The latest Intelligent Choice Report which gives the “Definitive Guide to the Cask Ale Market written by beer writer Pete Brown on behalf of bodies that represent the whole cask ale industry, including CAMRA, The Society of Independent Brewers, Cask Marque and the Independent Family Brewers of Britain shows that cask ale is the only bright spot in declining beer sales throughout the UK. In a market that saw an 8% decline, year on year cask ale performed well dropping only 1.3% in sales overall.
In 2007, the Intelligent Choice report took a favourable, but honest, look at what s really happening to the UK s national drink. It said that reports of cask ales demise had been exaggerated, and even forecast an eventual return to growth. Most people welcomed a bit of good news in a beleaguered time for beer and pubs. One or two thought it was wishful thinking, heads buried in the sand kind of stuff. And then came twelve months of a perfect storm for the pub market: doubling raw material costs for beer, soaring utilities costs, the credit crunch, a terrible summer, the smoking ban, a cruel and ill-informed tax increase... the bad news just seemed to go on and on.
Surely the report was wrong? Surely beer and pubs were doomed? If anyone could survive, surely it would be strong global lager brands backed by heavy marketing and international financial clout, rather than supposedly old-fashioned, uncool cask ales? Not according to the British beer drinker.
This year s Intelligent Choice report shows that, according to independent market data from the world s biggest data collection agency, cask ale is outperforming every other ale and lager style, showing volume and value performance that is either fractionally down or stable. That might not sound like news to shout from the rooftops, but it s better than anyone else in the beer market can claim.
This is great news for cask ale brewers, but it s great for publicans too. Because the report shows that cask ale can significantly increase the profitability of a pub if the appropriate brands are stocked, supported, and well-kept. Cask ale is thriving and provides the truly unique selling point for Britains pubs. Hand-built beer, lovingly crafted by the brewer, carefully nurtured and served well will bring the customers in and keep them in. What are you waiting for publicans?
Welcome
to
the
Autumn
edition
,
not
that
there
was
a
Summer
that
I
noticed.
What
a
washout!
What
happened
to
being
able
to
sit
in
a
beer
garden
enjoying
a
pint
in
the
sunshine?
I
think
I
ve
done
that
twice
this
year
so
far,
and
once
was
in
February!
It s good to see, as the nights draw in and the year winds down, the calendar filling up with festivals small and large, pub and Camra.
The main event for the Branch this quarter is the Bury Beer Festival at The Met. Wed be pleased to see you there and thank you in advance for your support, also all the volunteers who give up their time , without them there would be no event.
Although it s early, I ll wish you all best wishes for the coming New Year, for it will already have started when our next issue comes out. Scary.
More Beer is produced four (4) times a year on behalf of the Rochdale, Oldham and Bury Branch of CAMRA. Advertising Rates are;
Mono Full Colour 1/4 Page £60 £70 1/2 Page £115 £130 Full Page £215 £230 Inside Covers £260 Outside Back £275 Block booking discounts are available; please contact Neil Richards MBE on: 01536-358670 or 07710 281381
Chairman: Peter Alexander Email – peter@peteralexander.plus.com
Secretary: Pam Ellis Email – pam@pamellis.fsnet.co.uk
Membership: Mike Robinson Email - jmikerobby@aol.com
Social Sec: Ken Holt Email – kenjan.holt@btopenworld.com
Treasurer: Clive Taylor Email – camraclive@uk2.net
Pubs officer: Bernie Jackson Email – acksionman@ntlworld.com
More Beer Editor: Sue Barker Email – suebarker@bulldoghome.com
MORE BEER is produced by the Rochdale, Oldham & Bury branch of The Campaign for Real Ale Limited. The editor, the Branch committee or CAMRA does not necessarily endorse any opinions expressed in this newsletter. The editor would be pleased to receive contributions on relevant topics – by post or E-mail. Publication cannot be guaranteed, of course, as space is a premium in any free publication, contributions may be edited and certain grammatical errors corrected – if spotted in time. Copyright © 2008. The Campaign for Real Ale Ltd., Rochdale, Oldham & Bury Branch.
POST CONTRIBUTIONS TO:
The Editor, More Beer C/O 175 Bolton Road, Elton, Bury Lancs. BL8 2NW
OR POST TO:
CAMRA R.O.B.
P.O.Box 108, Oldham OL2-5RE
CAMRA HQ.
230 Hatfield Road St. Albans.Herts, AL1 4LW
01727 867201
Web: www.camra.org.uk Email:
camra@camra.org.uk
SHORT MEASURE PINTS Complain to your local Trading Standards office. Oldham. 0161-911-4471 Rochdale. 01706-864-186 Bury. 0161-253-5566 Or Email www. Either To Bury, Oldham Or Rochdale.gov.uk
THE NEXT ISSUE OF MORE BEER WILL BE OUT END OF JULY WE MUST HAVE ANY CONTRIBUTIONS BY THE 7TH JANUARY AT THE LATEST
Design & Layout by:
Tel: 01733 751286
info@tamoko design.co.uk
Advertisement Sales by:
Tel: 01536 358670
N.Richards@btinternet.com
Branch first , an official inter-branch social , saw roughly equal members of ROB and Trafford & Hulme (plus one Bolton member) converging on the Trackside in Bury. For once the weather forecast was totally wrong and the sun was roasting. Maybe rain would have been preferable as the conditions prompted an outbreak of shorts and hairy knees!
