JW Lees are currently celebrating 180 years of Independent Family Brewing in Middleton. Founded by John Willie Lees in 1828, the company is still committed to brewing and to its Middleton Junction site. Currently the sixth generation, led by Managing Director, William Lees-Jones is at the helm though the fifth generation, led by William's father and uncle, Richard and Christopher who are Chairman and Vice Chairman respectively, are still very much on the scene.
Lees are a very optimistic company, which is refreshing amidst all the doom and gloom that currently pervades the industry. William told "More Beer" that they intend to develop the company further. "We take the view that we do not inherit the brewery from our fathers, rather, we maintain and improve it for our children". At a recent visit to the brewery, I also took the opportunity to have a chat with the Chairman, Richard Lees-Jones, who is still known in the brewery as Mr Richard in the age old tradition. For someone who has worked at the brewery for well over forty years, his enthusiasm and optimism burn brightly. He is still in every day, working as usual. He was telling me that the seventh generation now number seven in total, so he is optimistic that the youngsters are in sufficient numbers to take over in due course, though it will be a fairly long time away. He spoke cheerfully of his confidence that Lees can ride out any recession.
William too is keen to emphasise that they are spending a lot of money to keep things forging ahead. He is very proud of the refurbishment programme that has seen many community pubs upgraded (see elsewhere in this edition for latest details) and that the brewery itself is now modern and flexible. He points out that two new fermenting vessels for cask beer have been recently installed giving more ale brewing capacity. Giles Dennis, Head Brewer still sees a bright future for cask ale and points out that the brewery has never had a better range of cask ales, with four permanent beers as well as four seasonal ales and four special occasion ales on offer. To celebrate 180 years, a special beer is being brewed, appropriately called "180". It is available in July and August and is a 4.5% full bodied ale with a good hop character.
It is good to be able to report that the company is in safe hands. More Beer congratulates John Willies and looks forward to the next 180 years!
Dear Editor,
I always enjoy reading More Beer and find Peter Alexander a very pertinent commentator on the local pub and beer scene.
However I see that in the Spring 2008 issue he tells us that Moorhouses Blond Witch "is a blend and it shows".
Given that Blond Witch is by far the palest of the Moorhouses range, I am wondering which of the remaining darker beers are blended to achieve this remarkable result. I think we should be told.
Yours sincerely
In this issue we have a reply from the man at the coal face, as it were, in response to articles published here and in the national CAMRA newspaper concerning Budget price rises etc. We also have what I believe to be the very first Letter to the Editor. Great! More correspondence and debate is warmly welcomed.
It's always regrettable when we hear of any losses to real ale, and this quarter sees the demise of Owl Brewery. Our newest local microbrewery, although not within our Branch area, is Shedded at Salford, whose first brew has been showcased at the New Oxford. We're still anticipating news from Outstanding at Bury. Also welcomed to the cask fold, although again not within our branch area, is the Castlefield Hotel (YMCA) Bar, now offering three guest ales including a permanent Bazens, at a very reasonable (for Manchester) £2 a pint. There's quite a cluster of decent brews on offer in the Deansgate/Castlefield area these days - competition for the Northern Quarter perhaps? Talking of which there are rumours that the Beer House is to be taken in hand, renamed and re-opened. We await further details with interest.
We have details of another packed six months in the ROB calendar - and an extra date for your diaries is 5-6 September: SeptemBURY Fest, Bury Sports Club, Radcliffe Road, Bury.
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I wrote in the last issue that Lees had decided to permanently close the Dicken Green in Queensway. In a complete reversal of thinking the brewery has now concluded that there is after all a need for a "good community pub in that area" and will instead refurbish it, with an intended reopening in August. Other refurbishments that are underway include the Swan at Delph which is an excellent pub of some character in an equally characterful village, the Spinners at Springhead, Oldham and the Tommyfield at Oldham by Tommyfield Market. In addition refurbishments recently completed are the Cotton Tree in Boarshaw, Middleton and the Railway and Linnet in Middleton Junction, just around the corner from the brewery. The latter has attracted much positive comment in Middleton for the high quality of the job and it is, according to the brewery, "trading well".
There are also a number of tenancies available at present in the Lees estate amounting to around 10% of pubs, which is probably par for the course in these difficult trading times. These include the Royal Oak, the Boarshaw Hotel, the Minders Arms and the Middleton Archer (all Middleton), the large and impressive Saracen's Head in Warrington, the well known Puckersley in Royton and the gorgeous and delightfully situated Netherton Hall in Frodsham. Others dotted throughout the estate are also available. The brewery website has full details.
