CAMPAIGN for REAL ALE

FREE

THE CAMRA MAGAZINE FOR READING AND MID BERKSHIRE ISSUE THIRTY THREE • SPRING 2015 • FREE - PLEASE TAKE A COPY

IN THIS ISSUEPub & Brewery News Small BeerReading Beer FestivalCAMRA Members WeekendJoin CAMRABoard Games in Pubs

See page 21 for the full story

REAL ALE – REAL CHOICE

Contact UsUseful contact details for this magazine, CAMRA and other important things…Mine's a Pint Circulation: 3,000.Outlets: Over 70 across the region.

Editor: Phil Gilleditor@readingcamra.org.uk0771 455 029381 Addison Road, Reading, RG1 8EG

Magazine published on behalf of Readingand Mid Berkshire CAMRA by:

Orchard House Media Ltddaniel.speed@orchardhousemedia.co.uk

For advertising enquiries please contact Jane Michelson:01778 382718jane@orchardhousemedia.co.uk

Reading & Mid Berkshire CAMRAwww.readingcamra.org.uk

Social Secretary: Quinten Taylor social@readingcamra.org.uk07887 424232

Contact for all other branch matters:Katrina Fletchercontact@readingcamra.org.uk0779 401 9437

Local Trading StandardsReading Borough Council:www.reading.gov.uk 0118 937 3737

West Berkshire Council:www.westberks.gov.uk 01635 519930

Royal Borough of Windsor &Maidenhead:www.rbwm.gov.uk 01628 683800

Wokingham Borough Council:www.wokingham.gov.uk 0118 974 6400

The next issue of Mine’s a Pint will be published in June. Please feel free to submit copy or ideas by 9 May

The opinions expressed in Mine’s a Pint arenot necessarily those of the editor or theCampaign for Real Ale. © Campaign forReal Ale 2015.

MARCHTue 10: Branch meeting. Great Expectations, 33 LondonStreet, Reading, RG1 4PS. CAMRA members only, please.

Thu 12: Pub games social with RURAS. 18.30 start at HopLeaf, 163 Southampton Street, Reading, RG1 2QZ.

Fri 27: Southall Curry Night. Meet 19.30 onwards for drinksat the Conservative Club, High Street, Southall, UB1 3HB,then Nagina Karahi restaurant at 20.45. Contact JohnRobinson on john.robinson@hotmail.co.uk / 0118 940 2787 /0790 434 3187.

Sun 29: Spoons Sunday – a crawl to help use up your leftover50p vouchers! Meet 12.00 at Hope Tap, 99-105 Friar Street,Reading, RG1 1EP. Then Monks Retreat at 13.30 and Back ofBeyond at 15.00.

APRILThu 2: First Thursday of the Month Social. Castle Tap, 120Castle Street, RG1 7RJ.

Tue 7: Branch meeting. Fox & Hounds, 116 City Road,Tilehurst, RG31 5SB. CAMRA members only, please.

ALSO: End of the Ale Trail – last chance to return your com-pleted booklet.

Thu 30 April – Sun 3 May: Reading Beer and Cider Festival.Kings Meadow, Napier Road, Reading, RG1 8BN. See articlein this issue for more details.

MAYThu 7: First Thursday of the Month Social. Eldon Arms, 19 Eldon Terrace, Reading, RG1 4DX.

Sun 10: Pub walk. Meet 11.00 in Henley station car park,walk to the Flower Pot at Aston and back via the Little Angelin Remenham, then various pubs in Henley. Contact ChrisHinton on ck.hinton@virgin.net / 0118 987 3203.

Tue 12: Branch meeting. Venue in Ruscombe TBC. CAMRAmembers only, please.

JUNEThu 4: First Thursday of the Month Social. Venue TBC.

See www.readingcamra.org.uk for details of these events asthey come available.

For details of an event with no contact listed, to suggest anevent or to receive regular e-mail updates of the branch diary,contact Quinten Taylor (Quinno):social@readingcamra.org.uk / 07887 424232.

Branch DiaryAll events start at 20.00 and are open to everybody unless specified.

Spring is here, and that means there’s onlyone place to go for local real ale and ciderdrinkers. Yes, the Reading Beer and CiderFestival is back. Held again this year atKings Meadow between 30 April and 3May, there’s no better event in the area.Find out more details in the feature in thisissue, but expect the formula to be much thesame as in previous years.

That’s for 2015... for 2016 there are goingto be major changes forced on us.

A scheme to redevelop the lido (the open airswimming pool adjacent to the festival site)includes landscaping and car parking pro-posals that mean the festival site will beunusable after this year. Have you evernoticed the slope in the ground towards thefar end of the festival site? That's becausethe main part of the land was raised upyears ago to offer better protection againstflooding. That’s the part of Kings Meadowthat will be unavailable.