Taken off guard by the sudden influx of Camra persons together with the hordes of normal people there for the steam trains, the staff just couldn t keep up. At one point the queue to be served stretched more than halfway to the door , and it was moving so slowly that some, having being served, promptly rejoined the back of the queue!
Delights on offer included Little Valley Ginger, George Wright Summer Sizzler (5.1%) and Acorn Yorkshire Pride (3.7%).
We then caught the 480 bus which takes the scenic route to the door of the Pack Horse at Affetside. The pub was extended just over a year ago and now has a restaurant and outdoor seating areas taking advantage of the splendid views. A range of Hydes beers were available including the seasonal special Bells & Whistles. Most people also decided to dine here , the majority settled for sandwiches but the appearance of the Tear & Share Chicken drew everyone s attention and some promises to return to give this further investigation.
The 480 in the opposite direction, plus a five minute walk, took us next to the Hare & Hounds at Holcombe Brook. Around a dozen beers were on handpump including Phoenix White Monk, Copper Dragon Golden Pippin and Leyden Chateau Leyden at a whopping 7%. All beers were pronounced in good condition although the opinions as to the actual taste of the Leyden varied wildly.
A 472 from opposite the pub and a nine minute walk led to the Footballers at Summerseat. Hydes Bitter and Taylors Landlord were here. Again we took advantage of the weather and the stunning views from the rear garden.
Here is where it all started to go downhill…. heading back towards the main road we were annoyed to see the (early) bus go sailing past. Fortunately this is a loop route so we crossed the road and returned to Bury in the opposite direction, affording our guests an unplanned tour of Ramsbottom.
A mile out of Bury our leader abandoned ship in pursuit of more Golden Pippin at the Hark to Towler. A few hundred yards further on the bus stalled, never to start again. Several of us decided to walk back into town, one heading for the bus/tram interchange and two to finish off the evening in the Sir Robert Peel with a half of Oakham Kaleidoscope.
An excellent day out, thanks to Alex Koval for arranging it, the visitors being impressed by the quality and variety of the pubs we visited and the ease with which they could be accessed by public transport.
Hopefully there will be more joint socials in the future.
Firstly
some
bad
news.
The
Greaves
has
accepted
the
inevitable
&
taken
off
the
handpumps.
Basically
the
real
ale
didn't
sell,
but
many
thanks
to
the
owner
for
trying.
Better
news
at
the
Dog
&
Duck
where
they
are
hoping
to
get
Greenfield
on
regularly.
Anyone
attending
the
Oldham
town
centre
crawl
in
November
will
be
able
to
check
this
out
as
the
pub
will
certainly
be
on
the
route.
Finally
a
futher
Oldham
Town
Centre
real
ale
outlet
is
Pickwick's
at
the
bottom
of
Yorkshire
Street,
just
above
the
Union
Street
traffic
lights.
The
bar
has
restricted
opening
(mainly
weekend
evenings
till
'late')
&
often
has
Greenfield
ales
on
handpumps.
Well
worth
remembering
if
one
is
out
'clubbing'
&
requires
some
decent
beer.
Bank
Top
Brewery
in
Bolton
have
been
told
that
Bank
Top
Dark
Mild
will
be
going
forward
to
the
CBOB
finals
at
GBBF
next
year,
after
having
been
judged
'the
Best
Mild
in
the
North
West'!
The competition took place at Furness Beer festival in Ulverston, in September.
There was a blind tasting against the other highest voted milds of the northwest -this covers Cumbria, Lancs, Gr Manchester, Merseyside and Cheshire. Amongst the judges were members of tasting panels and some who are regular judges at CBOB and WCBOB, as well as ordinary drinkers.
Bank Top Dark Mild was a very clear winner! Amongst the comments made were: "good first impression through the aroma" "fruity" "A fairly full-bodied beer" "Light roast aroma, a dense, dark beer" "hint of blackcurrant jam, grows on you." but "a little more bitter than most milds"
It is appropriate to describe Bank Top Dark Mild as CAMRA's Northwest Champion Dark Mild and you can give this any publicity you can get!!
Congratulations
are
due
to
Simon
&
his
team
at
the
GBG
listed
Baum
in
Rochdale,
which
has
been
awarded
first
place
in
the
"Best
Bar
None"
competition
for
the
best
pub
or
club
in
Rochdale
town
centre.
They
have
also
come
second
in
the
food
category.
If you decide to check it out, don t forget your CAMRA card as they are giving 40p per pint off cask ales to CAMRA members Monday to Thursday until further notice.
Denshaw
is
located
on
the
edge
of
Saddleworth,
split
by
the
A672
and
A640,
both
of
which
lead
from
God
s
Country
to
Yorkshire…(comments
welcome).
Remarkably
it
has
3
pubs
within
a
short
distance
from
the
crossroads
plus
the
Rams
Head
(Owd
Tups)
up
the
hill
towards
the
M62.
Since
its
heyday
many
years
ago
as
a
genuine
moorland
pub
with
a
great
welcome,
open
fires
and
proper
Theakstons
served
on
gravity
from
barrels
behind
the
bar,
it
has
developed
(?)
into
a
gastro
pub/restaurant
although
hand
pulled
Landlord
and
Black
Sheep
are
still
available.
It
also
features
the
Pantry,
a
farm
shop/deli.
