BAE 152

b a eIssue 152 | April - May 2010 |FREE, please take one

Peterborough & District Branch of CAMRA | www.peterborough-camra.org.uk

Beer Around ’Ere

IN THIS ISSUE: THE INDUSTRY MOLE | SPOTLIGHT ON BOURNE

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Peterborough Branch Website |www.real-ale.org.uk

Hello again. I know that I’ve covered thistopic before but, do think that it’s a veryimportant subject in the fact it could

well have a major effect on what we pay for ourfavourite tipple. The Office of Fair Trading hasagreed to re-open its investigation of the beer tieand is now consulting further on CAMRA’ssuper-complaint. CAMRA had appealed againstthe OFT’s ruling that it had found no evidence ofthe beer tie having an adverse impact onconsumers. However following the OFT’s decisionto open the consultation, CAMRA have agreed tostay its appeal until 1st August.

CAMRA chief executive Mike Benner stated “We are delighted that the OFT has responded toour appeal by agreeing to conduct an openconsultation and I encourage all parties to usethis opportunity to submit further evidence ofanti-competitive practice.” We in CAMRA look forward to working with theOFT to deliver reform of the beer tie so that thepub market works in the interest of the consumer.We also hope to get a better deal in the interestsof the pub licensee. Just ask any local pubco tiedlicensee what they have to pay for their cask beerswhich are heavily loaded in price.

By the time this issue hits the streets we willmost likely have been given a date for the forthcoming general election. I expect the usualsucking up to all and sundry with promises thatthe candidates and we, all know they cannot orwill not keep! Within this issue we have listed ashort summary of what CAMRA is asking politi-cians to address. I must point out to remind youthat CAMRA is a non-political organisation and,we do not hold any alliances with any politicalparty. A list of contacts is available for you toobtain more detailed info on the issues we are puttingin our Beer Drinkers and Pub Goers Charter.During a visit to another city I was engaged inconversation with the licensee in regard to hissales of real ales against the sale of lager and keg

beers. He made a very good point by saying thathis consumers of real ales were doing so becausethey were not available at knock down prices fromany supermarket. This in comparison to thelagers being readily available in cans at prices wellbelow his cheapest. His overall conclusion wasthat this was the reason for his sales of real alesoutstripping the lager sales. This in a pub sellingsix or seven ales most at £3 plus a pint!

Yes folks we also will very soon see the figure 3 onmost price boards in our pubs. Whatever yourpolitical or non-political views please do find outmore on CAMRA’s ‘manifesto’ before the election.Your vote could make a significant difference to thenext few years of our drinking culture and pubs.

We’re now approaching the season of the BeerFestival – not the PBF that will be soon enough.Several local Beer Festivals are soon to be held aroundour branch area. See our diary dates for details.

The last few years have been labelled ‘May is MildMonth.’ A style of beer not universally thatpopular around these parts but, has its followers.We welcome reports of any pubs promoting mildales during this period.

Finally I cannot fail to remind you again eventhough it seems a long time away, of this yearsPBF – Peterborough Beer Festival. We aremaking some major changes to the layout thisyear, so some of you may get a little bit moreconfused than past years! We are of coursemaking our usual appeal for help from themembers and friends who make it all possible.Without these unpaid volunteers the festivalwould not take place. For your diary dates thisyears PBF takes place on the Embankment fromTuesday 24th till Saturday 28th August. We havea completely covered venue this year! That’s it folks - Cheers

David Murray - Branch Chairman.

Chairman’s Corner | 3

Chairman’s Corner


There has been muchwritten in Beer Around‘Ere lately concerning

the ongoing battle to reform the beer ties, especially with respect to the large pubcos, inparticular Enterprise Inns & Punch Taverns,with regard to CAMRA’s super complaint thatwas initially rejected by the Office of Fair Tradinglast year. Although the OFT have now decidedto reopen their investigation, I thought as thelicencee of an Enterprise Inns establishment,your readers might like to share a little ‘insideinformation’?

It is very hard for any tied pub to make much ofa profit these days. The rents imposed are oftenas much as 20% of one’s annual turnover! Thenthere is the Council Tax or Business Rates, andin my instance I pay almost twice as much permonth as the average householder pays in ayear, and I still only get my bins emptied once afortnight! Add into the equation utility bills,insurance & staff wages and a grim picturebegins to emerge.

This is why all pubs need to attain a ‘certain’Gross Profit margin (GP) on everything theypurchase against everything they sell. Around 50years ago, everybody used the pub – the onlyother source of alcohol was an off licence, andthere were not that many of those, and super-markets were still in their infancy. In thosehappier times, a pub only needed to generate aGP of around 25%, as all pubs were owned bylocal breweries that charged a much fairer rent,and the turnover of their wares was far greater.

Nowadays, most pubs need to attain a GP of atleast 40% and in many cases, a lot higher. Theone thing that I have not yet mentioned holdsthe key to meeting this target – the wholesaleprice of beer! When the OFT first rejected

CAMRA’s super complaint, one of their keyobservations was as follows:

“The OFT has found that higher prices exist forsome products in tied pubs, but claims that theseare marginal, with a pint of lager costing drinkers8p more in a tied pub compared to a free house.”

Eight pence? I could live with 8p, and Iwondered just where the OFT obtained theirinfo from? Fast forward to February this yearand I received a letter from Adnams Brewery,informing me that as a valued customer, and tohelp the pubs during these hard times, theywould not be putting their beer prices up for the3rd year running…My new Enterprise price listduly arrived the following day, with a price increaseacross the board on all items of up to 7.2%, withAdnams beers increasing by an average 4.5%.Following the VAT increase on January 1st, I now had no option but to increase my prices,by around 10-20 pence per pint, and further thegulf between the supermarkets and myself. So let’s go back to that 8p shall we, and whyexactly I cannot sell my beer or lager at amodest 8p per pint more than sayWetherspoons.

The table top right shows just what I must payEnterprise Inns for a selection of products avail-able to me excluding VAT (£ WP). The middlecolumns then show what I would need to charge(including VAT) to attain the target GP. Thefinal columns show what I decided uponcharging to be competitive (£ Retail), and theresultant GP I am achieving on that line.So, what do these prices reveal then? Apartfrom the fact that I currently need to be making46% GP overall to survive, and that as I don’thave the facility to do pub food, nor do I sell alot of spirits & wines (which have a far greatermark up), my beer prices must come close to

The Industry Mole

www.real-ale.org.uk

4 | Campaigning


that. Yet, I’m forced to be as competitive as I canso you can see from the right hand columns ofthe table that I’m not really charging what I mustand yet, I’m still far more expensive than mostother pubs in town.

On a recent walkabout, I decided to excludeWetherspoons from the equation, as well asprivate members clubs. I still found that Carling& Guinness were often available at 50p per pintcheaper, and real ales such as Adnams andOakham Ales at around 60p cheaper! This ispurely and simply due to what I must pay for mybeer to stay within the terms of my lease, in that Imust buy everything I sell direct from Enterprise.

If I was allowed, just like any other striving busi-ness, to buy my stock from the cheapest supplier,I could easily compete with other similar outlets.One such example is Oakham Ales Bishop’sFarewell. If I could buy this direct from thebrewery I could charge just £2.15 a pint and stillmake 46% GP, that’s 75p cheaper than my currentprice which only returns 41% GP!

Village and back-street community pubs are themost vulnerable, and with pubs closing at a nowalarming and unacceptable rate, something needsto be done very soon to help those remaining to

survive. Curbing the power of the supermarketswould help enormously, and also help prevent thescenes of carnage we see on our streets at week-ends as binge-drinkers get fuelled up on thischeap booze and the pubs inevitably get theblame for it ! But by far the easiest solution wouldbe to remove the restrictive ties imposed uponpubs by these out-of-touch pub companies.

I’m fortunate only in that I have a loyal bunch ofcustomers who understand these issues –although it doesn’t stop them complaining aboutthe prices! If I continue to keep a good pint, andgenerally keep them happy, they will stay loyal to‘their local’. But for just how much longer? With abudget announced for about the same time asthis issue will hit the streets, might another dutyincrease just be the straw that breaks the camel’sback?

Don’t believe the hype. Read between the linesand come what May, use your vote wisely !

