Cheers North East magazine #98 - March 2020

cheers WWW.CHEERSNORTHEAST.CO.UK // MARCH 2020 // ISSUE 98

I T ’ S

A B O U T

P U B S ,

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B E E R

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WORTS AND ALL EXPERIMENTATION HOME BREWERS DO IT IN SHEDLOADS SPECIAL ONE’S TWO DECADES BEER RELAUNCH GOES FOR GOLD

McCOLL’S YOU NEED IS LOVE

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THERE ARE STILL SOME FIRES BURNING BRIGHT IN CONSETT

THE GREY HORSE HOME OF

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

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WELCOME March is always a funny month. We never know if we’re going to get record high temperatures or plumb the depths of the thermometer as winter tries to not let go.

We’ve got St Patrick’s Day on the horizon, Mothers Day is approaching, and the Cheltenham Festival will make the flutterers among us richer or poorer. Whatever, we’ll have the excitement. Our football clubs all face critical games in the promotion, relegation, stick or twist stakes. Again, it’ll all come out in the wash.

Perhaps the continued introduction of new beers styles, festivals and tap takeovers will numb our brains from all of that. And, despite what Government throws at us we’ll keep on looking to Europe and further afield for inspiration. Belgian beers are being recognised here more than ever, as are Dutch and Croatian for example, but valued migrant workers are being denied the opportunity to make new lives in this country which will have a serious effect on our hospitality industry.

It’s up one minute and down the next.

Still, it’s great to see the lengthening days and the hope that brings for our beleaguered pubs. But we need to work hard at it – no use just hoping. We can all help by visiting our locals more often. It’s a start, just as the month of March is an awakening to spring.

See you there.

CONTENTS 20

Once in a while it’s important to break out of the bubble and take a look at what others do with their leisure industries, so we invited Newcastle pub entrepreneur Dave Carr (Brandling Villa, Punch Bowl Hotel) to report on his frequent trips abroad. He has sorted out pubs in The Balkans and former Yugoslavia for us in a fascinating, well-researched article.

COVER: DANNY McCOLL, McCOLL’S BREWERY. PHOTO: PETER SKELTON

BASICALLY, WE MEET ONCE A MONTH TO DRINK BEER AND HAVE FUN

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

A BIT OF OVER THERE OVER HERE

PAUL CROWTHER, NORTH EAST HOME BREW CLUB

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THERE’S LIFE IN THE PIE BASS DAY’S BIG SHOUT BEER IN THE

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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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IT’S CANNY AND IT’S ABOUT BEVVY It’s huge congratulations to the Tyneside & Northumberland branch of the Campaign For Real Ale (Camra) on the 250th edition of its quarterly publication, Canny Bevvy.

The magazine has been around for 40-plus years, first produced under the editor Andy Chapman in September 1979 – then an eight-page, single-colour newsletter.

Current editor Adrian Gray says: “Canny Bevvy has since increased to 32 pages with a circulation of 7,000. We in the branch are all very proud of it.”

TRADITION BORN TO BE WILD Rigg & Furrow Brewery has quietly become one of the most respected beer producers in the region. The Acklington, Northumberland, farm-based business simply gets on with things, expanding the brewhouse, producing great beer, constructing a cosy taproom and hosting monthly open days.

Theo and Pippa Howe – and their beers – are also in demand for festivals, showcases and collaborations, such as the latest one involving North Tyneside’s Almasty Brew Co. A late February blog by Theo says: “We had an awesome day brewing our first spontaneously fermented coolship beer in collaboration with Almasty. We had an early start brewing a turbid mash made with raw barley grown on our farm and locally-grown spelt – thanks to Amelia at Coastal Grains.

“After a three-hour boil and an addition of aged low-alpha Bramling Cross hops, the beer was pumped into the coolship and left overnight, capturing airborne wild yeast and bacteria from our little piece of the

Diversification: Oak casks being delivered to Rigg & Furrow's Northumberland farm location

world here in Northumberland.

“The beer was then transferred to oak barrels where it will ferment and age for a minimum of a year.

Spontaneous fermentation has been a long-term goal of ours and we’re very excited about seeing how this one progresses.”

A coolship is a traditional broad, open-top, flat vessel in which wort cools. The high surface-to-mass ratio allows for more efficient cooling and aids spontaneous fermentation, the method used to great effect by Belgian Lambic brewers.

DISTILLER’S NEW RANGE BLOSSOMS

An award-winning distillery is buzzing after producing a gin with a new set of flavour combinations derived from bee pollen. Poetic License Honey Bee Blossom Gin is a new addition to its Rarities range.

The bee pollen grains give the gin a floral and honey background with the addition of jasmine and orange blossom along with other key botanicals. The result is a delicious sweet spirit which is best served with a premium tonic, a twist of orange peel and plenty of ice.

Poetic License, the Sunderland-based small batch distiller, specialises in unique and 4 / CHEERS / www.cheersnortheast.co.uk

unusual flavours and imaginative pairings.

Previous creations have included Raspberry and Buddha’s Hand, Tutti Frutti, Pink Grapefruit and Tonka Bean and Sweet Bell Pepper and Naga Chilli gin, to name a few.

The Rarities sit alongside Poetic License’s Classic range such as its Old Tom Gin, Northern Dry Gin, Graceful Vodka and its gin liqueur collection.

“This time round we have used a slightly different distillation method,” says head distiller Ben Murphy. “We have distilled the floral botanicals individually so we can control the distillation better, allowing for a more delicate extraction of flavours.”

NEWS

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SPIRITS SHINE IN THE CITY

A Newcastle pub has beaten off competition from 2,500 others around the UK to be named the Best Spirits Pub in national awards run by Heineken-owned Star Pubs & Bars.

City Tavern on Northumberland Road – operated by Newcastle born-and-bred David King – was judged against stringent criteria ranging from its spirits range and the way they were served to the friendliness and knowledge of its staff and came out on top in every discipline. The award is the third the pub has received for its drinks, having previously taken Star awards for Best Pint and Best Cask Ale. The judges were bowled over by

Shaken and stirred: Mixologist PJ Pearcy at the City Tavern David King’s commitment to giving customers perfection and the pub’s employment of its own in-house mixologist, PJ Pearcy. They described the spirits choice and service as the best they had ever seen in a pub and “well worth a trip to Newcastle to experience”.

The pub’s spirits includes 80 gins, 40 rums and 40 whiskies with no and low alcohol alternatives and features local distillers such as Poetic License.

The judges commended the

City Tavern team for hand-picking every spirit, visiting trade shows and distillers to find interesting new products for customers and even seeking out hard-to-find vintage and antique spirits – sold at £49.95 a shot – at auction which they said was worthy of a top cocktail bar.

David King took over City Tavern in 2014 investing in a £450,000 refurbishment to transform it from a rundown local into a stunning multilevelled, dog-friendly pub with a roof terrace and function space.

NEW BEER SCOOTS OUT After the first brew of Vespa Mod Bitter (4.1% abv) was totally snapped up pre-sales, Dunston, Gateshead-based Great North Eastern Brewing Co had no other choice than to produce a second batch.

“Feedback has been tremendous,” says a company spokesman.

A lt market Join us in the taproom as we showcase some weird + wonderful WARES at the spring Edition of our Anarchy aLT. MARKET. more info on the facebook event.

Saturday 21st march 12pm - 6pm kids welcome • free entry • dog friendly

ANARC HY BREW CO. TYNE, NE6 4NQ UNIT A1, BENFI ELD BUSIN ESS PARK, NEWC ASTLE UPON OM WCO.C HYBRE ANARC // 7580 389 TEL: 0191 www.cheersnortheast.co.uk / CHEERS / 5

NEWS

Service with a smile: Gosforth Winter Beer Festival. Right: Entertainment for all the family

DRINK UP TO A WORTHY CAUSE

Last month’s ultra-friendly Gosforth Winter Beer Festival proved particularly popular, not only for its range of cask and keg beers but for the music,

vv

SOMETHING TO CRAW ABOUT Our spies in Southern Scotland tell us that The Craw Inn at Auchencrow, near Eyemouth in Berwickshire has been awarded Borders Pub of the Year by its local Camra branch.

“We always have between four and seven real ales on the bar at any one time,” says the pub’s Ben Chambers.

“We’ve also recently taken over the lease at the First & Last pub near Eyemouth, now featuring two real ales."

6 / CHEERS / www.cheersnortheast.co.uk

food and Saturday family fun afternoon.

It was held at Gosforth Civic Theatre, the arts venue and cafe run by Liberdade Community

Development Trust, the charity that gives people with learning disabilities the opportunity to belong, work and get involved in the arts and their community.

Breweries represented on the 20-tap cask and keg bar at the weekend-long festival included Cloudwater, Northern Alchemy, Out There, Cullercoats, Allendale, First & Last, Lost & Grounded and Bone Machine Entertainment came from bubbleologist Jesse Ward, and

retro games such as Commodore 64 and Sega Mega Drive. Music arrived via The Baghdaddies, Kentucky Cow Tippers, Hambone and Eve Simpson, while the food trucked up from Good Times Tacos, Cocina Peru and Meat Salt Smoke.

Extensive work is about to be carried out on the building but the good news – for customers anyway – is that summer beer festival planning is already under way.

THEY’VE ALL GONE POTY

If proof were needed, the micropub is proving that it has settled into firm favouritism by ale drinkers. The Tyneside & Northumberland branch of the Campaign For Real Ale has included several in its 2020 list of Pubs of the Year (PotY).