The Junction Inn, not surprisingly at the crossroads, is a traditional John Willies pub with the main room featuring beams and exposed stone, and a separate pool room offering big screen TV. Food is available 7 days a week and a live band plays once a month. Cheap drinks are offered each week through the Tuesday Club. The only cask beer is Lees bitter, although one of their seasonal ales is usually on the bar at Christmas time.
Heading towards Oldham, the Black Horse has -Deuchars IPA on one pump and either just reopened after a month and the new Dobcross Bitter from Greenfield or Black Sheep licensees, Rita and Derek Heatley, plan to run it Best on the other -and Graham is keen to as a family pub. They have previous experience develop these. Quiz nights are held on Sundays in the licensed trade at the Smut Inn on and the pub has just won the Saddleworth Pub Manchester Rd in Oldham. Since the previous in Bloom title. Overall it is a much improved incumbents left the Black Horse -an Enterprise hostelry. Inn -has been thoroughly cleaned up and refurbished, a balcony rebuilt and the electrical Following a successful event last year the Diggle fittings renovated. Beers on offer are Landlord Hotel is again planning a mini beer festival in and Black Sheep Best although others may be December with 8-10 seasonal beers available on added as trade develops. Craig the chef is keen rotation over a two or three week period. to continue home made pies and other meals and the pub offers a “Children Eat Free promotion at weekends
Further along Oldham Rd the Printers Arms changed hands 6 months ago but remains a free house offering Taylor’s Golden Best and Printer’s Pride, a 4.3% beer brewed by Bazens. During that time the old dark red and black décor has been replaced to give the pub a much lighter feel, with pale wooden floors and dining furniture in the attractive restaurant. According to Licensee Ian Carr this design approach will also be extended to the central lounge area in the next few months. Home made food is again featured and available throughout the day seven days a week.
In Delph the Swan was sensitively renovated in July and now has exposed brickwork, a solid wood floor, complementary cream walls and 3 woodburning stoves. Avril and Simon have been tenants of this JW Lees house since January; bitter is the only regular cask beer and they will probably add a Christmas seasonal. Food is served from Wednesday to Sunday and Karaoke and Disco sessions are featured on Friday and Saturday nights.
Graham and Mandy moved into the Woolpack in Dobcross in March and have since spent a small fortune on its refurbishment, with new carpets, seating, beer pumps and lines and a complete redecoration of the pub rooms, cellar and their living quarters. The pub has a semicircular bar, an L-shaped lounge and a pool area. Although the Woolpack is predominantly a lager pub, two cask beers are usually available - Deuchars IPA on one pump and either Dobcross Bitter from Greenfield or Black Sheep Best on the other - and Graham is keen to develop these. Quiz nights are held on Sundays and the pub has just won the Saddleworth Pub in Bloom title. Overall it is a much improved hostelry.
Following a successful event last year the Diggle Hotel is again planning a mini beer festival in December with 8-10 seasonal beers available on rotation over a two or three week period.
The Cross Keys in Uppermill is one of the few JW Lees houses to offer a wide range of the brewery’s cask beers, with regulars Brewers Dark , Bitter and John Willie’s (4.5%) supplemented by their seasonal range. One of the most popular was Summer Sizzler, a 3.8% pale beer with a citrus flavour using First Gold hops, while their commemorative beer “180” (4.5%) was a slow seller. Scorcher had a steady following while the more recent Autumn Glow (4.2% - a ruby beer using Target hops and Styrian Goldings) has been well received.
In spite of the terrible weather and the (dubious!) alternative attraction of an England vs Andorra (pop 70,000) World Cup qualifier, the recent 17th Saddleworth Museum Beer Festival attracted more customers this year than last. Local breweries were again well represented and new beers from Greenfield (Over & Out, 4.0% ABV, hopped with Brewer’s Gold) and Millstone (Crown & Anchor, 4.3%) were both well received. Other popular brews included Pictish Brewer’s Gold (3.8%), the new JW Lees seasonal Autumn Glow (see above) and Phoenix Hopsack (3.8%).
Over the road from the Museum the Waggon now has a well-constructed outside smoking shelter which also doubled as a viewing platform for the nostalgic jiving during the recent Wartime Weekend! Plans are also in hand to refurbish the vault and other rooms, including the installation of a 42” LCD TV for live sport.
Greenfield Brewery has taken over the adjacent unit in Tanner’s Mill to provide extra space for barrel storage, a bigger cold room and expanded bottling facilities. Their seasonal beer currently on offer is Over & Out (see above) and following requests from the trade, they are planning a stronger (5%) version of High & Dry, a mid-amber beer containing Fuggles and Goldings.
Hot on the heels of its August/September seasonal Crown & Anchor, Mossley’s Millstone Brewery has introduced Royal Oak (4.0%) for October. This pale amber ale is brewed using only English hops - First Gold, Goldings and Fuggles. In November they will be celebrating the brewery’s fifth birthday with the introduction of Three Shires Special, a 5% version of their regular brew which was the first one to be produced when they opened.
The
quiet
village
of
Edgworth
was
descended
upon
by over
a
thousand
real
ale
fans on
the
last
weekend
of
September,
as
the
third
annual
Edgworth
Real
Ale
Festival
(ERAF),
sponsored
by
Wilds
Accountants,
took
place.
