The Society of Independent Brewers (SIBA) has just announced that their beer volumes for 2008 were up 10% on the previous year. They expect a further 15% rise this year. This compares with a drop of 5.5% year-on-year fall in sales by British Beer and Pub Association members in 2008.
SIBA put the growth down to rising distribution, with the average number of pub customers per brewer growing from 79 to 94 last year. Increased rate-of-sale also helped throughput of local beers grew by an average of nine per cent over the last two years.
Even better news is that three out of four SIBA members will increase brewing capacity this year. So there you have it. Give the people drinks they want to buy and they will buy them. Stop restricting the market and you'll get more local beers. Cask beer continues to be the only bright light in an otherwise dull pub trade story. It must have something going for it.
Greetings! Spring is sprung, supposedly, but while I’m writing this we’re still having four seasons in one day. Gloom and doom continue on the economic front, but never mind because the new beers they keep on coming, as do the beer festivals. We are so lucky in our area, there’s usually 2 or 3 things going on each weekend so that we’re spoiled for choice. Long may it continue!
I recently returned from a weekend in Iceland, and now I’m counting my beery blessings – paying around £4.50 for a pint of fizzy Viking or Thule and around £6 for a small glass of wine certainly puts our prices into perspective – I’ll never complain about a £3 pint in Manchester again!
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
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. Any opinions expressed in this newsletter are those of the contributor, representing their findings at a given date and time, and are not necessarily endorsed by the editor, ROB or CAMRA as a whole. 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 at 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 NEXT ISSUE OF MORE BEER WILL BE OUT END OF JULY 2009 WE MUST HAVE ANY CONTRIBUTIONS BY JULY 3rd AT THE LATEST
Fancy a few pints in May in varied and interesting pubs across the Rochdale, Oldham & Bury area? Well we have just the scheme for you! Throughout May we are running “The Mild One”, a Mild Passport Scheme which gives you the opportunity to visit a wide range of pubs in urban and rural areas, and the chance of joining the special Winners’ Event at Phoenix Brewery on Saturday 4th July.
How it works is simple, there are 30 participating pubs in “The Mild One” and you can pick up your passport card from any one of them. When you buy at least a half a pint of cask conditioned mild at one of these pubs during May you receive a sticker from the bar staff. The scheme will run throughout May 2009 and the objective is to collect as many stickers as possible during that period. At the end of the month the 20 competitors who have collected the most stickers will be invited to The Winners’ Event at Phoenix Brewery. Finally, if you collect at least 12 stickers but are not eligible for the Winners’ Event, you will receive vouchers for 5 pints of beer for use at the Bury Beer Festival in November 2009. You can find the full terms and conditions on “The Mild One” passport cards.
So, don’t delay, head for one of these pubs to pick up your card and start collecting
The New Inn – 818 Manchester Rd, Castleton OL11 3AW Robinsons Hatters
The Cemetery - 470 Bury Rd, Rochdale OL11 5EU Guest Mild
The Merry Monk - 234 College Rd, Rochdale OL12 6AF Hydes Owd Oak
The Albion – 600 Whitworth Rd, Rochdale OL12 0SW Guest Mild
The Baum – 33-37 Toad Lane, Rochdale OL12 0NU Guest Mild
Flying Horse – Packer St, Rochdale OL16 1NJ Guest Mild
Cask & Feather – 1 Oldham Rd, Rochdale OL16 1UA Guest Mild
Moorcock Inn – Halifax Rd, Blackstone Edge OL15 0LD Guest Mild
The White House – Halifax Rd, Blackstone Edge OL15 0LG Guest Mild
Ashton Arms – 26 Clegg St, Oldham OL1 1PL Guest Mild
Rose of Lancaster – 7 Haigh Lane, Chadderton OL1 2TQ Lees Brewers Dark
Bridgewater Hotel – 197 Manchester Rd, Oldham OL8 4PS Holts Mild
Ray’s Wine Bar - 20 Middleton Rd, Royton OL12 5PA Thwaites Nutty Black
Cotton Tree Inn - 96 Ashton Road East, Failsworth M35 9PR Banks’s Origina
Diggle Hotel – Station Houses, Diggle, OL3 5JZ Copper Dragon Black Gold
Navigation Inn – 21-23 Wool Rd, Dobcross OL3 5NS Moorhouses Black Cat
Cross Keys – Running Hill Gate, Uppermill OL3 6LW Lees Brewers Dark
Waggon - 34 High Street, Uppermill OL3 6HR Robinsons Hatters
King William IV - 134 Chew Valley Road, Greenfield OL3 7DD Guest Mild
Hare & Hounds - 400 Bolton Rd West, Holcombe Brook, BL0 9RY Guest Mild
Trackside - Bolton Street Station, Bolton Street, Bury BL9 0EY Guest Mild
Royal Oak - 23 Whittaker Lane, Heaton Park, M25 1FX Hydes Owd Oak
Dusty Miller - 87 Crostons Road, Bury BL8 1AL Moorhouses Black Cat
Old Blue Bell - 2 Bell Lane, Bury BL9 6AR Holts Mild
Hark to Dandler - 186 Walmersley Old Road, Bury BL9 6SA Lees Brewers Dark
Lord Raglan - Mount Pleasant, Nangreaves BL9 6SP Leyden Black Pudding Mild
Two Tubs - The Wylde, Bury BL9 0LA Thwaites Nutty Black
Red Lion - 398 Bury New Road, Prestwich M25 6SA Holts Mild
Lamb Inn - 533 Tottington Road, Bury BL8 1UB Guest Mild
We hope you have a great May drinking excellent mild beers!