The branch covers such a diverse catchment area both geographically and populationwise that the awards are spilt into sub-regional sections.

Winners are: Overall Northumberland Pub of the Year: Dipton Mill Inn, Hexham South West Northumberland: Dipton Mill Inn, Hexham North Northumberland: The Curfew, Berwick South East Northumberland: The Office, Morpeth Overall Tyneside: The Dog & Rabbit, Whitley Bay North Tyneside: The Dog & Rabbit, Whitley Bay Newcastle: The Town Mouse and Mean Eyed Cat (joint) Gateshead: Station East Northumberland Club of the Year: Comrades Club, Haltwhistle Tyneside Club of the Year: Heaton Stannington Football Club Cider Pub of the Year South East Northumberland: The Office, Morpeth North Northumberland: The Curfew, Berwick

South West Northumberland: Wor Local, Prudhoe Tyneside: Owa The Road, Swalwell, Gateshead (pictured).

Martin Ellis, Tyneside & Northumberland Camra branch press officer, says: “Clearly micropubs are making a huge impact on the beer world as they have scooped many of the awards in our area.”

The annual awards are chosen by Camra members and decided on ambience, community values, character, comfort with a welcome to people of all ages – plus, of course, beer and cider quality.

Well done to all on the list – hopefully news like this will blow away any winter blues. *See other regional PotY news throughout this month’s magazine.

NEWS

FULL YEAR CELEBRATES TWO BREW DECADES

Wylam Brewery is marking its twentieth year with 12 months of collaborations, special events and exciting happenings in the pipeline.

The Exhibition Park, Newcastle-based brewing phenomenon posted: “We’d like to take this opportunity to thank you for your support on our journey to date... without you we would not be here...so... thanks for being you X. “It’s nice to see our good old friend Hickey the Rake has had a spruce up for the coming decade – same super sharp limonata pale in a pretty new jacket.

“The nights are getting lighter and before you know it, it will be the first Bank Holiday of the year.

Easter weekend sees the return of the region’s favourite food battle. Free entry. All welcome.

Will you join us.? Why flippin’ not ;) X "And finally, after many years, we have merch (above) available at our online store. Whether it be an Old Skool Jakehead T, a brewers jacket, a beanie or even (wait for it) a plectrum, you can now check out our full range and Wylam up your wardrobe." *See page 10 for the first of Wylam’s “specials”.

DEAD RINGER FOR GOLD A gem of a pub that has been in the same family for 250 years has been named the best in the country in the Campaign For Real Ale Pub of the Year competition.

The Bell Inn in Aldworth, Berkshire, scooped the gold award after judges praised its strong community focus, relaxed ambience and great beer. It previously won the coveted the title 30 years ago.

Camra Pub of the Year organiser Ben Wilkinson said: “It’s clear that the local customers use the pub as a community centre as well as a place to drink, and the warm welcome and knowledgeable staff made us feel right at home. Nothing can beat the combination of good beer, great food and warm heritage pub.”

Pubs in the competition are selected by Camra volunteers and judged on their atmosphere, decor, welcome, service, community focus and the quality of the beer. Runners-up include the Swan With Two Necks in Pendleton, Lancashire, the George & Dragon in Hudswell, North Yorkshire, and the Red Lion in Preston, Hertfordshire.

www.cheersnortheast.co.uk / CHEERS / 7

BREWERY NEWS

Something to crow about: Rooster's magnificent new brewery

LOUD NOISES AT NEW PLANT

A pioneering North Yorkshire brewery has completed an £850,000 investment into a new, state-of-the-art brewery and taproom.

Rooster’s Brewing Co, is now based in Harrogate – having moved from its longterm Knaresborough home – and at 20,000 square feet, the brewery is three times the size of its previous premises.

Owned and run since 2011 by Ian Fozard and his two sons, Oliver and Tom, the move sees Rooster’s return to the town where the independent craft beer brewer first started life 27 years ago under the legendary Sean Franklin.

Its brews include flagship Yankee Pale Ale, Baby-Faced Assassin and 24/7.

The company’s new headquarters consists of a bespoke brewhouse capable of producing over 30,000 litres of quality craft beer every week, as well as a large taproom (open since May last year). There’s also an upstairs Sample Room with a private bar overlooking the brewhouse which can be hired for functions for up to 120 people.

The new brewery, designed by head brewer Oliver Fozard, with British-made equipment sourced from UK manufacturers, will enable

Rooster’s to almost double its production capacity immediately, with opportunities to expand and increase this further in the longterm.

Alongside this main plant, Rooster’s has also invested in a smaller, 1,600 litre brewing plant, which will be used to produce an ongoing range of new, flavourpacked limited-edition beers.

These beers will form part an experimental sub-brand known as the Outlaw Project, which was in late February.

Oliver Fozard says: “Our focus has and always will be on brewing consistent, quality, easy-drinking and well-balanced beers, so we’re very excited by all the new opportunities this bespoke plant opens up for us.

“Not only does it enable us to significantly increase our production output for our ever-expanding range of beers but, with the addition of the smaller plant, we now

also have an exciting opportunity to channel the pioneering creativity we’re known for and create a range of exciting, inspiring, flavour-filled limited edition beers that bring something completely new and different to the market.”

The first six new beers to be launched under the Outlaw Project include a German-style beer, a sweet stout and a range of American IPAs:

The Station house, durham

Cask Ale / Craft keg beer & cider / guest gins / craft bottles & cans / bottled fine cider / wine single malts / train information screen Spring Beer Festival 12th - 15th March Tues – Thur: 4pm-10.30pm / Friday: 2pm – 11pm Sat: 12pm – 11pm / Sun: 4pm – 10.30pm stationhousedurham.co.uk / f: stationhousedurham / @stationhousedurham the station house, north road, durham, dh1 4se 8 / CHEERS / www.cheersnortheast.co.uk

Open Now! Your new local bottle shop and tap room.

Selling draught, bottles and cans of craft beer, fine cider, and more.

Tue-Fri: 2pm – 9pm / Sat: 12pm – 9pm / Sun: 2pm – 7pm Framferment.co.uk / f: framferment / @Fferment 29b Front Street, Framwellgate Moor, DH1 5EE

BREWERY NEWS

vv Go Backer (3.6% abv) A scaled-down Vermont IPA; soft, juicy and brimming with citrus fruit flavours, with a low hoppy bitterness overlaying a malty, sweet backbone. Keg and can.

Behind The Curve (6.3% abv) A full-bodied, soft and mouth-coating New England IPA oozing juicy, tropical fruit flavours thanks to a blend of Chinook, Citra and Mosaic hops. Keg and can.

Monkey Tennis? (4.5% abv) With polenta making up 20% of the grist, Monkey Tennis? is a fruity pale ale brewed with the addition of orange peel and New Zealand’s Motueka and Rakau hops. Available in cask only.

Slow & Low (3.1% abv) A refreshingly tart Berliner Weisse with zing flavours of fresh lime juice and spicy root ginger with a touch of chilli pepper heat, leading to a crisp, mouth-watering finish. Keg and can.

Loud Noises (7.8% abv) A dry-hopped West Coast double IPA brewed with Amarillo, Cascade, Centennial and Simcoe hops that delivers a fruit-laden mouthful of flavour. Keg and can.

Scoundrel (7.4% abv) A rich, decadent stout with a touch of sweetness and a luxurious mouthfeel, brewed with the addition of almonds, glacé cherries, raisins, sultanas, lemon and orange zest, nutmeg, cinnamon and lactose. Cask, keg and can.

DRINK IT NOW DAY

The Allagash Brew Co in Portland, Maine, US, has come up with a great idea worth sharing.

All too often we save a special bottle of beer for a special occasion, and then never really end up drinking it. “No longer,” says an Allagash spokesman. “We’re designating March 8 as Drink It Now Day when we can all break out that beer we’ve been saving and savour it together, wherever you are. We hope you’ll join in.”

Pictured are a couple of dusty bottles kept in a dark garage by a Cheers reader since 2003. We wonder what they’re like – plus any others that you might like to join in with. Please let us know.

Best not to ask on March 9, though.

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BREWERY NEWS

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Gold standard: Wylam Brewery brewer Chris Lee. Right: The original pumpclip

GOING FOR GOLD Beer has an amazing capacity for creativity

The notion that the best ideas come from sitting at a pub table drinking beer is certainly true when it comes to Wylam Gold Tankard. The hugely popular beer has now been relaunched simply as Wylam Gold, complete with new livery – 20 years after it was conceived.

Back then, Cheers editor Alastair Gilmour had been named British Guild of Beer Writers writer of the year and, having been presented with a gold tankard to mark the feat, his thoughts turned to a celebratory ale.

The venue was the Boathouse in Wylam, Northumberland; the company included John Boyle and Robin Leighton – the enterprising duo who had set up Wylam Brewery a few 10 / CHEERS / www.cheersnortheast.co.uk

months earlier in September 2000 – with the conversation starting, “I know this might sound stupid, but what if...?”. Once more, after a couple of pints, Alastair asked, “What if someone asked you to brew a beer specially for them?”

The reasoning was that it seemed a shame to consign his handsome, heavy, hallmarked gold tankard to idleness on the mantelpiece when it could be out in the wild, working for itself. The answer he wanted arrived around pint number four. Gold Tankard was born with fair locks and a strength of 4.0% abv.