All proceeds will be donated to charity, and the whole village turned out in support of this increasingly popular event, whether it is through the sponsorship of local businesses or just patrons enjoying the specialist beers on offer. However, it is not only the local residents that are interested , ERAF, with the help of Bolton Community Transport, operated a shuttle bus that collected drinkers from all the surrounding villages, and, this year, people travelled from as far away as Colchester, Derby, Glasgow, Nottingham and Birmingham to see what all the fuss was about.
This year ERAF had over 55 casks of real ale, ciders and perries on offer, mainly from local micro breweries from around Lancashire and the Lake District. A total of around 3500 pints had been drunk by the time the festival ended at tea time on Sunday, with every cask empty.
Now in its third year, it is clear to see that the festival has made the transition from a novelty to an annual event. Customers have commented that the progression of the event, which also featured local food and entertainment from talented musicians The Fabulous Duffy Gibbons has now made it a serious and established beer festival in its own right.
The “Beer of the Festival was awarded to the Whitehaven Brewing Company s “ Ennerdale Blonde beer. The Silver award was given to Hopstar s Mexican Honey Beer and the Bronze award also to Hopstar for Smokey Joe s Black Beer.
From the outset, ERAF had two main aims; to promote real ale and raise some money for charity. These two aims were quickly realised as real ale fans filled the village hall from the minute the doors of the festival opened at 4pm on Friday until the beer had all gone on Sunday, helping to raise a fantastic amount of money.
ERAF is proud to announce that, with the help of their sponsors and customers, theyí raised a remarkable £9000 from their 2008 festival and this will be divided between this year's chosen charities, which are Macmillan Cancer Care and the Barlow Institute Charity.
Put the dates in your diary for the 2009 event , 25th/26th/ 27th September in the Barlow Institute.
Further information can be found at www.eraf.org.uk
A smaller than usual party of ROB Camra members crossed the borders on a Yorkshire Day raid at the beginning of August.
First stop, in intermittent drizzle, was the Cock o th North in Hipperholme, Halifax Steam Brewerys tap. The coach driver can be forgiven for almost going past it as you don t usually expect to find beer in a Portacabin next to a mill….
But it was a Portacabin with a difference, possibly the poshest one ever, big enough to contain both the brewery and a long bar with 10 handpumps, with plenty of room for customers. The bar was a vision of dark wood and glass, stripped wood floors were varnished and the carpet and upholstery a beautiful deep blue. Some tasteful art-deco prints added to the salubrious surroundings.
Beers on offer were Uncle Jon (4.3), Marilyn (4.0), Ginnett (4.0), Frankie (4.0), Ramsdens Lilly Fogg (4.0), Showtime (4.2), Cock o th North (5.0), The Goods (4.0), Jamaican Ginger
(4.0) and Dark Side (4.5). The majority of these were light in appearance and, being all around the same strength, there was not much to choose between them. Ginnett was a blend of GINger and NETTle and very interesting indeed. The landlord told us that he intended to hold a celebration (NOT a Beer Festival) of beer towards the end of August when there would be 20 beers on draught. Pity theres no local rail station!
Tyson the Beer Hound said: Ramsdens Lilly Fog (4%) was a pale beer that was pleasant enough, but lacked any real punch. Marilyn (4%) was another pale beer that had just that bit too much malt to make it quenching. Frankie, yet again 4%, was more or less the same. I began to see a pattern. Like a lot of brewers, I think they could do with using a few more hops to make their beers more distinct. Their ordinary Bitters were a little too ordinary. However, they do brew some interesting beers. I heard good reports about their Jamaican Ginger and I couldn t resist trying their ginger/nettle beer. This was as unusual as it sounds. The ginger comes through immediately, but instead of the usual strong aftertaste youre expecting, the nettle cancels it out. Interesting, although I couldn t imagine having a session on it.
Five minutes down the road, behind a camping equipment shop and across from where the rail station used to be, was the Travellers Inn. There was an interesting interior and fireplace, flagged floor and nice southerly-facing patio, but my camera objected to being exposed to the drizzle and began to produce Klimtian abstracts , very pretty in their own way but no use when you want pictures for a beer magazine. Ossett Pale Gold, Ossett Wot No England, Ossett Travellers, Ossett Quick Silver, Phoenix Monkeytown Mild, Morland Old Speckled Hen, Fullers London Pride and Bradfield Yorkshire Farmer were available. Next, as the weather began to clear up, we got dropped off in the centre of Halifax for two hours and went in search of lunch. The majority headed off to a tapas bar rejoicing in the name of The Hairy Lemon, with 2 cask ales. We decided to go in the opposite direction. First we called at the 3 Pigeons. Central to this pub is an octagonal area, the ceiling of which is decorated with a painting of the aforementioned birds. Décor here is definitely original art deco.
Saltaire Chocolate Stout, Ossett Yorkshire Glory (4.2), Ossett Pale Gold, Ossett Quick Silver, Ossett 3 Pigeons (3.9), Bradfield Yorkshire Farmer, Fullers Summer Ale, and Fernandes Shakespeare SB (3.4) were on offer.
A slight retracing of our route led to the Pump Room where we sat in the sunshine and marvelled at the number of drivers who don t know how to deal with a mini-roundabout. It was very entertaining but there were no actual collisions. The food was excellent , no faffing around with veg and sides, if you asked for Cottage or Fish Pie that was what you got, in a large dish. I can recommend the Roast Beef butty with roasties and gravy. Here we could choose from Phoenix Hopsack, Copper Dragon IPA, Copper Dragon Golden Pippin, Taylors Ram Tam, Taylors Landlord, Taylors Golden Best, Black Sheep Bitter, Black Sheep Riggwelter, and Rudgate War Hammer.
