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AYRSHIRE AND WIGTOWNSHIRECAMPAIGN FOR REAL ALE

FullBlue Peter is Pub of the Year

Inside

THE Blue Peter Hotel in Kirkcolm, by Stranraer,has been chosen as the 2011 Branch Pub of theYear.

The South Ayrshire Pub of the Year is the Glen ParkHotel in Ayr, home of the Ayr Brewing Company.

East Ayrshire’s Pub of the Year is the MillhouseHotel in Stewarton and the North Ayrshire title goesto the Village Inn, Fairlie.

Four area heats were held and a judging panel offour CAMRA members, one from each area, decidedthe winner using the criteria set out for judgingnational pub competitions.

PintsVolume 13 Issue 3 Winter 2011 FREEVolume 14 Issue 1 Spring 2012 FREE

InsideNews P3

Branch Diary P8Poosie Nansie’s P9Ray’s Round Up P12

Outlets Map P16Community Pubs

Month P19Ardrossan

Academicals BeerFestival P22

Kilmarnock AreaPubs P24

Membership P28Ken More P30

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TRADING STANDARDSOFFICES

Ayr - 01292 616060Irvine - 01294 324900Kilmarnock - 01563 521502Stranraer - 01776 703260

Contact

Editorial: Graeme Wattmeatgriller@gmail.com07535 990531Advertising: Bob Wallacebobwallace.1869@yahoo.co.uk07929 990972

DISCLAIMERThe views expressed in thispublication are those of theindividual contributors and donot necessarily reflect the viewand policies of the editor or ofthe Campaign for Real Ale Ltd.© Campaign for Real Ale Ltd2012

MINUTES OF MEETINGSare available from the branchsecretary Ray Turpie:rturpie@hotmail.co.uk(members only)

STEWARTON’S Millhouse Hotel isunder new management, just after itwas named as East Ayrshire Pub of theYear.

Taking over from Ian and PaulineKernot are Jim Kelly and DenisePentland. Jim and Denise have pledged tocontinue the good work of Ian and Paulinein stocking and promoting real ale and areutilising the ‘beer consultancy’ services ofone Dan McKay, the former owner of thealehouse in Troon that still bears his name.

It is expected that the Millhouse will selltwo real ales during the week and three atweekends.

The hotel will be managed by Denise’shusband Fraser Pentland, formerly the ofthe Park Hotel in Kilmarnock.

Ian and Pauline Kernot are branchmembers and continue to live in the areaso look out for them at CAMRA events.

New owners forMillhouse Hotel

Real ale comes tohistoric Burns pub.POOSIE NANSIE’S in Mauchline isselling real ale, meaning that, at last,beer like the bard drank can be enjoyedin a pub he frequented.Beers are from the Houston Brewery withBarochan and Peter’s Well provingpopular.Special report on Poosie Nansie’s byRonnie Beveridge on page 9.

Award for Full PintsFULL PINTS has been named asCAMRA’s most improved newsletterover the past year.

The announcement was made at therecent CAMRA national AGM inTorquay.

The editor thanks his predecessor,Douglas Graham for making the magazinefull colour, all contributors for theirsuperb articles and Bob Wallace for hisoutstanding work as advertising manager.

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For the last nine months we have been serving real ale in our hotel bar. Twodifferent ales are available daily with 5 or 6 different ales appearing weekly.Please pop in the next time you find yourselves in Portpatrick.The Crown offers bar meals all day from 12-9 and our restaurant menu is availa-ble from 6pm daily.Seafood is our speciality (AA awarded seafood pub of Scotland past winner).We also offer daily specials alongside our extensive menus.We offer bed and breakfast and dinner packages with 5 of our 12 en-suite roomsoffering sea views. Bed and breakfast is available from £40 per person.

ALL branches of CAMRA in Scotlandand Northern Ireland have have nowannounced their Pub of the Yearselections.They are:� Aberdeen, Grampian and Northern

Isles: the Grill, Union Street Aberdeen.� Dumfries and Stewartry: Cavens

Arms, Buccleuch Street, Dumfries� Edinburgh and Southeast Scotland:

Cobbles Inn, Bowmont Street, Kelso.� Forth Valley: Woolpack Inn,

Glassford Square, Tillicoultry.� Glasgow and West Scotland: Drum &

Monkey, St Vincent Street, Glasgow.