The Industry Mole

www.real-ale.org.uk

Campaigning | 5

Product £ WP Target GP £ Retail % GP40% 42.5% 45% 47.5% 50%

Carling * 136.24 3.03 3.16 3.31 3.46 3.64 3.20 43.15Kronenbourg * 148.06 3.29 3.44 3.59 3.77 3.95 3.40 41.85Guinness * 139.45 3.10 3.24 3.39 3.55 3.72 3.20 41.81Adnams Bitter 94.16 2.63 2.75 2.87 3.01 3.16 2.70 41.46Adnams Explorer 103.09 2.88 3.01 3.15 3.30 3.46 2.90 40.33Adnams Broadside 110.20 3.08 3.22 3.36 3.52 3.70 3.00 38.34Fullers London Pride 105.74 2.96 3.09 3.23 3.38 3.55 2.80 36.61Hopback Summer Lightning 102.78 2.88 3.00 3.14 3.29 3.45 3.00 42.49Taylors Landlord 109.98 3.08 3.21 3.36 3.52 3.69 2.90 36.34Oakham Bishop’s Farewell 101.24 2.83 2.96 3.09 3.24 3.40 2.90 41.40Theakston’s Old Peculier 122.70 3.43 3.58 3.74 3.92 4.12 3.20 35.64

* 11 gallon container. All others are firkins and based on the assumption of selling 70 pints


Many partiesincludingCAMRA have

welcomed the recentannouncement by Pubs Minister John Healey,who is set to launch an action plan designed tohelp struggling community pubs. There areseveral articles in this edition of BAE that relateto the problems many licensees are experiencingwith the stringent beer tie imposed by manypub companies, and I for one look forward todevelopments in redressing these practices. Myonly concern is that this new initiative has comea little too late? For one thing, Mr. Healy andhis party may not even be in office in a fewweeks time, so will a different government pledgeto continue his plans? On the positive side, atleast it’s a move in the right direction, comparedto the off-hand way CAMRA’s super complaintwas dismissed by the Office of Fair Trading justa few months ago.

More than 500 pubs have closed so far this yearalready. Their owners considered many of theseestablishments ‘unviable’, but the use of restric-tive covenants denied any other party fromtrying to turn them around. Coupled withinflated rents, excessive council tax or businessrates and being forced to pay almost double theprice for beer, it is no wonder so many licenseeshave been forced out of business, and why manymore are struggling to make ends meet. JohnHealy insists that he will give the pub compa-nies just 15 months in which to ‘sort themselvesout’; otherwise he will do it for them! By this, heinsists that all pubs should be given the optionto go free of tie or at least have the right to buya guest beer of their choice from wherever theylike. Another case of déjà vu? Well I clearly recallbeing here once before.

The original Beer Orders act introduced byLord Young in 1987 was designed to give

drinkers a real choice, by placing restrictions onany brewery that owned more than 2000 pubsby forcing them to offer guest beers. The actwas of course flawed, in that the restrictionsshould have been placed on any business, whichwould have then prevented the formation of pub

companies from avoiding the law. In realisingthat the act served no useful purpose, thecurrent government scrapped the beer orders in2002. The campaign for new regulations toinclude the fair pint and the abolition of thebrewery tie have been going on since then, andonly now have we seen a response from agovernment that has taxed our nationalbeverage beyond the reach of many pub goers.A case of too little, too late perhaps? I hope not.

On a much brighter note, it is nice to see thesun shining again, and the days stretching outinto the evenings, and customers enjoying themany pub gardens. Must be time for a beerfestival then! This edition of BAE covers threelots of Bank Holidays, in addition to St.George’s Day, so many pubs in our branch areaare holding an event to celebrate the arrival ofsome warmer weather after the harshest winterfor many a year. With so many pub & CAMRAbeer festivals being held over the next twomonths, there’s bound to be one somewhere nearyou, so please do go along and support them.

Here We Go Again…

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6 | Editor’s Rant

On a much brighter note, it isnice to see the sun shiningagain, and the days stretchingout into the evenings, andcustomers enjoying the manypub gardens. Must be time fora beer festival then!

( )


On a final note, I have noticed that very fewbreweries now supply the traditional hard balsaspiles to their customers these days, preferringinstead to send the new white nylon thingswhich just don’t seem to work as well for me ingetting the correct condition in the beer. I don’tmind change, as long as it’s beneficial, but I’m agreat believer in that old adage, “if it ain’t broke,then don’t fix it !” Imagine how I reacted then,when on March 17th, Marston’s breweryannounced their new ‘Fast Cask’ technology?

This new technology means that yeast in thefinal fermentation process within the caskremains in pellet form surrounded by a permeable gel so the beer itself stays clear whilethe reaction with the yeast occurs and does notneed to be stored flat for days in order to settle.This new fangled idea has apparently beensecretly tested on ‘certain’ Marston’s brands withno adverse customer reaction, and beers such asHobgoblin and Pedigree are now to be madeavailable in ‘Fast Cask’ form. (You can read the

whole story in The Publican at http://www.thepublican.com /story.asp?storycode=66624)

The claims that this innovation benefits manyare a little precipitous for me, so I await furtherdevelopments and reports with interest. In themeantime, can we have our hard balsa spilesback please?

CheersBram

| 7

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At this time of year Mrs Pub News andmyself like to take a well-earned break atour Tuscan villa and relax while being

pampered by an extended staff of flunkies inpowdered wigs. Unfortunately this year due tothe inconvenience of having an Olympic sizedswimming pool built we were unable to visit. We chose instead to venture closer to home andbought ourselves a couple of Mega Riders foruse with the local bus company. Despite thefear and trepidation that accompanies theprospect of rubbing shoulders with the lowerorders, we had a rather pleasant time visitingsome local boozers.

A trip to Yaxley was our first adventure. Mostpeople visit Yaxley to take advantage of thecarvery and ales at the Farmer’s on Broadway,but as we had dined already we were just on thelook out for a couple of pints, and the Farmer'swould have to wait until another day. There arethree pubs on Main St at the bottom of the hillin the village, and although one is currentlyclosed, the two remaining were certainly worth avisit. The Duck & Drake has recently beenbought by local man David Rayner. The pubused to be split between an Indian restaurantand a pub but now it is firmly just pub - That isuntil the refurbishment that will inevitably takeplace in the restaurant! On the Sunday wecalled in the pub was buzzing with not a seat to

be had. The ales on offer were also a nice littlebonus with Digfield and Oakham doing a brisktrade. Two more hand-pumps were also doingtheir best to keep up. A short walk along thestreet took us past the Royal Oak, which wasfirmly closed. The small sign outside stating thatit was a temporary situation didn’t inspire mewith too much confidence. The ThreeHorseshoes is further along the street and iseasily spotted by its thatched roof. This pub ishuge. Split into 3 areas with bar, lounge and arear area for more serious chilling gives a choiceof environment in which to sup. The Broadsidehere was superb and it looks like the pub coulddo quite a good food trade. The convenience ofhaving a beer here is that the regular bus (Citi-7)stops virtually outside. As we travelled south wewere tempted to call in on Farcet and imbibeone or two in the Black Swan, but as we’dpromised to meet up with other topers we hadto miss it out which was a bit of a shame.

Stanground is not too far along the route backto town and it was the Woolpack to which weresorted on this occasion. I think the beer justgets better and better in here. Tim Taylor’sLandlord is permanently on show here and 3other beers should keep most drinkers occupiedfor a while. It’s a bit of a stroll from the bus stopon Stanground Corner to the pub but worththe effort. The Citi-3 bus will actually get you a

Pub News - In Praise

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8 | Pub News

Farmers’ - Yaxley

Royal Oak - Yaxley


bit closer to the pub but you can’t get to Yaxleyon that one. You can’t expect everything fromMr Stagecoach and his bus company can you?The nice thing about the Citi-7 bus is that fromStanground it will actually drop you off a hop,skip and a stumble from the Coalheaver’s Arms,nice. A stroll into town won’t take you long fromhere and you could always drop in at Charter’sshould you feel the need. From Queensgate theworld opens up before you with omnibuseseager to transport you to all parts of the city andbeyond. Bus Citi-1 going north will take you toMillfield (Hand & Heart) before finishing inWerrington (Ploughman, Three Horsehoes andthe Bluebell). Bus Citi-1 going south will takeyou along Oundle Rd (Cherry Tree,Palmerston, Swiss Cottage) or Number 24 willtake you further along Oundle Rd (Botolph,Ramblewood and the Windmill). Generallyspeaking buses are every 10-20 minutes duringthe day for many routes with an hourly or halfhourly service of an evening. I’d be the first to admit that it’s not perfect butwith a weeks worth of holiday and ticket to ride(apologies to Lennon & McCartney) in yourhand the number of pubs you could visit isquite extensive. A daily version of the bus ticketis available at about three and half quid. Have alook at the website at www.stagecoach.com formore details.