So why not hold the festival further downKings Meadow? If we had tried that inrecent years, then two out of the last threefestivals would have had to be cancelledbecause of heavy rain and waterloggedground. Why not hold the festival at a dif-ferent time of year when it’s drier? Well,apart from the fact that it's an establishedpart of Reading’s calendar, we draw our volunteer staff from so far and wide that wehave to make sure we don’t clash with anyother big CAMRA events, and there aren’t

any obvious slots that we could move to.

So the organising team are looking at alterna-tive venues for 2016. There are a lot of thingsto consider and the future of the festival is notsomething that can be easily or quickly sorted.

The two things that you can be sure of arethese:

There will be a festival in 2016.It will be very different to what we’ve all

got used to.

So come down to the festival this year – it’llbe your last chance to experience ReadingBeer and Cider Festival as you know it!

Phil Gill - Editoreditor@readingcamra.org.uk

Mine’s a Pint4

From the Editor

Contents From the Editor 4

Pub & Brewery News 5 - 10

Small Beer 12 - 15

CAMRA Members Weekend 17

21st Reading Beer Festival Preview 19

Behind the Bar 21

Board Games in Pubs 22-23

Wild Weather Weekend 24-25

West Berkshire Beer at Reading FC 27

40 Years of CAMRA 28-29

Join CAMRA 30

Pub News

CAVERSHAM

Welcome to Tracey Bligh, the new managerof the GROSVENOR in Kidmore Road.The beer range at this large roadhouse isFullers London Pride, Sharps Doom Bar andBrakspear Bitter, plus two guests frommicrobreweries. CAMRA members get 20poff a pint except on Monday, when the CaskAle Club discounts all real ales to £2.49 foreverybody.

The WORKING MEN’S CLUB on ChurchStreet has switched from Greene King andnow sells beers from the local LoddonBrewery. Note that admission to the club isfor members only.

CRAZIES HILLAt the time of writing, the HORNS hadclosed and Brakspear Pub Co (nothing to dowith the brewery) were looking for new ten-ants. This small village north of the A4 hasno other community focal point and wehope that the pub can reopen soon.

HARE HATCHThe QUEEN VICTORIA just off the A4(Blakes Lane) has reopened and is free oftie. Initially serving two Rebellion beersincluding IPA in good condition, we’re toldthere should be a third local beer if it gets

busier. The food has received good reviews,so why not pay a visit?

PANGBOURNE

Welcome to Richard Carpenter, the newgeneral manager of the SWAN. Althoughstill owned by Greene King this pub nowhas a greater choice of which ales to get in.So alongside the expected IPA, Windsor &Eton Windsor Knot is a regular choice andRichard intends to have at least one otherguest ale on sale, likely including a local ale.Food is available every day from 12 until 10(9 on Sundays) and the menu changes everysix weeks. The pub is moving upmarket solook out for tablecloths and table service inthe bar, although we're assured that going insolely for a drink is fine. The riverside ter-race is a wonderful place for an after-workdrink as the evenings get longer.

PLAYHATCHLive jazz starts in March at the FLOWINGSPRING every third Tuesday of the month.Entry is £5. Tuesdays are now actuallycalled “Choosedays” at this Henley Roadpub, as there's an unplugged night on thefirst Tuesday of the month, Grumpy Clubon the second and now jazz on the third.

READINGWhat was the Horse and Jockey on CastleStreet should now be the CASTLE TAP bythe time you read this, as the pub was due

Mine’s a Pint5

Pub News

CONTINUED OVERLEAF

to reopen after a major refurbishmentaround the time that we went to press. Justabout every aspect of the pub has beenstripped down and reinstated, with a fewsurprises along the way. We're really lookingforward to this real ale freehouse and, withthe Nags Head and Butler nearby, it makesfor a great pub crawl just west of Readingtown centre.

The FISHERMAN’S COTTAGE onKennetside has reopened to good reviews.This riverside pub is under new ownershipby a local family and has been thoroughlyrefurbished. Local ales are on offer frombreweries including Two Cocks, Loddonand West Berkshire, there’s food available, adecked garden at the back and occasionallive music. Several people have remarked onthe friendly staff, too.

The THREE TUNS on Wokingham Road isexpanding its cask range, taking it up to apossible six pumps. Sharps Doom Bar andYoungs Bitter are the standard beers withothers to come including St Austell Tribute,Thwaites Wainwright and Hogs Back TEA.Two of the pumps may offer local guestales. Keg additions are Dogfish Head (pre-sumably the one brewed by Wells andYoungs) and Revisionist English Lager. Awhile ago this pub was thought to be underthreat so the expansion is very welcomenews. The 17 bus terminates right outside.