The rest was up to the two brewers – Daddy had done his bit, suggesting that all Gold Tankard’s ingredients should have “gold” connotations, such as Golden Promise, an

early-ripening spring barley much prized among malt whisky producers and malted by Simpson’s of Berwick. The added bonus is that it’s grown in Northumberland and around the Borders, an area famous for its barley. The soils are based on glacial drift which gives the lightness necessary for the growth of highquality malting barley. The region also enjoys a maritime climate, perfect for producing plump, fine-skinned kernels, rich in starch and low in protein. Even the name Berwick means “barley town”.

They then came up with Golden Naked Oats, at the time a new development from Simpson’s which was predicted to have a bright future in the food industry for bread and biscuits.

BREWERY NEWS

“They’ll give the beer that deep golden colour you’re after,” said Robin (who sadly passed away in 2005). “Anyway, we only brew beers we like to drink ourselves.”

Next on the ingredients list was First Gold hops, a (then) fairly new variety with extremely exciting prospects. First Gold has excellent aroma qualities and produces a well-balanced bitterness and fruity, slightly spicy notes. Robin was keen to introduce a floral, citrus aroma to balance the beer’s character and suggested using Willamette hops as well. It’s an American variety with, as you’d expect, its own assertive nature.

They discussed bitterness levels, mouthfeel, aroma, head retention, aftertaste, sweetness and maltiness – and just about the only topic not covered was the state of Alan Shearer’s knee which was at the time the cause of much concern around St James’ Park.

Golden Promise barley, Golden Naked oats, First Gold and Oregon-grown hops, plus yeast cultured from the original Whitbread strain – eureka. Gold Tankard was starting to shine and ind it was off and running shortly after The Boathouse session.

Robin’s brew book reveals that Gold Tankard was Wylam Brewery’s gyle number 52 (gyle being a brewing batch). A lot of neat figures are written against terms such as Liquor Treatment, Initial Wort, Boil Time, Yeast Pitched.

They could be Swahili love poems for all they meant to the layman, but the finished brew couldn’t be closer to burnished gold if they’d matched it to a paint chart.

“I love its bouquet,” said John Boyle on the initial tasting. “It has an interesting bite as well. It hits you right here.” He waved his free hand somewhere under his chin.

Gold Tankard is fairly bitter

with a digestive biscuit touch and a curious pinewood aftertaste. It was entered into the 2001 Camra Newcastle Beer Festival – and came away with the “best beer” title.

These days, Wylam Brewery has changed out of all recognition, having moved from its former cowshed beginnings to the magnificent 30-barrel brewhouse, taproom and entertainment and conference venue at the Palace of Arts in Exhibition Park, Newcastle, in 2016.

Brewery director Dave Stone enlarges on the decision to give Gold Tankard – a long-term best seller – a facelift and a new push.

“Nothing ever stays the same and change is inevitable except from vending machines,” he says.

“Gold has been the only beer we have continued to brew constantly across the 20 years we have been brewing – and we are still as proud of it today as we were on Gyle 001.

“If anyone takes a look at photo of themselves from 2000 and a photo of themselves now they will see change. Similarly if you look at haircuts, fashions, league tables, shorelines and, of course, beer art you will see change. So we have given the artwork a makeover to bring it into line with the changes we have made across the rest of our beer portfolio.

“The beer is as delicious as it was two decades ago and we feel bringing the artwork into line will help it reach the lips of more thirsty beer drinkers – which is a positive.”

Au revoir Tankard, hello Gold; here’s to another 20. *Wylam Brewery is celebrating two decades of brewing with events taking place all year.

Keep an eye on wylambrewery. co.uk for updates.

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RIVET CATCHER 4.0% STYRIAN BLONDE 3.8% Light & smooth golden ale. Slovenian hopped pale ale.

Fruity hops.

Subtle fruit flavours.

GNE GOLD 4.0 % Smooth & creamy US hopped golden ale.

HOPNICITY 5.0% DDH pale ale. Tropical & citrus fruit flavours.

CLASPERS CITRA 3.8% Citra pale ale. Grapefruit & mango flavours.

VESPA MOD BITTER 4.1% Chestnut English malty session bitter.

GNEB MARCH ALES AVAILABLE TO ORDER Contract House, Wellington Road, NE11 9HS Dunston, Gateshead, Tel: 0191 4474462 email: gneb@mail.com www.gnebco.com www.cheersnortheast.co.uk / CHEERS / 11

HOME BREWERS

HOME ON THE RANGE Beer can be made on the kitchen cooker – and the results are astonishing, as Alastair Gilmour discovers

When it comes down to beta acids, yeast rehydration, mash pH adjustment and cereal adjuncts, there is not a lot of difference between a home-brewer working in his or her shed and a time-served individual in charge of a 20-barrel brewhouse. There’s the scale of operation obviously, and a trillion commercial implications, but the depth of knowledge that the “hobby” brewer has accumulated should never be underestimated – and neither should their results at the end of the day.

I wrote this – or something akin to it – after five minutes in the company of the North East Home Brew Club which meets regularly around Newcastle to share best – and admittedly worst – practices, alongside anecdotes, recipes and general bonhomie.

“Basically, we meet once a month to drink beer and have fun,” says Paul Crowther, one of the club’s founders. “We share the beer out that we’ve brewed since the last time and get ideas for the next one – and talk about our equipment, that sort of thing.”

The club alternates venues from The Town Mouse micropub in Newcastle to Anarchy Brew Co taproom (Walkergate) with newcomers and old-stagers always welcome. Virtually every beer sampled on the night I joined them at The Town Mouse was superb with a variety and quality that would delight any professional brewer. It’s a looseknit group, with no club rules and regulations other than the willingness to taste, encourage and learn. Enthusiasm for beer and its myriad ingredients comes high on the list, plus the ability to mash, ferment and condition in tight spaces such as kitchens, garages and sheds – plus the blessing of “significant others”.

Collaborations with the likes of Newcastle University’s Stu Brew brewing facility are fertile grounds for both parties, resulting in superb products like an American Brown Ale that earned high praise commercially.

Paul Crowther has collaborated with Ouseburn Valley-based Out There Brew Co with a Salted Caramel Milk Shake Porter and will have by now created the special Imperial Stout that he was so enthusiastic about when we met.

It’s a two-way set-up. “Tuesday is usually quite a quiet night so it’s good to have them here as they drink our beer once they’ve sampled their own,” says Town Mouse owner Jon Sibley.

There were a dozen or so home-brewers 12 / CHEERS / www.cheersnortheast.co.uk

Hop to it: The North East Home Brew Club at the Town Mouse

present vastly outnumbering one very attractive young lady who appeared to be more than equal to the task. First out of the Tesco carrier bag was an extremely bitter single hop ale (6.0% abv) which has been calculated at 60 IBU (international bittering units). People who know care about such figures.

Trying to guess what’s in the beer is also part of the fun – plus it’s a real learning process (a beer laced with tequila, for instance, was described as “pretty awful” – and that’s from the guy who brewed it). All appear to enjoy Belgian beers and strive to attain that level.

Paul Crowther says: “There used to be only three or four of us but it’s taken on a momentum and we’ve got a lot more members now. It’s really good to have a great turnout.”

A hand reaches into another carrier bag and brings out little jars of flavourings with chemistry flasks and beakers full of what I don’t know. We’re talking ingredients now and it turns to a 23-litre batch of beer containing 30 grams of wormwood, one of the ingredients in absinthe that has given the spirit its hallucinatory reputation. “It was awful,” says club member Eddy Thomas, whose brewing interest came via foraging. “The worst I’ve ever had. Just awful.”

Then a little game with three sample glasses of the same beer using two different yeasts. We had to choose the odd one out. I’m not sure how

I did on that one but it’s very interesting what yeast can do to flavour. We sampled parsnip mead created by merging wine and mead recipes then left for up to three years, which was much more palatable than it sounds. Then carrot “whisky”, elderflower something or other (particularly fragrant) and blackberry and elderberry concoctions, plus beer racked onto honey. It’s about astringency, colour, aroma, flavours and the ever-present attention to detail.

The permutations are endless with sessionable beers through 7.5% abv experiments to 11% abv barley wines and even further up the volume scale. Following one of those tastings, one of the group – Matt – had to sit an exam the next day.

He failed.

Each member of the group is good-humoured and self-deprecating about what they’ve brought along for the night – but they needn’t be. It’s often said that there are great similarities with the way commercial brewers and home brewers work – “only they use bigger buckets”.

The North East Home Brew Club is an educational and a fun way of learning about beer, no matter your level of expertise. Here, try some. *The next North East Home Brew Club meeting is on Friday March 13 at Anarchy Brew Co’s magnificent facility at Walkergate, Newcastle (7pm). Check Twitter @ NorthEastHBC for info.

BOOK REVIEW

BEER, BELGIUM AND MAZY DRIBBLES

The local press, in the shape of Newcastle Chronicle & Journal has relaunched the Passionate People Passionate Places campaign it first ran several years ago. It’s a move to highlight all that’s great in the North East and to instill confidence and positive thought in these troubled times.

A list of the top ten great things about the region included The Far Corner, “the best football book ever written”. Written by Harry Pearson in 1994, this “mazy dribble through North East football” is set for a follow-up called The Farther Corner to be published in May. Harry says: “It’s an honour to be on the same list as Little Mix and the vegan sausage roll.” So, it’s a good time for the Hexham-based writer.