Pubs ClosingThe Grapevine in Queen Street next toQueensgate is now closed. High business ratesand lack of trade due to the building site outsidehave been quoted as the reasons behind theclosure. Perhaps the idea of dining while glancingout of the window and viewing a ‘brickiescleavage’ is not palatable to some. The owners,Chas Wells maybe willing to install a manageruntil the building work is completed at whichtime the place will no doubt be more financiallyviable. In fact a pub that opens onto a nicesquare with a more pleasant outlook will I’msure be a great addition to the cityscape. I wouldn’t suggest for a moment that the squarewill be used by individuals who are more likely tomake their purchases at an off licence, whichmay detract from the desired ambience. We await developments with interest.

The Crown in New England is now closed. This closure seems to be something to do withthe licensee (if there was one) not knowing thefiner points of his licence and having privateparties out of hours. The pub may reopen whenand if the Council are happy with whoever runsit knowing what they’re doing. Traditionally theCrown to Town pub-crawl was an activityindulged in by the drinker with the constitutionof a concrete elephant, but now there are only 3pubs! Two of which I wouldn’t venture intoanyway. I suggest we come up with an alternativeto the Crown to Town. Ideas to the usualaddress please.The Royal Oak in Walton is now boarded upand awaiting its fate. Quite what that will be isanyone's guess. Planning permission has beengranted for the building of houses on the site butfollowing the sale at auction recently it now hasanother sign outside saying for sale, reduced price.Does this mean that it may reopen as a pub?

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Pub News | 9

aise of Public Transport

Continued Overleaf

The Woolpack - Stanground



Pub refurbingThe Blue Boar in Eye is currently undergoing abit of a makeover. Now owned by two local busi-nessmen, it will hopefully now have a moresteady future. This will obviously depend uponwhom they decide to put behind the bar. We’veseen pubs taken over by local entrepreneursbefore with the promise of excellent ales andgood food with the management then failing todeliver. Let’s hope all goes well.

Wetherspoons on the prowlBack in February there was a bit of activity inand around the decaying carcass of what hasbecome the George in Whittlesey. The sight ofmen in hard hats, carrying clip boards and withinquisitive looks upon their faces leads me tobelieve that Wetherspoons will be leaping intoaction in the near future. We’re not too sure howlong the pub has been closed but it seems likean eon and as long as the fire damage isn’t tooextensive we may see some action. There areobviously problems with a building of that ageand there is believed to be some asbestos thatwill need removal before anything drastic cantake place. The site of the George and the oldPost Office next door have been boarded up forfar too long and the impression they give to visi-tors to the town can’t be good for business.Some local pub landlords may not like the ideaof a Wetherspoons on their doorstep and will nodoubt believe their businesses will suffer as aresult of the company’s philosophy on ‘competitively priced’ beers. But the effect of athriving town centre may benefit other localpubs. If there are more people in town having ameal and a pint they may try a couple of otherpubs as well.

Wetherspoons are also rumoured to belooking at expanding their estate andmay have looked to the fenland town

of March for their next pub. A whiff of a sniff of ahint that they may look to convert a buildingthat was or is a cinema has the ring of truthabout it. We'll wait and see as usual.

‘Tis the season to be jolly, tra la la la laa la lala laa.....’Forget the festive season and the aroma ofturkey specials, its beer festival season again.Before we get into the swing of the Great BritishBeer Festival in early August and our spectac-ular and far more impressive shindig on theNene embankment at the end of August wehave local pubs with festivals in abundance.

The first I’ll mention will possibly have been andgone by the time you read this but just in casethis issue of BAE hits the streets early,Charter’s are having an Easter Beer Festivalfrom 1st – 5th April. At about the same time wehave the Golden Pheasant at Etton hosting abeer festival from 2nd-4th April. This fest willhopefully feature Elland Brewery’s 6.5% 1872Porter and Nettlethrasher (4.4%). The breweryhas been quite successful in getting a footholdlocally but more of that later. Later in April thereis a Holy Trinity of festivals to keep us all happy.The Award Winning Jolly Brewer in Stamfordwill hold their event from 21st April and theHand & Heart and the Coalheaver’s will startthe next day. Make sure you get to all three ofthem! Further details will appear nearer the timeso look on the web as usual, www.peterboroughpubs.co.uk should keep youup to date.

Although not specifically a beer festival, the Boatin Whittlesey will be holding a charity outdoormusic festival in aid of Coates Crusaders on theMay Bank Holiday Sunday (30th). Confirmedacts include Loose Baby Charlotte, Outa-Stockand Mike Luff with more to be confirmed. A selection of ales will no doubt be on offer withbarbecue and amusements for the children.

If you really want to get steaming.... you coulddo worse than visit the Nene Valley Railway onSaturday 12th June. The main activities will takeplace at the Wansford end of the line with over adozen ales in a marquee. There will be a fewrides and diversions for the kids and of courseThomas will be chuffing up and down the line

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Pub News continued | 11

Continued Overleaf


keeping us all enthralled with his antics, thatnaughty, misbehaving little engine...If you want to take the whole tribe, a familyticket is available but adults can get an ‘all dayer’for £12 which entitles you to travel the wholelength of the line over and over again. If you justwant to visit the festival and shift a few halveswithout paying to go on the trains, then thereshould be a complimentary double-decker busto take you to and from the festival, but checkfor exact details before you go. You may evenfind a few of the committee serving behind thebar during the day so do say hi if you recogniseanyone. Keep looking at the Nene ValleyRailway website for more up to date informationat www.nvr.org.uk

A pub that is doing very nicely thank you verymuch is the Ploughman in Werrington Centre.Andy and Stuart Simmonds have continued toserve some excellent beers in their short time atthe pub and they’d like to invite us all to theirbeer festival, which apparently is the largest beerfestival in Werrington! The event will run from2nd until 4th July so put it in your diary now.For more information call Andy on 01733 327696.

New PeopleThe Punchbowl in Stamford (formally theWhite Swan) is now under the stewardship offormer landlord Jonathon Groves in partnership

with Peter Atchison. Jonathon has won aCAMRA Gold Award at the pub in 2004 so thesigns are promising. It is now run as a free housewith Oakham JHB on permanent. There are 3other handpumps so a varied choice shouldalways be available. This area of town now hasfour pubs worthy of a visit so if youre in townalso check out the Jolly Brewer, Hit or Missand the Green Man.

The Northfields in St Paul’s Rd, Peterboroughhas had a change of licensees in the form ofAndy and Maureen who will continue to provideentertainment most weekends. Greene King IPAand John Smiths cask are available.

Although I’m not sure how long the Chequersin Orton Wistow has been reopen but it’s niceto hear that they are having live music andquizzes. Woodforde's Wherry was spotted on arecent visit.

Moving onIt is with a heavy heart that I have to report thatDarren and Becky will be leaving the Hit orMiss in Stamford. They have decided that nowthe pub is one of the more successful pubsaround they should have a break and take iteasy for a couple of years. They will be movingto Winchester within a short while and Darren islooking forward to having a 9-5 job for a while.When Darren & Becky took over thisBateman’s pub it was a struggling out of the waypub with little prospect of success. They leavethe pub is fine form with regular quizzes, livemusic, karaoke, beer festivals and goodnessknows whatever else they thought up over theirshort time behind the bar. The beers were insuper condition and they made the pub thecentre of the community with people travellingfrom far and wide and also quite near. I onlyhope that the new incumbents can carry on in asimilar vein because they’ve got a hard act tofollow. We at Peterborough CAMRA wish themall the best for the future and we all look forwardto seeing them running a pub in a few yearssomewhere near here.

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12 | Pub News continued

The Punchbowl - Stamford


Pubby SnippetsThe Beehive is opening in the summer with newowners taking on the freehold. They also own Jim’sBistro in Broadway and Jim’s Yard in Stamford sowe can expect good things from them.