On King’s Road, what was the Warwick andthen for a while Aroy Thai is now the BALI

LOUNGE. Great news is that, in contrastour report in the last issue, real ale is availableagain. A small seating area has been createdso you can go in just for a drink (Doom Barwhen we visited) or of course there's anextensive Asian menu if you’re looking forsomething to eat as well. Our reporter noted“Very highly themed with some amazingtable bases - worth a look.”

Nearby on Eldon Terrace, the ELDONARMS has reopened after a major refurbish-ment. Externally the place has been redecorated, while inside is unrecognisablefrom before, with one long bar in place ofthe former two room layout and a thoroughmakeover. It was great to see long-time former landlady Anne Mackie on hand atthe official opening to pull the first ceremo-nial pint. Read more in our “Behind TheBar” feature in this issue.

GREAT EXPECTATIONS on London Streetare advertising for a brewer and are plan-ning to install a microbrewery on site. Theyare also having a refit.

Not a pub but on a similar theme – a homebrew shop has opened up relatively recentlyat Cemetery Junction. Called BREWMASONS, we understand that they canbrew and bottle beer for you on their prem-ises, or you can buy the materials to do ityourself at home.

A new wine bar and coffee shop has openedon Broad Street. Called ARTIGIANO,there’s no real ale but the point of interest is

PUB NEWS CONTINUED

Mine’s a Pint6

By now this will be a warm and comfy pub!

a range of almost 20 bottled beers from theUK and further afield. Food seems to domi-nate during the day, then the bar kicks inproperly in the evenings.

As Fullers continue to review their estate,buying and selling property across the area,their latest acquisition is THE THREEGUINEAS on Reading station forecourt.Expect quite a lot of money to be spent onthis listed building with the potential forcurrently unused rooms to be opened up forpublic use. Fullers ales and their Galesbrand now feature prominently but, withten handpumps, there’s still room for a goodnumber of guest ales too.

Another nearby Fullers pub, the CORNSTORES on Forbury Road, seems to bekeeping more regular hours now and isoffering a couple of beers regularly ondraught.

Pavlov’s Dog on St. Mary’s Butts / HosierStreet has been refurbished and had a subtlename change to THE PAVLOV’S DOG.Potential grammar issues aside, this is a realale gain with three handpumps where previ-ously there were none. Sharps Doom Bar,Hogs Back TEA and Caledonian DeucharsIPA were available on opening night, alongwith Thornbridge Jaipur on keg. Also adver-tised are a grab and go counter serving hotdrinks, snacks and pastries in the morning,as well as free broadband and printing,plugs and USB ports, a variety of phonechargers to borrow and a loyalty card.

THEALEThere’s a fresh planning application to convert the RED LION on Church Streetinto housing. In the last issue we reportedthe refusal of a similar application; let’shope for the same outcome this time.

WALTHAM ST LAWRENCEThe STAR on Broadmoor Road is stillclosed and the owner is rumoured to belooking for change of use to residential. No application appears to have been submitted so far.

WOODLEYThe GOOD COMPANIONS on LoddonBridge Road has had a makeover with newtables and chairs throughout. The pool tablehas gone and the emphasis is now muchmore on food. The number of handpumpshas increased from three to five, sellingnational and regional brands.

Mine’s a Pint7

PUB NEWS CONTINUED

Serving London Pride permanentlywith weekly changing guest ales

Friday Fish Supperonly £7.50

Bar Food Served Monday - Friday noon until 2pm

Hog Roast SpecialistsRing for details

Regular Jazz Nights5th March, 16th April,7th and 28th MayMarquee available for events

Arborfield Road,Shinfield,Reading,Berkshire,RG2 9EA

Tel: 0118 9884130

A UNIQUE, TRADITIONAL BAR

Mine’s a Pint8

ASCOT ALESHaving secured a regularsupply of Citra hops,these will be used in arecipe for Aureole Ale,the 4% golden ale thathas a refreshing citrus

aroma and flavour.Anastasia’s Exile Stout

(5% ABV) won Gold inthe Stout category of the 2014

CAMRA Champion Beer of Britain London& South East Region, and went through tothe Champion Winter Beer of Britain contest. Unfortunately it didn’t win thenational competition - find out the winnerin the Small Beer article in this issue.

BINGHAMSBinghams have two beersin the National final ofthe SIBA (Society ofIndependent Brewers)awards: Doodle Stoutand Vanilla Stout. Thefinals are judged atBeerX which is held inSheffield on 20-21 March.March’s special is Rattlesnake RyePA – anIPA made with Rye Malt and American hopsfor a tasty malt character with a citrus hopfinish. April and May will see the return ofSmiled, a smoked mild made with beechsmoked malt.