The book I wrote last year – The Beast, The Emperor and The Milkman – about cycle racing in Flanders, the northern half of Belgium, has recently been published in paperback."

The Beast... follows the careers of the rugged

hard men of Belgian racing – Eddy Merckx, Roger De Vlaeminck (The Beast), Johan Museeuw, Frans Verbeeck (the Flying Milkman), Tom Boonen and Rik Van Looy (The Emperor) – alongside encounters with Belgian beers such as Chimay, Affligem Tripel and De Koninck.

“Flemings are northeners,” says Harry. “They like ale and chips and complaining… like all northerners they nurse a sense of grievance against the south.”

He and his mate Steve Marshall have been visiting Belgium in search of blood and snots cycling and beer for as long as he can remember.

He says: “A lot of people new to Belgium underestimated the strength of the beers, expecting blonde beers to be lighter in strength than brown beers, but it’s invariably the other way round. But one barman gave us a lot of advice, saying, ‘No, you don’t start with that one, start with his one’ and so on. We’ve hired bikes and

gone to breweries, beering and biking our way around Flanders. There have been a lot of real finds. For example, Ninove is a suburb of Brussels whose only significance is the finish of the Tour of Flanders and the home of Slag Lager, the worst-named beer in the world were it not for Leroy Brewery’s Pomperschitter.

“We were once asked ‘why are you here?’ and we said we were on holiday. Then we were asked ‘Why? Belgium is so boring’. Just at that moment, two nuns went past on a tandem. He saw us looking astonished and said, ‘Oh, that’s normal’.” *The Beast, The Emperor And The Milkman, A bone-shaking tour through cycling’s Flemish heartlands, by Harry Pearson, is published by Bloomsbury (p/b £10.99).

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www.cheersnortheast.co.uk / CHEERS / 13

ROUNDUP

WHAT'S NEW?

By The River Brew Co, Gateshead, has achieved Gold Standard as part of the United Nations Initiative to measure, reduce and offset its carbon footprint, the first steps in the brewery, pub and restaurant’s goal to achieve full sustainability. Its restaurant, Träkol, featured in last month’s Observer Food Monthly 50 Things We Love In The World Of Food Right Now section which highlighted its food favourites of 2020.

By The River also invites us to say hello to Cosmic Carry On IPA (6.3% abv), pictured left, which is loaded with Idaho 7, Sabro and Bru 1 hops which gives out ripe stone fruit, orange zest and mango pulp on the palate.

Anarchy Brew Co’s latest launch, Demon Fangs IPA (5.6% abv) has been brewed with Simco and Sabro hops for a hazy and slightly clean bitterness and tropical fruit favours. It was introduced to the world at the Newcatle Tap. The Durham branch of Camra has announced its 2020 Pubs of the Year. City: The Victoria, Durham; runner-up, Station House, Durham. Town: The Grey Horse, Consett; runner-up the Butcher’s Arms, Chester le Street.

Country pub: Surtees Arms, Ferryhill; runner-up Three Horseshoes, Leamside. Congratulations.

Forward features in Cheers: The Government’s decision to deny visas to “low-skilled workers” (their description) is set to create a “huge challenge” to the UK’s pub, bar and restaurants. How will this affect your business? Let us know at info@cheersnortheast. co.uk

Also, from next year, sales of the most polluting domestic fuels, coal and wet wood, will be phased out in England. What will this mean for the traditional pub roaring open fire like those at the Free Trade Inn, Cumberland Arms, The Rat Inn, Dipton Mill Inn, Bird In Bush, Boathouse, Holly Bush Inn (pictured) and countless others around the region. Air your views at info@cheersnortheast. co.uk Rumour has it that The Central in Gateshead (left) is about to be taken over with Cameron’s Brewery “stepping aside”.

New ownership is a combination of the fairly new and the long-in-thetooth.

cheers

BE PART OF THE CHEERS TEAM

Cheers is the voice of the North East pub and brewing sector, and we’re looking for an Account Manager to champion the magazine among the leading brewers, publicans and retailers in the region.

This year we will publish our 100th edition and our new Account Manger will help develop commercial opportunities in print and online while becoming a key �gure in the North East brewing landscape as we look ahead to our next 100 editions.

INTERESTED? We’re o�ering a competitive salary, bonus potential, car allowance, 25 days holiday a year, and a great view from our o�ces in Stocks�eld. To apply, go to www.o�stonepublishing.co.uk/careers

Closing date for applications: Friday March 27, 2020 Unit 1, Bearl Farm Stocksfield Northumberland NE43 7AL 14 / CHEERS / www.cheersnortheast.co.uk

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PUB NEWS

MICRO PUB AND BOTTLE SHOP WITH AN EVER CHANGING SELECTION OF CRAFT BEERS AND REAL ALES AND OVER 150 BOTTLES AND CANS SPBW PUB OF THE YEAR WINNER 2019 OPEN FROM 2PM WEEK DAYS AND 12NOON FRI TO SUN

STRANGERS ON THE RIGHT David Wilkinson at The Grey Horse in Consett considers seismic political change

December’s General Election was an interesting one in North West Durham; we saw the constituency change to Tory control and the shockwaves that came with it. Consett has never had a Conservative MP, and now it does.

Instantly, the talk in the pub was about some of his ideas, and whether a Tory MP really could make a difference. The answer is, we don’t know. Richard Holden has barely been in the role two minutes so it wouldn’t be fair to be singing his praises or shouting angrily from the rooftops just yet. But from the point of view of the publican, he has made a good start.

Like the other candidates in the constituency, he was invited to speak at the Grey Horse in the run-up to the election and in a spirited evening, he held his own. He took questions on the local hospital at Shotley Bridge; he defended his limited knowledge of the constituency, and he proposed a rail link from Newcastle.

When he won the seat, he celebrated the next day, sharing pints of Red Dust with the locals

and his team, both in Wolsingham and in our own place. But what difference was he really going to make to the beer drinker and the publican?

In his maiden speech to Parliament, He referred to the constituency’s pubs and clubs and the campaign for a cut in beer duty. Days later he highlighted the struggle faced by small breweries and the taxation involved. And, he kept his promise to get Consett Ale Works beer in the Strangers Bar in the House of Commons in June (Red Dust was considered ‘too political’, so it’s going to be Steel Town Bitter).

Let’s not pretend that he is a one-man crusade, though.

Graham Morris, the Labour MP for Easington, has also been on the case, praising the North East’s brewing heritage and the need for government to assist breweries and pubs.

Actions speak louder than words, and we will have to wait and see what is to come from our new MPs – but doesn’t it make a change to hear beer and pubs talked about in a positive light?

41A WARTON TERRACE, NEWCASTLE UPON TYNE NE6 5LS @THEHEATONTAP @TAPHEATON

South Causey Inn

Brewery & Distillery

Try our new Seasonal Bitter - Spring Fever

A pale bitter with a fruity finish 4.4%. Available in the South Causey Brewery Bar

Mother’s Day Gin Hampers - ONLY £44.95 A bottle of ‘Come To Momma Gin’ and 2 South Causey Inn engraved Gin Goblets and discount drinks voucher to be used on the South Causey Inn Bar!

Banter in the Brewery Talks

First Thursday of every month we host a talk about Beer, Gin, Booze, Food or even the meaning of life! These social events will always involve a little tasting, as well as an informal and social way to learn more about interesting subjects and take place from 7-9 pm- see website for details of forthcoming events

Brewery Experience Stay-Over

Stay in one of our cosy courtyard rooms, enjoy a threecourse evening meal, breakfast in our Restaurant and turn your hand to Brewing and Beer tasting in our on-site Brewery and Distillery. Available on a Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday night, priced from only £242.00 (based on 2 sharing)- see website for full details of this special package

Beamish Burn Road, Stanley, Co. Durham. DH9 0LS For more information and to book please contact us on

01207 235555 -

www.southcausey.co.uk www.cheersnortheast.co.uk / CHEERS / 15

BREWERY NEWS

McCOLL’S YOU NEED IS LOVE

A County Durham brewery has gone through something of a rebrand which, as Alastair Gilmour discovers, is a collaboration of art and science When Danny McColl reels off his beer influencers, chances are they’ll not be the names that most brewers would mention.

Mikkel Borg Bjergsø (Mikkeler) and Brooklyn’s Garrett Oliver come below Albert Moortgat, Saul Bass and Shigeo Fukuda.

Fukuda and Bass were renowned graphic artists, while Albert Moortgat, son of the founder of the Belgian Moortgat brewery, developed legendary Duvel strong pale ale after finding a yeast strain in Scotland in the 1920s that he instinctively knew was perfect for his needs.

“McColl’s Brewery was founded on a firm belief of Art and Science in equal measure,” says Danny. “Ultimately that’s what we aim to portray.

My wife Gemma – hands on artist and all-round creative – brings the art, while I like things in rows; tidy and explained. Together, we are heavily influenced by 20th Century print media which is often minimalist but always vibrant and clear. And I can remember my first taste of Duvel, thinking this was the best beer ever, then couldn’t believe that the yeast came from McEwan’s.”

County Durham-based McColl’s has just launched a rebrand of its products, in the knowledge that the brewery’s third birthday was fast approaching and that they’d finally have to stop tinkering and get down to some allencompassing design work.

Danny says: “It was time for a little spruce-up and a little bit of growing up, to be fair. Although I was happy with individual designs, the brewery never really had an identity. It was all a bit incoherent and bitty. So rather than making the beers up as we went along and the artwork as a last minute flurry of excitement, we took the time in late 2019 to nail down what McColl’s Brewery is and what we want to do, specifically beers and styles.