Cheers,
Ken Holt
• Special thanks to Steve & Linda Ingle, Ken Taylor, Peter Boden, Paul France & Bernie Jackson for putting this scheme together.
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
We heard from Mr & Mrs Coone at the Merry Monk in Rochdale, who were concerned at Mr Hayward’s comments in the last issue. As stated at the beginning of the magazine, all comments are the views of one person on one specific occasion and should not be taken to refer to the general condition of the beer. As the Merry Monk has been voted by the branch into the Good Beer Guide 2010, we are happy to confirm that there is no issue with the quality of the beer. On this issue we also heard from several regulars at the pub:
Dear More Beer,
It was with amazement that we read the letter in your last issue regarding the Merry Monk. In our experience the pub consistently provides one of, if not the best pint in Rochdale, and its reputation for quality is well known throughout the region. We urge readers to go and try it for themselves.
Yours,
Ken Taylor
Mike Dale
Steve Ingle
Geoff Blakeley
If all goes to plan the Flying Horse will be holding their first beer festival on 22 & 23 May.
Landlord Peter is leaving the Healey Hotel and Simon from The Baum takes over from Monday 6th April.
The Talbot Head on Shawclough Road has a new tenant and now has Marstons Pedigree and a guest ale on handpump. As this has been all keg for a long time this is good news.
The Regal Moon after a pretty dire period is now back on top form with an excellent selection of well kept beers.
Finally moves are afoot for the Albion on Whitworth Road to revert to being a free house, fingers crossed.
Bradshaw Cricket Club Beer Festival, 17 & 18 April
New Continental Beer Festival, Preston 1 & 2 May
Halifax BF 8 & 9 May
Macclesfield BF 8 & 9 May
Clitheroe BF 15 & 16 May
Stockport 29 & 30 May
In common with the rest of the country, there
have been a number of changes affecting pubs
in Saddleworth during the past few months.
Andy and Laura left the Hanging Gate in Diggle
at the end of March with licensee Steve
Edwards and chef Timothy O’Neal taking over.
Steve’s previous pubs include the Barton Arms and Millstone in Manchester’s Northern Quarter
and his last hostelry was the Shady Oak in
Whaley Bridge. Timothy came from the well
regarded Marble Arch brewpub in Manchester
where they won the Manchester Food and
Drink Award for Best Pub in 2006; he is keen to
develop the food side at the Hanging Gate
including dishes cooked in beer.
The pub itself has been around for about 200 years and was taken over and rebuilt by Gartsides Brewery in 1926. It is now owned by S&N Pubs, although their three-year lease is held by Yorkshire Pubs. Apparently Yorkshire Pubs have a comprehensive beer list which will allow a good choice of cask and bottled beers once they get established, something Timothy is keen to do. In fact they are considering running a mini beer festival during the weekend of 5-7th June when the Whit Friday Brass Band Contests and Beer Walk take place, with a good captive audience. As well as big-screen TV and occasional live music, the Hanging Gate offers four, well-appointed, en-suite bedrooms which have been given AA approval. Double or twin rooms cost £69 per night B&B.
