CAMRA National through it’s Community Pubs Foundation and the launch of National Pubs Week this February prompted The Rochdale, Oldham & Bury Branch to look around the Branch area to see to what extent good local pubs are being lost through various schemes. Many people reading this will be able to think of a favourite pub that is now no more - a quick look through the local Branch area recently showed a surprising number of looses, over in the Bury area the Arthur Inn (a former Porter’s Brewery House) has gone within the last few months, whilst in Rochdale the Two Ships, (the former Tap & Spile) and the George& Dragon, Castleton, are also now gone. In Oldham the picture is even bleaker with a few well known premises now closed. The Star Inn and Oldham Hotel, in Oldham Centre, Brown Cow, Failsworth and the Park Hotel, Glodwick .
Mike Benner, Chief Executive, CAMRA said “ The pub provides a place for local groups to meet in a safe environment for friends and family to relax and enjoy each others company. The loss of a valued community pub will have a negative impact on the local economy, community and tourism. 69% of people recognise the important role pubs play in community life”.
The message seems very simple `use it or lose it’. Perhaps if the pubs mentioned had a little more trade their fate might have been different? Watch out for pubs in the Rochdale, Oldham & Bury Branch area that are holding events to promote National Pubs Week, why not go along and join in? More information can be found about the Community Pubs Foundation at www.communitypubs.org National Pubs Week at camra@camra.org.uk
-Allan Whitehead
Welcome to this our second edition of“More Beer” the newsletter from the
Rochdale, Oldham & Bury CAMRA Branch
(Campaign for Real Ale), from the feedback
we’ve got, it certainly looks like the first edition
was well received, Many Thanks! We’ll make a
tweak here and there to try to make it even
more readable.
Our cover story concerns the large amount of
community pubs disappearing from our towns
and villages, with some shocking figures coming
out from data collected. Yes, some pubs will be
lost through re-development or social change,
but this is only part of a bigger picture. So
please during the next couple of months in what
is traditionally a `lean time’ of the year for many
pubs, go out and have a couple of beers and
maybe save your local and your community from
destruction.
Visit our web site at
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 – ctaylor@rapidial.co.uk
Pubs officer: Bernie Jackson
Email – acksionman@ntlworld.com
Campaigns: Alan Ainsworth
Email- alan.ainsworth99@ntlworld.com
More Beer Editor: Allan Whitehead
Email – ed-morebeer@tiscali.co.uk
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
news- letter. 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 © 2005. The Campaign for Real Ale
Ltd., Rochdale, Oldham & Bury Branch.
SHORT MEASURE PINTS
Complain to you local Trading St a n d a rds off i ce.
Oldham. 0161-911-4471
Rochdale. 01706-864-186
Bury. 0161-253-5566
Or Email www. Either To Bury, Oldham
Or Rochdale.gov.uk
Post contributions to:
The Editor, More Beer C/O 6. Roundthorn
Road, Glodwick, Oldham OL4 1YS
CAMRA HQ.
230 Hatfield Road St. Albans.Herts, AL1 4LW
01727 867201
Web: www.camra.org.uk Email:
camra@camra.org.uk
Or Post To:
CAMRA R.O.B.
P.O.Box 108, Oldham OL2-5RE
THE NEXT ISSUE OF MORE BEER WILL BE
OUT MID - APRIL
WE MUST HAVE ANY CONTRIBUTIONS BY
THE 15TH MARCH AT THE LATEST
Over in Greenfield major changes at the King William or King Bill as it is affectionally known Pub & Brewery News locally. Stella and Ivor left the King Bill in with Alex Koval –
December after 6 consecutive years in this GBG
Gordon Potts owner and brewer at the Owl Brewery announced recently that brewing would cease at the Hope Inn in the New Year, but the brewery will be relocated to a nearby industrial unit, which would have more room to expand in the future.
