The Rochdale, Oldham and Bury Pub of the Year for 2008 is the Tandle Hill Tavern, Thornham Lane, Middleton. An award was presented to the landlady, Michelle Fenton, by the ROB Chairman Peter Alexander in November last year.
The Good Beer Guide listed Tandle Hill Tavern is reached by an unmade pot holed lane from either the Middleton (A664) side or Royton (A627) side and is popular with farmers, walkers and a host of regulars for its beer, home cooked food and an assured warm welcome. Michelle has won several awards since she took over the pub and is Lees current “Cask Ale Pub of 2008”. Previously the Tandle Hill Tavern was Manchester Food and Drink Pub of the Year in 2007. The pub always has at least three Lees cask beers on and is a rare outlet for the endangered mild, now renamed as “Brewers Dark”. In addition to the bitter, there is usually a seasonal beer, as well as the house beer, Bumpy Lane, a dry hopped version of Lees Bitter unique to the pub.
Michelle told “More Beer” “It is always nice to get awards as it recognises the hard work that goes into the pub. To be named as the CAMRA Pub of the Year by my local CAMRA Branch is absolutely terrific. I just couldn’t get a better accolade as this is a beer led pub”
The Tandle Hill Tavern was also named runner up as CAMRA Greater Manchester Pub of the Year 2008.
If you would like to tell us about a pub you think should be nominated for next year’s award, please let any committee member know, or write to the editor.
Happy New Year to all our readers. At least
we can only hope it will be a happy year,
but under current economic conditions
that’s anyone’s guess.
The main local Camra beer events for this quarter are the NWAF (National Winter Ales Festival) in Manchester and our own Oldham Beer Festival in March (see article). This magazine should be out in time to encourage you to attend either of these events but, in the event this magazine appears too late for the NWAF, remember to make a note in next year’s diaries.
We have done our best to ensure that there are enough articles of interest despite Christmas getting in the way, and the effects of the credit crunch on our intrepid roving reporters!
Chairman: Peter Alexander
Email – peter@peteralexander.plus.com
Secretary: Pam Ellis
Email – ellis077@btinternet.com
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 © 2009. 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 THE NEXT ISSUE OF MORE BEER WILL BE OUT END OF APRIL 2009 WE MUST HAVE ANY CONTRIBUTIONS BY APRIL 6TH AT THE LATEST
Design & Layout by:
Tel: 01733 751286
info@tamoko design.co.uk
Advertisement Sales by:
Tel: 01536 358670
N.Richards@btinternet.com
JANUARY
Sat 17th -Central Manchester Pub crawl, Deansgate/Castlefield area
Wed – Sat 21st/24th -National Winter Ales Festival, New Century Hall, Manchester
Sat 31st -Good Beer Guide 2010 Selection Meeting, The Baum, Toad Lane, Rochdale
FEBRUARY
Tues 3rd -Branch Meeting, The Old Boar's Head, Long Street, Middleton
Sat 21st -Train Social, Leeds centre
MARCH
Tues 3rd -Branch Meeting Royal Oak, Rhodes Bank, Oldham
Sat 14th -Coach Social, Saddleworth Super 7
Fri – Sat 20/21 -Oldham Beer Festival, Queen Elizabeth Hall, Oldham
Sun 29th -Spring Social, Tandle Hill Tavern, Thornham Lane, Middleton
APRIL
6th -13th -National Cask Ale Week, Details To Be Confirmed
Tue 7th -Branch Meeting, Two Tubs, Bury Centre
Wed 8th -Coach Trip, Pennine Brewery, Haslingden
MAY
Sat 2nd -Mild Campaigning Trip, Details To Be Confirmed
Tue 5th -Branch Meeting, Baum, Toad Lane, Rochdale
JUNE
Fri-Sun 5th/7th -Coach Weekend Trip,
Tewkesbury
Sat 13th -Branch AGM, Eagle and Child,
Higher Lane, Whitefield
Sat 20th -Gtr Manchester Branches, Ken Birch
Nostalgia Mystery Coach Trip (TBC)
JULY
Tues 7th -Branch Meeting, Horton Arms, Streetbridge, Chadderton
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.
* Further details of social events are available
from branch contact or social secretary.
All branch and committee meetings start at 8.30
unless otherwise indicated or announced.
Changes to the diary and other events may be
announced at branch meetings or publicised on
the website.
‘More Beer’ editorial meetings are held from time to time at the Royal Oak, Werneth - details available from the editor.
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.
From 1st November 2008, JD Wetherspoon have kindly agreed to supply all new and renewing CAMRA members with £20 worth of JD Wetherspoon real ale vouchers as part of their CAMRA membership package.
This new benefit will only run for 12 months and is a ‘thank you’ from JD Wetherspoon to all members and prospective members for their support in the past.
The vouchers will be sent out by post when you join CAMRA or renew your membership (either by cash or direct debit) anytime on or before Saturday October 31 2009. Members will have approximately a year to spend all of their vouchers.