The nearby Diggle Hotel has been given planning permission for a fire escape at the rear of the pub and this will allow them to reinstate the B&B rooms above the pub. They plan to build four new en-suite rooms which should be completed this summer.
Following the abrupt departure of the licensees of the Woolpack in Dobcross, the pub is currently closed although Enterprise Inns are hopeful that replacements can be found in the next few weeks.
Another Enterprise pub – the Farrars Arms in Grasscroft – changed hands at the end of last year when long-standing licensee Phil Whiteman left the pub after 22 years to concentrate his efforts on his other business, the Old Bell Inn at Delph. According to Ken Bennett in the Oldham Chronicle, Phil bought the Old Bell, a former coaching house, eight years ago.
Two former employees, Karen Broadbent and Melanie Lord, have taken over at the Farrars, which dates back to 1701 and has a colourful history including its use as a mortuary. However the pub was far from dead during a recent visit with a number of people sitting outside in the spring sunshine, watching the traffic negotiating the tricky junction below the pub. Inside there is a traditional wood-panelled room used for dining, a bar area dominated by a fruit machine and a room set up for live football on widescreen TV. The three regular beers at the Farrars are Bombardier, Landlord and Black Sheep Best, and a guest beer will be tried during the busier summer months. The Black Sheep was at the end of the barrel during my visit and promptly changed. A range of food is on offer here including pensioners’ specials.
Another pub which changed hands around the same time is the Grotton, unsurprisingly located in Grotton. From being a keg beer, live music venue the pub is being transformed into a more traditional family pub offering home-cooked food and cask beer. The large function room on two levels has been cleaned up to expose some solid oak art deco features and is now the restaurant area. There is also a more compact side lounge bar where live sport is shown. Martin Standley, whose family run the Bull’s Head in Ogden, has taken over the Grotton and steadily increased the number of real ales on offer – at the last count they were serving three Greenfield beers, Dobcross Bitter, Delph Donkey and Hopped & Stoned. If business develops as hoped at least one more beer will be added later this year.
As expected the newly-built Kingfisher at Frenches Wharf in Greenfield opened in February and has attracted a lot of custom with their 2-for-1 meal offer. This is very much an eatery and there is little encouragement for the casual drinker – no bar stools and the doors from the bar to the pleasant outdoor seating area overlooking the canal are locked. Regular beers Pedigree, Jennings Bitter and Cumberland are supplemented by a guest including Cocker Hoop and Wychwood Hobgoblin. When tried, the quality of these varied from excellent to mediocre but it is nevertheless good to see that Marston’s are providing a choice of cask beers in what is essentially a formulaic eating house.
The long established White Hart in Lydgate offers quality food and drink in pleasant surroundings and the hand pumped ales are usually in good condition. However, in spite of the availability of Marble Brewery’s Manchester and Brakspear’s Bitter over the last few months, the beer choice often lacks inspiration. Recently the bar proudly displayed Lees’ Bitter and three beers from Timothy Taylor all of which have a similar taste profile. With the emphasis on food provenance why can’t this approach be extended to their beers? Greenfield, Millstone and Shaw’s breweries are nearby and slightly further afield there are excellent beers from Phoenix and Pictish.
Given the popularity of the food at the Cross Keys in Uppermill since Wayne and Wendy took over, it comes as no surprise that plans are in hand to remodel the restricted kitchen area to improve the throughput of their meals.
Finally, if you are a closet ukulele fancier, you have a chance to learn to play this fine instrument at the Cross Keys. A local George Formby group meets in the adjacent barn every Sunday afternoon so why not come along and clean a few windows at the same time!
BREAD, milk, toilet rolls and plasters are not the usual things a punter would expect to find behind a bar. But the landlord of the Junction Inn, Denshaw, Saddleworth, Daniel Cressey, has introduced a raft of groceries after local shops closed. Daniel, 33, acted last year after the village's post office closed. He said: "There was nowhere left here for anyone to get essentials. We open at 7.45am anyway for breakfasts so I decided to sell newspapers as well. I thought if we're doing that we might as well start selling other things so I started stocking up."
He says regulars have been quick to comment on his new empire, comparing him to Ronnie Barker's character in the Open All Hours sitcom. "They've started calling me Arkwright," he said. "I've no Granville or a bike but you never know - maybe one day."