And finallyI have noticed in a few pubs like thePloughman, Werrington, the Bluebell, Maxey,the Goat at Frognall and the Golden Pheasantat Etton over the last couple of months or so abrewery beer I’m not familiar with showing up onthe bars.The Elland Brewery is based in Calderdale inYorkshire and they seem to brew quite a nicerange of ales. I thought that perhaps there wassome marketing guru on the make in the localarea but the explanation is quite simple. InOctober last year, four Peterborough CAMRAmembers bought the brewery from the retiringowner and are starting to promote their beerssouthwards along the A1 and into thePeterborough area. The new team, having knownthe head brewer for many years, were well awareof the reputation of Elland beers and wereconvinced that they could expand the brewery’sdistribution range to include our region.Directors Fiona and Mark Smith, Andy Parkerand Dickie Bird all have previous brewing experi-ence, albeit on a small scale at the Two-HalvesBrewery (which still continues to produce a fewfestival ales) and the opportunity to be part of abigger and already thriving multi-award-winningmicro-brewery business was too good to passup. The 10 barrel plant usually produces around1700 gallons of beer each week, ranging fromlight, amber session ales, a traditional dark rubymild, a pale hoppy 4% Best Bitter and on to the2010 CAMRA Supreme Champion NationalWinter Ales Festival winner, 1872 Porter at 6.5%.Hopefully, many more of these northern-stylebeers will be appearing at a pub near you in thenot-so-distant future. For further information,contact Dickie Bird on 01733 574226 or visit thewebsite: www.ellandbrewery.com

Cheers for now and keep the pub news coming.Steve Williams - 07802 896641

[email protected]

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Pub News continued | 13

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Andrew ChandlerChef - Red Lion

Food served 7 days a weekPensioners Lunch - £6.00 for two courses

Monday - FridayEarly Bird Menu - £6.00 for a main course

6-7pm Monday to FridaySaturday and Sunday open all day for foodSunday - All DAY ROAST plus an additional

wide menu choice

Live Entertainment DiaryFriday, 2nd April

Winnie Clark - a superb female vocalist

Saturday, 3rd April Karaoke

Friday, 9th April Steve Moore

Friday, 16th April Steve Carlisle(From the Searchers)

Friday, 23rd April Steve Johns

Friday, 30th April Amy Metcalf

CAMRA GOLD AWARD WINNER6 Real Ales on all the time

April Ales: Absolution, Somer Wheat,Armageddon, Amarillo

Meet your local Police team at the Red Lion:

Tuesday, April 6th - 5pm - 7pm


These are in Summary the issues thatCamra would like politicians to considerduring the forthcoming election debates.

1. Promote the interests of Britain’s 15 millionregular pub goers.

2. Champion the community importance of well-run pubs.

3. Support the rebalancing of alcohol taxation toprotect well-run community pubs, small brewersand traditional cider producers.

4. Press for reform of the “beer tie” arrangementsto ensure a fair deal for consumers, allow localbrewers to sell their beers to local pubs and todeliver a sustainable future for Britain’s pubs.

5. Seek to address issues of alcohol-related harmthrough a more targeted, nuanced policyapproach that supports pubs which play a posi-tive role in community life and provide a safe andresponsible place to enjoy a drink.

A leaflet explaining in more detail these andother points is available from:

The Campaign for Real Ale 230 Hatfield Road, St Albans AL1 4LW Tel: 01727 867 201 Email: [email protected] site; www.camra.org.uk

Or contact CAMRA’s public affairs team:Jonathan Mail on 01727 798 448 or Emily Ryanson 01727 798 447 or via [email protected]

CAMRA’s Beer Drinkers andPub Goers Charter

www.real-ale.org.uk

Campaigning | 15

Incorporating East Restaurant Thai and Pan Asian cuisine

Art and Soul Live Nights (Free Entry)

Saturday 3rd AprilThe Whisky Jax and Being Jo Francis

+ Acoustic Session including:IRENE RAE , DR ROBEATNIK, RICHTER SCALE

INTIMATELY EVA + More

Saturday 1st MayJazz Fusion from London Band Slinfold,

Kerry and the Giants + More

Easter Beer FestivalStarts Midday

Thursday 1st April30+ Real Ales, Ciders & Perry

Great Selection of Bottled Belgian & Continental Beers

Pan Asian Cuisine

Town Bridge, Peterborough | Tel / Fax: 01733 315700 Email: [email protected] | www.oakhamales.com

The perfect riverside setting to meet, eat, drink and enjoy


www.real-ale.org.uk


The Bluebell Inn10 Woodgate, Helpston Peterborough, PE6 7ED 01733252394

traditional country Inn set in the beautiful village of Helpston. Offering a warm welcome and a typical English pub atmosphere. The antidote to uncluttered “cool”.

We serve up to six real ales from national breweries and local microbreweries including Tydd Steam, Elgoods, Adnams, Fullers,Wells and The Grainstore Brewery. All changing weekly. Permanentlyavailable, exclusive to us John Clare Bitter 4.3% from the Grainstore.Also sold in bottles.

Good home cooked food served Tuesday to Sunday. Traditional Sunday roast served 12 - 5pm and daily 2 courselunchtime specials. New Menu Available.

Small parties can be catered for Funerals, christenings, birthdays etc...

Ample customer parking. Also conveniently close to thehourly Peterborough - Stamford bus route (mon - sat)

Pictures by Mich

ael S

laugh

ter A

BEER FESTIVALJuly 8th-11thMinimum of 18 Beers + CidersLive Entertainment

Hot Food served all day, each day


Following our successful day out insnowy Stamford in January, as featuredin the last edition of BAE, the editorial

team & LocAle officer John Rice chose Friday5th March to check out the pub scene inBourne. For starters, the weather was muchimproved, brilliant sunshine all day, even if itwas just a tad nippy in the air.

Bourne has a dozen pubs listed on our website,and as all but one of them are situated withinspitting distance of the crossroads in the towncentre, we had hoped to check them all out.After being rapidly transported from Queensgateby Delaine’s buses, we alighted adjacent to themulti award-winning Smiths at 12:40 for our firstrefreshment break.

The pub was heaving, and it seemed everyone inBourne was partaking of lunch in here, so it didtake a couple of minutes to get served a pint ofone of the 6 delicious ales on offer. I eventuallychose the Ufford Ales, White Hart Bitter 3.8%,one of several LocAles on the pumps, and asthe Guv’nor Pat is such a nice chap, we decidedhe would become the next victim in our ‘Behind

Bars’ feature, so you can read more about Patand this cracking pub in that article.

Our next port of call was the Nag’s Head. Someof you may not have been aware that the pubwas closed for most of the summer 2009following a fire, and this was certainly my firstvisit since the refurbishment. In my honestopinion, a makeover was much needed anyway,and the pub is now light & airy, very open planwith a strong emphasis on food at lunchtimes. (I was already forming the opinion that everyonein Bourne dines at the pub for lunch, as herewas pretty busy also!) 3 beers were on offer,including a house beer called Felsto Bitterbrewed, apparently, by M&B, however we allplayed safe and enjoyed the Sharp’s Doom Baror the Lancaster Amber.

With Chris waiting to meet a business colleague,and the others wanting to eat, it befell upon meto check out the only pub not in the towncentre. The Anchor is a delightful multi-roomedpub situated by the river on Eastgate (justbehind Delaines garage) and a brisk 10-minutewalk from town. My only disappointment onarriving there was discovering the only real ale

www.real-ale.org.uk

The Jubilee

Bourne | 17

Spotlighton Bourne

The Nags Head Continued Overleaf


they serve is the dreaded GK IPA, so I had todecline and head back to rejoin the others. Onthe way back I took the opportunity to checkout the Marquis of Granby on Abbey Rd, andalthough I am reliably informed that they dousually serve the proper stuff, all I could see onoffer were ice-cold fizzy lagers, so I gave it a missand went back to the Nags.

The Red Lion on South St has not sold caskale for ages, and the Mason’s Arms, was notopen as it was being taken over literally that dayby new licensees Stuart Whitting and ToniMachin (formerly at the ‘Ring of Bells’ inLoughborough). Chris did manage to call in acouple of days later to meet the new licenseesbut they were out, although he did report thatthe Adnams Broadside was in tip-top nick andat a very reasonable £2.40 a pint.

But if it is value you really want, in a nice cosyback-street local, just walk around the corner to

18 | Spotlight on Bourne continued

Bourne has a dozen pubs listed on our website, and allbut one of them are situatedwithin spitting distance of thecrossroads in the town centre, ( )

Marquis of Granby

Mason’s Arms

www.real-ale.org.uk

NO

RT

H S

T

SO

UT

H S

T

ABBEY RD

WEST ST

SPALDING RD

EAST GATE

1

2

3

45

6

7

Key:1 - Smiths

2 - Nag’s Head

3 - The Anchor

4 - Marquis of Granby

5 - Golden Lion

6 - Jubilee

7 - Firkin


the Golden Lion on West Street. OK so it’s aSam Smiths pub, but the Old Brewery Bitterwas in cracking form and at well under £4 for apint and 3 halves, tremendous VFM!