The vouchers are split into four sheets of ’50p off a pint’ units, with each sheet having a three-month deadline. Only one voucher may be used per visit.
There are reasons for these conditions:-
CAMRA promotes responsible drinking and if we supplied £20 worth of vouchers that could be used in one visit to the pub, then this could be seen not to support this policy.
This offer is obviously a generous one from JD Wetherspoon and they feel this scheme will encourage people to visit a number of their pubs across the UK throughout the 12 months of their CAMRA membership.
The idea of this added benefit is very simple and good fun. Put the vouchers in your wallet or purse and use them when you are near to a JD Wetherspoon pub and fancy a nice pint of real ale.
Please note that CAMRA Life Members will also receive £20 worth of JD Wetherspoon vouchers in early 2009.
To sign up please use the membership form in this magazine on Page 22.
The 23rd Oldham Beer Festival will take place on Friday 20th and Saturday 21st March 2009 in the Queen Elizabeth Hall, West St, 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 by public transport.
Organised by the Rochdale, Oldham and Bury branch of CAMRA (Campaign for Real Ale) proceeds go to the Mayor of Oldham’s Charity Appeal Fund. This year the fund is supporting Dr Kershaw’s Hospice, the Neo-Natal Intensive Care Unit and the Diabetes Centre at the Royal Oldham Hospital, Oldham Education Trust and Oldham Cancer Support Centre.
Featuring 75 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 host Oldham’s longest bar and become Oldham’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 Mayor’s Appeal Committee.
The excellent air-conditioned facilities provided by the Queen Elizabeth Hall mean that over 1000 people can attend each session at any one time and with seating available for 500 people in the hall, 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. Live entertainment will be provided at each of the two evening sessions, Rockabilly Fever on Friday and Jog the Memory on Saturday.
The festival is open at lunch times between 12 noon and 4pm and in the evenings between
6pm and 11pm. Admission prices are £1.50 Friday lunchtime, £4 Friday evening, £2 Saturday lunchtime, £3 Saturday evening. CAMRA members will be admitted free of charge at all sessions on production of a valid membership card.
For more information and (in due course) a list of the 75 beers ordered for the festival, please visit the Branch website www.robcamra.org.uk.
If you are not already a CAMRA member, join in advance by using the application form in this magazine or visit www.camra.org.uk so you can save over £10 in total on entry to the festival.
Two pieces of good news from Oldham. Firstly the Three Crowns (by the main Bus Station) has been awarded the Cask Marque. The pub is always worth a visit and has recently had Black Sheep available. Secondly, the town centre also has a Real Ale gain. The former Littern Tree on Yorkshire Street has been taken over by JD Wetherspoon. The Squire Knott is a Lloyds No 1 which means music and slightly higher prices than the Up Steps. There were 4 hand pumps in use when I called in. The two Christmas beers available were in good condition and at £2 a pint very good value.
Michael Lees-Jones is now established as Head Brewer and has decided on his first line up of seasonal beers and specials. There will be four seasonal beers, each lasting three months. First up, from March to May will be Hopping Mad, a 3.5% dark mild no less, with a liquorice nose and a roasted finish. Michael tells me, it will be, unusually for a mild, well hopped, with Styrian hops. Next up will be Gold Digger, a zesty 3.8% golden ale with Goldings hops. In September comes Cock and Bull, a 4.5% chestnut ale hopped with Fuggles. In December Plum Pudding will be replaced by Dark Side. At 4.2% this ebony spicy ale will be hopped with Northdown hops.
In a departure from previous practice, Michael tells me that there will be a “Special Occasion Range”. This will be available throughout the year on request. The only beer that has been brewed before is Dragon’s Fire and this will be supplemented by two others, Supernova, a 3.5% dark beer inspired by the Oasis song and the 4.5% Game On. In addition, for December only there will be Christmas Cracker, a 4.8% full flavoured hoppy beer with a spicy finish.
Michael also mentioned that he is reformulating Scorcher completely, to boost sales as he felt it wasn’t quite hitting the mark out in trade. This will be available permanently along with Bitter, Brewers Dark and the premium John Willie’s. The line up is completed by Moonraker, which will always be available in cask conditioned form.
Lees are tackling the recession by offering 25% off food and drink in their managed houses such as the Boat and Horses, Rose of Lancaster, Spring Inn, Same Yet and Wishing Well. According to the Manchester Confidential website a voucher (valid for six people) may be downloaded from: www.jwlees.co.uk
In Middleton, the manager of the GBG listed Old Boar’s Head, Claire Robinson is leaving to take over as the tenant in Lees Plas Glanrafon, Benllech Bay, Anglesey. Continuity will be preserved, as popular full time barmaid, Leanne will take over on a temporary basis.
I reported in the last issue that both the Windmill in Sudden and the Black Bull in Middleton were closed. I am glad to say they have both now re-opened.