Tyson said: I enjoyed Golden Pippin (naturally) and Phoenix Hopsack. The latter of these was the source of some discussion, as some people found the hops used “too rough, but personally I really enjoyed it.
Out towards Elland, and the Drop Inn. We have paid several visits to this pub and each time it has been excellent. On the bar were Greene King Abbott, Fullers London Pride, Ossett Pale Gold, Fernandes Pickled Pecker (5.5) -strangely enough, no-one fancied trying this! and Ossett Red Ale Revolution Wheat (4.6) with a hint of coriander. Another multi-room pub with outdoor seating area, stripped wood floors, barrel tables and barrel stools. In bottle there was McQueens Nessie (from Austria! 5.0) a red whisky ale , probably similar to Innis & Gunne.
A couple of hundred yards back down the road there stands the Barge & Barrel, home to the Mitchell Eastwood Brewery. Phoenix Wobbly Bob, Eastwood & Saunders Bargee, Saltaire Chocolate Stout, Elland Brewery Gary Mitchell Gold Award, Elland Brewery Gary Mitchell Best Bitter, Shepherd Neame Spitfire, Black Sheep Riggwelter, Black Sheep Bitter, Abbeydale Moonshine, Daleside Bitter, and Elland Sinner Boy Bitter (4.5) awaited our attention.
Our final stop was the Red Rooster. Here there was Copper Dragon Black Gold, Taylors Landlord, Abbeydale Moonshine, Beowulf Wergild, Bazens Black Pig Mild, Old Bear Yorkshire Day, Moorhouses Blond Witch, Black Sheep Bitter, and Copper Dragon Golden Pippin.
So plenty of choice, with maybe slightly too strong a showing from Ossett , after all, you can have too much of a good thing!
In September, ROB paid their first visit to The Outstanding Brewery in Bury, the latest venture by David Porter of Porter Brewing fame. Those of us fortunate enough to live within walking distance arrived well in advance of the main party in the hope of getting early doors.
On entering the unobtrusive door to the brewery, we were faced with a reception and office area, the counter being fitted with handpumps for Ginger and Blond and filled with trays of sandwiches, salad, pickles and potato salad. David took us through to the brewery proper in the large warehouse unit and pointed us in the direction of the help-yourself beer , in this case, Blond, a very pale 4.5% brewed with Maris Otter malt. His leaflet describes it as lightly bittered with a heavy concentration of citrus flavours and a floral nose . We took the opportunity to charge our glasses and have a wander round before the crowd arrived, suspiciously earlier than the 7.30 agreed.
A good attendance of around 30 people were welcomed by David who thanked us for attending his 1st brewery tour at Outstanding. He then introduced business partners Glen and Paul. As a perfectionist, he admitted that he had experienced problems with marketing and with the quality of the beer and had been unable to produce and sell a lot of beer as yet.
He apologised for the beers available on the night , he thought that the Blond, which had been decanted, was OK but not brilliant. There would be a 5.0% lager, which was carbonated, and Standing Out, 5.5%, which he was saving for later as it was the dregs left over from what had been sold at the weekend. He also had some Bock, brewed in January at 6.0%, which he advised us to test with caution! Later on there would be some Pushing Out (a barley wine at 7.4%) which had been maturing for 5 months , he advised us to look in the conditioning tank, sniff and walk away quickly! The name had been derived from the concept of pushing the boundaries and had lots of hops. He intends to filter and bottle it.
David had started with a portfolio of 6 beers and is trying another 5. 2 of the beers on his leaflet, White and Smoked Out, have not been done yet. White is a wheat beer and he needs to acquire some smoked malt for Smoked Out.
He explained that the equipment and wood lying in piles around the brewery was for his other speciality , installing and setting up breweries. The one at Outstanding has a 2.5 barrel copper and a 15 barrel copper. He talked us through the brewing process and seemed to relish the prospect of 15 barrels of the barley wine. He has a 20-barrel mash tun and has designed his kit for flexibility. He aims to have 11 beers, all over 4.4%, in his portfolio. He has made a conscious decision to produce distinctive beers and feels that there are too many lower strength beers, which disappear in the market. He wants to try to get people to remember his beers, and wants repeat sales. He needs 50 good accounts for 60% of his sales. He has no intention of imposing restrictions and will sell to anyone, pubs, supermarkets. He intends to offer the full range in as many options as possible, keg, cask, carbonated, bottled, filtered. He was asked why he had chosen Bury to set up in and explained that the location was central to all the staff. In a declining market he aims for quality and specialisation. Has plenty space in which to expand.
A social session then followed. The Standing Out (a pale golden ale, dry and bitter with a good load of aroma hop thrown in to the production for good measure) and Barley Wine (a pale golden ale with a very strong distinctive dry, bitter flavour and a powerful unforgettable hop aroma) were tried and lived up to his warning! He certainly doesn t skimp on the hops , even our most dedicated hopheads were feeling hopped out by the end of the evening!
Some of us left at 10 for last buses with the prospect of work in the morning. Those on the coach left at 11. Some people were less than happy to be awoken by a text at 2.30 in the morning announcing the departure from the Brewery of the last of our party, who happens to live in close proximity, the famous/infamous Bury member known as Tyson the Beerhound.