Allan Whitehead, our reporter asked Gordon his reasoning behind such a move especially now his beer are selling so well locally and in the free trade, “that’s basically it”! Replied Gordon “ I want to concentrate more time on brewing and marketing my beers, Both running the pub and brewing is taking up too much of my time my average day is now 16 hours, I’m a brewer firstly and reluctant licensee second and something had to give” Gordon has been trying for some time to find a live in manager, but with no success, “So I’ve decided to sell the pub and relocate the brewery” I asked who would buy the Hope with all the structural modification done when installing the 8 metre high tower brewery ? “Quite a few, I’ve already had two formal enquiries so I’m confident it will sell quickly” On speaking to some of the regulars at the Hope they all expressed some sadness at Gordon’s decision but could easily understand his motives and looked forward to seeing Owl Beers more widely available in the local trade, I’m sure we all wish him luck!.
The Dutch Birds Inn, Oldham Rd Failsworth as feared did not retained any cask ale after it’s recent refurbishment with only Marstons smooth available, the vault has also gone it’s is now one function room with music and entertainment the main stay.
B etter news much further down the road, in Ma n c h ester to be precise the C rown & Kettle has re-opened to much acclaim. A multi-roomed interior with an excellent choice of well kept cask ales on offer, licensed till 1am, a strict door policy, friendly bar staff a very welcome edition to the Northern Quarter and well worth a visit.
Over in Rochdale the Albion and Bistro
Restaurant, Whitworth Road has won a
prestigious award, the Best Free House in the
Granada Area from the trade pub paper the
Morning Advertiser, read licensee Kevin
Robinson’s response to this accolade on page 9.
The Cask and Feather in Rochdale centre is now serving Winters Revenge at 4.6% it’s described as “heart-warming ale perfect for those long winter days and nights”. Egg Nobblers is to follow as an Easter offering also at a 4.6%. They now have an extensive food menu and a cracking and cheap jukebox, worth a visit! (Read our featured brewery article on page 14)
The Mark Twain, a JW Lees house at 127 Whitworth Road is reported as `Closed and Boarded’ what will happen to this once popular locals pub is unknown, we’ll keep you in touch.
Over in Castleton the Geore and Dragon on Rochdale Road used to be Ba ss owned, a once thriving local pub withan enthusiastic following that served cask Draught Bass and Stones Bitter. Owned by Punch Taverns is now not just “Closed and Boarded” but has large gapping holes in the roof and now it’s only “customers” are Castleton’s pigeon population and advertises only posters for dodgy rock groups on the outside.
Further along Rochdale Road the Hopwood
Arms, Castleton, a former Wilson’s of Newton
Heath roadside pub in imposing 1930’s style,
has had a make over by owners Scottish and
Newcastle (or who ever they have leased it to
this week.) This has been rather sympathetic
(apart from the garish green floodlighting
outside), with new tables and chairs, wallpaper,
lighting etc making the pub considerably
brighter all round. High quality plasma TV show
mainly football. A large No Smoking area on
the left hand side is a plus, as is a smoking ban
at the bar. Enforcement is somewhat spasmodic
however. Cask ale remains with usually three
available. Phoenix Snowbound was excellent on
a recent visit MORE BEER listed pub for a quieter life on the “other side of
the hill” in Marsden. During this time they developed a friendly atmosphere and a good range of
real ales in this village pub, and we wish them
well in their new life.
A chef by trade, Wayne Rawstron has taken over
the King Bill after several years in the pub and
catering business. Raised in Saddleworth, he spent
several years working in pub management for
Matthew Brown and more recently was chef / manager for S&N at the Front House in Lees (an ex OB
pub). The beer policy at the King Bill is not expected to change, with regular beers of Tetley Bitter, JW
Lees Bitter and Deuchars IPA being complimented
by two changing guest beers from the Punch
Taverns portfolio. Food will be available during
most sessions and Wayne intends to concentrate
on home cooked favourites, using his chef’s background.
Also in Greenfield, The Greenfield Brewery are looking into starting brewery tours in the new year when the premises are cleaned and spruced up for visitors.
In Middleton the Tandle Hill Tavern continues to thrive under new landlady, Lisa. The Mild is now back on cask form rather than on a breat her, the food menu has been enhanced and the pub now opens every day. Opening times are now from 17.30 during the week with opening at 12noon on Sat u rd ay and Sunday. Also in Middleton the former Boddingtons owned Wilton Hotel in Rhodes still sells Boddies on cask as it’s sole cask ale. It was on poor form on a recent visit.