Happened to go in the Harbord Harbord in Middleton and I was pleasantly surprised to see a good selection, besides the usual suspects there was:
Exmoor Exmas
Marstons Old Empire
Moorhouses Pendle Witch
Grafton Blondie
Plus another I can't remember
All were in fine fettle and the service was excellent! I also noticed as I stood at the bar a lot of the locals were foregoing the smooth and drinking the cask beers.
Friday Afternoon: 105 members; 137 non-members Friday Evening: 231 members; 369 non-members Saturday: 222 Members; 316 non-members New members signed up: in excess of 20 – well done Dave Hallows!
Grindleton's Ribble Rouser was the first to go. I managed to try a half and found it to be a good tasty session ale.
The Festival Ale with 7 out of 53 votes was Dunham Massey Chocolate Cherry Mild. Close behind with 4 votes each was Darkstar Over The Moon, Brewdog Punk IPA and Outstanding Stout.
A landmark drinking hole has reopened its doors with a new look and new faces manning the pumps.
Pub favourite, The Shoulder of Mutton in Holcombe village, underwent a refurbishment in time for its grand re-opening earlier in the month (December).
New owners, Andy Morris and chef Chris Yates, have taken over the pub, which closed down in May this year, and Andy says the punters are thrilled to see the pub of the community trading again.
“The locals have all come back and they are
chuffed to bits and the feedback from the regu-
lars has just been really positive” said Andy.
The pub on Lumb Carr Road now offers more real ales and traditional home-cooked food. (from the Bury Journal 23.12.08)
As well as the November Bury Beer Festival
and the event run by our member Matt Parr on
behalf of the Round Table, we have the annual
Forever Bury Beer Festival which this year will
run from 26-28 February at Gigg Lane Football
Ground. For further information: email
davegiffard@onetel.com or call 07790 239063
From 30th April to 2nd May we have a new kid on the block – the Fusilier Beer Festival, to
be held in the Elizabethan Suite of Bury Town Hall, proceeds of which will be going towards the Appeal for the new Lancashire Fusiliers Museum which is currently under construction opposite Bury Art Gallery. For further details see www.freewebs.com/fusiliers-beer-festival
Alex Koval says: A recent Rammy Ramble -an abridged version of the infamous Rammy Mile revealed the following. First port of call was the Good Sam, where Lees, Golden Pippin and Deuchars were on offer. And, getting in the spirit of the credit crunch, beer had been reduced to £2 a pint. Golden Pippin at £2? We didn’t need telling twice and, like a herd of migrating wildebeest, we rushed to the bar. Suitably nourished we headed up the hill.
The First Chop was still quiet and I settled down with some easy going Wainwrights. Another member of the party had half of Ginger and a half of Wheat. Further along at the Major, it was all change on the beer front, with 3 guest beers on. Dent Frosty Weather (4.5%) was surprisingly light, but a little heavy on the palate. Hornbeam Lemon Blossom was surprisingly light on the lemon and heavy on the malt.
A short bus ride took us to the Hare & Hounds at Holcombe village which was by far the busiest pub of the day. A shock awaited us on the board, with not one, but two, Leyden’s on. And a Boggart. Now that’s what I call cruel and unusual punishment. Still reeling, I went for Hambleton Festive Folly, which despite being straw coloured, was yet again heavy on the malt. I then played safe with Wild Mule. We decided to take the party down to the Trackside, where I was glad to see a full board. Naylor’s Pale Ale and Copper Dragon were amongst the beers tried.
Andy at the Hare and Hounds in Holcombe Village has scheduled his next beer festival for 13 – 22 March.
We heard from Keith Hayward, a visitor to the area from South Bedfordshire Camra:
Just a couple of comments on some of the pubs visited (in no particular order):
The Baum -what a superb establishment! Good beer, good food, and friendly staff and customers. A worthy inclusion in the GBG. However, even from the end of Toad Lane it is not obvious. The current description suggests that it is next to the conservation area, rather than next to the store. Perhaps some rewording, or mention of the tripe advert might help.
Merry Monk -Mild was undrinkable (barman said end of barrel, but vinegar taste suggested past it) but changed on request with no argument. The replacement Bitter was nothing special. The Jekyll's Gold was also poor, and my 2 friends both failed to finish their pints. Sadly disappointing.
Cask & Feather -A good pint, although I can't remember what it was other than a Phoenix beer. Type of conversation being enjoyed by some locals leads me to believe that this is not the sort of pub that I would take my wife to, but definitely worthy of consideration for GBG.
I hope you find these comments helpful.
The GBG Listed Willow Tavern has now gained Cask Marque Accreditation -further proof of Neil's commitment to quality real ale.
At The Cotton Tree, John continues to serve four real ales, which includes two Guests and has installed a very nice, heated smoking shelter.
Last Orders seems to have survived the recent Cains Brewery problems and usually has two Ales at £1.40 a pint!