Poking our heads around the door of the AngelHotel in the market Place, we learn that thehand-pump there is only used for private functions! Why? Again, we didn’t linger.

The Burghley Arms opposite had two hand-pumps, but again no real ale, so we staggeredthe 50 yards to the Jubilee. Another of MickThurlby’s pubs, this has a very modern feel andis obviously popular with the younger drinkers,so when we called in around 3.30pm, it wasempty. The one pump in use was dispensingmore of Ufford’s finest, this time Golden Drop,and very tasty it was too!

With the Royal Oak in North St now closed,and awaiting the fate of being converted to aprivate dwelling, we had to loiter a wee while tocheck out the remaining pub, the Firkin Ale, asit doesn’t open until 4pm. A good selection ofbeers were on offer, and as we had bumped intoMalcolm Wheeler from Oakham Ales, we joinedhim in a pint of JHB. This outlet is very basic,and at first, may look more like a shop than apub, but all the beers are excellently priced witheven the likes of Guinness on sale for under £2! I was happy to stay for more sampling, but ourcarriage was due to depart from outside theBurghley Arms in 2 minutes, so we had to sayour goodbyes and make a quick dash for it.It had been a good few years since I last did acomplete pub crawl of the town, and that wasbefore Smiths, the Jubilee or the Firkin Ale wereopen, and there was not much of a choice forlovers of cask ale then. Now though, the townhas a vibrant atmosphere and a healthy choiceof good real ale pubs. So if you do get to visitthe Bourne & District Round Table’s event onthe Wellhead at the beginning of June, then whynot check a few of them out?

CheersBram

www.real-ale.org.uk

| 19

)Serving great beer & tasty food

every lunchtime and Wednesday to Saturday evenings!

Serving a range of national & regional Real Ales all day everyday!

Sunday lunch Served 12-5 (bar menu also available)

For more details Ring: 01778 393644 orEmail: [email protected]

2 MEALS FOR £9Wed & Thurs evenings (see t&c)



Pat Taylor, the licensee of Smith’s,commenced his pub trade later in lifethan most, in the Stamford area at the

Arts Centre, running the Cellar Bar from 1992until 1994 when he and his wife Jane moved tothe Lord Burghley, and enjoyed 6 and a halfmore years in what was to become a very busytown pub. In 2000 Pat & Jane moved away fromthe area to Richmond in Yorkshire for a retire-ment that lasted all of 3 and a half years.

January 2004 and it all started again as Pat &Jane joined up with local entrepreneur MichaelThurlby, and were invited to run Smith’s ofBourne. It was a case of déjà vu as the pub wassimilar to the Lord Burghley: ‘Olde Worlde’;open fire, real ales etc, but Michael and his teamhad created much more. Lunchtime food, indi-vidually themed rooms, a play area for children,and in fact a very warm and friendly family pub.

Pat and Jane have been at the pub for just over 6years now and it has changed quite considerablyin that time. Breakfast and evening food havebeen introduced, 6 real ales are now on tapincluding beers from the company’s own UffordAles brewery. Offers and promotions are ongoingand private functions are catered for. Coffees,teas and elevenses are available all day.

An annual beer festival is held in July and thisyear will be the fourth. Live music is availableevery Saturday evening showcasing a range oflocal and regional talent. The pub itself has wonmany awards including a CAMRA national pubdesign award in 2003 and Peterborough &District CAMRA pub of the year award 2002.Currently Pat and Jane are planning activitiesaround June in anticipation for the World Cupwhich hopefully will be great for everyone.

Pat is a keen supporter of local ales (which prob-ably explains his portly appearance) and is alwayslooking for new and exciting stock for his cellar.Pat and Jane have always strived to put thecustomer first by offering good service andquality products whether it is food or drink. He is particularly proud to think that individuals,whether male or female can feel safe and comfort-able in the pub’s friendly surroundings.

Smith’s ofBourne

Behind Bars | 21

www.real-ale.org.uk


London Calling…With the next general election now confirmedfor early in May, politicians of all parties havebegun making their electoral pledges. WhileCAMRA does not side with any political party,we reserve the right to report on any politicalactivity that may affect the pubs & brewingindustry, in particular the current bone ofcontention, the brewery tie.In the trade newspaper the Morning Advertiser on4th March, the front page article carried theheading “Lib Dems: radical reform for tie. Thekey points of the article and their intentions were:

Lib Dems’ plans for pubsTie/pubcos: Pubs allowed to opt out of tie;

tied pubs allowed at least one guest beer;upward-only rent review clauses and restrictivecovenants outlawed; no pub to be demolishedwithout public consultation. (Some edicts won’tapply to companies with less than 500 pubs.)Beer duty: No increasesRate relief: Councils given powers to grant

50% relief for last pub in the villageSupermarket pricing: Ban on sales below the

cost of production + tax + duty. A minimumprice per unit would then be set by an “indepen-dent body”Live music: Reintroduce the Live Music Bill,

removing the need for music licences for sub-200 capacity venues and reintroducing thetwo-in-a-bar ruleMandatory code and tobacco vending

machines ban: No changesSmoking ban: No extension to doorwaysUnderage sales: Every test purchase failure

leads to a licence reviewProgressive beer duty: Scrap thresholds and

use a sliding scale of reliefPubs minister: Will keep the position

If you haven’t already seen the article, you canread it and make comments athttp://www.morningadvertiser.co.uk /news.ma/article/86186

Meanwhile closer to home…If you think that Labour’s appointment of JohnHealey as Pubs Minister on February 8th camejust a little too late into their term to serve anyreal purpose, following 12 years of doing verylittle to help the industry – and an awful lot todamage it, then the following may not surprise you?Our illustrious advertising man Chris Shillingtook time to write to his local MP QuentinDavies asking him to sign the Early day Motionwith regard to ‘Backing the Pub’. He receivedthe following reply:

Dear Mr ShillingThank you for your recent email in support of the"Back the Pub" campaign and EDM 687.Pubs of course play an important role in the Britishway of life which I welcome, but there are manyreasons why some of them close (notably changingconsumer habits). It is therefore for publicans andowners to rise to this challenge and find new andinnovative ways to entice customers through theirdoors. Community support can also be vital andthe "Back the Pub" campaign is a sign of that.I regret that, as a member of the Government, I amunable to sign any EDMs.With best regards

Quentin Davies

And I though we elected MP’s to serve us in ourrespective constituencies? Obviously not!

And finally…By the time the next edition of Beer Around‘Ere goes to print, the election will have beenconfined to history and most of our thoughtswill be focused on the football in South Africa. Iwas amused therefore by the latest advertisingcampaign by Carlsberg, official sponsors of thebeer for England, with the tagline: “YourGreatest Opportunity For Four Years.” Strangeisn’t it? That our national team is managed byan Italian and sponsored by the Danish, whostill want to close Tetley’s Brewery in Leeds, thelargest cask brewery in England at a time whenreal ale is in growth?

www.real-ale.org.uk

22 | Small Beer


Please support our advertisers | 23

www.real-ale.org.uk

4th AnnualBeer Festival

Thursday July 15thto Sunday July 18th

25+ beers (‘Southern’ + Local)

Real Ciders

Hog Roast Live Music Each Day

‘The Country Pub in Town’Award Winning, Multi-roomed, Family Friendly

Real Ale Pub

6 Handpumps on at all timesUfford Ales Union Jack + White Hart Plus FOUR Guest Ales

Jollydale Real Cider – ‘Crafted & nurtured in Stamford!’

Draft Continental Lagers include Konig Pilsner and San Miguel

Open for Breakfasts at 8am (9am Sunday) + Lunchtime Food Daily

Evening Meals Mon-Thurs (6pm-9pm)

Thursdays REAL ALE JUG NIGHT 4 Pints for £9.50

Wednesdays WINE & BOTTLE NIGHT‘Buy One, Get One Free’ on Selected Wines and Bottled Beers

25 North Street, BourneTel: 01778 426819

[email protected]

8th Welland Valley Beer FestivalJune 11th - 13th 2010

Taking place at 11 pubs across the Welland Valley. With over 160 different real ales & ciders.