On the movement front, Carol & John Cadwaller have moved from the Spring Inn, Rochdale to the Pack Horse at Birtle. Lees are currently recruiting new staff for the Spring Inn. They have also bought the popular Ladybower at Milnrow which is undergoing refurbishment to bring it up to Lees' standards and is due to open in early August. Watch the local press for a competition to find a new name!
I mentioned above that trading times can be difficult, but one innovative Lees' licensee has come up with a novel way to supplement his pub income. Chris Cummins, licensee at the Assheton Arms, Middleton, has transformed a corner of his pub into a modern barber's shop, allowing customers the opportunity to enjoy a pint of JW Lees Bitter whilst they get a hair cut!
Lastly for this edition, Lees recently ran an offer where a coupon in the local press got you a free pint to celebrate Lees 180 years of brewing. A celebratory beer called "180" will also be available by the time you read this though the free beer offer will have come and gone. It was a nice gesture though so, "Happy Birthday Lees!"
Events form a key part of the social scene in Saddleworth, with the Brass Band Contests, the Beer Walk, Saddleworth Show and the Folk Festival taking place between May and July. In August the "Wartime Weekend" has superceded the Yanks event on 8-10th August while the popular Rushcart Festival takes place across the area on 23-24th August. The former comprises various events involving historic trucks and other vehicles, and troops dressed in period gear, including convoys along Uppermill High St during the day on Saturday and Sunday. At the Waggon there will be a Hawaiian music night on Friday and a swing band on Saturday afternoon, with other attractions around various pubs in the area.
The annual Saddleworth Museum Beer Festival will take place on Friday night 5th and Saturday 6th September, with a variety of cask beers available from local breweries including Greenfield, Millstone, Phoenix, Shaw's and JW Lees. In addition, live music will be performed on both nights.
Still in Uppermill the Granby is now doing home cooked food between 12 and 5 and is happy to cater for small parties. The pub continues to offer four cask beers, usually served on the cold side, including one or more Greenfield beers. Over the past few weeks Dobcross Bitter, Ice Breaker, Monkey Business and Icicle have been available.
Pushing into new areas of artistic endeavour, enthusiasts of belly dancing will be pleased to hear that classes for this are now taking place in Saddleworth - just come along to the Railway at Greenfield on Tuesday night! After working up a sweat, even if you're just watching, new beers are now on offer to cool you down. Recently Beyond the Pale (4.2%) and Nettlethrasher (4.4%) from Elland Brewery, Hanby All Seasons (4.2%) and Copper Dragon Golden Pippin (3.9%) have been seen on the bar.
Down the road at the King William IV they have started doing late (11-1) breakfast on Sundays. Also for summer, trad cider in the form of Weston's Old Rosie (at a whopping 7.3%) is being served to complement the five cask beers, including two guests. The pub has a quiz night on Monday, a singer on Saturday and increasingly popular poker league on Sunday nights.
In Delph, Esther Howard has left the White Lion and Richard Beckett, who previously ran another Thwaites pub, the Commercial in Golcar, has taken over. For the time being they will continue to sell Thwaites Original and Lancaster Bomber, the pub is now open all day with food served from noon until 5 o'clock.
Following a period of steady business development, Greenfield Brewery celebrated the official registration of its new "green pint pot" logo at a presentation ceremony at the nearby Clarence Hotel on 18th April. At this the author had the pleasure of presenting the registration certificate to business partners Peter Percival and Tony Harratt and two of their beers were enjoyed that evening.
The brewery started a small bottling operation in Spring and Delph Donkey, Dobcross Bitter and Summer Ice are now available in local outlets, and from the Paradise Brewery bar at the Arndale in Manchester. New cask brews include Jinty (4.1%), a pale very bitter beer and Brewery Mill (4.2%), a mid gold bitter with citrus notes based on Saaz hops.
Millstone Brewery in nearby Mossley continues to offer new beers in its "Pubs" series with "Crown & Anchor" (a 4.3% pale bitter) about to replace the current "Gate Hangs Well" (a 4.1% pale hoppy beer with a sweetish aftertaste). Unfortunately, production of their popular Grain Storm has been interrupted in the past few weeks as supplies of Green Bullet hops from New Zealand have dried up in the UK.
Firstly we have an additional outlet. The Greaves Arms on Yorkshire Street has John Smith's cask & various Robinson's ales. In addition the Dog & Duck on St Domingo Street will soon be selling Shepherd Neame's Spitfire, and the 3 Crowns will have Marston's Burton Bitter.