The nearby Three Arrows on the other side of the M60 roundabout also an Ex Boddies is doing a little better. Though very dowdy and gloomy inside, it sells three cask ales, Charles Wells Bombardier, Old Speckled Hen and Boddingtons Cask. Only the Wells was tried on a recent visit and was on good form.
It’s bad news at the Elton Fold Working
Men’s Club, which has now taken Hydes
Bitter off the bar. This still leaves Lees Mild
and Bitter, both usually in excellent condition,
but the loss of this excellent beer is to be
lamented. Better news at Elton Liberal Club,
with reports of Youngs making an appearance on the bar. Hydes can still be found at
the Footballers in Summerseat, as often can
Copper Dragon beers, posing the discerning
drinker with somewhat of a difficult, if
pleasant, dilemma.
I was amazed recently to be told by a
colleague that they were pleased to find a
Mitchell & Butlers beer on in a Manchester
hostelry. The sooner we put an end to these
travesty of great beers past, the better I say.
In fact, the day when we don’t see any of the “national blands” in a pub can’t come
soon enough for me. Pubs such as the Hare & Hounds in Holcombe Brook are showing
the future by stocking Phoenix beers
alongside other guest ales. A new conversion
to consumer choice is the Victorian
Walshaw, which has started advertising a cask
of the week and recently had Taylors Landlord
alongside beers by Jennings and Ossett.
In Bury town centre, the George seems
unable to decide what it should be.
Cask seems to appear and then disappear
with alarming regularity. I have heard reports
that it is back on, but whenever I have tried
to call in the evening, it has been shut.
Interesting developments at the GBG listed
Wyldes. No sign of Holts seasonal beers, but
a poster recently appeared apparently
promoting Hoegarden. Closer inspection
proved that this was indeed the case. Rather
disappointing, as I was half hoping that Holts
had gone all continental and brewed
Holtgarden. Apparently, they are hoping to
appeal to the “educated drinker. So no longer
will ordering a pint of mix be seen as the
height of sophistication in a Holts establishment.
Welcome to the 21st century…
Email me with any Bury pub news to
alex_k_uk2000@yahoo.co.uk
“Well I hope everyone likes our new web site”,
writes Andy Booth our Web Master for the
Rochdale, Oldham & Bury CAMRA Branch.
www.robcamra.org.uk - that’s all you type in
and hey presto! You are there. I say `our’
because that’s just what it is yours and mine.
I’ve been working behind the scenes for some
time preparing the site for launch and getting
use to the sounds simple, but the complicated
software and how it builds the pages, (I won’t
bore you with technicalities) but I got there and
what you see is the result. So, if you have any
suggestions, just let me know. I’d certainly like
to hear from Branch Members to please check
the details of their local pubs listed on the site
and then send me any corrections and maybe
digital photos if you have the time. I particularly wanted to get the site up and running for the
Bury Beer Festival, maybe this and the Branch
Magazine `More Beer’ helped make the 23rd
festival such a roaring success? We have
already had over 10,000 hits, so go on make
yours the next.
Andy Booth
webmaster@robcamra.org.uk
Please Note: These Are Proposed Venues Which May Change – Consult The Latest What’s Brewing to Check
JANUARY
Sat 21st Social and Crawl – National Winter Ales/Manchester City Centre
Sat 28th GOOD BEER GUIDE Selection Meeting 12 noon –The Baum Toad Lane Rochdale please try attending this important meeting. Members decide the Branches next editions entry’s in the 2007 GBG. So come along and have your say!
FEBRUARY
Tues 7th Branch Meeting- Bank Top Tavern, Kings Street, Oldham
Sat 18th – Mystery Train Social – Meet Piccadilly Train Station for 10 am.