� Highlands and Western Isles:Benleva Hotel, Kilmore Road,Drumnadrochit.

� Kingdom of Fife: Central Bar,Market Street, St Andrews.

� Northern Ireland: Spinning Mill,Broughshane Street, Ballymena.

� Renfrewshire: Fox and Hounds,South Street, Houston.

� Tayside: Ericht Ale House,Wellmeadow, Blairgowrie.

For Ayrshire and Wigtownshire’sresults, see front page.

The winning pubs will now be judged inthe next Scotland and Northern IrelandPub of the Year, with the winner goingon to the UK-wide competition for theprestigious CAMRA Pub of the Yeartitle.

Scottish andNorthern IrelandBranches announcePubs of the Year

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SRAF, the Scottish Real Ale Festivalwill this year move to new venue, theEdinburgh Corn Exchange.

Situated in the west of the city, near theCaledonian Brewery, the Corn Exchangeis only a short and inexpensive bus ridefrom Haymarket railway station.

Lothian Buses 4, 34, 35, 44 and 44A allgo to the venue as do First Buses 44, 44Band 44C.

The venue is bigger than any SRAF hasbeen held at before so there should be noproblems with queuing or overcrowding.It also allows the organisers plenty ofroom for reserve stock to ensure amplebeer supplies even on the last day.

SRAF runs from Thursday, June 29 toSaturday, June 30.

New date and Venuefor Scottish Real Ale

Outlets newsGainsPoosie Nansie’s, Loudoun Street ,Mauchline - Houston Beers.Ardrossan Academicals Rugby Club,Sorbie Road, Ardrossan - occasionalguest real alesThe Prestwick Pioneer, Main Street,Prestwick - up to ten real ales (OpensMay 15).Kirkmichael Arms, Straiton Road,Kirkmichael - reopened with two ales.

LossesThe Balgarth, Doonfoot, Ayr - closedThe Waterside, Seamill - no longerserving real aleKenmuir Arms, New Luce - ClosedDunure Inn, Dunure - no longer sellingreal ale

CROWN HOTEL9 NORTH CRESCENTPORTPATRICKWIGTOWNSHIREDG9 8SXTEL 01776 810261wwwcrownportpatrick.comcrownportpatrick@btconnect.com

For the last nine months we have been serving real ale in our hotel bar. Twodifferent ales are available daily with 5 or 6 different ales appearing weekly.Please pop in the next time you find yourselves in Portpatrick.The Crown offers bar meals all day from 12-9 and our restaurant menu is availa-ble from 6pm daily.Seafood is our speciality (AA awarded seafood pub of Scotland past winner).We also offer daily specials alongside our extensive menus.We offer bed and breakfast and dinner packages with 5 of our 12 en-suite roomsoffering sea views. Bed and breakfast is available from £40 per person.

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On the A736 Irvine to Barrhead Road, at Lugton

Manager, Frazer Dunn,invites you to visit forgreat food and local realales from Arran,Houston and Kelburnbreweries

Tel:01505 850510www.thecannyman.co.uk

Wetherspoon’s finallyfly in to PrestwickAFTER a long-running battle with thetown’s existing licensees and someresidents, JD Wetherspoon’s inPrestwick will open its doors on May 15.

The Prestwick Pioneer occupies thesite of the former Woolworth’s store andCAMRA sources understand there will beup to ten real ales on sale.

The bar is named after an RAF transportaircraft produced by Scottish Aviation.The first prototype flew in 1947 and theaircraft saw action in Malaya, Aden andCyprus until it was withdrawn fromservice in 1969.

Opening hours are expected to be from8am, for breakfast, tea and coffee with analcohol licence from 10am until midnight,12.30am on Fridays and Saturdays.