The previously keg-only Windmill has been selling Greene King IPA for some time now.
The Woodhouse Gardens, as ever sells a perfectly kept pint of Lees Bitter and have really excelled with their Xmas Decorations.
At a time when pubs around the country are
closing it is good to have some positive news
about the opening of new one. The Kingfisher
at Frenches Wharf in Greenfield is part of a
major regeneration of the old Knoll Mill site
next to the Huddersfield Narrow Canal and is
newly built for Marston’s. This redevelopment
scheme, which originally included a narrow
boat basin and support facilities, chandler’s
shop, Tesco supermarket and various types of
housing, has already been watered down (sorry
about that!) and could be further affected by
the credit crunch.
However, in spite of difficult economic times it’s full steam ahead at Frenches Wharf, with teams of tradesmen finishing off the internal fittings and external features at the Kingfisher, which is due to open mid-February. In keeping with the surrounding buildings, the pub is stone-built and overlooks the canal and basin, and should be a pleasant spot if we get a summer this year.
So far, efforts to get pub-related information directly from Marston’s have failed but it is understood that it will be a managed house and mainly focussed on food – 2 for 1 meal signs are already prominent on the perimeter of the site. The word is that Simon Turner, previously business partner and chef at the Top House (Swan) in Dobcross, will be part of the management team at the Kingfisher. On the important issue of beer choice, during an impromptu site visit, the author was pleased to see two banks of three handpumps on the bar, together with the usual array of keg offers. Further investigations in the embryo cellar indicated that as well as the ubiquitous Pedigree, the pub will also be serving either Marston’s or Banks’s bitter and possibly Hobgoblin from Wychwood as well. Further developments are awaited with interest.
It is located near the regularly GBG-listed Railway which provides an interesting contrast to the new pub restaurant, offering a good range of well-kept ales in friendly traditional surroundings, as well as regular live music and other forms of entertainment. This will provide the opportunity for a very short pub crawl (about 200 yards!), which could be extended by including the King Bill and Clarence by heading out towards Chew Valley.
Meanwhile, after the pub was closed for a few weeks, Sam and Pauline Wilson have taken over at the Top House which is also part of the Marston’s empire following its takeover of Jennings. Sam is a keen golfer who qualified as a PGA Professional in 1972 and the couple have just returned from Mexico where Sam built a golf academy. Before the period overseas they were actively involved in various aspects of the pub business and Sam has won three “Cellarman Of The Year” awards for the quality of his beer. He plans to spend some time teaching golf here while running the Top House and has already spent time in the cellar to bring the beer up to his exacting standards – quite a feat for someone who doesn’t drink beer himself! The Jennings beers on offer are bitter, Cumberland Ale, Cocker Hoop and Marston’s Pedigree although this may change once they get established – his policy is to sell only beers which are sold out within a three day period.
Home cooked food is also available throughout the week and, after a period of uncertainty about the future of the Top House, it is great to see the reopening of this quintessential village pub.
In Delph the relief manager left the White Lion in September to be replaced by tenants Dave and Judith Lever who previously worked at the Church Inn next to Saddleworth Church. There is no change in the beer line up with Thwaites Original and Lancaster Bomber on handpull and food is available seven days a week up to 7.00pm.
Winter saw a couple of local pubs offering strong seasonal beers in Uppermill. At the Waggon on High Street, Robinson’s Old Tom (8.5% ABV) was sold only in half pints at £2.00 from pins (4.5 gal) on the bar and enjoyed steady trade over the Christmas period. In contrast Lees’ Moonraker (7.5% ABV) was served from handpump for £3.20 per pint at the Cross Keys and although it was a regular beer at this pub in the past, its reception was poor and after one cask the beer was discontinued. A possible explanation is that Lees’ excellent Plum Pudding (4.8%) was available at the same time as Moonraker and was the preferred tipple at £2.40 per pint. Their next seasonal is Winter Warmer, a 4.5% full flavoured dark beer.
Lees, the district of Oldham, not the brewer, is 700 feet above sea level and is a pretty chilly place, believe me. “Two overcoats colder than Manchester” as they say up there. Not the place to grow hops then you'd likely say? Well no, but our CAMRA colleague and esteemed Branch Treasurer, an Oldham lad through and through, poo poos such trifling concerns as huge amounts of rainfall, wind and cold. He grows hops!
In late October last year, I and several local CAMRA members were at the launch of a new beer brewed by Peter Percival, Head Brewer and co-owner of Greenfield Brewery. Held at Oldham's premier free house, the Ashton Arms, the new beer, Gardener's Hop included Clive's very own Lees grown hops. It was very pale, using only pale ale malt and was early hopped with Whitbread Goldings Variety and late hopped with Clive's locally produced hops, which he reckons are probably Fuggles. I did get a chance to inspect one cone. It was very spicy and aromatic and while this didn't come through as strongly in the finished beer, it was nonetheless a splendid and unusual effort. Greenfield Brewery’s Head Brewer, Pete Percival, said: “Clive’s hops are really good. We have never used fresh hops in our brews before - they have always been dried varieties. But my business partner and I were so impressed with the quality and flavour of Clive’s, we decided to give them a go.”