October
is
Cider
&
Perry
Month
in
the
CAMRA
campaigning
calendar.
Each
year
more
and
more
publicans
are
opening
up
space
on
their
bar
for
real
cider
and
perry.
Cider
is
rightly
associated
with
the
country
as
it
takes
earth
and
land
to
support
groups
of
cider
apple
trees
known
as
orchards.
Cider
apples
when
ripe
are
pressed
and
the
resultant
juice
once
fermented
yields
the
drink
known
as
cider.
The
process
of
cider
or
perry
making
(perry
is
made
from
perry
pears)
is
handed
down
through
generations.
At ancient hiring fairs (or Mops) working people would often have made their decision about which farmer to accept employment with on the basis of whether or not the farmer was the producer of top quality ciders or perries.
The industrial revolution altered the worker s ability to choose their employer on the basis of their cider or perry production , it also changed the landscape and our relationship with the countryside. Agriculture and tending the land was sadly found to be a thankless occupation. Even twenty years ago money was being paid to have orchards grubbed up.
Thankfully this practise has ceased and the manifold values of orchards are being realised and championed by groups like CAMRA, Common Ground and Sustain. Local orchard groups are being formed right now to keep, maintain and promote local products.
You ve heard of cider but may have no idea what perry is. Read on and let a whole new world tickle your taste buds and awaken your senses.
Perry is to pears as cider is to apples but while it is possible to make cider from dessert apples you can not make perry from dessert pears. Perry pears tend to be small and generally hard and their names take on a sort of mystic charm like Merrylegs; Mumblehead; Lumberskull; Huffcap and Startlecock.
To make perry the pears are processed to produce juice by pressing them in the same way as apples. Some perry pears are very soft and spoil easily so must be pressed as soon as they are ripe. Others, such as Thorn, are so hard that they have to be left for the winter frost to help “blow the cells thus allowing more juice to be pressed. This is where the skill of the producer comes in to ensure the best care is taken of the fruit to guarantee high quality juice and secure delightfully fragrant perry when fermented.
So what does it taste like, this real perry?
Perry is quite a light drink with a flavour sometimes compared to melons, roses or apricot jam with a finish of honey and blossom married together. It is not carbonated or pasteurised and is usually served in draught form.
CAMRA organises the National Cider and Perry Championships annually and for 2008 the National Gold Champion Perry is produced by Greggs Pit of Herefordshire, which was described by the judges as having “A balance of citrus aroma with a winey aftertaste. Fabulous.
From the 16th Century perry production has been said to thrive on the sight of May Hill on the borders of Herefordshire, Gloucestershire and Worcestershire. This is still true with Wales, the South West and East Anglia now also being acclaimed for their own perry production.
For over twenty years CAMRA has campaigned for real perry alongside beer and cider. We have worked monitoring the industry, mapping changes, campaigning for quality products and choice to consumers. Today there is a growing choice of real perry available for you to enjoy.
Giles Dennis, who has been Head Brewer at Lees for the last twenty eight years, stepped down in September and handed the brewing reins over to Lees family member, Michael Lees-Jones. A graduate of Durham University, Giles commenced his pupilage at the long gone William Younger s Holyrood Brewery in Edinburgh, before heading off to Vaux of Sunderland where, as Senior Brewer, he churned out Double Maxim and Sunderland Draught Bitter among others. He was the longest serving Head Brewer in Britain until he handed over to Michael. Giles will remain Head of Production at Lees until next summer, at which point he will continue to work part-time for the company on a consultancy basis.
Michael Lees-Jones joined JW Lees in 1999 after graduating from Edinburgh University and then achieving a post-graduate diploma in Brewing & Distilling at Herriot Watt. He gained brewing experience at Bass in Burton-on-Trent and Shepherd Neame in the South of England and became a director of JW Lees in 2005. He qualified as a master brewer in 2006, so should be well up to the task.
Lees Bitter was awarded silver medal in its class at the Great British Beer Festival held at Earls Court, London in August. This was no mean feat as Lees lost out to the eventual Champion Beer of Britain, Triple F from Alton Brewery, Hampshire. Giles Dennis will collect the gong for Lees at the CAMRA Awards bash at Lords.
A recent CAMRA Branch Meeting was held at the Rifle Range in Chadderton. This is a very decent local, its kind being the very backbone of Lees estate. It has recently been done up as part of Lees community local refurbishment programme, which has seen quite a few of Lees local, rather than flagship, pubs getting a makeover. The architect has moved the bar to make better use of space and overall the pub just looks splendid. Lees Brewer's Dark and Bitter were on handpump and in good form. With a welcoming and pleasant barmaid serving and good natured locals thrown in, it was a joy to be there.
The Rifle Range is at the Boundary Park end of Burnley Lane, Chadderton, Oldham and is very handy indeed for those visiting Oldham Athletic's Boundary Park, though you may have to knock on the back door to get in on match days!
The Wishing Well at Milnrow has now fully opened. The former Ladybarn, purchased from Greene King, has been refurburbished to a high standard and will operate as a “Cask and Carvery and will be the pilot for a concept that Lees hope to repeat elsewhere. A good range of cask beers, including Brewers Dark, formerly GB Mild is on sale.
The current seasonal Ale from John Willie s is Autumn Glow, a darkish, warming malty ale.