Sat 18th – Sat 25th NATIONAL PUBS WEEK
check your nearest licensed premises to see
what they are doing for National Pubs Week
MARCH
Tues 7th Branch Meeting - Dusty Miller Crostons Rd Bury
Sat 18th Social Trip - Visit Eastwood & Sanders Brewery, Elland, West Yorkshire
Fri/Sat 24/25th OLDHAM BEER FESTIVAL Queen Elizabeth Hall, Town Centre, Oldham (Volunteers needed for set up on Wed/Thurs days)
(Tuesday Meetings all 8.30pm Unless Otherwise Stated)
APRIL
Tues 4th Branch Meeting – Hopwood Arms, Rochdale Rd, Slattocks
Fri 7th – Sun 9th CAMRA National AGM &
Members Weekend - Blackpool
Tues 11th Evening Social - Visit Moorhouses Brewery, Burnley, Lancs
Further Details on social events are available from the branch contact or Social Secretary – Changes to the diary and other events may be announced at branch meetings
MANCHESTER REGIONAL CAMRA EVENT UNDER 30’s GROUP
Sat 4th March – Crawl of Chester City Centre, Leaving M/c Piccadilly around 12.16 Details TBC.
Fri 24th March – Hydes Brewery Visit.
7pm start. Plenty of sampling opportunities! Limited numbers so booking
essential!
Contact:
camrau30.Manchester@gmail.com
or Matthew Parr on
07734 66 1212 for details
CAN’T ALWAYS GET TO OUR BRANCH MEETINGS? BUT WANT TO KEEP IN TOUCH WITH THE ACTION !
Make sure we have your up-to-date E-mail Address on our Secretary’s data-base.
Information and Social Events can be E-mailed out to you.
A Rochdale, Oldham & Bury triumvirate desended on Roman Chester on a hot August Saturday to gather intelligence on the hostelries within the walls. We couldn’t wait to get inside the city walls so we started our day in Harkers – an upmarket canal side pub with an extensive range of real ales. Whilst mingling with the racing fraternity we enjoyed a pint of Roosters YPA which was excellent once it had warmed a little.
From Harkers it was but a short march to the excellent Mill Hotel and from the impressive choice on offer we made our selection and retired to the terrace overlooking the canal. This pub never disappoints and it always seems a shame to leave what is in effect a year round beer festival .
We battled our way through the thronging mass of tourists bound for the Albion and arrived just too late to order food which was a shame as we we re certainly in need of some sustenance. The Albion is packed with First World Warmemorabilia and it’s a real experience to drink in there. If you manage to beat the clock, the Albion is recommended for its high quality home cooked food. The Banks Original was on good form and we left satisfied if still hungry.
Our next stop was the Bear and Billet which is a new acquisition by the Isle of Man’s Okells brewery. After an extensive quality refurbishment and the introduction of their full range plus guests, this is a superb addition to any Chester
pub crawl. All the beers tried we re excellent and the food seemed to hit the spot. Okells now have two pubs in Liverpool, one in Chester, Leeds and Aberystwyth. It would be a great shame if they did not come over to Manchester as we are certainly missing out!
A walk over the Dee into Handbridge brought us to the Carlton. This is a stately although slightly forlorn place selling good quality Hydes beers. We opted for the Celebration but couldn’t quite drink enough to take advantage of the
promotion they were running and missed out on a free pint. We still had to leave room for Telfords Warehouse !
Telfords is a unique conversion from an old canal warehouse and has a fantastic atmosphere to suit all tastes. Due to the weather and the picturesque location outdoor drinking was proving popular but we opted for the cool interior and enjoyed people-watching through the large windows that are such a feature of this pub. Harviestoun Bitter & Twisted seemed to fit the bill and an offering from Weetwood added a local flavour to the bar.
After an hour or so in Telfords the train home was looming and we started the walk back to the station. Unfortunately, we could n’t get past the Mill Hotel and ended up finishing where we’d left off earlier. We had decided get off the train at Frodsham for a pint in the Helter Skelter on the way home, but an organisational cock-up involving a certain drinker unexplainably disappearing when we ought to have left for the train ensured we had to spend another hour in the Mill waiting for a later train….it was hard to bear but we did it! The journey home passed quickly and it seemed fitting to end the day with rice and three at Hunters BBQ!