Daniel, who also offers a dry cleaning service, says he is not in it to make extra money. "It's not about that," he said. "I just decided to help when the post office and general store closed. Lots of the people who live here are elderly and struggle to travel."
And it appears the expansion may not end there, with plans to transfer post office services for four hours a week - so punters may be able to pick up their pensions as well as a pint.
"We're in discussions with the post office," confirmed Daniel. "There are complications but it's certainly something we're looking at."
It appears that Marston's Beer Company's MD Stephen Oliver has got a bit of thinly disguised contempt for CAMRA. In the trade paper, The Morning Advertiser, he has a right go at everyone. CAMRA are a lot of "beardy weirdies" -no prize for originality then-and slightly better -a set of "gobby hobbits". Warming to his theme, they become "sandal-clad, whisker-stroking stormtroopers".
Showing no mercy Ollie also blasts his own licensees who it seems are an ungrateful bunch. Why? The ingrates seemingly want to be able to sell beers from outside Marston's 5 breweries and their 35 permanent and 53 occasional ales. What a shower. The Society of Independent Brewers (SIBA) doesn’t escape either, with a swipe at their not chipping in to pay for Cask Ale Week. He also has a neat little pop at small brewers saying their beers are "eclectic pints brewed in a cupboard with the dubious benefit of progressive beer duty." They are also "oddballs down a country lane" whose beer is served with “bits in it.”
It seems "normal" people should start to drink Marstons Beer and be grateful for it. Presumably he means if you don't like their beers, you aren't "normal". Now I love a good rant as much as the next man and no doubt Ollie's words will strike a chord with some, but the underlying message seems to be "after all we've done for you, why don't you like our beer?”
Most people reading his outpourings will work that answer out for themselves, though I can see why he's miffed. After all they kindly took over some nice breweries, kept them going and made their ale more widely available. They could have been like Greene King and shut the lot down. It may well be a point. Why then is everyone so unappreciative of their efforts?
Is there more to this than meets the eye? Why is Ollie so rattled?
Footnote: Mr Oliver has since apologised for his remarks, accepting that he “used exaggerated language in order to make my point”. At least though, even if you disagree with him, it does show that he cares what is going on out there in the beer world. Seems too that for many, including some of his own people, that he must try harder.
The North Manchester branch would like to invite any members from across Greater Manchester to the 17th Annual Independents Day Treasure Hunt, on 4th July 2009. If you’ve not done it before - the Treasure Hunt combines a pub crawl with a pub quiz, and offers the chance to tour interesting pubs around central Manchester and prove how clever you are while doing so. Your team – 2-5 people (and please come along even if it’s just you – there are always teams that could use another brain!) will need to be at the Crown & Kettle, corner of Oldham Street and Great Ancoats Street, Manchester M4 5FE, between 11am (doors open) and 12:30. Entries are £1 per person. Teams get a short quiz to find the names of the pubs to be visited during the day.
You then tour these pubs, enjoying beers from local and other independent breweries, while answering questions in each pub. Return to the starting point by 7:30 pm for food and to find out who’s won. The winners receive beer tokens, the ceremonial shield, and hopefully will take on the challenge of setting the 2010 Treasure Hunt. Whether or not you know Manchester’s pubs, this is a great opportunity to visit some you might not have found on your own. Any questions, email us at idth@sky.com - hopefully we’ll see you on the 4th.
CAMRA (Campaign for Real Ale) and the Mayor of Oldham Charity Appeal Committee held another successful beer festival in the Queen Elizabeth Hall, Oldham at the end of March. The event raised £6000 for the local charities supported by Cllr Shoab Akhtar, the Mayor of Oldham.
Almost 1500 people attended the event over the two days to sample the 80 real ales on offer together with the 15 traditional ciders and perries, fruit wines and bottled beers from Germany and Belgium. Whilst the majority of the real ales were sold by the end of the Saturday evening, the cider bar had to be restocked on Saturday morning due to the popularity of the traditional cider and perry.
The festival, now in its 23rd year has been held in the Queen Elizabeth Hall for the last 11 years following the move in 1999 from Werneth Park Music Rooms, fondly remembered for its uniqueness with its conservatory, oriental plants and distinctive architecture.
Local breweries scooped all the three awards in the Beer of the Festival contest, with Millstone Ye Olde Vic being voted as the beer of the festival, Phoenix Black Bee being voted into second place and Green Mill Big Chief being voted into third place.