Lees Olde Boar's Head in Middleton is a venerable institution dating back to 1632 and its stone flagged floors have seen many comings and goings over the years. On a recent visit this conversation was overheard:
First Barperson: "I see Wetherspoon's has its shutters down. What's going on there?" Customer: "I heard someone attempted to commit suicide in there earlier today" Second Barperson "He must have tried the cask beer then".
The Windmill (ex Burtonwood) and the Clog and Shawl (ex Whitbread) both in Sudden, Rochdale are closed and boarded as we go to print. Also closed and boarded are the Barbers Arms, Rhodes and the Black Bull, Middleton. If you spot any more closed pubs in your area, please let us know.
OCTOBER
Sun 26th October, Tandle Hill Social, Tandle Hill Tavern, Thornham Lane, Slattocks, Middleton
NOVEMBER
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 (to be confirmed)
Wed 10th December , Christmas Social, Ashton Arms, Oldham
Tues 30th December , Drown the Turkey Crawl, Northern Quarter, Manchester
Tues 6th January - Branch Meeting, The Old Blue Bell, Bell Lane, Bury
Sat 17th January - Central Manchester Pub crawl Deansgate / Castlefield area
Wed 21st January - Sat 24th January - National Winter Ales Festival, New Century Hall, Manchester
Sat 31st January -Good Beer Guide 2010 Selection Meeting, The Baum, Toad Lane, Rochdale
Tues 3rd February -Branch Meeting, The Old Boar's Head, Long Street, Middleton
Saturday 21st February -Train Social, Leeds
Tues 3rd March - Branch Meeting, Royal Oak, Werneth, Oldham
Sat 14th March - Coach Social, Saddleworth Super Seven.
Venues
etc
may
change
due
to
circumstances
beyond
our
control,
so
for
further
details,
avail-
ability
and
times
etc
please
contact
Social
Secretary
Ken
Holt
or
any
member
of
the
Committee.
UK HOPS
ADMIRAL
13-16%.
High
Alpha,
alternative
to
Target,
less
harsh
but
pleasant
character.
BRAMLING
CROSS
5
,
7%
Distinctive
strong
spicy/blackcurrant
flavour
and
good
alpha
characteristics
CHALLENGER
5
,
9%
Gives
a
full-bodied
rounded
bitterness
in
copper,
with
crisp
fruity
strawlike
later
FIRST
GOLD
6
,
10%
Well
balanced
bitterness
with
fruity,
slightly
spicy
and
orangy/
citrus
notes
FUGGLE
3
,
6%
Delicate,
minty,
grassy
slightly
floral
aroma
traditionally
used
with
Golding
GOLDING
4
,
7%
Traditional
aroma
variety,
smooth
almost
sweet
delicate
slightly
spicy
HERALD
9
,
13%
Less
harsh
alternative
to
Target,
mild
grapefruit/citrus
aroma
NORTHDOWN
6
,
10%
Dual
purpose
with
Challenger
type
aroma
but
richer
flavour
PHOENIX
8
,
12%
Good
in
copper
but
only
very
mellow
aromas
come
through
PILGRIM
9
-13%
Because
of
its
alpha
it
has
been
compared
to
Target
more
than
any
other
variety.
It
has
however
a
much
hoppier
aroma
than
Target
due
to
its
higher
levels
of
Humulene
and
Challenger-like
Selinene
levels.
PIONEER
7
,
11%
Pleasant
lemon/grapefruit
citrus
aroma
distinctively
hoppy
PROGRESS
4
,
7%
Slightly
sweeter
alternative
to
Fuggle
with
softer
bitterness
TARGET
8
-13%
Excellent
high
alpha
at
competitive
price,
slightly
harsh
for
aroma
W.G.V.
5
,
8%
Similar
to
Golding
but
more
robust
and
higher
alpha
GERMAN HOPS
BREWERS
GOLD
5
,
9%
High
Resin
gives
well
balanced
bitterness,
fruity
spicy
character
HALLERTAUER
(MITTLEFRUH)
4
,
6%
Delicate
aroma
hop
for
lager
or
lighter
cask
ales
HALLERTAUER
(HERSBRUCKER)
2
,
5%
As
Mittlefruh
with
floral
slightly
fruity
flavour
NORTHERN
BREWER
6
,
10%
Dual
purpose
similar
to
Northdown
which
was
bred
from
it,
pleasant
aroma.
PERLE
6
,
10%
Similar
to
Mittlefruh
but
with
more
fruit
and
higher
alpha
&
good
storage
SPALT
SELECT
3
,
6%
Classic
lager
aroma
style
TETTNANG
3
,
6%
Traditional
aroma
hop
for
lager
beers
used
in
lighter
cask
ales
CZECH HOPS
SAAZ
2
,
5%
Traditional
European
aroma
variety
for
lager,
earthy
hop
flavour
SLOVENIAN HOPS
STYRIAN GOLDINGS 3 , 6% Distinctive perfume pine/lemon/citrus hoppy character
NEW ZEALAND HOPS
GREEN
BULLET
11
,
15%
High
alpha
but
with
Styrian
type
pine
lemon
crispness
and
excellent
aroma
HALLERTAUER
AROMA
7
,
11%
Bred
from
Mittlefruh,
has
a
floral,
vanilla
flavour,
excellent
for
lighter
beers
PACIFIC
GEM
13
,
18%
High
alpha
with
distinctive
berry/fruit
flavour.