“Now we have a style to call our own, in design and in our beers. Every conversation around the dinner table or in the pub ebbs and flows from woolly idealism, creative stupidity and clinical 16 / CHEERS / www.cheersnortheast.co.uk

stubbornness, where logical positivism and post modernism get drunk – this is what we ultimately aimed to portray.

“It took us four months to get where we are. You should see the size of the files on the computer. I’m canny on the computer and Gemma is stupidly creative, so we decided to jump in with both feet.

“It’s taken us three years to work out who we are and what we do, but we’ve stuck with our four core beers and by looking at the industry, started doing trendy and one-off beers. But the four core beers are what we are known for.

“None of our beers look to America for inspiration; our influences are Scottish, Belgian and traditional English. They are where it’s at for me.”

McColl’s has recently released Lady Marmalade Best Bitter in can which Danny is excited about, saying that cans aren’t just for hazy IPAs and that there’s a move back into uncomplicated, finer, darker beers.

“It’s about drinkability and cleanliness, so why not a best bitter,” he says. And, a one-off is about to become a two-off. “We’re doing another Beetroot Bier De Garde. We got so much appreciation from the last one we just had to bring it back. Ultimately we want you to fancy another beer when you’re finished that one, not just give you that hit and leave you feeling full or maxed out.

“Core beers, experimental, seasonal or collaborations – the aim is to enjoy it, and that’s everyone, not just a niche few. It’s not all glitz and glam and current trends.”

Danny and Gemma are bolstered by salesman Justin Cooper, who many North East ale drinkers might remember from his days managing the Queen Victoria in Gosforth, Newcastle. Having been on yon side of the bar and on the receiving end of brewery reps’ sales patter, he knows when to raise and when to fold.

“Justin’s doing a great job,” says Danny. “He knows what’s inside my head. It really helps that

Excited: Danny McColl is an eager proponent of beer’s drinkability and cleanliness.

Photo: Peter Skelton

BREWERY NEWS he’s been in the pub trade because he knows how things should be sold and when to get in touch with people. It also means I get to the odd event which I haven’t had much time to do before.

“It’s now about not doing everything for the sake of it; I can pick and choose. And I’m trying to get more active on social media, up the game sort of thing, which has had a little bit of effect.

It also makes the business look a bit more professional – it’s all a long learning curve.”

An oak barrel, strapped to a pallet, sits up in the brewery grain store. It contains a collaboration between McColl’s and Brew York brewery. Danny is keen on developing these relationships and has already been involved with Rigg & Furrow in Northumberland along with several others nationwide.

The beer is a Belgian Quad which, by its Christmas reveal, should reach well into double figures for strength of alcohol. Albert Moortgat would approve. mccollsbrewery.co.uk

McCOLL’S CORE BEERS

SUMA IPA (5.0% abv) Danny McColl says: “We have been schooled by most brewers we have met in the past two years; Suma is the product of these schoolings.

A big and bold hazy modern IPA. Juicy sweet malt helps balance big bitterness, pine and hop aromas of mango, citrus and grapefruit.”

PETITE BELGIAN BLONDE ALE (4.1% abv) “Our love of Belgian ales is born out of holidays in Northern France and their ancestral Scottish qualities – the perfect marriage. Petite is a crisp, easy going interpretation with a simple malt base, mild fruity esters from the Belgian yeast and delicate citrus and grapefruit aromas from Chinook and Celiea hops.”

LADY MARMALADE BEST BITTER (4.4% abv) “Ultimately the style of beer that got us in to this mess back in the early 2000s. A pub beer, a session beer that makes you feel comfortable and warm inside. A classic, sweet, full-bodied beer. Caramel flavours dominate with light touches of spicy rye, deep citrus hop flavours and aromas, and a long-lasting bitterness.”

NORTH SOUTH PORTER (4.6% abv) “A more recent hankering for porters has found us jump in with both feet and commit this to our core range – but very much a blend of contemporary and traditional recipes. A robust yet refreshingly smooth ale. Complexity from the malt offers coffee, caramel and chocolate, married with light coconut and citrus hop notes and a medium dry finish.” www.cheersnortheast.co.uk / CHEERS / 17

BRITISH PIE WEEK

THE PIE’S THE LIMIT

with gravy, beans, mashed potato – or the previouslymentioned macaroni.

In Roman times, the pie’s pastry shell was designed Lonely planet: The pie to be used as the hut at Arbroath FC baking dish, storage savoury ingredients. This means lots of container and simply a things qualify as pies, including mixed fruit way to serve the filling. Romans pies in North America served with a dollop of would use meats, oysters, mussels and fish as ice-cream and known as Pie a la Mode. the filling and a mixture of flour, oil and water to Competitions for unusual pies are held keep it all in place which was often tough and all around the world which include the inedible and eventually discarded.

Strange Pie Contest in California and the In the 16th Century, “surprise pies” featured World Championship Scottish Pie Awards live animals inside. They would jump out at posh each November. In California they came up dinner parties and included frogs, squirrels, with Pickle and Peanut Butter Pie and The Club foxes and even “four-and-twenty blackbirds”.

Pie (French fries, bacon and mayonnaise) plus Out of 74 scripted deaths throughout William ‘Candied Peppers and Chocolate Pie. Shakespeare’s 38 plays there were plenty of Pies are also popular in North India through stabbings, poisonings and beheadings – plus a traditional slow-cooking technique called two who met their deaths through a pie. In the Dum Puhkt which can be traced back to Titus Andronicus (Shakespeare’s first tragedy), the royal kitchens of the Awadh region. The the title character wreaks revenge on Queen words “dum” and “pukht” mean to breathe and Tamora and her family for their evil deeds by to cook, respectively. This technique involves baking her sons into a pie and serving it to her. placing spiced meat and vegetables in a heavySurely the most remote outpost of the pie bottomed brass or clay pot called a handi, is the one pictured by @The_saturdayboy at sealing it tightly with dough and cooking it over Arbroath Football Club’s Gayfield Park which a low flame. sits as close to the North Sea as it’s possible Scotch pies are also known as mutton pies. to get and stay dry. He writes on Twitter: “The They used to be frowned upon by the Scottish Solitude of the Arbroath FC pie hut. Often church in the Middle Ages who viewed them as captured through a lens and rightly so. It’s a luxurious, decadent English-style food. Ironically, beautiful sight.” they proved to be the ideal food for working If you can’t do the Scottish Championship men and women who bought them from piepilgrimage, celebrate regularly the “ beautiful men or pie-wives in the city streets centuries sight” of a pie this month with the filling and later. The space on top of the pie, created by chaser of your choice. The pie’s the limit. the raised crust, would sometimes be filled

The humble pie is as close to comfort food as it’s possible to get. March marks British Pie Week This month marks British Pie Week (March 2-8), but there’s no reason to limit it to a few days – let’s extend the celebration to National Pie Month. Every month.

There is nothing better to drink with a pie than a pint. But there’s little point in trying to match the flavours perfectly as pies come in so many guises that they’d be stone cold by the time you’ve sampled dark beers, fruity beers, light ales or coriander-laced wheat beers to discover what you prefer the most.

British Pie Week (Month) started out as a marketing campaign by Jus-Rol, the readymade pastry company, and is an opportunity to celebrate our love of pies, with pubs, restaurants and pie shops taking the opportunity to run pie specials, pie-themed competitions and more.

According to Jus-Rol, around 75% of people enjoy a pie at least once a month – people need to get their pie fix whether it’s a steak and ale pie, chicken and leek pie, mince and onion pie, cottage pie, pork pie, mutton pie, Desperate Dan’s cow pie, or the macaroni pies enjoyed with relish in Scotland.

Pie is a dish that can bring so much variety.

Savoury or sweet, the dish has been around in various forms since the time of the ancient Egyptians.

The definition of a pie is a baked dish which is usually made of a dough casing that covers or completely contains a filling of various sweet or 18 / CHEERS / www.cheersnortheast.co.uk

PUB REVIEW

PERFECT FOR A SLOW JOE DAY

A new micropub on Durham Road, Low Fell, Gateshead’s main thoroughfare, could be described as Tardis-like.

The frontage of Gilbert & Smith’s is almost obscured by a bus shelter (handy though that is) but inside, the pub appears to widen out and goes on past the bar counter, up some steps and through to the back of beyond with a small, more intimate area off that.

Gilbert & Smith’s is owned by Whitley Bay Brewing Co which operates a similarly-named venue and The Brewery (formerly Fitzgerald’s) in – obviously – Whitley Bay. It’s fairly minimal in décor with large areas of blue-green wall featuring artistically-arranged wooden crates illuminated by pendant lights. The vertical space could possibly do with something else to break up the flatness, though a large photo of St Mary’s

Comings and goings: Gilbert & Smith's bar. Left: People watching Lighthouse tries hard.

A combination of stools and hefty high and low tables complement a traditional “vertical drinking” area surrounding the bar – the back of which gleams and glitters with white tiling viewed through a vast arrangement of spirits bottles, ready to fire up a bewildering range of cocktails (Gilbert’s Shake is Stolichnaya vodka, coffee liqueur, amaretto, Baileys and milk topped with whipped cream and sprinkles… dessert is served.)

The four handpulled ales are exclusively from

Whitley Bay – Spanish City Golden Bitter, Warrior (an ice hockey tribute), Dark Knight Stout and Slow Joe Pilsner.