Getting AroundBuses:Stagecoach West ScotlandCustomer Services01292 613500Disability Helpdesk07736 892253Trains:Scotrail Customer Services0845 601 5929Ferries:Caledonian MacBrayneEnquiries0800 066 5000All:Traveline Scotlandwww.travelinescotland.com0871 200 22 33

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Saturday, April 14 Branch Social Grand National Trip,Rinns of Galloway

Thursday, April 19 North Ayrshire Social, LauristonHotel, Ardrossan 8pm

Saturday, April 21 Members Seminar, McCowans,Edinburgh 11am

Monday, April 23 Branch Committee Meeting, PoosieNansie's, Mauchline 7.30pm

Wednesday, April 25 East Ayrshire Social , MillhouseHotel, Stewarton, 7.30pm

Thursday, April 26 South Ayrshire Social, Glen ParkHotel, Ayr 8pm

Friday, April 27 Branch Social, Paisley Beer Festival2pm

Monday, April 30 Beer Festival Planning Meeting,Geordie's Byre, Ayr 8pm

Thursday, May 17 North Ayrshire Social, venue to beconfirmed

Tuesday, May 22 Branch Social, Prestwick Pioneer,Prestwick, 8pm

Saturday, May 26 Sulwath Brewery Open Day, CastleDouglas 12pm

Monday, May 28 Beer Festival Planning Meeting,Village Inn, Dunlop 8pm

Thursday, May 31 East Ayrshire Social, Auld Hoose,Dunlop 7.30pm

Wednesday, June 27 East Ayrshire Social, Wheatsheaf,Kilmarnock 7.30pm

Friday, June 29 Branch Social, Scottish Real AleFestival, Edinburgh

Friday, June 29 and Saturday, June30

National Executive Social Events, tobe confirmed

Saturday, July 14 Trip to Fyne ales, details to beconfirmed

Saturday, August 25 Trip to Strathaven Ales, details to beconfirmed

Any member wishing more information about social events orto book a place on trips is encouraged to contact the branchsocial secretary Donald Clark at mound_spotter@yahoo.co.uk

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Built in 1700, Poosie Nansie’s inMauchline enjoys strong links tonational poet Robert Burns and

attracts a significant number of The Bard’sfollowers worldwide.

Poosie Nansie was the nickname ofAgnes, the wife of George Gibson whoowned the inn during the latter part of the18th century.

Outwardly little has changed in over 300years although an extension was added in1888 and the thatched roof, whichoriginally adorned the building, wasreplaced with one of slate in the mid 1950s.

Inside, the decor of one room has beenpreserved to look as it did in the days of thefamous poet and is now regularly used as ameeting place by the committee ofMauchline Burns Club.

Burns, who farmed at Mossgiel on theoutskirts of Mauchline, met his future wifeJean Armour on the village’s bleachinggreen.

The Armour household was located inthe Cowgate, only yards from Poosie’sfront door.

The poet wrote manyof his best known workswhile living andworking in Mauchlineand in 1785 wasinspired to pen his ‘JollyBeggars’ cantata,originally known as‘Love and Liberty’,after witnessing thecarousing among someof the local worthiesduring an evening ofdrinking and singing inPoosie’s.

One wonders what

Rabbie would make of Poosie Nansie’stoday with its various electronicdistractions in the cosy public bar.

Personally, I reckon he would go withthe flow. The locals continue to enjoy agood blether covering all topics of

By Ronnie Beveridge

Top: Poosie Nansie’s is decorated to reflect itsconnection to Burns and above, the historic pubat night.

44

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We are looking forward to meeting new faces, whether booking a function, having a bite to eat or sam-

conversation.And with a

drink after a hardday’s work theyare not averse tosinging the oddsong or two at theSaturday nightkaraoke.

He would mostcertainlyappreciate thewarm welcomeoffered bylandlady Heatherand her staff and

The great man might well have sat here as ‘guid ale kepthis heart aboon’.

he would surely approve of the recent introduction of cask ale at this historic hostelry.He was, after all, a man renowned for his love of the good life.