Ben McGovern from Chadderton, Oldham was the winner of the competition for the gallon of beer sponsored by the Ashton Arms, Clegg Street, Oldham after his form was chosen at random from those that voted Millstone Ye Olde Vic as their favourite beer at the festival. Pictured is winner Ben (left) being presented with his prize at the Ashton Arms by festival organiser Mike Robinson. In the centre of the picture is Jo Potter, licensee at the Ashton Arms serving Ben his first pint of Olde Vic.
A number of local companies and several breweries also helped to make the event a success by sponsoring some of the beers.
Friday night was, as usual, the busiest session with 700 people in attendance, drinking the beers and being entertained by local group Rockabilly Fever while on the Saturday evening another local group Jog the Memory provided the entertainment.
Overall another great festival, here’s to the 2010 event.
It was a bright and (very) breezy day in February when ROB took advantage of some very cheap tickets through a Trainline deal to explore Leeds, which hadn’t been done for a few years. We made ourselves comfy in the (5 mins overdue) train only to be told there weren’t enough staff available to run it, and the ones that were available had gone over their hours. BUT ‘there’s a train going out from Platform 3 in four minutes’. So it was back on with the coats, pick up all the bits and leg it down the platform. But of course with a train being cancelled, all and sundry were playing sardines and our seat reservations were worthless. Some had to stand all the way – at least the company was good! Maps had been issued and we had a potential 12 pubs to visit.
Arriving in Leeds rather later than expected, we found that some who had gone via the Rochdale line had already departed in search of pubs ‘with architecture’. There must have been two dozen of us altogether but we were never all in the same place at once!
The free shuttle bus that does a loop of the city centre picks up right outside the main door to the station, so we used this to get to the furthest point of our crawl, (get off at stop 5 on Park Lane, turn left back to the main road, then turn right round the college and 100 yards down the road to the Fox and Newt on Burley St). There would normally be eight beers available, but due to a live music event the previous evening, there were four including only one of their own, for which the barmaid apologised. These were Black Sheep Riggwelter, Saltaire Raspberry Blonde (4.0), Saltaire Hazelnut Coffee Porter (4.6) and Fox & Newt Clarendon Dark Mild (3.6). I tried the Raspberry Blonde which was indeed fruity with a lingering bitter and hoppy finish.
####
10 minutes walk back towards town took us to the Victoria Family & Commercial Hotel round the back of the Town Hall. This was a Victorian gem, part of the same chain as the Bank in Manchester and offering the same extensive range of sausage-based meals, with nine beers including Skinners Ginger Tosser (3.8), Holdens Golden Glow (4.4), Nethergate Dirty Dick (5.2), Cropton Uncle Sam, Acorn Barnsley Bitter, Saltaire Trio Pale, Taylors Landlord and Tetley Bitter. I had the Ginger and the Trio and both were excellent.
Continue round the Town Hall back to the main road, cross it and find Mr Foley’s on the corner. This was a more modern bar with seating areas on several levels. Ten beers were on including Elland Demon’s Eye and Brewers Reserve 2009 Red House, Abbeydale Vespers, York Guzzler, Terrier and Centurion’s Ghost. Brewer’s Reserve went down well.
Another short trot through the shopping area took us to North Bar. This reminded us very much of Bar Fringe in Manchester, being a long narrow bar with cask and foreign bottled beers. Outlaw Wild Mule was very tasty. There was also Great Newsome Frothingham Bitter and Little Valley Studely Stout. We could also have had Stone Brewing’s Arrogant Bastard on tap, but at 7.2% we thought it was a bit early. The bottled beer menu was extremely interesting, but we didn’t sample any.
Next, to the Palace, tucked away behind the church on the end of Kirkgate. This was another of the sausage-selling chain, also Victorian in style but a lot lighter that the Victoria due to huge windows. We had Roosters YPA, but there was also Saltaire Hazelnut Coffee Porter, Batemans XXXB, Black Sheep Best and Prospect Nutty Slack.
Also on Kirkgate is the Duck & Drake, worth a visit but bypassed on this occasion.
Round the back of the Palace onto The Calls, and a 15 minute walk took us to Water Street, home of both the Midnight Bell and the Cross Keys (virtually next door to each other). These are both modern and comfortable bars and are part of a warehouse conversion in the Wharf development. Midnight Bell had Leeds Brewery Pale, Best, New Moon and Midnight Bell, also Ossett Pale Gold, Tom Woods Bomber County. All in excellent condition.