In Rochdale.Oldham and Bury Branch, Clive is nicknamed "Hoppy" such is his love for humulus lupulus. He is a keen home brewer and modestly pleased with his efforts. Said Clive: “I have always loved good beer and I started growing the hops as just a whim really. I used them in my home-brew ales. Originally I purchased some hops from Kent but, to be honest, I never thought they would ever grow strong enough in be used in a commercial brew".
The hops have produced more than 1,000 pints of bitter, with an alcohol by volume of 4.2 per cent to give a pleasing aromatic flavour.
Unfortunately, the beer has been long since drunk, but Clive assures me he will be looking for another bumper crop this year to flavour another of his hoppy brews.
Today, 8th October, I was at Greenfield Brewery to assist with the brewing of a special one-off beer. I was a sort of assistant brewer for a day.
The occasion being the brewing of a beer using some of my own-grown hops. A five-barrel batch of beer was brewed, (5 x 36 gallons, = approx 18 to 20 x 9 gallon casks) to an original gravity of 1039, final expected strength 4.1 / 4.2 ABV. It will be quite a light beer in colour, but with a hoppy 'nose' and hopefully a hoppy taste. The hops were not the main batch but the 'late hop' addition in the last 10 minutes of the boil. This is a common practice to give extra aroma and taste, quite often using a different hop variety to the main batch.
Name chosen (by myself) will be Gardener's Hop. Although this year wasn't a particularly good harvest, because of the wet summer, there were just about enough for the purpose.
The fact that they were also fresh (un-dried)
hops (or 'green' hops) is also not common, as
not many breweries have access to fresh hops,
or will perhaps not try them. Fresh hops are not quite as easy to judge for quantity
purposes for brewing, as the weight and aroma
differs considerably from packed / pressed /
dried hops.
The other angle is that Greenfield is now my closest brewery (since Owl Brewing has folded a few months ago) and they are using hops that have been grown in Saddleworth (just about) so the experiment was willingly agreed to by the Head Brewer Peter from a local interest point of view. I understand that he has already contacted someone at the Oldham Chronicle, so there may be a small article soon.
Pump clips have been ordered, and two casks are already destined for a beer festival in Blackpool, and the rest will be sold to whoever is interested in the free trade or to other festivals. The Ashton Arms in Oldham being probably one place, and no doubt other Saddleworth free trade outlets. The beer will be appearing in about three weeks time.
There may also be a special night at the Ashton Arms, as I did suggest the idea of some sort of donation to a local cause (10 pence in the pint sort of thing, which the Brewery liked the idea of). It is all good publicity for Greenfield Brewery, and no doubt good for CAMRA too, with the promotion of local brews, etc.
Our editor recently had a ‘significant’ birthday. To celebrate there was, naturally, a celebration ‘pub crawl’. This one was with a difference. Rather than the usual Northern Quarter pubs we tried bars along Liverpool Road and the ‘bottom end’ of Deansgate.
Our first port of call was the Castlefield Hotel in the YMCA about half a mile along Liverpool Road from Deansgate. The drinking area resembled a hotel reception, overlooking a canal basin. The bar contained 4 hand pumps, although only one was in use. The Bazens Black Pig was on fine form and also rather good value.
We then retraced our steps towards Deansgate. The first stop was the Ox which was originally named after a potato, the Oxnoble. Today it’s a gastro pub with inflated beer prices & poor service for people just wishing to drink. The Copper Dragon Golden Pippin was on decent form with Deuchars IPA, Timothy Taylor’s Landlord and Black Sheep Best Bitter also being available.
It was only a short hop to the White Lion. The group split with some sat outside on benches drinking from ‘plastics’ in the sun whilst the rest kept indoors enjoying their beers from ‘proper’ glasses. The Copper Dragon Golden Pippin, Flowers IPA and Greene King Old Speckled Hen were good but rather costly.
The shortest walk of the day was to the Cask, which was the city centre version of Chorlton café bar. The two real ales were Northern Ecstasy and Northumberland Summer Gold which were well kept but not to everyone’s taste buds. Most of our party took the chance to try the large range of foreign beers/lagers, quite a few of which were on draught. Thankfully the beer prices weren’t up to Chorlton standards after the previous two pubs.
As can be expected the Deansgate is on the road of that name. The pub had rather fine external tiling and a well kept interior. Beers included Hydes Best Bitter, Robinsons and Coach House Honeypot. As the expected rain still hadn’t arrived we took the external stairs to the roof top beer garden, which is a hidden gem.