POOSIE NANSIE’S

1700

HOSTELRY

21 Loudoun StreetMauchlineKA5 5BA

01290 550316

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4 DEAN STREETSTEWARTON

KA3 5EQ

Jim, Denise & Fraser, would like to take this opportunity to thank our locals for thewarm welcome they have received since taking over at The Millhouse Hotel.

We are looking forward to meeting new faces, whether booking a function, having a bite to eat or sam-pling the real ales we have on offer. Our aim is to maintain the high standard set with the real ales

which we will source through local and national suppliers.

We hope to see you all soon.

01292 540117

NOW UNDER THE MANAGEMENT OF NICK and LINDA BROOMHEAD

The Failford Inn is a rural pub on the B743 between Ayr and Mauchline from the Whit-letts roundabout. Failford is home to the Ayr Gorge section of the River Ayr Walk and

the Failford Inn makes a great place to relax. We offer the choice of a real fire in the baror our picturesque beer garden which slopes down to the river.

We offer a full restaurant and bar meal service with a choice of real ales.

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It was very pleasing to see thatso many of you took my tip at the endof the last Round Up and

managed to join the festivecrawl in Ayr. At one pointthere were over three dozen inattendance and I am sure agood time was had by all.Unfortunately, I missed thestart point but visited all the pubsafter that. My favourite beer of theday was Fyne Ales Sublime Stout inWellingtons where we got a very warmwelcome.

My trip to London, mentioned in the lastedition, went well. I found last year’snational pub of the year, the Harp,Covent Garden where I enjoyed DarkStar Original and I also went to thePrincess Louise in Holborn. It is a SamSmith’s pub, beautifully tiled andmirrored and sells is its Old Brewery

Bitter from Tadcaster, at less than £3 a pintI might add. On the Saturday, we met forlunch with friends at the GBG-listed

Skinners Arms where I enjoyed a pintof Ilkley Bitter. If you are ever near

King’s Cross station, this pub inJudd Street is well worth a visit.The highlight of the weekend,however, was the visit to theNational Gallery to see the

Leonardo da Vinci exhibition,even although we had to queue for

over two hours in the rain for tickets.Talking about tickets, we were lucky

enough to get seats for the Gerry Raffertymemorial concert at the Concert Hall,Glasgow in January. The first concert onthe Sunday night was sold out almostimmediately so they arranged a secondnight on the Monday. Unfortunately, I hadto miss the CAMRA meeting in Largs,along with other two committee memberswho were also at the show but it was nocontest. The finale was “Baker Street” of

course, with some ofthe original artists onstage, includingguitarist Hugh Burns.

Mention of Burnsbrings me to theBurns Beer Festivalheld in March atBurns CottageEducational Centrewhich some of youmay have managedto attend. As the localbranch of CAMRA,we were asked forassistance by theNational Trust forScotland to set upand run the bar forthis event. Your

By Ray Rturpie

A proper pub sign at the Skinners Arms, Holburn

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committeetook the viewthat this was agoodopportunity tocampaign andraise somefunds. Wearranged fortwenty beersfrom the westof Scotland tobe availableand this couldend up beingan annualevent if thingsturn out wellin the finalreckoning.

While I am on the subject of festivals,along with two other CAMRA members,Douglas Graham and I made the trip toGrowler Brewery, Nethergate to presentthe beer of the festival (BOTF) certificatefor Umble Ale. The hospitality wasexceptional, spending over three hoursbeing shown round the brewery andsampling their beer before retiring to theboard room for lunch. It tied in well withthe Chelmsford Winter Beer Festivalwhere we met up with local members whousually manage up to our festival in Troon.

Planning for this year’s festival is wellunderway with many of the key elementsalready agreed. If you want to help out,come along to the next meeting which youwill find on the events programme. Thereare many interesting outings coming upover the next few months including amembers’ seminar in Edinburgh on 21stApril. Any member is entitled to attend atMcCowans, Edinburgh from 11am. If you

are interested, let Lindsay Grant or meknow and we will reserve a place. Varioustopics of interest to branches will bediscussed and you will be able to haveyour say at the workshops in theafternoon.