The Cross Keys had Roosters White Rose, Wentworth WPA, Scattor Rock Quarryman’s Bitter and Marble Pint. The food menu caught our attention – Sunday lunch with all the trimmings, but with a difference. Joints of pork, beef or lamb are brought to your table for you to carve. This will feed 5 or 6 people and costs £70-£80 depending on which meat is chosen.
Back to the main road, turn right at the new building and just round the corner hides the Grove. A multi-room ‘traditional’ boozer, this was heaving with post-football match crowds, but they all seemed to have just the one and then disappear! Available were Leeds Pale and Midnight Bell which we enjoyed in the cosy surroundings with dogs sat on the bar stools in the front room and very nice stained glass windows in the snug showing narrowboats on the canal.
It was getting time to head back to the station for the train. We’d been told the Leeds Brewery Tap was on New Station Street, a minute away from the main station entrance – but we couldn’t find it! So we poked our noses in the (heaving) Wetherspoons but the beers available (mostly dark) were not to my fancy so we went for the train. Which was full. Again. Eventually the conductor took pity on us and let us sit in First Class.
Altogether we had an excellent day out and were impressed with the range and quality of the beers available on the day. The shuttle bus is very handy if you don’t fancy a walk, but the distance between each pub is very short. The natives were very friendly – three times we were stood on street corners arguing over the map when someone would approach and ask us where we were looking for and direct us. This was a day out that could well be repeated in the future.
In early March Rochdale, Oldham and Bury Branch toured Lees Brewery at Greengate Junction in Middleton. Founded in 1828, when John Lees, a retired cotton manufacturer, bought the site of the present brewery premises in Middleton Junction and started brewing ales there. In 1878 Thomas died and John Willie the younger brother and sole surviving grandson of the Founder took over the sole management of the Company. The name was changed to J. W. Lees & Company and bears this name to this day. The brewery is still in family hands and now run by the sixth generation, with William Lees – Jones as Managing Director and Michael Lees –Jones as Head Brewer.
The trip started in a most acceptable way with a couple of pints in Lees Hospitality and Training Suite. Beers on offer included, Brewer’s Dark, Bitter, John Willies Premium and the famous and potent Moonraker. After a welcome by Michael, the party split into two for a look at the brewery itself. Paul Wood, the Brewhouse Manager leading one lot of inquisitive CAMRA types and Michael the other.
It seems they have a bit of a race on how quickly they can do this, knowing as they do, that no matter what the group, they have an eye on a few refreshing pints. I went with Michael’s party and must say there was no sense of rush at all, so maybe it was just a tease.
The brewery has been completely modernised in recent years and is very flexible indeed. The latest addition to the brewing kit is a large lauter tun, which allows more efficient extraction of the brewing sugars from the malt. Lees Traditional Bitter still makes a fair chunk of the production along with the other cask ales, but nowadays a lot of lager is produced too.
Lees brew Carlsberg and Holsten under licence, the logic being that it keeps the “mash tuns going”. Additionally, Lees own Golden Original is still proving popular. Back in the hospitality suite, a few more pints were consumed and an excellent buffet soon disappeared down appreciative throats. It is very clear that Lees have no intention of giving up either pubs or brewing. As Michael said, “we are in it for the long haul”. Thanks to Michael and Paul for an excellent and informative night out.
In an exclusive “brand stretching” deal, J W Lees have bought the rights to produce a Coronation Street Ale from ITV. This deal sees Lees which has been established for more than 180 years at the Greengate Brewery in Middleton, acquiring a five year license to create and distribute the premium draft ale throughout its chain of UK pubs. JW Lees will be launching the 4.2% premium cask ale into its 170 pubs in April.
William Lees-Jones, Managing Director, said “We’re delighted to have signed this deal. Coronation Street is one of the most famous streets in the world. With our shared Manchester heritage, we’re excited to be teaming up with them to provide a premium quality draft ale. A preview of the beer was available recently at the Rain Bar in Manchester and was a complex, malty brew with a hoppy finish.
On a Saturday in March those people who had volunteered their services at last year’s Bury Beer Festival were rewarded with an afternoon of hospitality at David Porter’s Outstanding Brewery in Bury.