The final destination was the excellent Knott. The modern bar is situated in a railway arch which makes life ‘interesting’ when a train passes not many feet above the drinkers. The Knott used to be part of the Marble empire so Marble Manchester and Ginger Marble were available along with beers from Bank Top, Pictish and other breweries. Again, foreign beers were on draught.
After the Knott the group split up with some of us taking the route home whilst others sampled other Manchester hostelries. All in all a good afternoon as the pubs were well worth a visit. So if you want somewhere ‘different’ give them a try.
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
According to the blurb, if you ask anyone from Antwerp to describe the city in a few words, you can guarantee the answer: “the Schelde, the Zoo, the Cathedral of our Lady and a Bolleke of De Koninck”. Given limited time there we decided to follow this recommendation, but in reverse order! De Koninck is one of the classic beers of Belgium and this year celebrates its 175 year anniversary, which seems like a good excuse to visit the brewery located in the suburbs of this fine city.
In 1900 there were around 25 working breweries in Antwerp. Since then the industry has been ravaged by two World Wars and the city has now just two – De Koninck and the Pakhuis brewpub. Following a few welcoming bollekes we were taken round the brewery by a guide whose sobriety was queried on more than one occasion!
Anyway the key things to emerge were that the Old Brewhouse was replaced in 1995 by an ultramodern brewhouse with conical fermenters, but they still only brew with 100% natural raw materials. Surprisingly for a country with a long history of hop growing, De Koninck use only whole Czech Saaz hops which are ground and treated with nitrogen to extend their shelf life and the malts are based on two-row barley sourced from Normandy. The beers are all top fermented at the relatively high temperature of 25-27 deg C, conditioned, filtered and packaged.
Four beers are regularly produced, with the classic amber De Koninck (5% ABV) the most widely available. There is also a Blond at 6% and an 8% Triple – the latter was most widely available originally brewed in 1993 to celebrate Antwerp’s year as the European Capital of Culture and in common with some true Trappiste triples (try saying that after a couple of quadruples!), contains organic cane sugar. The seasonal Winterkoninck (6.5%) is ruby-red and fortunately was available during our visit.
In addition to these, two 8% specials have been produced for the 175 year anniversary – Gusto 1833 Golden Blond and Ruby Red, both of which are sold in champagne bottles.
The visit finished with a few more drinks and a vote of thanks, then it was back on the tram to the fine hostelries in Antwerp centre. After intensive research we concluded that the cheapest beer (Euro1.50 per 0.25l bolleke) was available at the Oud Arsenaal, a terrific locals’ pub just off the main shopping street, near the Rubens House.
The following is taken from George Orwell's 1943 Review of Mass Observation's 'The Pub and the People' . Seems like not much has changed!
It is a pity that this large and careful study could not have had a short appendix indicating what effect the war has had on our drinking habits. It seems to have been compiled just before the war, and even in that short period of time beer has doubled in price and been heavily diluted.
Writing at a time when 'mild' was still fivepence a pint (between 1936 and 1941 rearmament only raised it by a penny), the Mass Observers found that in 'Worktown' the regular pub-goer was putting away, on average, between fifteen and twenty pints a week. This sounds a good deal, but it is unquestionable that in the past seventy years the annual consumption of beer per head has decreased by nearly two thirds, and it is the Mass Observers' conclusion that 'the pub as a cultural institution is at present declining'. This happens not merely because of persecution by Nonconformist town councils, nor even primarily because of the increased price of drink, but because the whole trend of the age is away from creative communal amusement and towards solitary mechanical ones. The pub, with its elaborate social ritual, its animated conversations and -at any rate in the North of England -its songs and week-end comedians, is gradually replaced by the passive, drug-like pleasures of the cinema and the radio. This is only a cause for rejoicing if one believes, as a few Temperance fanatics still do, that people go to pubs to get drunk. The Mass Observers, however, have no difficulty in showing that there was extraordinarily little drunkenness in the period they were studying: for every five thousand hours that the average pub stays open, only one of its clients is drunk and disorderly.
Working on the more old-fashioned provincial pubs where the various bars are still separate rooms and not, as in London, merely one long counter separated by partitions, the authors of this book have unearthed much curious information. In a short review it is impossible to dilate on the complex social code that differentiates the saloon bar from the public bar, or on the delicate ritual that centres round treating, or the cultural implications of the trend towards bottled beer, or the rivalry between church and pub and the consequent guilt-feelings associated with drinking; but the average reader is likely to find Chapters V, VI and VII the most interesting. At least one of the Observers seems to have taken the extreme step of being initiated into the Buffaloes, about which there are some surprising revelations. A questionnaire issued through the local press, asking people why they drank beer, elicited from more than half the answer that they drank it for their health -probably an echo of the brewers' advertisements which talk of beer as though it were a kind of medicine. There were some who answered more frankly, however: 'A middle-aged man of about forty of labouring type says "What the bloody hell dost tha tak it for?" I said for my health; he said "Th'art a **** liar". I paid for him a gill.'