During the last week-end of June, ourBranch is hosting National Executive andRegional Directors meetings in Ayr. Afterthe formal proceedings we will bearranging social events around theweekend so this will be an opportunity foryou to talk to them about any CAMRAtopic that you feel needs aired. On theFriday of the same weekend we will behaving a branch social outing to theScottish Real Ale Festival so there isplenty going on.

As I write, I am getting ready to head forthe Members Weekend in Torquay so Iwill no doubt report in the next issue.Enjoy your summer beers in themeantime.

Ayrshire Real Ale Festival organiser Douglas Grahampresents the 2011 Beer of the Festival certificate toNethergate brewer Paul Gower .

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New goodiesfrom the CAMRA shop

Order online at www.camra.or.uk

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Catacol Bay Hotel, Catacol, Isle of Arran

Owned and run by the same family forover 30 years, the Catacol Bay Hotelis a small, friendly, licensed hotelnestling in the Arran hills 1.5 milesfrom the Lochranza ferry terminal andapproximately 16 miles from BrodickThe hotel boasts stunning viewsacross the Kibrannan Sound.We serve an extensive range of realales, draught beers, wines, meals andsnacks in the bar daily from 12 noon to10pm, or enjoy our famous Sundaybuffet served 12 noon to 4pmthroughout the year.Outside there is a large beer gardenwith children's play area, the perfectplace to watch the sun go down.

01770 830231www.catacol.co.uk

The WatersideBath Street, Largs Tel: 01475 672224

Two ever-changing REAL ALES nowavailable

Live Music Saturdays Karaoke Fridays

Poker Wednesdays Open Mike night Sundays

Food available every day, except Monday

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Pubs are Britain’s Best socialnetworking sites andCAMRA is emphasising this

point with its latest campaign:Community Pubs Month.

In April, over 5,500 pubs acrossthe UK will toast Community PubsMonth and CAMRA has published newresearch showing how local pubs play anintegral role right the way through thelives of people in localcommunities.

Since 2008,over 4,500 pubshave closedacross thenation, withlicenseesbattered byhigh beer tax,greedy pubcompanies,soaringoverheads, anddiscount boozedeals from majorsupermarketchains. With somany pubspermanently closingtheir doors on a weekly basis, scores ofsurrounding local communities are leftwithout their social hub.

Community Pubs Month aims tochampion pubs as invaluable communityassets, and outlets which vast numbers ofpeople across the UK rely upon so heavilyduring their daily lives.

Pubs are vital meeting places for youngadults, with just under 90 per cent of themusing their local to meet friends andsocialise. Further to this, in a poll to

regular pub goers: a quarter of currentlymarried couples said they first met theirpartner down the pub.

Mike Benner, CAMRA chief executivesaid: “Pubs are the beating hearts

of countless communitiesacross the land, and withouttheir existence, society wouldbe a lot worse off.

“CAMRA’s newcampaign is all about

reaffirming the vitalimportance of localpubs, and theessential role theyplay in many

people’s lives.CAMRA’s research

shows people turn totheir local pub during

meaningful events, so whether youare a real ale lover, or someone whoenjoys the weekly quiz down your

local, pubs are a core part of our identityand heritage.

“With the launch of Community PubsMonth, CAMRA is urging localcommunities this April to back their locallicensees and give them the support theyneed during these difficult economictimes. Pubs are the original socialnetworking sites, and will continue toprovide an invaluable community serviceas long as they are used by the localpeople that surround them.”