The great-to-listen-to ambient music ranges through David Bowie, lots of reggae and folk singer Melanie’s Brand New Roller Skates which had been virtually lost to memory. Just musing, but the words “pair of roller skates” in the chorus could easily be substituted for “combine ’arvester”.

Wonder if anyone’s thought of that?

And in that old tradition of people-watching, it’s fascinating to observe the comings and goings at the bus stop outside this former bakery and taxi office (the order isn’t quite clear). It’s a kind of Slow Joe activity.

www.cheersnortheast.co.uk / CHEERS / 19

PUB REVIEW

UNUSUAL SUSPECT EARNS TOP TITLE

Something is rising from the patterned carpet.

It’s nothing untoward, but what is apparent in The Marine in South Shields is that tradition is all-pervading, floor to ceiling. It’s a large, street corner pub – not a lot of them left when you think about it – plus a games area, separate rooms (sort of), handpulled beers, the low hum of conversation, patter and banter from loyal regulars and newcomers existing happily alongside those who prefer their beer in silent contemplation.

The Marine has been voted pub of the year by the Sunderland & South Tyneside branch of the Campaign For Real Ale (Camra). It sits at the seafront end of Ocean Road, opposite a run of B&Bs and small hotels, beside South Marine Park and close to the Westovian Theatre. Ocean Road is renowned the world over as a food paradise – Indian, Greek, Italian, Spanish outlets, plus classic British via Colmans award-winning fish and chips, so a neighbouring pub has got to have a pretty special beer and food offer to compete.

The Marine’s food is exceptional, according to the folks at the bar (its six cask ales and two ciders are on par with that observation). The menu is fairly long and at first glance, somewhat predictable – sandwiches and wraps, seafood, grilled steaks, burgers and pot pies – but one item on the Unusual Suspects list is an eye-catcher: Oxtail and tomato stew with bacon and raisins served with creamy mash. If the others match this, The Marine is a class act indeed.

Two dining areas are kept separate from the

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!

20 / CHEERS / www.cheersnortheast.co.uk

PUB REVIEW

THREE ROOMS IN A YARD

main bar – up a few steps, both quite sedate and rather old-fashioned in their way which is an absolute joy (bags the table with the view out to the seafront).

Beers are from Allendale, Titanic and Kirkstall breweries plus a couple from Credence, based in Amble, Northumberland, one of which is a porter that is out of this world. Sublimely made, beautifully kept. Class.

In the main bar, the counter top and frontage glow in honeyed oak, as does the back gantry, all of which adds warmth to the atmosphere. An eclectic mix of pictures bring the walls to life – old Shields, a framed Metropolis movie poster (Fritz Lang 1927), and a large Jimi Hendrix image. This is a reminder that pub owner Alex Chandler (with his wife Steph Oliphant-Chandler) is the son of the late Chas Chandler, Animals bass guitarist, entrepreneur and manager of Slade and the self-same Jimi Hendrix as in the picture frame. There’s no trading on the family name; the Chandlers plough their own furrow.

The Marine is a worthy title winner; may the North Sea blasts get behind her for forthcoming regional pub of the year deciders. AG

When Cheers first visited The Yard micropub in Blaydon, Tyne & Wear, chippies and sparkies were hard at work and panicking inwardly at a looming opening date. The essence of the place was evident, however.

Upscaled, recycled, pre-loved materials have been used extensively and there’s something soothing about being in a room that is new… but not.

Now a central fire is glowing, animated chatter abounds (“I could never get away with Rod Stewart”) and a steady flow of cask and keg beer heads over the counter (with more than the occasional schooner of gin to follow).

On a blustery February afternoon, the place is as warm as toast, a welcome refuge on the short walk from Blaydon bus station. There’s even a large tureen of soup on the go (“help yourself”).

The Yard takes up three rooms of a basement – the entrance nestles between a physiotherapist and a hairdresser. The colourful lobby and staircase décor is the work of the graffiti artist upstairs; there’s

a “quiet” room, curiously dominated by a huge picture of York Minster; a sedate lounge with pew-style seating and renovated fireplace, then through to a bright, nicely-lit bar serving a rotating list of beers from Hadrian Border, Firebrick, Box Social, Wylam or Great North Eastern Brew Co – plus Heineken Lager, Beavertown Neck Oil and Lagunitas DayTime on keg. A landscaped garden at the rear will be a boon in fine weather.

The Yard is comfortable and comforting, a bit like an upscaled, much-loved woolly jumper. Slip into it. AG

GOOD PUB GUIDE 2020 BEST VALUE PUB

THE DIPTON MILL INN

Enjoy home cooked food and real ales in a warm, cosy, friendly atmosphere.

Real fire - dog friendly - beer garden Open Mon - Sat 12 to 2.30 & 6pm to 11pm - Sun 12 to 3pm

606577 - email INFO@DIPTONMILL.CO.UK WWW.DIPTONMILL.CO.UK

Telephone 01434

WE ARE HOME TO

HEXHAMSHIRE BREWERY Brewed on site and delivered directly and through SIBA DDS in the North and by good wholesalers nationally Telephone 01434 606577 or email MARK@HEXHAMSHIRE.CO.UK

WWW.HEXHAMSHIRE.CO.UK DIPTON MILL ROAD, HEXHAM, NE46 1YA www.cheersnortheast.co.uk / CHEERS / 21

CELEBRATION

Rare sight: Metal Bass sign at the Railway Hotel, Birtley, Gateshead

The Perfect Accompaniment to Any Pint!

INSIGHT NORTHERN

ISSUE 54

DECEM BER

2019

NORTH ERN

NORTHERN

ISSUE 55

JANUARY 2020

ISSUE 56 NORTH ERN

DECEM BER

nsight.co.uk

JANUARY 2020

IMPACT AND INNOVATION ON NORTH TYNESIDE

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2019

arts leisure motors fashion logy education ty media techno business proper issue 54

INSIGHT FEBRUA RY 2020

INSIGH T YOUR EYE ON THE REGION

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NORTHERN INSIGHT - YOUR EYE ON THE REGION

ON THE REGION YOUR EYE INSIGH T -

INSIGHT

business property media technology education motors fashion arts leisure issue 55

FEBRUA RY 2020

NEW MOVE GORDON BROW FOR N LAW FIRM

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education motors fashion arts leisure

issue 56

NORTHERN

INSIGHT

The Business and Leisure Magazine for the North East Region

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

22 / CHEERS / www.cheersnortheast.co.uk

A LITTLE BIT OF BETTER

It’s unusual for a beer in Britain to have a day dedicated to itself. In fact, it’s probably unique. That’s what makes National Bass Day so special – Saturday April 11 is the time for celebrating one of the nation’s great ales.

The Bass Brewery was founded in 1777 by William Bass in Burton-upon-Trent in Staffordshire. Its main brand was Bass Pale Ale, once the highestselling beer in the UK brewed by the world’s biggest brewery. The company's distinctive red triangle became the UK’s first registered trademark, so the provenance of Draught Bass is in no doubt.

Burton beers were very distinctive because of the waters used to brew them. High levels of sulphur gave its beers a distinctive aroma – “Burton Snatch” if you were being polite; “Farty” if you weren’t.

However, throughout the last four decades, a combination of lack of promotion and changes to the brewing process led Draught Bass to fall into a steep decline, both in terms of sales and quality.

National Bass Day is being organised by Burton-born beer aficionado Ian Thurman, aka The Wicking Man. Ian says: “Go in to a pub, any pub. The chances are there will be

NATIONAL BASS DAY

a Bass mirror on the wall. Many thousands of them across the country pay homage to one of the world’s finest cask ales. Yet, there are now fewer than 500 pubs in Britain selling Bass on a regular basis. The unintended consequences of government legislation has left Draught Bass languishing in the brand basement of AB InBev. That it has survived at all is a miracle.

“It is now time to celebrate Bass’s survival and to look forward. It’ll soon be its 250th anniversary, let’s start practicing.”

Ian Thurman’s cudgel has also been taken up by John Brearley who owns the Railway Hotel in Birtley, Tyne & Wear (plus The Swan & Railway in Wigan, Lancashire, an 1898-vintage pub he has restored to its former glory). Hugh Price, who is synonymous with the Tynemouth Lodge in North Shields, is another Draught Bass devotee, having spent virtually a lifetime extoling its virtues.

John Brearley says: “I’m passionate about proving that there is still a call for very traditional British pubs that have retained genuine heritage features. We serve Bass at the Railway Hotel and much to my surprise I discovered that a

previous owner had introduced Bass in the mid-1980s and it quickly became one of his top sellers – indeed The Swan & Railway was apparently one of the top selling outlets for it in Lancashire. Bass is flying out there – not yet Hughie Price’s volumes at the Tynemouth Lodge, I suspect – but were chasing him.

“We are shortly having the sign on the gable end overlooking the main London to Glasgow main line repainted and will include a Bass logo.”

There’s no doubt that Draught Bass, like Timothy Taylor’s Landlord, is quite a difficult beer to keep and serve properly and that’s part of the problem when everyone is used to “fast food”.

Bass needs expert cellaring, it needs time and care and attention.

However in the right hands it’s a subtle gem that sells very well and gains a loyal following.