With a vintage bus service on the Saturday connecting all venues and Market Harborough station. Food and entertainment. Programmes will be available

from all participating pubs in May and online from the website.

Call 07790 197220 or 01536 771609 or see www.wellandvalleybeerfestival.co.uk

Participating pubs are:Red Lion - Middleton • Talbot Inn - Gretton • Castle Inn - Caldecott • Hatton Arms - Gretton George and Dragon - Seaton • Sondes Arms - Rockingham • Spread Eagle - CottinghamRoyal George - Cottingham • White Swan - Harringworth • Queens Head - Sutton Bassett

Marquess of Exeter - Lyddington


www.real-ale.org.uk


Unique Brew Pub

Award Winning Cask Ales

Authentic Thai Cuisine

‘Tap Room’ Function Suite available for Private Hire

Winner of the Good Pub Guide 2009‘Own Brew Pub of the Year’ award

Comedy Nights on Tap - Friday 23rd April Tickets now on sale - Hurry limited availability

Lime Shark - Friday 28th MayGuitar driven rock with acoustic support from Ben

Callanan. Tickets £3 or £4 on the door.

80 Westgate, Peterborough Tel: 01733 358500For forthcoming events please visit our website www.oakhamales.com


20 years agoWe reported that some brewers were still usingfake handpumps to serve keg beers and hood-wink customers. CAMRA identified GreenallWhitley, Shipstones and Whitbread as the mainculprits.

We presented the Pub of the Year award to theKing’s Head at Wadenhoe. But who is the youngchap standing next to an almost unchangedDave Allett?

The Portman Group had just been set up todeal with the problems of alcohol abuseincluding under-age drinking and aggressive andviolent behaviour. (And yet the politicians go onas if this is a new phenomenon)

15 years agoJohn Major said that it was time to change thelaw and let pubs open all day on Sundays and,as expected, it was met with mixed feelings byboth drinkers and the trade.

We seemed to do a lot of pub crawling to gemslike the White Horse in Morcott, the ExeterArms in Barrowden and the one in Wakerley(now gone), the Queens Head at Bulwick, theShuckburgh Arms in Southwick, the Plough atFarcet Fen and the Black Swan at Farcet. Wefinished at the Coach & Horses in Stanground(gone).

And we came close to getting into serioustrouble for publishing a design for a beermat forsomething called “Tom’s Crafty Keg”. SeeBAE60 on our website.

10 years agoWe reported that Customs and Excise haddecided to charge duty on the exact contents ofcasks rather than the nominal contents. Most

small brewers overfilled a little to ensure thatthey did not give short measure (while barstaffonly had to fill the glass to 95%). We noted thatbig brewers used expensive meters, beyond thepockets of small brewers, to give an exact fill andso only craft beers would increase in cost.

5 years agoThe thorny issue of short pints was raised againas Dennis Turner, MP, tried to get us the pintthat we deserve. Unfortunately nothing changedmuch.

BAE Gones

www.real-ale.org.uk

Campaigning | 25

A T HOLYOAK

PLUMBING & HEATING

CORGI REGISTERED

01733 208437

OR

07860 569389

192 STONALD ROAD

WHITTLESEY


Three ales served from the likes ofOakham, Digfield, Ufford, Oldershaw, Castor,

Newby Wyke or GrainstoreContinental Lagers • American bottled beer

Opening Times 12 midday to 11.30pm, sunday, monday,

wednesday, thursday, 12 midday to 2am friday and saturday,

closed tuesday.

9A North St, StamfordLincs PE9 1EL01780 765888

www.mamaliz.co.uk

Peterborough CAMRA

PUB OF THE YEAR 2010

www.real-ale.org.uk


Constantly changing RealAles

Large beer garden (available for Hire)

Listed in the CAMRA inventory and a consistent

Good Beer Guide Entry

Hand & Heart12 Highbury Street, Peterborough PE1 3BE 01733 564653

ST GEORGE’S

WEEKEND BEER

FESTIVAL

22ND TO

25TH APRIL

LIVE MUSIC

MARQUEE IN TH

E

BEER GARDEN

RARE AND SP

ECIAL

REAL ALES

Darren and Becky send all their loyalcustomers best wishes and the best ofluck to the new landlord and landlady

Tom and Julie!


Palmerston Arms Karen and Mick at thePalmerston Arms have been slowly but surelybuilding a thriving live music scene over recentmonths - the pub might be quite small for a musicvenue but the atmosphere is great!April 4th - Ellaine’s 40th Birthday Bash with theMighty PersuadersApril 17th - Lloyd Watson

Palmerston Arms are also now selling Oakham Alespermanently and are now part of the LocAle scheme.

The Decoy at Milking Nook have the followingofferings - April 17th ‘Iridiun’; April 24th ‘TheStereos’ (Beatles tribute); May 1st ‘Friction’; May 15th ‘Pulse’; May 29th ‘Leon’

The Crown Inn at Elton have Guido in the baron Monday 4th April.

The Voodoo Lounge - downstairs at Mama Liz’sin Stamford has something on most Wednesdaysthrough to Sundays for the real ale drinker. Listings are: Wednesday, April 8th - Speakeasy - Spoken word,poetry and open mic - Doors 8pm - £5Friday, April 9th - From A Dark Place present -Metal /Punk /Ska - line up TBA - Doors 8.30 - £3Saturday, April 10th - Boomerang Returns -Acoustic, World and Folk music - Doors 8.30 - £6 (£5)Thursday, April 27th - New Orleans Jazz - The Frog Island Jazz Band - Doors 8pm - £6Sunday, April 25th, - Jazz Club with The JeremyWatson Trio - Swinging Jazz - 6pm - FreeThursday, April 29th - Voodoo Stands Up - AnEvening Of Stand-up Comedy - Doors 8.30 - £7 (£5)Saturday, May 1st - From A Dark Place present -Battle Of The Bands: The Final, Doors 8.30pm - £3

Friday, May 7th - Shindig - Breaks/House/Electro- Doors 9pm - £3Saturday, 8th - Boomerang Returns - Acoustic,

World and Folk music - Doors 8.30 - £6 (£5)Friday, May 14th - Voodoo Lounge Live presents -Giz Butts, Red, Black and Blue Band with supportfrom Jackdaw.For Further listings throughout May please look at

the Mama Liz’s web site at: www.mamaliz.co.uk

The Hand and Heart have confirmed thefollowing acts for their April beer festival weekendon 24th & 25th April.

Confirmed bands are Retrolux, The ContrastSymptom, Proto Inferno plus several surprises andguest appearances from well known local musicians.

The Prince of Wales have plenty going on overthe coming months with everything from Kidseaster bonnet making ( Sunday 4th April) to theWorld Cup. Live music listings are:

Sat 17th April One Eyed CatsSat 24th April ‘24’Thurs 6th May Frankie MartinFri 7th May Les WoodsSat 8th May The MalingerersSun 9th May Daffy & The AlienSat 22nd May 101 Proof

And finally many thanks to Simon Stabler foryour efforts compiling this column in the past.Your efforts were greatly appreciated! Cheers.

Any promoters, venues or bands wanting to befeatured in the June/July edition should sendtheir details to [email protected] before10th May.

Daniel Speed

Rhythm and Booze

www.real-ale.org.uk

Live Music dates and venues | 27

ST GEORGE’S

WEEKEND BEER

FESTIVAL

22ND TO

25TH APRIL

RARE AND SP

ECIAL

REAL ALES


www.real-ale.org.uk

28 | Gluten Free update

After my article in Beer Around Ere issue151 I was contacted by Bernadette Warrenof the Fenland and District Coeliac

Group. She kindly told me Gluten Free bottledbeers from Greens and Hambleton are available forpurchase from the Newmarket and PeterboroughFood fairs which her group are involved with.

Dates are:Saturday 17th July 10am - 1pm Rowley Mile Racecourse, Newmarket

Saturday 16th October 10am - 1pm Deafblind UK Centre, Cygnet Rd, Hampton,Peterborough

After having discussions with several Landlordsaround the Peterborough and Stamford area manywould trial cases of bottled Gluten Free beers forthier punters if we make ourselves known. Let yourlocal pub know if your interested and maybe wecould get some gluten free offerings out there!Bottles are a start but we want cask if possible.

An email from Tim Cosgrove pointed out we couldtry the real Cask Ciders and Perries on offer asthese are gluten free - needs further intensiveresearch I think!