As reported in many Local and National
Newspapers the new 24 Hour Licensing Laws
came into force at 12.01 am on the 24th of
November 2006. In the Branch area many local papers reported
on, well Er-Nothing! - No brawling, drink soaked
thugs. No fighting in the Suburbs, No Armoured
Response Police vans parked out side Community
Locals, No Queue’s for Taxi’s, Kebabs or Chippy’s!
What they did report was, No Change really. The
first weekend of the new drinking laws passed
virtually un-changed from the previous weekends, and pub goers interviewed said how they
thought the new laws were very welcome and
allowed them to make their own personal choice
when and where to drink. Now we don’t want to
say “We Told You So” but!!!!
Husband and wife team Kevin and Val
Robinson owners of the Albion pub and
restaurant in Rochdale are rightly celebrating
after scooping an award for ‘Best Free house’
for the Granada area from the licensed trade
publication the ‘Morning Advertiser’ The Free house which can be found at 600
Whitworth Road, Rochdale, shone through in
the recent competition to find the best free
house.
The criteria set by the judges included
categories that looked at the pub itself, the
clientele and also considered the investment
that had gone into the establishment to get
The Albion to where it is today. A key aspect
of the criteria was the quality of product and
volume of consumption. With a 16% rise in
bar takings and the high quality of food delivered by their in-house chef Lev Johnson, who
cooks up South African themed food as well
as traditional pub food, it seems they were
always on to a winner.
Looking fo r wa rd to their award, which is to be presented at London’s Old Billingsgate Market, on the 2nd February 2006, Kevin and Val commented :
“The Albion is not tied to any brewer so we
sell a wide range of beer and wine to
compliment our menu dishes - some of which
are cooked with the beer added into the
ingredients such as the, “Leffe Battered
Squid”, and, “Steak Pie with Timothy Taylors
Ale”, said Kevin, “We have an extensive
menu which includes the likes of Zebra Steak
and Barracuda Shark”
With a range of Cask conditioned ales from local brewers Le es and Moorhouses and continental favourites such as Hoegaarden and Leffe along with a fine selection of lagers why not treat yourself to a visit to an award winning local and enjoy some fine food and drink.
Andy Roberts and Lisa Knight
Many people have recently purchased the
Good beer guide (GBG), looked at the
local pubs and thought Why is that pubs
in but my local isn’t? Well as the 2006 guide has been printed, now
is the time to start thinking about the GBG
2007. The CAMRA branch within that area
chooses GBG pubs. So the Rochdale, Oldham
and Bury (ROB) Branch chooses 34 pubs shared
between the Rochdale, Oldham & Bury
etropolitan areas. Now all ROB CAMRA
members have a direct influence on the GBG
selection, this is achieved by and initial post a l
vote and followed up by a single selection meeting usually held in a cask ale pub in the centre
of the branch area. (See branch diary for det a i l s )
Twice a year Current CAMRA Members in the
ROB Branch receive a mail shot, this contains
the "fixture list" of meetings/events for the
next six months, the December mail shot also
contains two forms in regards to the voting of
pubs to be included in the next edition of the
GBG. The first form lists all the pubs in the
current guide (06) with columns to indicate,
Yes/No or Don’t Know, the member can vote
for/against as many pubs as they visit, the second form is for new suggestions. The first and
only qualification for a pub to be included into
the GBG is the quality of the beer it sells. The
forms are returned and the votes collated. Any
pub reaching a certain mark in the postal vote
is automatically proposed for inclusion in the
next edition of the GBG. A pub that doesn’t
reach the mark, but doesn’t have a negative
net vote is included with any new suggestions
at the GBG selection meeting.
At the Good Beer Guide selection meeting
successful pubs are reported to those members
that attend, pubs that pass the mark on the
postal vote can still be rejected at this stage, E.G. a pub owner sent a letter saying that their
pubs was to close within the next few months,
a pub in Bury had to be demolished due to a
gas explosion.