Sadly the Oldham end of Lees Road is much less encouraging. The good news is that the two JW Lees pubs The Grouse, and Bridge Inn (on Moorhey Street just off the main road) are both selling real bitter and mild. The bad news is that these are the only pubs open until the 'Salem dip'. The Royal does burst into life
every so often then closes as quickly. The Jolly Carter is surrounded by scaffolding which suggests it's being converted. Finally the Spinners has had 'opening soon' chalked on the door. Unfortunately this is now unlikely. The pub recently appeared in the local paper as it was being used to grow cannabis. There were other pubs, but the Robin Hood is no longer in existence whilst the Malt and Hops has been derelict for years.
In one of the biggest bids ever seen, InBev of Stella Artois fame has made a successful takeover bid for Anheuser-Busch, the American Number One, which creates by far the world's biggest brewer. The Budweiser brewer has been floored by a $70 a share offer from Inbev making the offer worth a whopping $52 billion or £24.5 billion! The likely effect on cask drinkers will be minimal. Duvel Moortgat has acquired the whole production rights from the receiver of the bankrupt fellow Belgian brewer Liefman's, famous for its raspberry and cherry beers and its Flemish brown ale. Older members of this CAMRA branch will remember excellent visits to both breweries a number of years ago. Duvel know what they are doing and this is probably a good outcome for beer lovers everywhere. Everards of Leicester has started up a pub spy scheme. Potential pub spies can sign themselves up on Everards' website where they will then be assigned a local pub to visit. They will rate its food, drink and overall service and receive Everards goods in return. The undercover ratings will go towards the pub's ranking in the Everards tenants reward scheme, as well as providing valuable feedback to licensees. How about that then Lees? Fans of the "F Word" on Channel 4 may have seen Gordon Ramsay brewing his own beer in a brewery installed in his back garden. This brewery was installed by our very own CAMRA branch member Dave Porter, who operates the Outstanding Brewing Company in Bury and is a prolific installer of breweries and a fine brewer.
Lastly and by no means least, the Government has announced an enquiry into the
large Pub Companies that have a stranglehold over so much of the pubs in this country. They will examine, among other things, whether there is a need for further regulation of the industry. A new group called the Fair Pint Campaign has been formed to fight the pub companies' view of life, so this one will be interesting and maybe vital for the future of our pubs.
Sat 26th July - Joint Social with Trafford & Hulme Branch in Bury Area by public transport
Sat 2nd August - Coach trip to pubs in Elland, Halifax and Brighouse
Tues 12th August - Branch Meeting, The Baum, Toad Lane Rochdale
Sun 24th August - Saddleworth Rushcart Festival
Tues 2nd September - Branch Meeting, Rifle Range, Chadderton
Wed 24th September - Evening visit to Outstanding Brewery, Bury
Fri 3rd - Sun 5th October - Coach trip to Edinburgh inc Caledonian Brewery
Tue 7th October - Branch meeting, Eagle & Child, Higher Lane Whitefield
Sun 26th October - Tandle Hill Social
Tue 3rd November - Branch Meeting, Cemetery, Rochdale
Sat 8th November -Train trip to Dewsbury
Fri 14 - Sat 15 November - Bury Beer Festival, the Met, Market Street
Sat 22nd November - Pub crawl of Oldham town centre
Tues 1st December - Branch Meeting, Railway/King William, Greenfield
Wed 10th December - Christmas Social, Ashton Arms, Oldham (to be confirmed)
Tues 30th December - Drown the Turkey Crawl, Northern Quarter, Manchester
Venues etc may change due to circumstances beyond our control, so for further details, availability and times etc please contact Social Secretary Ken Holt or any member of the Committee.
The former home of Joseph Holt, the Woodthorpe Hotel, was once again the venue for the brewery's AGM on 20th May 08. Around 80 directors, senior staff and shareholders (many of them Holt's enthusiasts) assembled in the refurbished conference suite to rubber stamp the motions proposed.
Chairman David Tully opened the proceedings and gave a brief review of the brewery's activities in 2007. Not surprisingly it has been a difficult year with the smoking ban, interest rates and increased energy and raw materials costs hitting profits. Although turnover was up from £42.5M in 2006 to £43.9M, net profits were down from £4.1M to £3.2M with distribution costs rising by a hefty £1.3M. Two pubs were acquired in 2007, The Tavern at the Mill in Cleveleys and The Golden Lion in Swinton, and the cost of these, plus pub refurbishment and substantial investment in outside drinking areas following the smoking ban, came to £11.3M.
Following questions from the floor the board explained their plans to develop a community pub approach where possible and that they would not compete directly on price with JD Wetherspoon. They were also optimistic about
the future sales of their expanded range of bottled beer to supermarkets.