Gluten FreeBeer Update

We Support

Home cooked food

Live Football

Live Music Saturday nights

Quiz every Sunday

Milking NookFriendly ‘Home from Home’ pub with well kept Real Ales at sensible prices!

REAL ALES including an Oakham Ale on at alltimes plus a changing Guest Ale JUST £2.40!!

‘Happy Hour’ special prices on Lagers, Cidersand ‘Smooth’ (Mon-Sat 4pm-7pm)

Open:Mon-Fri 4 -11pm; Sat 12 -1am; Sun 12 - 11pm

Food: Weds/Thurs/Fri 5pm-8pm; Sat/Sun 1pm-5pm

April 3rd - Karaoke DiscoApril 10th Indian Night – 3 courses £13

Milking Nook, Werrington, Peterborough PE6 7PP

Tel 01733 811953

ARE YOU MISSING OUT?Only the beer-stained copy left?

Get Beer Around Ere delivered toyour door!

For a year (6 issues) send a £2.10cheque/PO payable to

“Peterborough CAMRA” and youraddress to:-

Daryl Ling19 Lidgate Close, Orton LonguevillePeterborough

PE2 7ZA



www.real-ale.org.uk

ThePheasantOpen Daily: Mon – Thurs

12-3pm and 6-11pm Fri/Sat 12-11pmSun 12-11pm

Lunchtime specialsserved Monday to Friday

12-2pm Great food at great prices

Also available during Early Bird Monday to Friday 6-7pm

Saturday food Noon – 9pm

1 Main Road, Etton, Peterborough PE6 7DA Tel 01733 252387 Email [email protected]

Just

off th

e A15

Only si

x miles

from Pe

terbo

rough

centr

e

3 Real Ales

GOLDEN Easter Weekend

Beer Festival STARTING LUNCHTIME GOOD FRIDAY

until the beer runs out!

16 Real Ales, 4 Ciders and 3 Fruit Beers.

Live Music Friday night, Sat afternoon and

evening and sunday afternoon. Food available.

THE GREEN MAN29 Scotgate, Stamford 01780 753598

Established in 1796 as one of the ORIGINAL Stamford AleHouses - Providing Accommodation, Lunch Time Meals,Minimum of SIX Real Ales and SIX Real Ciders

15th Easter Beer FestivalFRIDAY April 2nd – Monday April 5th

South Lincs’ Largest Pub Beer Festival!

35+ Beers mostly from MicrosReal Ciders

Wide range of Bottled Belgian Beers

FOUR

TEEN YE

ARS I

N

THE G

OOD BEER

GUIDE!

Hot Food lunchtimes 12-2.30pm • BBQ Sat/SunLive Music Fri/Sat/Sun • Open 11am – Midnight each Day

Bed & Breakfast available.


Significant..‘The Government will issue a new set of BeerOrders forcing pubcos to offer free of tie leases and aguest beer option within 15 months if theindustry fails to do so voluntarily.’

That’s the astonishing news from new PubsMinister John Healey as he gave his full backingto the Business, Innovation and SkillsCommittee report, which set a June 2011 dead-line for reform (’Pubcos have until June 2011 tochange’).

Healey unveiled a 12-point plan to help pubsbacked by £4m of Government cash but allattention will focus on the Government threatfor statutory reform of the pubco model.

The news is a massive victory for anti-beer tiecampaigners Fair Pint and the Campaign forReal Ale (CAMRA).

The minister wants the industry’s code to gofurther to include offering a free of tie optionand a guest beer right for those who are tied. He also wants all Brulines equipment to be offi-cially calibrated.

“We will endorse the one year deadline (fromwhen the code starts) for the industry to show itis complying with its own Code, making clearthat Government will monitor progress for oneyear and intervene to regulate the market byputting the Code on a statutory basis backedby an industry enforcer if the industry fails todeliver,” said Healey.

“We will also make clear that Government willmonitor progress for one year and intervene tointroduce a non-tie option and legislate for aBeer Order to allow guest beers if these flexibili-ties are not introduced,” he said.

CAMRA, the Campaign for Real Ale, haswarmly welcomed the action plan announcedtoday by Pubs Minister John Healey to saveBritain's struggling community pubs.

Mike Benner, Chief Executive, said, "This is agreat day for people who care about the futureof our community pubs. This inspired actionplan could offer a lifeline to thousands of pubsand help communities stave off pub closureswhich threaten their quality of life and community well-being."

"I am delighted that John Healey has listened toCAMRA's calls to help stop pubs being demol-ished unnecessarily, to ban the anti-competitivepractice of placing restrictive covenants on pubsto stop their future use as pubs, and for theindustry to self-reform the beer tie to allow pubtenants a free of tie option and to take a guest ale."

CAMRA has also welcomed steps to provideGovernment funding to Pub is the Hub, to easeplanning restrictions on diversification and run athree year trial to provide much-needed supportfor communities who wish to buy their local pub.

Shock News from Pubs Minister

www.real-ale.org.uk

30 | Campaigning

Traditional Town Centre Pub with a Warm Welcome!

5 REAL ALES + CIDERIncluding Wherry, Bombardier, Abbot,

London Pride and an ever-changing guest beer

Pub games including Crib, Dominoes and Darts

Good sized Car Park. Heated smoking shelter

April 23rd – St George’s DaySpecial drink offers + food

Acoustic music Club every 2nd and 4th Thursday of the month – all welcome!

The Jolly Sailor, 43 Great Whyte,

Ramsey PE26 1HHTel 01487 813388


Fans of the Tobie Norris in Stamford willknow of Mick Thurlby’s considerableexpertise in restoring ancient buildings

and turning them into vibrant pubs.

Well, can I suggest a 30 minute trip north on thetrain to Newark where Mick has just reopenedthe 15th Century former Woolpack pub as the‘Prince Rupert’?

The multi-roomed, 2 floor pub stands inStodman St, close to the Market Place, and hadbeen empty since 2006. Active CAMRAmembers, Tony and Heidi Yale have beenrecruited from the renowned ‘Castle’ pub just upthe road to run proceedings. Real ales including

one from Mick’s Ufford Brewery and a perma-nent ‘’LocAle’ are supplemented by three furtherchanging guests and a Real Cider.

The building dates from 1452 and includes manyoriginal features. Six rooms, the smallest just6ftx6ft, are named after English Civil warthemes. Prince Rupert it seems was a nephew ofCharles 1st and was court martialled in Newarkfor losing a major battle back in 1642.

Beers available on the opening night wereAbbeydale Absolution, Ufford Golden Drop,Adnams Gunhill, Lancaster Amber and MaypoleFlanagan’s Extra Stout. Food is served dailyexcept for Sundays and the pub is open all dayeveryday from 10am (12 Suns). As well as being akeen CAMRA member, which will inevitablymean regular beer festivals to be announced,Tony is a huge music fan, and plans to bringregular acoustic, blues and Jazz nights to theRupert.

by Chris Shilling

Thurlby in Newark

www.real-ale.org.uk

New Pub in Newark | 31

Tony and Heidi Yale


www.real-ale.org.uk


The Jolly BrewerPeterborough & District CAMRA Pub of the year 2009

Lincolnshire CAMRA Pub Of The Year 2009

• 5 real ales• Food served daily12-3pm Monday - Sunday6-9pm Friday & Saturday

t. 01780 755141 w. jollybrewer.com

Foundry Road, Stamford, Lincolnshire PE9 2PP

Jolly BrewFest April 21st ‘til 25th

15+ LocAle Real Ales & Ciders



APRILFri 16th – Sun 18th CAMRA MembersWeekend, held at Villa Marina, Isle of Man.See What’s Brewing for further details.

Sat 17th Breweriana Sale, CoalheaversArms, Park St, Peterborough, noon-5pm.For further details contact Maxine on 01733239585 or email [email protected]

Tue 20th Branch Committee Meeting,Dragon, Werrington 8:30pm

MAYSat 8th A Grand Day Out! Bus Trip to theWard Arms, Guilsborough, home ofNobby’s Brewery & lunch stop. On the wayhome, visits to the Poppies (Kettering TownFC) Beer Festival; the Alexandra Arms

(home of Julian Church Brewery) and theever-popular Rushden Historical TransportMuseum. Bus departs Brewery Tap 10.00am,return approx 7.00pm, Cost tbc. Contact Bramfor bookings & further details.

Sat 22nd Heritage Pub Group: Trans-Pennine Rail Ale Trip, approx cost£30. Contact Mick Slaughter for furtherdetails.