By Graeme Watt

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Ayrshire Real Ale Festival 2012

is a week

later than

usual:

11-13

October

Troon

Concert Hallwww.ayrshirebeerfestival.co.uk

CAMRA Scottish RealAle Festival

Edinburgh Corn ExchangeNew Market Road

EdinburghThursday, June 28 to Saturday June 30 2012

www.sraf.org.uk

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FULL PINTSMcKAYS Real Ale House69 Portland Street Troon

McKAYS Real Ale House

FAMILY RUN FRIENDLYPUBLIC HOUSE

Extensive beer garden withtable service, child-friendlyand secure

HIGH QUALITY WINESAND SPIRITS

Quality home-made food tosuit everyone

REAL ALES ON TAP

Full children’s menu

Sunday roasts available from 12 noon - 7pmQuiz nights every Wednesday from 9.30pm

01292 311079

LOOK OUT FOROUR STEAK CLUB,BARBECUES ANDFORTHCOMINGEVENTS

LIVEENTERTAINMENT

ONBANK HOLIDAYS

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Ardrossan Academicals recentlydecided to hold their first real alefestival to both promote real ale,

and to encourage people to come alongand use their clubhouse facilities.

The club is only a five-minute walk fromSouth Beach station and only a fewminutes' more from a bus stop on theArdrossan to Kilmarnock route.

Despite living in Saltcoats andArdrossan all my life, and having attendedArdrossan Academy, I had never been inthe clubhouse. I wonder how many moreare like me?

The idea arose after some 'Accies'members joined CAMRA having attendedsome of the increasingly popular NorthAyrshire social events. The club did all theorganising but had assistance from IanMiddleditch in helping to stage the beerand organising the volunteer staff.

The festival opened to the public at 5pmon Friday, March 30. Entry was areasonable £3, and theales were well-priced atjust £2.50 per pint.Eleven ales wereavailable, mainly fromlocal breweries. AyrBrewing supplied JollyBeggars and Rabbie’sPorter; Cairngorm sentSheepshaggers Gold andStag; Houston wasrepresented with Peter'sWell and a new 4.5%ABV brew, Slainte – itwas a very nice sessionbitter.

The Inveralmondoffering was Lia Fail,Kelburn's were Pivo

Estivo and Misty Law and Strathaven hadClydesdale IPA and Old Mortality. Therewas a style of ale for everyone. And therewere also the yummy scotch pies, bridiesand sausage rolls supplied by the KandyBar.

Friday night saw around 50 peopleattend and although Saturday started offfairly slow, by late afternoon it picked upand by the end of the night at 11pmanother 85 new entries had paid theiradmission, and numerous returnees fromFriday night were also present. It was aclose-run race for the first beer to befinished, but Misty Law took that accoladewith close competition fromSheepshaggers and Clydesdale.

It was a successful first real ale festivalfor the rugby club – it generated a smallprofit, and it is hoped that they willconsider others in the future. A big thankyou to all the volunteers from the branchwho helped with serving the pints and toIan for his expertise in helping to set it allup.

Beer fans start to arrive at Ardrossan AcciesRugby Club on the Saturday afternoon

By Stuart McMahon

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While the popularity of caskconditioned ale has seen asteady growth in my local area

around Kilmarnock I am afraid that,when compared to other areas, we remaina bit of a real ale desert but there are fewoases.

The CAMRA social group for the areameet on the last Wednesday of eachmonth and try to spread our businessaround them all. See the diary page fordetails and come and have a pint.

Auld Hoose, Dunlop: two beers aresold, mainly from local breweries andwith regular guests from Stewart andTimothy Taylor.

Village Inn, Dunlop: making DunlopAyrshire’s first 100 per cent supplier ofreal ales, the Village Inn introduced onehand pump just over year ago and havefeatured Caledonian, Houston and evenCastle Rock, from Nottingham. It has acosy public bar and a large rear area usedfor pub games, meetings and functions.

Millhouse Hotel, Stewarton: undernew ownership, see page 3. With threehand pumps offering ales from localbreweries and guests from across the UKthe Millhouse has become a Mecca forale drinkers from a wide area.

Weston Tavern, Kilmaurs: anotherpub with character and a long termsupplier of a single ever-changingreal ale. The Weston has a finerestaurant/coffee shop as well as apopular public bar and lounge witha real fire, stone walls and flagstonefloor. Licensee Sheila has been ableto source ales from distant Islay andLoch Leven breweries to providewelcome variety.