So that was it - six motions passed without dissent and two questions answered and the AGM was declared closed after just 14 minutes with David Tully apologising that it had gone on longer than usual!
Reluctantly we headed for the bar where cask mild, bitter and Maple Moon (4.8%) awaited, together with the recently introduced Smooth and Black keg beers.
Over a pint or two of these it emerged that Holt's current policy is to develop its tenanted estate where appropriate; from their estate of 130 pubs they now have 12 tenancies, 10 of which were transferred from managed houses in 2007. Also they have decided to sell the Papermakers in Radcliffe and, while the Crumpsall Hotel has been lost to a CPO, the Broadway in Moston will reopen later this summer. One final piece of pub news was that they are looking for a new name for The Golden Lion, mentioned above, and suggestions should be submitted to Philip Rowan, Company Secretary.
UK beer sales have fallen below the 5 billion litre mark (30.55 million UK barrels) for the first time since 1975 as the consumer downturn and smoking ban continue to hit Britain's pubs and brewers. Figures released to the brewing industry by the British Beer and Pub Association (BBPA) show total UK beer sales fell 1.7 per cent in the year to the end of April.
The biggest decline in beer consumption came in the premium lager segment where sales fell 2 per cent year on year. Brands including Stella Artois have suffered marked declines - off-trade sales of the brand are down 7 per cent in the year to May while select import brands have seen sales climb sharply emphasising the slump in popularity of British brewed lager. Stella, in what will probably be a doomed attempt to arrest falling sales and shake off its "wifebeater" image, will reduce the strength of its lager from 5.2% to 4% abv.
The effect of the decline in consumption, combined with rising utility and commodity costs, an increase in beer duty, and the impact of the consumer downturn and smoking ban is having a catastrophic impact on Britain's pubs.
Pub closures are running at 27 a week, according to the BBPA, amounting to some 1,200 that have been forced out of business over the last 12 months. Around 175m fewer pints were drunk overall as a direct result of the smoking ban.
According to the BBPA brewers earn just 0.7p profit on each pint they sell, while the Treasury receives 33p. The trade body said the profits of the major brewers in the UK had fallen 78 per cent between 2004 and 2006. That came as the volume of beer sold through pubs hit its lowest level since the Great Depression of the 1930s, with sales in the whole of the UK beer market down by 22 per cent since 1979.
Against this depressing background, as previously reported in this newsletter, cask beer in general is close to returning to growth and many craft brewers are reporting record sales. Real ale's renaissance is being driven by the growth and prevalence of regionally-brewed beers, and the explosion of local breweries that are bucking the decline in overall ale sales. We knew that didn't we?
Many CAMRA members and members of
the public have been asking about
whether there will be a National Winter
Ales Festival next year. The answer is a
resounding "Yes!" The CAMRA National Winter
Ales Festival (NWAF) will take place again next
year at its usual venue, New Century House,
right by Victoria Station, Manchester between
21st and 24th January 2009. A major
difference this year will be that the festival will
be organised by Graham Donning, long time
activist for CAMRA in the Furness Branch in
Cumbria and now a member of Rochdale,
Oldham and Bury Branch. Rochdale Oldham
and Bury Branch will have a lot of involvement
in this event, as Graham's deputy will be Peter
Alexander, Chairman of the Branch. Our own
Mike Robinson will be Cider Manager and the
Staffing Officer is Ruth Andrew.
Graham said "Since putting my name forward
and having been accepted by the National
Executive I have been a bit busy! A Working
Party has been set up and our first meeting
was held on 31st May in Stockport. We have a
logo in place, a web site is being organised and
I have set up a Yahoo group:
(http://groups.yahoo.com/group/NWAF-
CAMRA/) for anybody who may be interested
in keeping up to date. A series of dates for
future meetings has been arranged including a
number of open meetings at which any CAMRA
member is welcome. We are also hoping to
get as many local CAMRA members
volunteering for this prestigious North Western
event as possible, as after all, CAMRA is nothing
without them."
The dates for the 2009 event are:
setting up/take down Sunday 18th January to
Monday 26th January 2009;
Open to the public Wednesday 21st January to
Saturday 24th January 2009.
Graham can be contacted for information by
email : g_donning@yahoo.com
It was 2003 when I first heard rumours of a new brewery being constructed at the Hope Inn, Oldham. As the pub had been derelict for a few years this was something of a surprise. Over a year later the pub re-opened with an in-house brewery .... Owl Ales. Thankfully I missed the opening night but a few days later had my first pint of Night Owl ... an excellent 'dark' beer. The Russet wasn't quite as good, mainly due the lack of finings.