Mon 24th Branch Committee Meeting,Cherry Tree, Oundle Rd, 8:30pm.

Fri 28th Working Party Trip to CambridgeBeer Festival, bus departs Brewery tap6.30pm, returning for 12.30am. The bus isfree to all volunteers (who will receive prefer-ence), or £5 to others.

Diary Dates

www.real-ale.org.uk

26 | Dates for your Diary

Selected Beer Festivals

The Social Secretary’s position is currently vacant. Please contact Dave Murray for bookings or further details,

except where stated otherwise

(CAMRA events are shown in bold)APRILThu 1st – Mon 5th Charters, Town Bridge,Peterborough. Easter Beer Fest, approx 40 beers.

Fri 2nd – Mon 5th Green Man, Scotgate,Stamford. Easter Beer Festival, approx 40beers & ciders.

Fri 2nd – Mon 5th Rose & Crown, StPeter’s Street, March. Easter Beer Festival,approx 20 beers

Fri 2nd – Mon 5th Golden Pheasant,Etton. Easter Beerfest, approx 20 real ales.

Wed 14th – Sat 17th 34th Newcastle BeerFestival, Student Union, King’s Walk,

Newcastle-upon-Tyne. Approx 115 ales,check cannybevvy.co.uk for further details.

Wed 22nd – Sun 25th Jolly Brewer, FoundryRd, Stamford, over 20 ales.

Thu 22nd – Sun 25th Hand & Heart,Highbury St, Millfield. St George’s BeerFest. Approx 30 ales, plus live music in thegarden at weekend. See advert in this issuefor further details.

Thu 22nd – Mon 26th Coal Heaver’sArms, Park St, Peterborough. Spring BeerFest, Approx 40 beers plus bbq & livemusic. See advert in this issue for furtherdetails.


www.real-ale.org.uk


Diary Dates

Selected Beer Festivals

Thu 29th – Sun 2nd 16th Reading Beer & CiderFestival, King’s Meadow, Napier Rd, Reading.Over 550 real ales and possibly the largest selec-tion of ciders in the country! Checkwww.readingbeerfestival.org.uk for further details

MAYThu 6th – Sat 8th Poppies Beer Fest (KetteringTown FC), held in the ‘Tin Hat’ lounge, about 30 ales.

Fri 7th & Sat 8th May - Peterborough Rugby ClubBeer Festival, Fengate, 50 real ales, ciders & perrys

Fri 7th – Tue 11th Prince of Wales Feathers,Castor. Spring Beer Festival, approx 30 beersplus all the usual surprises.

Mon 24th – Sat 29th 37th Cambridge BeerFestival, held in giant marquees on Jesus Green.Over 200 real ales plus around 100 ciders &perrys, check www.cambridgebeerfestival.com

Thu 27th – Sat 29th Lincoln Beer Festival, The Drill Hall, Free School Lane, Lincoln. Over80 ales, check www.lincolncamra.org.uk forfurther details.

Thu 27th – Sat 29th Northamptonshire BeerFestival, Delapre Abbey, London Rd,Northampton, approx 250 ales.

Fri 28th – Sun 30th 15th Newark Beer Festival,held in marquees on Riverside Park, Newark.Approx 150 ales, check www.newarkcamra.org.ukfor further details.

JUNEFri 4th – Sun 6th BourneBeer Fest. In marqueeson the Wellhead, Bourne. Approx 50 beers

Fri 4th – Sun 6th Talbot Hotel, Oundle. FirstSummer Beer Festival, approx 20 beers.

Fri 11th – Sun 13th8th Welland Valley BeerFestival. Organised in conjunction withNorthants CAMRA, over 100 real ales at 11participating pubs linked by free vintage busservice on the Saturday. Check www.wellandvalleybbbeerfestival.co.uk

Sat 12th Nene Valley Railway Beer Fest.

132 Great Whyte, Ramsey PE26 1HS

Serving a selection of Real Ales:Abbot Ale, Wells Bombardier, Woodfordes Wherry and one

ever-changing guest ale.

Live MusicNow With Free WiFiLarge Beer Garden

01487 812597

Find us in the Good Beer Guide 2010

THE SPINNINGWHEEL

BastonPopular Village Local

ServingTraditional Ales including Charles Wells Bombardier and Changing Guest Ales.

Traditional Food Tues-Sat (lunchtime + eves), Sunday LunchWeds is Pizza Night (eat in or takeaway),

Thurs is Steak & Rib Night

Quiz night every Monday • Poker Night every Wednesday

Open Microphone Night last Sunday of each month,

BOOK NOW for Easter Sunday LunchOPEN ALL DAY Good Friday, Easter Monday

and May Bank HolidaysRACE NIGHT Friday April 9th (for Baston Cricket Club)

4 Church St, Baston, Lincs PE6 9PETel 01778 560395

Email [email protected]


www.real-ale.org.uk


SEASONAL ALESThin Ice 4.7% Jan/Feb Old Wagg 4.0% March/April

Double Swan 4.5% May/June Mad Dog 4.4% July/AugBarleymead 4.8% Sept/Oct Old Black Shuck 4.5% NovSnickalmas 5.0% Wenceslas Winter Warmer 7.5% Dec

North Brink Brewery, Wisbech, Cambridgeshire Tel: 01945 583160

Available all year round:

Cambridge Bitter 3.8%Gold Award

Champion Bitter of Britain 2006


www.real-ale.org.uk

Campaigning | 37

Pub Merit Awards & Gold AwardsThe committee feel that pubs outside of Peterborough are missing out on Gold Awards and so theyhave introduced a new Merit Award for pubs that are continuously outstanding. If you know of a pubin our area that deserves a Merit Award or Gold Award then please complete the following form andsend it to our Secretary.

Pub name:

Pub address/town/village:

Reason for award:

Your name:

Your phone number or e-mail address:

Your membership number:


www.real-ale.org.uk

38 | Contacts

Branch CommitteeSecretary: Harry Morten49 St Margarets Road,Peterborough PE2 9EA01733 76429607900 05694008707 620848 (fax)[email protected]

Chairman: David Murray01733 [email protected]

Treasurer: Paul Beecham01733 31198107710 [email protected]

Vice Chair: Paul Brammer07922 [email protected]

Social Sec: Situation [email protected]

Pubs Officer: Steve Williams07802 [email protected]

Press Officer: Situation Vacant [email protected]

Young Members: Alix Botton07806 [email protected]

Membership: Daryl Ling01733 [email protected]

Festival Org: Mike Lane07850 [email protected]

LocAle Officer: John Rice07759 [email protected]

Beer Around ’EreEditor: Paul (Bram) Brammer07922 [email protected]

Distribution: DavidMurray(see Chairman on the left)

Advertising: Chris Shilling01778 [email protected]

Magazine & AdvertisingProduction: Daniel Speed0845 838 [email protected]

Postal Distr: Daryl Ling01733 235881

Brewery Liaison OfficersBlue Bell: John Hunt01406 330453Castor Ales: Mike Lane07850 334203Digfield: Paul Brammer07922 604988Elgoods: John Rice07759 342702Hopshackle: Noel Ryland07944 869656Melbourn: Lew Clayton01780 765063Oakham Ales: Dave Allett07966 344417Tydd Steam: John Hunt01706 330453Ufford Ales: Matt Mace07809 629241

Trading Standards08545 040506www.consumerdirect.gov.uk

Check out our new website at: www.real-ale.org.ukorwww.peterborough-camra.org.uk

Front Cover is theexterior of Smiths inBourne. Picture takenand supplied by MickSlaughter LRPSLicensees - if youwould like toimprove your advert

with high quality pub interior and/or exterior photo-graphs please contact CAMRAmember Mick Slaughter LRPS on01733 390598 to discuss yourrequirements.

The next issue of BAE will beavailable on: 28th MayWe must have your stories,news and advertisements by: 7th MayLate copy cannot be guaranteed entry.

Please contact Chris Shilling01778 421550/07736 635916/[email protected] all of your advertising needs.

Steve Williams [email protected] or07802 896641 is always lookingfor pub news.

Please send stories and othercopy to Bram (Paul Brammer) [email protected] 07922 604988

Beer Around ‘Ere is published by Peterborough &District Branch of CAMRA Copyright © 2010, TheCampaign for Real Ale Ltd.

Views or comments expressedin this publication may not necessarily be those of theEditor or of CAMRA.



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BAE 152