If you care about beer and pubs you can make a difference by supporting National Bass Day 2020. It’ll be worth your efforts. *National Bass Day, Saturday April 11 2020. See Twitter feed twitter.com/nat_bass_day For background, visit https://thewickingman. wordpress.com/2020/01/08/ national-bass-day-2020/

vv

BOG STANDARD

Regular reader Peter Kinghorn thought we might be amused by the picture he took in the gents (left) at Charolais Tapas Bar in Fuengirola on Spain’s Costa del Sol. We certainly are, Peter – but we won’t make the obvious comment.

And a note that the toilets in The Heart of Northumberland in Hexham (pictured right) are particularly well maintained – which doesn’t go unnoticed but says a lot. The view the other way is across the town’s rooftops complete with swooping pigeons.

CONISCLIFFE ROAD | DARLINGTON

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www.cheersnortheast.co.uk / CHEERS / 23

BOOK REVIEW

LOW LAND, HIGH QUALITY Once upon a time Dutch beer meant a few near-identical lagers and a lot of dependable advertising. Not any more. In fact, the country’s craft beer scene has evolved so quickly over the past decade that it seemed impossible cover everything that was happening.

Beer In The Netherlands 2 by Tim Skelton proves that it can. The fully revised and updated second edition of this acclaimed comprehensive guide to the thriving Dutch beer scene carries personal reviews of 700 brewing companies, thousands of beers, and more than 550 specialist bier cafés and take-home suppliers.

Tim Skelton is an award-winning beer and travel writer and global expert on Dutch beer culture. A British-born Dutchman, he has been

based in the Netherlands since 1989 and has spent more than three decades studying local life through the bottom of a glass. He doesn’t remember who it was that first weekend who gently prised the pils from his grasp and replaced it with a Koningshoeven (La Trappe) Tripel, but he is extremely grateful.

Beer In The Netherlands 2 provides invaluable insider’s tips for readers on where to go, how to get there, and what to order when they arrive. It will help first-time visitors find the best beer destinations from brewery taps and brewpubs, to cosy brown cafés and spectacular

beer emporia, as well as offering a guide to the country and its beer festivals. And for old hands and residents it may help them discover new beery favourites.

Tim Skelton’s breezy, witty and often disparaging book takes the reader through the rapidly evolving Dutch beer scene, from Aalten to Zwolle and many off-the-beaten-track places in between. Whether visiting for a city break, touring the country by bike, or simply looking to try something new, this guide will become a trusted companion helping people to (re)discover some unexpected corners of a fascinating beer country.

“Quality is on the up,” he says. “Back in 2002, drinking a competently-made beer that wasn’t a mainstream lager more often than not meant ordering something Belgian. That no longer need be the case. Now with the words ‘Dutch beer’ and ‘scene’ are happily reunited in the same phrase and the country’s beer culture decisively renewed, the Netherlands can once again take its rightful place among the big league of brewing nations.”

“We want the world at large, including the owners of Dutch cafés, to realise that new Dutch beer is worth checking out and deserves respect.” *Tim Skelton, pictured left, is a member of the British Guild of Beer Writers and also the author of Around Amsterdam in 80 Beers (Cogan & Mater) and Luxembourg: The Bradt Guide (Bradt Travel Guides). skeltonink.eu

A WELCOME IMPORT Cheers North East’s favourite craft beer popup bar Café Amsterdam is back for another event, this time at Full Circle Brew Co’s shiny new taproom at Hoult’s Yard, Walker, Newcastle.

Over the weekend of Friday March 6 (3pm) to Sunday March 8 at a 9pm finish there promises to be the regular Full Circle bar serving their fresh brews, plus Dutch beery delights and Gin/ Genever serves, along with Scream for Pizza’s regular concession who are designing a Dutch/ Bitterballen surprise just for Café Amsterdam.

We’re advised to not miss a Twee treat from Nevel Artisan Ales and Tommie Sief Wild ales, plus rumour has it the Full Circle team has also planned a special tasting session/brewery tour on the Sunday afternoon, so keep your eyes out for more details www.facebook.com/ CafeAmsterdamWB/ 24 / CHEERS / www.cheersnortheast.co.uk

Dutch delights: Typical Amsterdam street scene

NE R ME DE GE UNANA M

W

NT

A traditional Countryside Inn where a warm welcome awaits from David, Natasha and their team!

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BEER TOURISM

GET AWAY WITH YOU Newcastle pub owner Dave Carr has taken time out from trotting the globe to disgorge the contents of his favourite pubs notebooks.

He begins with the Balkans and former Yugoslavia

SERBIA The Old Brewery Yard Cetinjska, Belgrade Until the collapse of Yugoslavia in the early Nineties, Beogradska Industrija Piva was the biggest producer of beer in the country. Since its closure in 2015, its former grounds are now home to small businesses, and it's undoubtedly the trendiest area in Belgrade, despite its central location behind the touristy street of Skardalija.

Restaurants inspired by the multicultural, artistic, laid-back and casual Kreuzberg district of Berlin include the cosy Berlin Monroe and Basta Craft & Draft as well as wine bars, blues clubs and retailers, such as the excellent YugoVinyl record store. If you need something to soak it all up, it’s also a five-minute wander from the best Pljeskavica (Serbian burgers) in town, at the humble To Je To (That Is It). Don’t forget the Kajmak ( clotted cream cheese).

26 / CHEERS / www.cheersnortheast.co.uk

Krafter Strahinjica Bana 44, Belgrade Probably your first safe shout for a dip into Balkan craft beer. One of the friendliest bars of Belgrade’s bohemian district Dorcul, Krafter has 14 taps stocked exclusively with Serbian beers, with a further 50 internationals in bottle.

Look out for beers from Kabinett & Crow Brewery. Nearby watering holes in Dorcul are excellent too, such as Gunners Pub, Leila’s Bar/ Vinyl Store and Low Alternative Bar. (Instagram: krafterbar).

Samo Pivo Balkanska 13, Belgrade and Subote Vrlica 5, Subotica The translation “Only Beer” is a good indicator of what to expect in this huge one-room beer hall.

Samo Pivo more than satisfies my oddball needs in an Eastern European beer adventure.

Sitting opposite a pizza restaurant in the neighbourhood of Savamala with themes of Russian author Mikhail Bulgakov, the dark entrance of an abandoned shopping mall (complete with smashed-up escalator), opens up to reveal a packed out venue with the biggest selection of beers in Belgrade, including a great house “gypsy” IPA from local brewers Dogma.

(Instagram: samo_pivo).

Federal Institute of Globetrotters Bulevard Despota Stefana Here’s another quintessentially curious Serbian boozing experience – one of the city’s many “secret bars” located halfway up an unassuming residential block on Bulevard Despota Stefana.

Originating from the anti-Milosevic movements of the 1990s, it’s said that these bars were created for dissidents and conspirators to keep away from the eyes of the Government.

BEER TOURISM

Entrance is a puzzle, just ring some buzzers on the door and hope for the best. “Izvinite” is sorry in Serbian!

BOSNIA & HERZEGOVENA Brew Imperial Society Marsala Tita 56, Sarajevo The beer scene in Bosnia & Herzegovina is pretty poor in comparison with its northern neighbours, but this unique venue on Marshall Tito Street is definitely worth an hour. Renovated and repurposed by locals The Brew Co, the 1913 Romanija Cinema is adding beer to a mix of concerts, cinema and exhibits as it plans to be a venue for educational and cultural events.

The IPA is pretty drinkable.

Imaimoze Craft Beer Garden Gojka Vokovica 4, Mostar Home of OldbridZ brewery, this no-nonsense brewery tap has six beers complemented by three guests, generally including one from Banja Luka’s Master Craft Brewery (its milk stout is pretty good). Located five minutes from the famous EU-rebuilt version of the 15th century Stari Most, the iconic bridge which was damaged beyond repair in 1993. Meat and cheese boards are pretty good, generally including smoked beef, similar to Bresaola, the

Italian air-dried salted beef. The nearby Black Dog has a couple of locally-made beers, and has a wonderful Glaswegian/Bosnian hybrid barman to further confuse you after a few drinks.

Bars in the northern part of the city have a few beery offers, but are a little lacking in personality, being rebuilt in a modern western style after the 1990s conflict. (Instagram: imaimoze) CROATIA Dubrovnik Beer Company Obala Pape Ivana Pavla II 15, Dubrovnik If you’re after a break from the ubiquitous Ozujsko lager in Dubrovnik, you’ll need to take a ten-minute taxi to the port area of Gruz, where locals are revelling in this new brewery’s four core beers, which offer a lager, a pale ale, a milk stout and an IPA. One guest beer is generally available. For options in the old town, Craft Beer Hamlet & Beer Factory will see you right, but prepare for western prices of 40-50 kuna (£5/£6). (dubrovackapivovara.hr) MONTENEGRO PG Akademija Piva Moskovska, Podgorica Voted the most boring capital city in Europe (by people that obviously haven’t been to Chisinau,

Moldova), Podgorica actually has a fun and vibrant pub scene, with a largely young and liberal new wave of Montenegrins.

You’ll have to venture out for beers more interesting than the native Niksicko pilsner, however, to the huge, slightly corporate Akademija Piva (Beer Academy). The beer, brewed on site, is pretty good and the choice is the best in the region outside Belgrade. *Dave Carr is managing director of Frank & Bird, which operates Newcastle’s Brandling Villa in South Gosforth and The Punch Bowl Hotel, Jesmond.