I gradually became a regular ... mainly because the Hope was on my way home from work. It was too easy to call in for 'a quick one'. Woe betide Gordon (the landlord & brewer) if Night Owl wasn't available. Lager soon made an appearance, which did bring in extra custom. Although finings were soon in use many still weren't keen on the beers. The initial idea to just produce 4 beers soon had to be dropped. As Gordon pointed out the first question he got from a landlord was 'Have you got anything new?'. Some brews were good whilst others weren't as successful. Amusingly to me the best ever beer was a complete accident ... a batch of Night Owl came out at about 3%. After throwing half of the brew away it was put on the bar as Night Lite. It was very hard to believe that the beer wasn't around 5% as it tasted beautiful & virtually flew out of the pump. A successful mild, winner of Mild of the Nottingham CAMRA festival, was produced but then abandoned.
Unfortunately the numbers at the Hope never did increase. After around 18months Gordon, tired of working 18 hour days, moved the brewery to an industrial estate. The pub was sold to a couple, still with some Owl beers. Time was finally called in Spring of this year and the pub is now a family residence.
After the Hope my contact with Owl was via the Ashton Arms, Oldham, where the beers
regularly appeared on the bar. Sadly Night Owl all but disappeared. The Ashton locals had differing opinions about Owl, some trying every new beer whilst others refused to touch their brews. It must be said that the beer wasn't always to everyone's taste. The Gordon's Brown Ale was especially good though.
A few weeks ago it became known that the brewery had ceased trading. The kit is being sold to someone in Spain. My last pint was of Russet. The beer could be used to explain one reason that Owl never got a good reputation. In its time the brew has changed strength & undergone amendments to its recipe to 'improve' the taste. Night Owl has gone through similar changes. Most real ale drinkers prefer a beer that is consistent and sadly Owl didn't deliver. Perhaps some of the Ashton regulars were correct. The beers were those liked by the brewer rather than those wanted by the drinkers.
Finally I'd like to say farewell to Owl. Personally I'd like to send thanks and best of luck to Gordon. If you do ever get anyone to brew Night Owl please let me know.
Here is the original letter to What's Brewing from Dave Facer dismissing the original 60% price rise (£4 pint) scaremongering article (repeated by Peter Alexander in a previous issue of More Beer). The money facts have been updated.
There is no justification for a 60% increase. That will happen (like all other massive price increases) because of press scaremongering getting people accustomed to expecting it and the extra profit will go to the Pubco's, not the brewer or the landlord.
It would be fair to redress the balance by printing this article, written by someone who actually brews beer as opposed to someone who just pours it down his throat.
Dear What's Brewing,
As a micro-brewer, I felt I should respond to Tim Hampson's article (What's Brewing, November) about the effect of increased raw material costs on beer prices. Malt, hop and fuel price increases are indeed putting severe pressure on brewers' costs, but the suggestion that 'the price of a pint could soar by up to 60%' is simply not justified. I have no reason to believe that my situation is wildly different to that of other micros, so to put the record straight:
My malt has increased in price by some 30%, adding a maximum of 2p to the cost of a pint to the drinker. Hop prices have increased by around 100 - 200%, adding another 2p at the most. The article didn't mention fuel, but diesel has risen in price by some 25% over the last year. If the extra cost of deliveries caused by this increase were passed on fully to the consumer, this would add about another 1p per pint. So that's about 5p a pint from the major raw materials and fuel. Unless Tim knows a pub charging 8p for a pint, this is nothing like a 60% increase! It is, in fact, more like 2 - 3% of the price of a typical pint.
I appreciate that some of the larger brewers may find their raw material prices increasing more as a percentage because they are paying less to start with than micros, but I really cannot understand what is to be gained by scaremongering projected rises like the 60% mentioned.
While we're at it, can we have a bit more honesty around the Alcohol Duty argument put forward in the article? Reading it, one would imagine that the rate of duty on beer was unreasonably high compared with wines and spirits. Of course I would love to pay less duty on beer, but I imagine that most fair-minded people would expect, if we have to have a tax on alcohol at all, that it would be applied pro-rata with alcohol content no matter what the beverage. When related directly to alcohol content, beer duty for big brewers is around 30% less than that levied on both wine and spirits. For breweries eligible for full Progressive Beer Duty relief (i.e. all micros), it is some 65% less.
Keep up the good work, but do take it easy!