And one woman answered the questionnaire thus:
'My reason is, because I always liked to see my grandmother having a drink of beer at night. She did seem to enjoy it, and she could pick up a dry crust of bread and cheese, and it seemed like a feast. She said if you have a drink of beer you will live to be one hundred, she died at ninety-two. I shall never refuse a drink of beer. There is no bad ale, so Grandma said.'
This little piece of prose, which impresses itself upon the memory like a poem, would in itself be a sufficient justification for beer, if indeed it needed justifying.
Brewing was an accomplishment cultivated in most old English monasteries, just as at the present day the extraction of essential oils for the concoction of liqueurs is largely carried on in a number of the Continental monasteries. In Saxon and medieval times the office of Cellarer was one of the most important in English religious houses; and according to Scott's "Ivanhoe" Burton-on-Trent Abbey in the time of Coeur-de-Lion had already acquired a reputation for its conventual ale.
The whole of Burton's present-day commercial prosperity is the outcome of that ancient monastic practice. In pre-Reformation days the abbot was lord of the manor, and the abbey with its dependencies was then practically the town. In those times, according to the local legend:
"The Abbot of Burton brewed good ale, On Fridays when they fasted"
and being an artful abbot, who preferred that his ale should have time to mellow, the legend proceeds:
"But the Abbot of Burton never tasted his own, As long as his neighbour's lasted".
The earliest historical reference to this particular conventual beer is one of the year 1295, when, sometimes called "cicer", it would appear to be a common article of consumption among the dependents of the abbey. It is also an historical fact that when Mary, Queen of Scots, was a prisoner in Tutbury Castle (1584) she was supplied with beer from "Burton three myles off".
It must by no means be thought that the pre-eminence of Burton ales has been derived by brewing it from the inexhaustible waters of the Trent; the secret of its success lay in the peculiar suitability of the water supplied by its numerous wells, the chemical or natural properties of which confer those potable qualities so much approved by the connoisseur. The water passes through some gypsum beds in the neighbourhood.
A side-light has recently been thrown on the manner in which native enterprise availed itself of this undoubted natural advantage. It appears that the great carrying business, so widely known as Pickfords, was established in 1640, when road traffic had to be performed mainly by the use of pack-horses, and has only grown to its present enormous dimensions by the overcoming of trade rivalry from time to time. In 1723 there was a small carrier near Burton. His name was Bass. Upon his round he sold a home-brewed beer prepared in his spare time. The demand for the beverage grew to such an extent that he sold his carrying business to Pickfords and devoted himself exclusively to brewing. Such was the commencement of the great Burton house of Bass.
Those of us who were around in the early days of CAMRA in the 1970’s and 80’s will remember with great nostalgia the famed mystery tours organised by CAMRA stalwart Ken Birch. Phrases such as “What do you mean there’s no bus?”, “Where the hell are we” and “I thought we’d be back in Manchester by midnight” immediately spring to mind. Also the time the bus stopped outside Wolverhampton and a sprightly old dear jumped on asking “Is this the bus to Dudley?” -well it was but via a number of boozers that she wasn’t expecting. And, in spite of various cock-ups, we did actually visit a selection of classic Black Country pubs, many of which are still going strong.
Well it’s back, possibly anticipating his 64th birthday, nostalgia is rife and the Ken Birch Mystery Tour is being revived. The date pencilled in is Saturday 20th June and it will be open to all CAMRA Branches in Greater Manchester. Likely pick up points will be central Oldham, central Manchester and a couple of points south of the city before we hit the M6 and, depending on numbers, the cost is likely to be £12-15 per person.
At the moment the actual destination for the mystery tour is a closely guarded secret (known by only Ken and me, and all the people at his 64th birthday party in early January), but my suspicion is that it will be the Black Country again.
If you want to be included in this historic event, or need more information, please contact me.
CAMRA ROB Social Secretary
I worked in Leeds for over 10 years. Every morning I would drive past the Joshua Tetley Brewery before heading the short distance to work. I could see the brewery, with steam rising from it, from one of the offices I used to occupy. I would watch the comings and goings as I drove past. There used to be Ind Coope wagons bringing up supplies from Burton on Trent to their sister brewery. Tetley-Walker drays from Warrington would be picking up this and that. I'd see them on the Pennines. The Burton Brewery is now part of Coors giant site, sold off years ago. Dallam Brewery in Warrington, the home of Peter Walker who merged with Tetley in the late sixties has long gone, with its beers being transferred over the Pennines.
In the dog days of my Leeds career the brewery had its Joshua Tetley 1822 signs taken down and replaced by a watered down version by Carlsberg who became owners. Carlsberg signs abounded and big tankers in Carlsberg colours, rather than drays laden with casks became the normal sight. Now it is all to end. Carlsberg have announced the site will close by 2011. The company said it needed to maximise efficiency to remain competitive in the face of increasingly challenging market conditions, adding: "Unfortunately, in this environment we can no longer justify running two major breweries in the UK." The spokesman said the company would continue brewing Tetley beer, preferably elsewhere in Yorkshire, if not somewhere in the north of England, but "definitely" in the UK.