PACIFIC
HALLERTAU
3
,
6%
New
triploid
from
Mittlefruh
in
classic
aroma
style
USA HOPS
AHTANUM
5
,
7%
Distinctive
aromatic
with
moderate
bittering
AMARILLO
3
-7%
Unique
very
floral/spicy.
Powerful
aroma
with
good
bittering
quality.
CASCADE
3
,
6%
Unique
very
floral/spicy
aroma
with
good
bittering
quality
CENTENNIAL
6
-11%
New
variety,
quite
floral
qualities
similar
to
Cascade
CHINOOK
8
,
13%
High
alpha
with
strong
grapefruit
character
CLUSTER
6
,
9%
Excellent
well
balanced
bittering
with
deep
fruity
hop
aroma
COLUMBUS
(TOMAHAWK)
14
-17%
Very
high
alpha
used
mainly
in
copper
but
also
good
aroma
if
used
late
CRYSTAL
4
,
6%
Aroma
hop
with
delicate
flavour
and
hints
of
tangerine
GALENA
11
,
15%
Excellent
high
alpha
&
blackcurrant
aroma
gives
strong
fruity
character
HORIZON
10
,
17%
Aromatic
with
good
bittering
(low
cohumulone)
LIBERTY
3
,
6%
Light
aroma
with
similarity
to
Golding
but
with
hint
of
citrus
MOUNT
HOOD
3
,
6%
Similar
to
German
lager
varieties
giving
delicate,
floral
&
slight
herbal
character
NUGGET
11
,
15%
High
alpha
with
good
aroma
SANTIAM
5
,
7%
Delicate
aroma
SIMCOE
12
-14%
Extremely
low
co-humulone.
High
oil
content.
STERLING
6
-8.5%
Saaz
and
Brewers
Gold
in
family
tree.
Should
be
very
interesting
VANGUARD
4
-6%
Hallertau
Mittlefrau
parentage/low
co-humulone
makes
this
an
exciting
prospect
in
the
aroma
market.
WILLAMETTE
3
,
6%
Delicate
estery/blackcurrant/herbal
aroma,
some
use
to
replace
Fuggle
Top
HILARY
9
-10.5%
Robust
full
and
rounded
with
refreshing
spicy
aroma
JAYNE
8
-10%
Untried
Aphid
resistant
variety
JEANETTE
6%
Delicate,
clean
and
refreshing,
slightly
floral
JENNY
9.8%
Aniseed/liquorice
combine
in
a
well
balanced
hop.
JOAN
9.8%
Powerful
and
fruity
lovely
citrus
notes
with
a
hint
of
liquorice.
Naturally
seedless
PILOT
(ROS)
11
-12%
Very
new
high
alpha
variety
PINA
(S26)
10.0%
Traditional
WGV
type
with
hints
of
lavender.
Very
low
co-humulone.
SUSAN
(93/50)
9%
Fresh
flowers
with
hints
of
lemon
spices
clean
and
aromatic
Having
not
done
a
major
renovation
of
my
data
base
for
over
five
years
(illness,
computer
problems
and
general
lethargy
being
some
of
the
reasons)
I
decided
to
take
a
good
look
at
it
in
March/April
this
year.
The figures that came out of the study are the result of this article.
As an introduction it seems to me that three major changes have affected the pub and drinks industries since 2003. Firstly is the emergence of the “super pub owning groups. Whilst there were pub-owning groups around in 2003, there was nothing on the scale of Punch Taverns or Enterprise Inns. Secondly, the Brewing Industry itself has changed, with the continuing growth of several global giants (such as InBev, Carlsberg and Anheuser Busch) who between them produce eight out of ten pints of beer brewed in the UK and have little interest in cask ale. Added to this is the rapid growth of new National brewers such as Greene King and Marston s that is still leading to brewery takeovers and closures at an alarming rate. Thirdly is the changeover of licensing responsibility from local Magistrates to Councils which hasn t been as well accepted as was hoped with many Councils screaming of lack of resources and funding to run the operation. Overall, not a pretty picture.
OK, let s crunch some numbers. As you should be aware, the areas covered in this survey are the boroughs of Rochdale, Oldham and Bury. At the last count in 2003 there were 739 premises on the list (Rochdale 253, Oldham 301, Bury 185). This time the list has dropped to 691 premises (Rochdale 245, Oldham 280, Bury 166). Believe it or not there is no definition of what a “Pub is within CAMRA, the criteria for premises that I use is that Joe Public be able to enter, with no restrictions (i.e. membership, admission fee etc.) and purchase a beer. Out of the 691 premises only 305 sell traditional beer (Rochdale 106, Oldham 111, Bury 88). I am unable to compare this breakdown with 2003 as a complete system failure left me with only an incomplete hard copy.
Let s look at who owns the licensed premises. This is a very difficult area as this information is not available to the public, even some licensees do not know who actually owns their pub! Hence these figures are not as accurate as I would like. Pub owning companies account for 378 out of the 691. Enterprise Inns directly own 114, Punch Taverns 122 (both these figures are higher because of branch companies such as Spirit which is the managed house branch of Punch), and other pub owning companies 142. Local family brewers (i.e. Lees, Holt and Robinson s) account for 216, the vast majority of which do sell traditional beer. The remaining 97 are privately owned.
The complete data base can be viewed on our website www.robcamra.org.uk. I sincerely apologise for any mistakes it contains. Happy drinking!