Dave Facer
Facer's Brewery
Tan y Coed
Bryn y Garreg
CH6 5QT
P.S. The end bit about duty is a bit out of date bearing in mind the budget increase. But again the 4p a pint figure needs closer examination it's only 4p a pint (including VAT) on 5% ABV beers. Lower strength beers are proportionally less, and of course micros get 50% relief, so the duty rise for micros if fully passed on increases the cost to the consumer by a maximum 2p/pint.
A pub isn't good simply by lieu of selling unpasturised Urquell. Ditto a basic boozer just selling Bud. Sometimes a dump is just a dump. Quality varied as did price. 30Kc seemed to be an average, although many places were more expensive. With pubs in Wenceslas Square charging 90KC, the hotel bar seemed (unusually for a hotel) a bargain at 70Kc. Which was something I was glad about when I picked up the bar tab on Sat night/Sun morning...
Beerwise there were some very reasonable Dark beers. And I quite enjoyed some of the crisp Pales that we came across, although they were not generally in the German class of quality. Ditto for the Wheats, which generally didn't quite deliver as much as they promised. Tankova, or unpasturised Pilsner Urquell, was a novelty and although noticeably less gassy than its ordinary stablemate, the novelty factor did fade remarkably quickly. Likewise the real Bud and the various yeast beers that seem to be all the rage. I was suitably impressed with beers from both Bernard and Ferdinand, but less so by what Krusovice had to offer.
Ok, let's talk specifics. U Fleku more than lived up to its billing. A great place with some excellent beer. What more can you ask for than good beer in a good location? Is it expensive? Well, it's not actually. Tourist prices of 60Kc seem cheap when some backstreet dives were asking 80Kc. Even better was Pivovarsky Klub which was handily close to the hotel. This is a delightful bar offering a great range of beers. My only gripe was that they throw you out at 2300 - hardly the stuff of continental Europe. U Medvidku was vast and pricey, and the world's (allegedly), strongest beer was, frankly, pants.
Novomestsky Pivovar was interesting, but sadly they wouldn't allow you to stay if you were only drinking. I would have pushed the point, but my companions had already concluded it wasn't our type of pub. Well maybe not theirs, anyway. Which brings me onto the Prvni Pivni Tramway. This is accurately described by Evan's guide as smoky and dark. Yes it's a locals' pub that is indeed dark and smelly, selling average beer. Oh and it's tram themed - I think that's supposed to be good. Frankly, when it's 23C outside the last place I want to spend the afternoon is somewhere like that. I could have stayed in Bury for that. But people do often confuse different with good, and basic for atmospheric, and hence it has its supporters. Sometimes though, a pig in a poke is exactly that...I discovered I wasn't a fan of Krusovice beers and that's probably explains why I didn't rate their Beograd outlet. On the other hand, I did enjoy Ferdinanda and their beers. All I can say about U Rudolfina is that it was dirty. Not only cleaner, but immeasurably better was the U Bulovky Richter brewpub. This had some good beers and the brews at Klasterni pivovar Strahov weren't bad either. I really enjoyed the monastery setting of Klasterni senk and the Klaster light was quite refreshing.
While I don't agree with Gazza on the delights of the Prvni Pivni Tramway, I do concur with his assessment of Pivovarsky Dum. This really was excellent. Very smart, non-smoking, and with menus in English and Russian. Some good looking food as well, although once again, sadly, I didn't get a chance to try any. Beerwise: the Bock was terrible, the Coffee was more like Nescafe and the Banana tasted like those old banana pop drinks you used to get before all the additives were banned. On the plus side, the Dark was good and the Pale and Wheat were both excellent. And let's not forget the nettle beer. This was a lovely shade of green urine was mentioned, but if my pee was that colour I would be very worried. Anyway, I approached it rather warily as the aroma wasn't giving anything away. However, it turned out to be quite moreish with a nice dry finish. For someone who has managed to drink a whole pint of JW Lees before now, it wasn't any problem at all. Even their weird champagne beer with muscat grape extract proved quite tasty.
Just to show I can also rough it with the spit-and-sawdust CAMRA brigade, an honourable mention should go to U Sadu. This was a great boozer with decent Weizenbier and communist memorabilia adorning the walls. Oh, and it kept real drinking hours - an impressive 0800-0400. County Life proved an excellent veggie haunt with extra strength roast garlic soup a particular delight, whilst Kogo proved an excellent source of Italian cuisine. Entertainment wise, Club Reduta lived up to its reputation as Prague's premier jazz spot - I can see why Vaclav Havel took Bill Clinton here.
