks

Teddy Swims

Sat 28th Mar

(Tribute To The Beautiful South & The Housemartins)

Mon 27th Jul

Cock Sparrer

Fri 28th Feb • 10pm

The Southmartins

+ The Baldy Holly Band

Hit The North

+ Jordan Allen

Sat 29th Feb • 6.30pm

The Animals & Friends Farewell Tour

Lioness AKA The Amy W.A.S.P. - 1984 to Winehouse Experience Headless

Bulsara and His Queenies Fleetingwood Mac

Emo Night Newcastle

Sat 4th Jul • 6.30pm

The White Buffalo

Thur 19th Mar

Sat 21st Mar • 6.30pm

(Tribute)

Tue 21st Apr

The Fratellis

+ Wayward Sons

+ The Professionals + TV Smith

Nirvana UK

R.E.M By Stipe The Monster and More Tour

Mon 20th Apr

Steel Panther

Prince Tribute Endorphinmachine

A Night of Soul and Gospel Mon 27th Jun • 6.30pm

Ash - Teenage Wildlife: The Lancashire 25 Years Of Ash Hotpots

Sat 15th Feb • 6.30pm

Sun 21st Jun • 6.30pm

Elbow

Michael Kiwanuka

+ Sam Tompkins + Bonkaz + Livsey + Hayla

The AC/DC Experience

Sat 7th Mar • 6.30pm

Tue 11th Feb

Wed 12th Feb

Sat 20th Jun

The Hoosiers

+ Art Brut

+ Simple Plan + Not Ur Girl Frenz

Fri 5th Jun

Duran an Duran

Thu 16th Apr Fri 17th Apr • SOLD OUT

ft. Sonique, Scott Bond, John Kelly

Bowling For Soup

Sat 11th Apr • 5.30pm

Fri 22nd May • 6.30pm

Fell Out Boy & The Black Charade

Soul II Soul Club Classics Fri 30th Oct

Heels of Hell + Landon Cider Sat 21st Nov

+ We Aren’t Paramore

The Skids

Sat 30th May • 6.30pm

Sat 5th Dec • 6.30pm

LoGoz ft Death To Indie, THE BAND FOR DISEASE CONTROL AND PREVENTION, Liquid Patience, Compered by ‘Cherry B’

o2academynewcastle.co.uk Westgate Road, Newcastle Upon Tyne NE1 1SW • Doors 7pm unless stated Venue box office opening hours: Mon-Sat 12pm-4pm ticketweb.co.uk • seetickets.com • gigantic.com • ticketmaster.co.uk

CASH: Paying Respect To The Main in Black Playing The Prison Albums