The meeting discusses and votes on the pubs
to replace those that have failed the postal
vote. This tends to lead to rather heated
debates, especially after a pint or two.
If two pubs are tied in the vote then other factors may come into play, but the pub with the better beer is always preferred. Reserves have to be produced for each town, just in case. Between the vote and the proof stages we’ve pubs closing, landlords leaving etc. In these cases the reserve pub for the town would be promoted to the guide.
Once selected the prospective pubs have to be surveyed, well you must have noticed all the details in the guide. Various branch members visit the pubs nominated and complete a rather complicated form, normally whilst talking to the landlord. The forms are sent off to CAMRA headquarters, a few months later the proofs are sent out to the local GBG co-ordinator. Errors are corrected and returned, finally the GBG is published and some asks why is that pub in it?
So if you are a Rochdale, Oldham and Bury CAMRA member Why not influence next year’s guide? Return your postal voting forms and attend the selection meeting, if you’re not a member, then join and you can have your say.
Thinking back to days of old can you remember which cask ale pub in the Rochdale area was originally known as‘The Fusilier’? you may remember it as ‘The Pub’? Still unsure? Well let’s clear it up for you it is Rochdale’s one and only brew pub the Cask and Feather, home of The McGuinness Brewery. Situated just 5 minutes walk out of Rochdale Town Centre on the busy main road towards Oldham at the junction of Drake St and Oldham Road the Cask and Feather sits proudly and can be easily located due to its distinctive exterior of light stone that dates back to 1800 AD when it was originally called The Junction.
The most unique aspect of the pub today is
the brewery located at the rear. The late
Thomas McGuinness formed the Brewing
Company in 1991 and it now supplies over 70
outlets across the country as well as selling a
full range of beers for the regulars who visit
time and again to sample the ale that is on
offer. The range includes Junction Bitter @
4.2%, Best Bitter @ 3.8%, Feather Pluckers
Mild @ 3.8% and Tommy Todds Porter @ 5%
as well as seasonal favourites the most recent
being Christmas Cheer @ 4.6% and for the
coming months Winters Revenge will be on
offer @ 4.6%
The brewery was the long term aim of Thomas McGuinness who had plans to own and separately manage 3 pubs on the same stretch of road in Rochdale the other 2 establishments being Whittington’s, a bit further up Oldham road and Gulliver’s a little further down Drake St. ‘The pub’ as it was then known was put up for sale by Wilson’s brewery and Thomas bought it and installed the brewery that is visible at the rear.
We went along to the Cask and Feather to have a chat with Landlord, Tony and Head Brewer, Alan who happily showed us round the brewery and even offered us samples to finish.
To ny informed us that it was always a dream
of the late Thomas McGuinness to run his own
brewery, “Thomas’s main ambition was to sell
his range of beers acro ss the three pubs he
owned along the same st retch of road in
Rochdale, brewing the beers out of the Cask and
Feather but sadly he never got to see his dream
fully materialise” said Tony, but head brewer
Alan is now making sure that part of the dream
is realised by brewing and selling Thomas
McGuinness beers in The Cask and Feather.
As well as selling the full range in the pub, the beers are sold all over the country and they regularly appear at many beer festivals throughout the UK, Alan proudly pointed out the numerous awards his beers have won over the years, the awards take pride of place at the entrance to the brewery. Needless to say that keeping up with this sort of demand keeps Alan busy as he sees the brewing process through from grinding to tapping averaging around 15 to 20 barrels a week.
Once the tour was complete we headed back into the pub and straight to the bar to join the many locals enjoying a few beers. We made ourselves comfortable at the bar with Tony and Alan to sample some of the ales, opting for the Best Bitter after being told that it was once guest ale at the Houses of Parliament!
The Cask and Feather is certainly a unique establishment with a great jukebox and varied food menu and if you are interested in a tour of the brewery then contact Tony in advance and he will be more than happy to show you around. Cask and Feather, Rochdale 01706 711476 ask for Tony or Allan.