Wheatsheaf Inn, Kilmarnock: a

Lloyds No 1 bar, part of the Wetherspoongroup, this is by far the biggest seller ofreal ale in East Ayrshire with nine handpumps supplying customers with Ruddles,Abbot Ale and an ever changing list ofquality ales from near and far. They holdCask Marque accreditation, have welltrained cellar staff and hold two beerfestivals each year.

Brass & Granite, Kilmarnock: thislongstanding beacon for real ale in thetown, has three hand pumps supplyingales from the Belhaven range.Inveralmond beers often feature. Alsoknown for value food, quiz nights and anenormous collection of memorabilia of allsorts and an area for pool and manyscreens for TV sport.First Edition, Kilmarnock: a member ofthe Smith & Jones group, the pub namerecognises the publication of RobertBurns first book, the Kilmarnock Edition.It is a large, food-based outlet, with threereal ales usually on offer from Ayr,Caledonian and Greene King.

By Bob Wallace

Top: the Auld Hoose, Dunlop andabove, the Millhouse Hotel, Stewarton

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1 4 6

2 6 4 9

5 8 3

4 9 6 1

2 8

2 9 3 6

8 3 9

6 3 2 1

8 3 7

1 What does Al-Jazeera mean inArabic?2 TV presenter Dermot O’Leary ownswhich kind of shop?3 The ‘sedia gestatoria’ wasmothballed in 1978. What replaced it?4 Fauntleroy is which cartooncharacter’s middle name?5 Biff By ford fronted which heavymetal band?6 Who famously left his wife hissecond best bed in his will?7 Who, when appearing in theSimpsons, is uniquely depicted withfive fingers on each hand?8 Uncontroversial at the time, whatappeared on the cover of the JungleBook?9 Peruvian bark is better known aswhat?10 Alan Rusbridger edits whichnational newspaper?Sudoku

Pub Quiz

WhatLinks…A beer, an

old Scottishword for

gossip andHughLaurie

s

BeeragramsRearrange to following into thenames of real ales including thebrewery and the beer.1 Pervert hates tantrum

2 Vandalises inn room

3 Fine droll splendour

4 Well-suited topnotch gem

5 Thrusting blow degrades

6 Loony anorak’s Halo

7 Sloppy feelings dear

8 Rub dinky meddlers

9 Alexander’s romp

10 A cast-iron pedantry

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Pub Quiz1 The island 2 Chip shop 3 The Popemobile 4 Donald Duck 5 Saxon6 William Shakespeare 7 God 8 A swastika 9 Quinine 10 The Guardian

3 9 1 4 8 6 2 5 72 6 7 1 3 5 4 8 94 5 8 9 7 2 1 3 68 3 5 7 4 9 6 1 21 4 6 2 5 8 9 7 37 2 9 3 6 1 5 4 85 8 2 6 1 7 3 9 46 7 3 5 9 4 8 2 19 1 4 8 2 3 7 6 5

What Links?Claverhouse: brewed by Strathaven,clishmaclaver and plays Dr GregoryHouse.

SudokuBeeragrams1 Strathaven Trumpeter2 Inveralmond Ossian3 Fuller’s London Pride4 Tempest Long White Cloud5 Stewart’s Edinburgh Gold6 O’Hanlon’s Royal Oak7 Fyne Ales Piper’s Gold8 Kelburn Red Smiddy9 Adnams Explorer10 Tryst Carronade IPA

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By Bob Wallace

Ayrshire andWigtownshire

CAMRA

Findus on

Facebook

Membership of the Ayrshire &Wigtownshire branch remainsjust short of 400 with roughly

the same number of new members joiningsince Christmas, to replace the dozen or sowho chose not to renew.

I thank you for your support if you areone of the latter but encourage you to keepdrinking real ale and to consider re-joining at some point in the future.

If you are reading this article and are nota CAMRA member then you can use theform opposite or visit the ‘Join us’ pageon the CAMRA websitewww.camra.org.uk.

As a member you will receive thefollowing benefits:1. What's Brewing, a monthly colour

newspaper, delivered direct to yourletterbox.

2.Beer, a quarterly magazine, alsodelivered direct to you.