An extensive buffet of sandwiches and chicken was provided, along with seven of his ales. Working our way up, there was Experiment No 1 (3.8%). Light in colour, herby on the nose and extremely bitter and hoppy, this contains the New Zealand Nelson Sauvin hop. David doesn’t think this will make it to general sale as it is too extreme for the average beer drinker, but we thought it was the best one available.
Next, SOS, 4.5%, less immediate on the first taste but with a hoppy afterkick. Smoked 38, 4.8%, made with German malt, and Smoked 40 (also 4.8%). I had a sip of each in the cause of investigative reporting, but smoked things in general are not to my taste, although there were noises of approval from the aficionados of the style. C, 5.0%, was a wheat beer with coriander, lightly fizzy, tasting slightly sweet and banana-y (or bubblegum, as someone else said). Standing Out, 5.5% and one of his regular brews. A pale golden ale, dry and bitter with a good load of aroma hop. Stout, 5.5%, thick, jet black, bitter, with liquorice and strong roast flavours
Some people got to test his bottled barley wine (Pushing Out) as well, but at 7.3% things were getting a bit silly.
We had an excellent afternoon – why don’t you volunteer to help us this year even if only for a couple of hours, and your efforts could be rewarded too!
On Sunday 15th March the Club held its first pub walk of the year, from the Railway, Greenfield, to the Stalybridge Buffet Bar.
The aim of the Club is to involve members not active in their Branch, as well as non-CAMRA members, in a social activity to learn more of the ‘fun’ side of the Campaign.
This aim was achieved on this occasion with ten inactive members, four non-members and only one (myself) semi-active (it’s me knees!) member attending. Of the four non-members, three are near-certainties to join at their next beer festival, and the rest showing engagement with the group and very positive suggestions about all aspects of CAMRA.
The Railway and King William IV at Greenfield were followed by the Tollemache Arms, Britannia and Newbridge Inn – all close to the Huddersfield Canal in Mossley, before a final yomp to the newly revamped conservatory and welcoming pints in the renowned Buffet Bar.
A total of two dozen or so real ales were
quaffed (no – not all by me!) until a well-
behaved but slightly over-lubricated party
caught their trains back to Manchester.
The programme of future events is listed below:
May 17th – Lymm to Moore/Runcorn East – 6.5/8 miles. Meet at St Peter’s Square Metrolink 10:50 or Altrincham Interchange
11:31 for the 38 bus to Lymm June 14th – Radcliffe to Ringley, then via Bolton & Bury Canal to Prestwich – 5 miles. Meet at Prestwich Metrolink 11:00 or Radcliffe Metrolink 11:30
July 12th – Parbold to Wigan via Leeds & Liverpool Canal – 6 miles. Meet at Manchester Piccadilly Station 11:10 or Salford Crescent Station at 11:44
August 16th – Middlewood to Macclesfield via Canal – 7.5 miles. Meet at Manchester Piccadilly Station 11:15
September 13th – Bardsley to Droylsden via Hollinwood Canal – 5 miles. Meet at Manchester Victoria Station 11:30, Oldham Mumps 12:00 or the Dog & Partridge, Oldham Rd Ashton-under-Lyne 14:30
A petition was presented to Parliament in 1673 praying that tea, coffee and brandy should be prohibited, as the use of these newer beverages interfered with the consumption of barley, malt, and wheat, the native products of the country. The petitioners boldly asserted that the “laborious people”, who constituted the majority of the population, required to drink “good strong beer and ale” which greatly refreshed their bodies after their hard labours; and that the pot of ale or flagon of strong beer with which they refreshed themselves every morning and every evening, did them no great prejudice, hindered not their work, nor took away their senses, and while it cost them little money it greatly promoted the consumption of home-grown grain; whereas the drinking of brandy destroyed many of his Majesty’s subjects, “not agreeing with their constitution”.
Drinking real ale and travelling by train seems an ideal pastime, especially when you hardly have to leave the station. This was the theme for a group of CAMRA members from the Rochdale, Oldham and Bury branch one Saturday in November last year.
The idea was to meet at Huddersfield Railway Station between 11am and 12 noon, travelling from either Manchester Piccadilly or Stalybridge on Trans Pennine Express and then use local Northern Trains to visit several stations in the Huddersfield, Batley and Dewsbury area, each of which has a real ale bar in or immediately adjacent to the station.
It is also possible to get to Huddersfield from Ashton, Mossley or Greenfield stations on the hourly service from Manchester Victoria.