There are those who will not mourn the loss of this major brewery. I am not one of them. I still enjoy the odd tart pint of Tetley's and spent a lot of time drinking it, albeit Warrington brewed, when I lived in Liverpool. I don't doubt the commercial case for closure by a brewer whose influence in the UK beer market in the UK beer market has been one of slow decline (some might say incompetence) since they came into it, but to see Leeds without Tets in it will sadden me on a personal level. In its day -and that day has gone -it was a legendary beer.
The closure has been inevitable for some time as the UK beer market shrinks, but as has been said by many, beer drinking is more than just supping the best beer. It is about friends and memories and happy days. I had a lot of happy days with Tetley Bitter. I for one will miss it.
Zak Avery (British Guild of Beer Writers, Beer Writer of the Year) reports on the website Forum that the Portman Group is thought to be pressuring the Sinclair Group to change the name of its Skullsplitter strong ale. As Zak says, the move comes in the wake of the attempt to get Wye Valley Brewery to phase out the use of the curvaceous Dorothy Goodbody image from its labels.
This is mere pussy-footing. Surely the Thought Police can get tougher than this? Who cares if Skullsplitter has a historic Norse connection with Orkney --if the beer encourages binge drinking in Budleigh Salterton on a wet Wednesday, then clearly the name has to go.
But Skullsplitter and D. Goodbody are only the tip of the well-known cliche. Lets have a real crackdown.
Alehouse Brewery, St Albans: Farmers Joy clearly encourages country folk to get hammered.
Arkell's of Swindon: 2B infringes the copyright of William Shakespeare.
Atomic Brewery of Rugby: Strike, Fission, Fusion, Reactor, Power and Bomb --all these beer names are banned on the grounds of national security and may encourage the United States to declare war on Iran (or whichever country has upset Dick Cheney today).
Bank Top of Bolton: Bikes, Trikes and Beer encourages people to drink and drive two-wheeled and three-wheeled vehicles while under the influence.
Barearts Brewery in Todmorden is a micro based in an art gallery devoted to nude artwork. They are encouraging lewdness and depravity and should be closed immediately.
Bartrams Brewery in Rougham, Suffolk, is in all manner of trouble. Jester Quick One is clearly an encouragment to onanism while Comrade Bill Bartram's Egalitarian Anti-Imperialist Soviet Stout is an appalling example of political incorrectness.
Beartown of Congleton has a portfolio of beers with bear in the names: Bear Ass, Bearskinful and Black Bear. Is this company attempting to declare war on Russia?
Belvoir Brewery of Leicestershire has a Beaver Bitter that should be sold only from the top shelf while Blue Moon in Norfolk has Liquor Mortis, which is an enticement to drink to death.
In Scotland, Broughton's Old Jock has already been outlawed in the U.S. on the grounds that it sounds like an item of male sporting apparel and the same attitude should prevail here. Also in Scotland, Cairngorm's Sheepshaggers Gold should be consigned to outer darkness on the grounds that sexual activity with animals is unlawful.
Freeminer in the Forest of Dean should be instructed immediately to withdraw its Strip & At It brand as a clear incitement to public indecency. The Garton Brewery in East Yorkshire has a Liquid Lobotomy Stout that suggests drinking it could cause serious damage to the brain, while in West Yorkshire Golcar Winkle Warmer Porter improperly promises an aid to erectile dysfunction.
Two breweries with "great" in their names -
Great Gable in Cumbria and Great Oakley in
Northamptonshire --have beers called Brown
Tongue and Gobble respectively, over which
we will draw a veil, as so should they.
Hambleton of Yorkshire indulges in unpleasant sexual bravado with its Stud and Stallion beers while Houston in Scotland's Blonde Bombshell is an unacceptable example of vulgar sexism.
In Cornwall, Keltek's claims that its Cripple Dick is named after an old tin mine is a pathetic attempt to cover up its blatant crudity. As for Leatherbritches Hairy Helmet in Derbyshire...words escape us.
The Nelson Brewery in the Historic Dockyard in Chatham, Kent, brews a Friggin in the Riggin that suggests ungentlemanly behaviour by members of the Royal Navy and brings the service into ridicule and scorn.
In Cornwall, Skinner's of Truro has a Cornish Knocker Ale that, along with Slater's Top Totty in Stafford, draws undue attention to the protuberant parts of the female anatomy.
All beers with the term "tackle" in their titles should be withdrawn, as should the several versions of Cole or Coal Porter, which are deemed insulting to the memory of a great popular composer.
In general, it would be best if all beers were simply called "mild". This would ensure the collapse of the entire brewing industry within months, which would solve most of the problems facing modern society.