There's a lot of Baroque to be seen in Prague and I was particularly impressed with the Church of St Nicholas. You can't go to Prague without paying homage to Kafka and I clocked as many references as possible, including his sister's house at 22 Golden Lane where he stayed for a short time. He's actually buried in the New Jewish Cemetery, but of far more interest was the Old Jewish Cemetery with the impressive Klausen Synagogue at its entrance. Trawling round these cultural attractions I stumbled across some excellent beer shops in the vicinity whose cheap delights somehow made their way into my homeward bound luggage. Although after lugging two heavy bags home on a warm Sunday afternoon I did begin to question the wisdom of bringing back so much beer.
Prague - a mixed bag, but like anywhere it's what you make of it. I would recommend it, but just don't leave your jacket in your hotel room.
ROB's Spring trip was to West Lancashire. Jim's new chara meant that those consigned to the back seats no longer risked compacted spines as we went over speed bumps. As normal, it was cold, rainy and windy in Greater Manchester, but this later turned into a bright and breezy Spring day.
They weren't ready for us at the Derby Arms at Aughton, meaning a wait for some of the plebs, but not a problem for the lucky few at the front of the coach. I went for Derwent Parsons Pledge (4%) which had a hint of fruit and was pleasant enough. Tetley Mild (3.3%) was even better with a dry, bitter, malty palate. Also on offer was Allgates Carry on Drinking very appropriate! This was tasty but had no head retention whatsoever. Some people ignored the beer and went for Hoegaarden. The front room had a glorious fireplace but it was far too hot for comfort. By the bar, a stuffed weasel seemed to have had too much beer.
The next stop was one of the best - the Dolphin (also known as the Flying Fish) at Longton. Hidden away at the start of the Ribble Way, at the end of a winding country lane, it's a local's pub. I can only imagine their surprise at 20+ thirsty drinkers bursting in. Anyway, the beer didn't disappoint and some people decided to eat here. A mistake, perhaps, as the rest of us were then presented with crispy chicken wings and cheese pizzas, gratis. And, in some cases, fed the very friendly, huge and hairy pub cat. Enjoyed it all here, including Slater's Top Totty(4%), which was golden crisp with just a hint of fruit. There were also Moorhouses Black Cat, Grindleton Ribble Bitter and Rudgate Hit or Miss on offer.
We noted that there was a minibus available for local pickups and dropoffs - very civilised! In fact, we enjoyed it so much our substitute leader, Branch Secretary Pam, decreed a 15 minute extension.
The official lunch stop was the village of Croston which is situated by the River Yarrow, between Southport and Chorley. A lot of cask pubs here, but today they proved somewhat disappointing.
The GBG listed Wheatsheaf was completely empty - never a good sign for a Saturday lunchtime. Particularly for a pub that sells itself on its dining. Perhaps part of the reason was the price of some dishes, which was quite eye-watering. Another reason may be the beer quality, with the Taylors Landlord having that lovely butterscotch flavour that we all associate with it. My polite request for something else was met with "it smells ok." Also available were Deuchars, Taylor's Landlord, Boggart and Scrumpy.
A pit stop at the Lord Nelson revealed some below-par Moorhouses Premier and a distinct lack of food, despite their advertising otherwise.
The Black Horse (Cain's) having always been dodgy when visited, it was straight to the other GBG pub - the Grapes. Greene King IPA, Shepherd Neame Spitfire, Everards Tiger, Marston Pedigree and, my choice, 'Brewed exclusively for MWS Wholesale', Dog's Life Gone to the Dogs (4.5). This is a smart little multi-roomer and although the beer range was reduced from previous visits, luckily quality was ok. Their food proved better value and of better quality than elsewhere as well. The 3 cheese Ploughman's provided a good wedge of cheese and bread, with minimum interference from any salad.
Chorley centre saw us first calling in at the Malt & Hops, containing some excellent mirrors and décor. This is now a Beartown pub, selling their wares and some guest beers. Both Kodiak Gold (4%) and Harley (4.1%) were pale, but undistinguished. There were 8 beers available, from Beartown, Bushys, Crown, Allgates, Banks & Taylor and Magpie, but some went for the Blueberry and Raspberry beers in Grolschstopper-style bottles.
Then up to Cowling Brow and the Prince of Wales. This is a traditional multi-roomer, with a well-stoked coal fire in the snug, where the landlord's interest in jazz is clear to see. I tried Jennings Cumberland (4%) and the tart Wychwood Fiddlers Elbow (4.5%). Also available were Marston Dragon's Tipple, Jennings Bitter, Hook Norton 303.