Andy Roberts & Lisa Knight
On a crisp Wednesday morning an enthusiastic gang of volunteers gathered outside the Met Arts Centre to start preparations for the 2005 BBF This involved unloading a tonne of bars, 72 firkins and masses of associated equipment. This was all humped up three flights of stairs to the main hall. At the same time trestles and planks we re being hauled up the fire escape at the rear of the Met.
O ver the next two days this giant jigsaw was a ssembled in time honoured tradition to create the festival, which everybody assumes just "appears" by magic. The Festival opened on Frid ay lunch and finished (slightly early) on Saturday evening when we ran out of cask beer. Customers however , stayed around to sup the Cider and Foreign Beer stocks .
Attendan es were around 100 up on last year and thanks to sponsorship, the cost of entry was kept the same and the price of beer was held down. The beer range offered this year was more varied than usual, with a selection of fruity varieties and even a Lavender flavoured beer.
As a pre cursor to the National Winter Ales Festival the number of stouts, porters and winter ales was increased this year, all of which we nt down extremely well, as did the light hoppy beers. Which just goes to show variety is the spice of life.
Over the two days we sold 96% of the beer, which is better than usual, hopefully this will mean the festival was a roaring success and we can start planning for 2006.
The beer of the festival was Phoenix West Coast IPA, winning with three votes. Now don’t sneer at this! The voting was so widespread, with numerous beers getting one or two votes, which is an indication of the quality of beer that was provided (even the lavender beer got one vote ! )
Once again CAMRA members volunteered in droves to make sure the festival was set up in record time, fully staffed throughout the open sessions, and there were still enough of us fit and well to dismantle everything on Sunday. Many thanks to all who volunteered to work and all who came and supped us dry. Special thanks to the stalwarts who did the full term from Wednesday to Sunday.
H e re’s to the 2006 festival.
Alan Ainsworth BBF organise
Love them or hate them, you can’t ignore the somewhat dominating presence of JD Wetherspoon on almost every UK High Street. According to their web site, the company aim is for "comfortable, music-free pubs, offering excellent beer, all-day food and first- class service". There are five such pubs in the ROB Branch area, so how do they measure up? I decided to find out and to make it fair, all pubs were visited on a Saturday afternoon during the Autumn Beer Festival. To add a little spice I have included a new measure of how good the cask ale is likely to be. I call it the John Smith’s Smooth Quotient (JSSQ). The higher the JSSQ, the less likely you are to get decent beer!
First up was the Edwin Waugh in Heywood. This is probably the most "pubby" of the local JDWs with a good layout and distinct drinking areas. The pub is noticeably smoky however with a somewhat boisterous intimidating atmosphere, though once you remember all pubs used to be more or less like that, you can relax and deem it characterful. Which I did! Service was brisk though gruff and the two festival beers offered (3B’s Porter and Young’s Burton Ale) were excellent and kept just right. Cheap too at £1.29 a pint, which (probably) kept the JSSQ down to below medium. Overall this was a very enjoyable visit and a comfortable 7 out of 10. More cask availability would have increased the score here.
Next was the Up Steps in Oldham. This just doesn’t make the grade at all, being long and narrow with a bar that seems cluttered and hard to get to. Staffing levels were poor with two harassed staff trying hard to serve the teeming throng. My pint of 3B’s Porter was however served with a smile and an apology for the (shortish) wait and was excellent. I asked for a sample of the Gouden Carolous and this was given with the same courtesy from the excellent barmaid despite the competing demands of the thirsty. Well done indeed. Choice of beers was poor however and the pub seemed disorganised and lack lustre. This was a pub I was glad to leave. A fairly high JSSQ was Robert Peel - Bury evident. I give this 5 though it would have been 4 but for the redeeming barmaid who, due to lack of a name badge, will have to remain anonymous!
And so, to Rochdale, to the Regal Moon. This converted cinema is imposing and well laid out, though a somewhat gloomy entrance area is a bit off putting. Once through that all is well and while nothing special architecturally, the huge pub is nonetheless comfortable and appealing. This is the only JDW in the branch area that is in the 2006 Good Beer Guide, so my expectations were high. Six guest beers of excellent quality greeted me here, the St Georgen Brau Keller beer being particularly memorable. Samples were positively encouraged and the Manager mentioned to me that they had had to re-stock and dig into their "normal" guest beers, such was the festival’s popularity. Service was prompt, cheerful and very professional from a noticeably more mature bar team. The JSSQ was low. This was a well-deserved 9 out of 10 and fully justified its GBG selection on this showing.