3. Reduced admission to over 150CAMRA beer festivals

4. Discounts on CAMRA books,including the Good BeerGuide.Discounts from a number ofpartners, such as. Cottages4you andHire a Canalboat.Remember also that every new, and

renewing, member will also receive £20of real ale vouchers from JDWetherspoon, which equates to the cost ofa single, full, direct debit subscription,and you are effectively getting a year'sfree membership.

Regrettably the only one of their 700+outlets which still does not accept thesevouchers is the West Kirk in Ayr, shortlyto be joined by the Prestwick Patriot.Come on South Ayrshire Council, surely

a 50p discount on one pint is not going toencourage binge drinking.

Indeed, should you not be encouragingdrinkers, especially the younger agegroup, to drink alcohol in the controlledenvironment that is the pub rather thanconsume without such controlselsewhere?

Vouchers can of course be used at theSalt Cot in Saltcoats and the Wheatsheafin Kilmarnock as well as all other JDWoutlets in Scotland and beyond.

If you have any questions please contactme, Bob Wallace, branch membershipsecretary. My email address isbobwallace.1869@yahoo.co.uk and mymobile number 07929 990972.

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He’s the

man inthe know!

Spring is here and for the real alelover that means just one thing -it’s beer festival time again.

CAMRA’s Forth Valley branch kickedoff the Scottish season in March with theLarbert Beer Festival. Only in its fourthyear, this festival already stocks over 40beers. An impressive achievement.

The biggest festival in the west ofScotland, although Troon is catching upfast, is the Paisley Beer Festival.

This year it will be 25 years since BobWallace, now advertising manager for FullPints, organised the first one back whenthis particular beer lover with a keyboardwas counting down the days to when hecould be legally served.

Paisley opens on Wednesday, April 25,at the town hall and will have around 160real ales. This year the English beers willall be from Cumbria.

The Kingdom of Fife Real Ale, Ciderand Perry Festival is at the Rothes Hall,Glenrothes from Thursday, May 10 toSaturday, May 12. This festival, likeLarbert, will have just over 40 beers.

Pittodrie Stadium will be the venue forthe Aberdeen and North East ScotlandBeer Festival, which opens on Thursday,May 31 and runs until Saturday, June 2.This festival is around the same size asTroon, carrying 100 beers plus cider andperry.

The next one is the Scottish Real AleFestival in Edinburgh which, besidesTroon, is my personal favourite. This isbecause it is the biggest showcase eventfor Scottish real ale anywhere in theworld.

I know the organisers go to great lengthsto ensure that every real ale brewery in theland is represented and the new venue atthe Edinburgh Corn Exchange shouldensure that there is plenty of room forstock, bar facilities and, hopefully, lots ofbeer drinkers.

There will also be plenty of mini-festivals on throughout the summer beforethe season ends in grand style with theAyrshire Real Ale Festival at TroonConcert Hall in October.

Remember we are a week later thannormal this year because of a bookingconflict. Doors open at 5pm on Thursday,October 11.

If you enjoy going to CAMRA festivals,please consider volunteering to help out. Itdoesn’t have to be for more than a fewhours over the week or so that it takes toput on the event.

This is particularly important at long-established festivals, such as Troon. Manyof the original organisers, who were intheir forties at the time of the first festivalare now approaching, or have reached, 60.New, younger, help is needed to ensurethe event can continue. This is particularlyimportant with the heavy work involved insetting up and taking down the bars beforeand after the festival.

Should you wish to volunteer, get intouch any of the branch contacts in FullPints.

The festival also has a website:www.ayrshirebeerfestival.co.uk.

Enjoy the beer.

31

FULL PINTS

steampacketinn@btconnect.com

32

FULL PINTSAt Sulwath Brewers,

we give you thechance to see the craft

of brewing in action,and to taste our

speciality ales, at ourfully-licensed brewery

tap visitor centre.

Open Mon-Sat 10am until 5pmOff-sales also available

The Brewery, King StreetCastle Douglas DG7 1DT

www.sulwathbrewers.co.uk

Telephone: 01556 504525