I chose to join the train at Stalybridge, travelling on the 408 bus from Royton, purely because it gave me the opportunity to sample my first pint of the day at the Good Beer Guide listed Stalybridge Buffet Bar, which is located right on the station platform where the Huddersfield/Leeds trains stop.
The rest of the group were already in the Head of Steam on platform 1 at Huddersfield Station when I arrived at 11.45am. Huddersfield has an excellent number of real ale pubs but today we were concentrating on those on the station.
The likes of the Grove (2 Spring Grove Street), the Rat and Ratchet (40 Chapel Hill) and the Star Inn (7 Albert Street) would have to wait to another day. Fortunately for me that day would be Saturday 3rd January, when Oldham Athletic were playing at Huddersfield, but that is another story.
A drink in the popular Head of Steam was then followed by one in the King’s Head (a Good Beer Guide pub), further along the same platform, on the other side of the station entrance. Both pubs have eight or ten different hand pulled beers to choose from so it can be difficult to make your choice, especially if there is a train to catch. I chose the straw coloured Durham Magus which was not really a hard choice for me to make.
Trains to Mirfield, our next destination are hourly on both the Leeds and Wakefield lines and we all managed to catch the 12.35 Wakefield train for the eight minute journey to Mirfield.
The Good Beer Guide listed Navigation Tavern (6 Station Road) is a canal side pub visible from the end of the station platform and a mere three minutes walk away. Turn left from the station exit and immediately left again. The pub offers a comprehensive range of Theakstons beers, including Old Peculier.
There is a choice of two trains an hour from here to Batley, on the Leeds line, so some of the party set off early to the next destination whilst the rest of us finished our pints more slowly.
The next destination was Batley Station, ten minutes away by train, where immediately outside the station entrance, across the street, is the Cellar Bar (51 Station Road), a new entrant to this year’s Good Beer Guide. Here in the ground floor/basement of this fine looking stone building is this newish bar which has been opened by the owner of the popular Dewsbury Station Buffet Bar. A good selection of beers was on sale including an excellent dark stout which immediately took my fancy.
Talking of the Dewsbury Station Buffet Bar, this was to be our next stop, having first passed it by on our journey to Batley. Trains are twice an hour and with a journey time of only three minutes, your next pint is not long away. Situated right on the Manchester bound platform, besides the excellent choice of beers, there is a good choice of food.
Whilst in Dewsbury, away from the station, we also visited two other Good Beer Guide pubs, the Shepherd’s Boy (157 Huddersfield Road), an Osset Brewery pub with guest beers and Leggers Inn (Mill Street East), both serving between six and eight differing beers. For the adventurous there is also the Flatt Top (Edge Lane/Albion Road, Thornhill), a 20 minute bus ride away on the 281 or 283 bus from Dewsbury Bus Station. This pub serves two beers from Leeds Brewery and is well worth a visit.
Dewsbury was our final destination before heading back home. An excellent day out by train and hardly having to leave the railway for a pint or three of real ale, (well almost).
Enjoy it yourself sometime.
Sat 2nd Mild Campaigning Trip, JW Lees, Phoenix Brewery, Hare & Hounds Bury, Ashton Arms Oldham, Baum Rochdale (please contact Social Secretary for details of times)
Tue 5th Branch Meeting, Baum, Toad Lane, Rochdale
Fri-Sun 5th - 7th Coach Weekend Trip, Tewkesbury & Cotswolds
Sat 13th Branch AGM, Eagle and Child, Higher Lane, Whitefield
Sat 20th Gtr Manchester Branches Joint Social Ken Birch Nostalgia Mystery Coach Trip (TBC but probably West Midlands)
Sat 4th ‘The Mild One’ Winners Celebration Event, Phoenix Brewery, Heywood
Tues 7th Branch Meeting, Horton Arms, Streetbridge Rd, Chadderton
Thurs 23rd Evening Coach Trip, Millstone Brewery, Vale Mill, Mossley for OBF presentation
Sat 1st Coach Social, Last of the Summer Beer Revisited, Holmfirth
Tues 11th Branch Meeting, Cemetery Hotel, Bury Road, Rochdale
Tues 1st Branch Meeting, The Grotton Hotel, Oldham Rd, Lees
Sat 3rd Coach Social, Sheffield Area inc Beer Festival
Tues 6th Branch Meeting, Red Lion, Bury New Road, Prestwich
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.