N ow my nea rest JDW the Harbord Harbord is in
Middleton and knowing it best, I had some concerns about how it might measure up. Five
guests were on offer though some were getting
a little "tired" by Saturday - I had seen some of
the same beers on the Thursday before. The pub
itself is just a big rectangle, but is clean and
buzzing. The overall customer base here was
much younger on averag , though I am not all
sure what that tells you, except probably, that
cask beer is not high on their agenda. As if to
back this up, John Smith’s Smooth was flying off
the bar. Of the beers sampled Bateman’s
Blackbeerd was good, but not so a sub sta n d a rd
pint of Everard ’s Beacon, which was however
replaced with good grace. Despite plenty of staff,
service was a bit slow. The very high JSSQ tells its
own story, though in fairness, the beer was
much better on my Thursday night visit when I
did not have a bad pint. This was a scraped 6 out
of 10 on the day.
Finally the Robert Peel in Bury. A good-looking pub from the outside, but less so on the inside, this pub continually disappoints. Beer choice was reasonable but service was erratic. Normal beers seemed to predominate over festival beers with the usual suspects Courage,Theakston’s and Marston’s very much to the fore. But maybe being towa rds the end of the festival, I was just unlucky. Bury CAMRA colleagues gave it a better rating for earlier visits. Given its prime position though it really should do better and does n’t. A medium JSSQ here and overall a 5.
So how did our JDW contingent shape up to the company aims? I reckon only the Regal Moon really did, though the Edwin Waugh was very good too in a non-JDW sort of way. In the middle were the Harbord Harbord and the Robert Peel, with the Up Steps bringing up the rear, a fair way behind. As always with these kind of surveys this was a snapshot and to give a full picture several visits are probably needed. Why not pop in and see for yourself?
The 20th Oldham Beer Festival will take place
on Friday and Sat u rd ay 24th and 25th March
2006 in the Queen Elizabeth Hall, West Street,
Oldham. The venue is right in the centre of
Oldham, next to the Civic Centre and immediately
adjacent to the town centre bus station, making it
easily accessible to public transport. Organised by
the Rochdale, Oldham and Bury Branch of CAMRA
(The Campaign for Real Ale) proceeds go to the
mayor of Oldham Charity Appeal Fund, which this
years is supporting —Dr. Ke r s h aws Hospice, Men
Behaving Dadly, Oldham Families in Crisis,
Chernobyl Exchange Visit, Oldham Play Action
Group, Making a Difference and Disabled Childrens
C a re r s .
Featuring around 60 Cask ales from around the country, a wide range of continental bottled beers, plus traditional ciders, perries and fruit wines, the festival will once again become Oldh a m’s biggest pub for the weekend. As well as liquid refreshment there will, as usual, be traditional food available at all sessions provided by members of the Mayors Appeal Committee.
The excellent facilities provided by the Queen
Elizabeth Hall mean that over 1000 people can
attend each session at any one time and that
there is seating available for over 500 people in
the hall, so space should never be a problem .
Disabled access is available at all times. Children
will be allowed in the festival at lunchtimes
accompanied by their parents / guardians. It is
hoped to have live entertainment on each of the
two evening sessions . The festival is open at lunchtimes between 12
noon and 4pm and in the evenings between 6pm
and 11pm. Admission prices are £3 Friday
evening, £2.50 Saturday evening, £1 lunchtimes .
CAMRA members will be admitted free of charge
at all sessions on production of a valid
membership card. If you are not already a
CAMRA member, Join in advance so you can save £7.50 on entry to the festival.
As the event is held in aid of the Mayor ’s Appeal, anybody wishing to sponsor a beer at the festival is asked to contact Mike Robinson, the Festival Organiser by email for details. He can be contacted at camrarob@aol.com