Pictured clockwise from top left: The Old Brewery Yard, Belgrade; Krafter, Belgrade; food at Samo Pivo, Subotica; Imaimoze Craft Beer Garden, Mostar; POG Akademija, Podgorica; Gunners Pub, Belgrade; Leila's Bar/Vinyl Store, Belgrade.

GET THERE SERBIA: Flights to Belgrade from Luton Airport start from £14.99 one way with Wizz Air. CROATIA: Departures to Dubrovnik begin in May from Newcastle Airport with Jet 2 from £145rtn.

MONTENEGRO: Flights to Podgorica from Stansted Airport start at £12.99 one way with Ryanair. Manchester flights to Tivat start from £58 one way.

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 SUPPORTING

All sports shown • Quiz Nights • Pool • Great Juke Box Discount for CAMRA members

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 / 27

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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 THOUGHTS FROM ABROAD

CHEERS ON THE ROAD

We keep saying it, but we’re constantly amazed by the fun you folks get from this magazine – for instance, packing a copy in your wheelie case to be photographed in points at home and away.

John Byrne from Jarrow, South Tyneside, took his Cheers all the way to Cape Town, South Africa, with him. The proof was sent by his daughter Rachael.

The shoreline, blue sea and Table Mountain sure look inviting.

Paul Robinson and Margaret Harrison have recently been staying with her daughter Tamatha and husband Les – originally from Newbiggin-by-the-Sea in Northumberland (plus grandbairns Luke and Sarah) in Mandurah,

near Perth in Western Australia.

Paul took a 12-month supply of Cheers along to leave at White Lakes Brewery in Baldivis to show the large British ex-pat community what’s been happening back in this neck of the woods.

“Keeping chilled here in the heat,” writes Paul. “We’ve been tripping around breweries and wineries, sampling a vast array of beers, local wines – Semillion Sauvignon Blanc – and fab seafood. Oddly, we’ve spotted no Fosters amber nectar anywhere.

As one native said, ‘We don’t sell that muck here, it’s purely for export to you Poms’.”

Thank you folks, keep the ball rolling. info@cheersnortheast.co.uk

Paul Robinson at White Lakes Brewery.

Below left: A selection of its beers.

Below right: John Byrne in Cape Town

25

gonortheast.co.uk www.cheersnortheast.co.uk / CHEERS / 29

FUN STUFF

SIGN OF THE TIMES Big thanks to the Scottish correspondent who alerted us to this classic.

There’s not a lot of need for comment, is there?

THE DIRTY DOZEN TWELVE TEASERS TO SET YOUR GREY MATTER ALL A-QUIVER

1. Melanie Reay, head coach of Sunderland Women’s FC, is the cousin of which North East sporting legend?

2. What were the names of the three tunnels dug by the POWs in The Great Escape?

3. From which language does the word ‘bravado’ originate?

4. Which two television characters lived at 24 Oil Drum Lane?

A MAN WALKS INTO A BAR… …AND SAYS TO THE PART-TIME BARMAN, “WHAT’S UP WITH YOU TODAY?” THE BARMAN REPLIES, “YOU KNOW I’M A STUDENT, RIGHT? SO I TEXTED MY PARENTS LAST WEEK ASKING THEM TO SEND SOME MONEY SO I COULD BUY A LAPTOP.” “SO, WHAT’S WRONG WITH THAT?” SAYS THE CUSTOMER. THE BARMAN SAYS, “THEY SENT ME THE LAPTOP”.

5. Bonny Lad and White Windsor are varieties of what?

6. What is Ireland’s prime minister also known as?

7. Mary Shelley’s famous novel was originally called ‘Frankenstein Or The….’ what?

8. What is Europe’s lowest point?

9. Which city is further north, Moscow or Copenhagen?

10. On which river does Amsterdam stand?

11. Who was Henry VIII’s last wife?

12. In which film did Michael Caine say, ‘Not a lot of people know that.’?

1886

EEH! NUMBERS

1886: Motherwell Football Club was formed

“YOU CAN’T DRINK ON AN EIGHTHOUR FLIGHT, PASS OUT AND THEN GO ON STAGE... WELL YOU CAN, BUT THEN YOU’RE SPANDAU BALLET”

1886: Scotch whisky distillers William Grant & Sons was created

ROBERT SMITH

1886: The year Coca-Cola was invented by John Pemberton

1886: Karl Benz patented the first successful gasoline-driven automobile

1886: Facundo Bacardi, Cuban rum company manufacturer, was born.

QUIZ ANSWERS: 1 Alan Shearer. 2 Tom, Dick and Harry. 3 Spanish. 4 Steptoe & Son. 5 Broad bean. 6 Taoiseach (pronounced tea-shock).

7 …Modern Prometheus. 8 The Caspian Sea (but double points for Brexit). 9 Moscow. 10 The Amstel. 11 Catherine Parr. 12 Educating Rita.

30 / CHEERS / www.cheersnortheast.co.uk

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

Tue 3rd Mar

Sun 12th Apr • 9pm

Fri 22nd May • 6.30pm

Fri 4th Sep • 6.30pm

Thur 5th Mar

Monta Musica ft. TAZO B2B ACE

The Smyths

Sleeper & The Bluetones

The Hoosiers: The Greatest Hits

Thur 16th Apr Fri 17th Apr • SOLD OUT

Mon 9th Mar Tue 10th Mar

Sat 18th Apr • 6.30pm

Jonas Blue

MPN Rock School Fri 13th Mar

Michael Kiwanuka Wed 18th Mar

Elbow Goldie Lookin Chain Mon 20th Apr

The Fratellis

Jax Jones Fri 20th Mar

Stiff Little Fingers + The Professionals + TV Smith Sat 21st Mar • 6.30pm

Danko Jones Wed 25th Mar • SOLD OUT

Blossoms Thur 26th Mar

Tom Clarke from The Enemy - Enemy Greatest Hits Set + Conleth McGeary Fri 27th Mar • 6.30pm

Bad Manners + The Panic Report Fri 27th Mar • 6.30pm

Bulsara and His Queenies Sat 28th Mar

William DuVall (of Alice in Chains)

Sat 4th Apr

Dutty Moonshine Big Band Sat 11th Apr • 5.30pm

Duran an Duran Sat 11th Apr • 6.30pm

The Rezillos

Gaye Bykers On Acid Sat 30th May • 6.30pm

LoGoz Death To Indie, THE BAND FOR DISEASE CONTROL AND PREVENTION, Liquid Patience, Compered by ‘Cherry B’ Fri 5th Jun

Wed 22nd Apr

Sat 6th Jun

Limehouse Lizzy

+ Stu Penders + Spladoosh

ft From The Jam, Big Country, Just SO, Geordie, The Wainstones, Black Acid Mavericks, The Good Souls, Alan McGee (DJ Set)

Tue 28th Apr

Fri 12th Jun • 6.30pm

The Lancashire Hotpots

Sun 20th Sep • 6.30pm

Rend Collective Fri 2nd Oct • 6.30pm

Hue and Cry & Toyah Sun 4th Oct

W.A.S.P. Fri 16th Oct • 6.30pm

Good Karma Club Tour Bad Religion - Oscar Lang & Special + U.K Subs Guests Sun 7th Jun • 3.30pm In The City Newcastle Sat 25th Apr • 6.30pm

Cast playing All Change and a Greatest Hits set Sat 17th Oct • 8.30pm

Ultra 90’s Dance Anthems Live Tue 20th Oct

Black Stone Cherry + Kris Barras Band Fri 23rd Oct • 6.30pm

Craig David TS5 Wed 29th Apr

Joesef Thur 30th Apr

An Evening with The Buzzcocks’ Steve Diggle Fri 1st May • 6pm

The Straits UK

Fri 1st May • 6.30pm

Pale Waves - Hit The North Opening Party

Megan Dhalai + Lee Paul + Elizabeth Liddle

+ Chaos 8 + Cherry and Peesh + SPLIT SENTENCE Sat 20th Jun

Sun 21st Jun • 6.30pm

A Night of Soul and Gospel

Hit The North

+ The Creep Void

Sat 16th May • 6.30pm

Sat 4th Jul • 6.30pm

Fleetingwood Mac Sun17th May

Morgan Wallen + HARDY Fri 22nd May • 6.30pm

Fell Out Boy & The Black Charade + We Aren’t Paramore

Thur 29th Oct

+ Ruts DC

Slalom D

Nirvana UK

Soul II Soul The Stranglers

Sat 20th Jun • 6.30pm

Mon 27th Jun • 6.30pm Sun 3rd May • 2pm

Cock Sparrer Sat 24th Oct • 6pm

Sat 13th Jun • 6.30pm

Lioness AKA The Amy The AC/DC Experience Winehouse Experience

Sat 28th Mar • 6.30pm

Roachford

Sun 24th May • 6pm

Tue 21st Apr

Ash - Teenage Wildlife: The White Buffalo 25 Years Of Ash Thur 19th Mar

Meat Is Murder 35th Anniversary Tour

(Tribute)

Fri 30th Oct

Heels of Hell 2020 + Landon Cider Sun 15th Nov

Becky Hill Sat 21st Nov

The Skids Wed 2nd Dec

Skunk Anansie Sat 5th Dec • 6.30pm

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

CASH: Paying Respect To The Main in Black

Sat 11th Jul

The Animals & Friends Mon 7th Dec Electric Six Farewell Tour Mon 27th Jul

Sirocco & The Harriets + Conor Michael + The Baltics

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

Tue 8th Dec

Oh Wonder - Wear Your Crown Tour