Finally we called it a day at the Spinners Arms in Adlington. Luckily, being the last stop, the choice (as usual), was excellent and hop lovers weren't disappointed. I started with an old friend - Durham Magus (3.8%) which has an interesting mix of Czech and American hops. The resulting golden ale has delicate citrus notes and a pleasing bitter/sweet tangy taste. However, that had to give way to York Decade (4.1%) which has to be the best beer, by far, that they brew. Also available: York Bitter, Coniston Bluebird, Taylor's Landlord, Moorhouses Black Cat.
Just time for a toilet dash and then it was home time. Back in Bury, everyone seemed keen to get to the Trackside, but it appears only for a toilet stop. I was the only one actually having a drink. So there I was, alone and abandoned, unloved and unwanted, with only Saltaire Apricot (4.2%) for company. It's enough to drive a beerhound to drink.
As predicted, heavy rain accompanied us all the way to Thornbridge Hall in Derbyshire. The reason for the long haul was to present Beer of the Festival awards and have a nosey round the garden party. Oh, and hopefully try some of their beers on their home turf. There must have been a sense of optimism in the air as several CAMRA branches made the long journey, when, quite frankly, any sensible individual would have taken one look at the weather and gone somewhere else.
Being made of sterner stuff, I prepared for the coming festivities with breakfast and beer at Wetherspoons in Bury. This proved crucial in the long day ahead. On arrival we immediately made a beeline for the brewery. This was a small, compact affair, with a beer stand opposite serving 3 Thornbridge beers. Disappointingly, these proved to be the only beers available between both bars - it would have been ideal if one bar sold a different selection.
White Swan (3.5%), despite not being clear, was quite tasty for its strength, with a bitter-lemon finish. Lord Marples (4%) was more of your bog standard bitter. Not bad, but obviously the poor cousin of the three. The third was, of course, Jaipur IPA. This 5.9% well-hopped (actually dry-hopped here) multi award winner was in good condition and seemed to be the favourite amongst our party. But just how much of it can you sup before weariness sets in and you're all Jaipured out? Apparently, for me anyway, the answer is 5 pints.
By now the rain, and the lack of shelter, was proving a real pain. Our Social Secretary called a meeting for later to decide if we should move on ahead of schedule. However, by the time of the meeting we were basking in sunshine and, judging by the way people were gripping their plastic glasses, the Jaipur was kicking in. So we gave it a bit longer. And yes, I said plastic glasses. Our Chairman had come prepared with his own glass - I had considered liberating one from JDW but couldn't be bothered in the end. Have to say that the live act - Junkyard Dog were a pretty good covers act with an excellent sound system.
We left just in time as the downpour started again. Our next stop was Ashover, a very picturesque village in North East Derbyshire. It was no surprise to learn that the village centre is a conservation area. There was a mass wildebeest-like stampede to the nearest pub all of 10 yards away. The more experienced drinkers avoided the bar melee by making the short journey up Church St to the other two pubs in the village.
Right at the top was the Black Swan which was serving a range of beers, all, much to the Chairman's chagrin, without a sparkler. It was here he first outlined a horrifying theory - that the sparkler was in decline. I was a little puzzled by this. After all, aren't the Southern Softies always complaining that all their beer is now being served a la sparkler? Perhaps they have more than their fair share? In which case, give them back, now. I shall watch out for this worrying development. We did try Spire Land of Hop and Glory (4.5%) but this proved to be a rather insipid golden ale which even a sparkler couldn't have saved. For trivia buffs, the Swan was the pub featured in the TV show Peak Practice.
The Crispin Inn further down the street was a very cosy Jennings hostelry. The Cocker Hoop (4.6%) was a very crisp golden beer with only a hint of honey to detract from it. Served in excellent condition, it was very enjoyable. We made our way down to the Old Poets Corner, only to find that our party were well and truly ensconced there.
Ashover Coffin Lane Stout (5%) was dark with initial sweet caramel notes that quickly died off. Their other beer that we tried was also disappointing. Poets Tipple (4.1%) was amber, quite watery, with only a slight fruit tang to tickle the palate. Dark Star Summer Solstice (4.2%) was much better, being very pale and good zesty bitterness. Finally we tried Landlord - with a hastily produced old fashioned sparkler. This got the thumbs up from our resident Landlord expert who had tried the non-sparkler version beforehand. Back in Bury the situation had deteriorated even further in the Trackside with only 3 beers on. And no Cheddar Valley! Some people who should know better settled for the 3% Honey Porter whilst the real men went straight on Jever.
More substantial food would have been good at some point. Apart from JDW's breakfast, my only alcohol defence was a packet of freshmint chewing gum. Summing up: a rather mixed start to the day, but improving as the day wore on and a very strong finish.