The latest Epic brew (that’s its name) in theever popular Craft Hop series featuresEnglish hops that are so new, the hop mer-chant hasn't even provided any guidance onthe flavour. The brewers have been enjoyinganalysing the flavours and aromas in them!Following on from Epic will be Kazbek (aCzech hop) and Rakau which is from NewZealand.

LODDONIn honour of the support the brewery hasbeen given by the pubs, clubs,restaurants and shops ofReading over theyears, Reading Best(4.0% ABV) has beenlaunched as a permanentbeer in the core range.It’s a deep golden bestbitter with an interestingfruity aroma and a smoothbut nutty body. By blendingtraditional English hops with their modernAmerican cousins and the addition of CrystalWheat Malt in the grist, Reading Best is a mixof old and new.

SIREN CRAFTLiquid Mistress has been awarded the SIBASouth Region Craft Beer in KegCompetition 2014 and will go through tocompete at the SIBA BeerX in March.

WEST BERKSHIRE2015 is the brewery’s20th anniversary and tomark this prestigiousoccasion they havedelved into the archivesand chosen twelve oftheir favourites for thisyear's monthly cask ale specials.

March Hare (4.3% ABV) – first brewed in2000 – marks the arrival of spring. Thislight amber ale has a robust bitterness witha full and rounded flavour. April's ale isCoolship (4% ABV) – a golden beer with arounded bitterness and delicate hop finish,fisrt brewed in 2006. Traditionally a cool-ship was the uppermost part of the brewery

Mine’s a Pint9

CONTINUED OVERLEAF

Brewery News

used for cooling and ventilation.This ale was first brewed in 2006.Skiff (4.1% ABV) is the offeringfor May, and is a pale bitterwith a floral hop finish. Thisone was first brewed back in1996 for the then newly estab-lished Reading Beer Festival.

The share offer for subscription toraise up to £4m under the EnterpriseInvestment Scheme is going well. Theoffer is open until 30 April and detailscan be found at www.wbbrew.com/eis

Brewery staff are keeping their fingers

crossed having found out they’vemade it to the finals of the SIBA

Business Awards 2015. They haveentries in two categories, and thefinals are at the previously men-tioned SIBA BeerX in Sheffield.

WINDSOR AND ETONEvery Six Nations England game

is being shown on the big screen,with the Rugby Bar selling beers,

plus soft drinks and a few snacks.Zinzans Drop (4% ABV) is only availableduring the tournament and 5p is donatedfor every pint sold to help support youthrugby.

BREWERY NEWS - CONTINUED

Mine’s a Pint10

We’ve recently said goodbye to AngelaWurges and welcomed Andrei Moisa as thenew brewer at Zerodegrees Reading.

Angela had been with Zerodegrees from thestart of the Reading operation – eight years– which was much longer than she had beenin previous jobs so she clearly liked theplace. In that time she oversaw a huge num-

ber of brews, with the most popular beer(and her own favourite) being the Pilsner. As local drinkers we always looked forwardwith anticipation to the annual ChristmasBock, the strongest beer of the range at ausual 6-7% (it varied year on year), and thelatest version didn’t disappoint. Angela isreturning to her native Bamberg inGermany, via visits to places as diverse asDublin and Chicago, and will remain brewing. We wish her all the best … so longand thanks for all the beer!

Andrei hails from the central part of Italyand may be bringing the influence of hisnative land to some of the beer choices.Italian inspired beer would certainly fit inwell with the pizza restaurant attached tothe microbrewery. With Italy itself undergo-ing something of a beer renaissance in recentyears, it’s great to be able to share in some-thing new here in Reading. Welcome Andrei,and we hope you enjoy life in Reading!

Pub and Brewery News Extra: Zero Degrees

Farewell Angela, Welcome Andrei – the out-going and incoming brewers at Zerodegrees

Mine’s a Pint11

Supplying all your brewing needs throughout Reading and the surrounding areaWe currently have the largest stock of beer, lager, wine andspirit kits in Berkshire. Pop in and be spoilt for choice.

See for yourself just how easy it is to make your own homebrew and become part of a fast-growing breed of ‘masterbrewers’ in your own home.

Perfect for Parties, BBQ’s or watching thebig game with your mates!

DELIVERYSERVICEAvailable

Opening TimesMonday to Friday: 11am - 6pm

Saturday: 10am - 5pmSunday: Closed

THE SOCIAL SIDEChris Hinton is organising a new kind ofsocial event for us – a pub walk fromHenley to Aston and back. To be held onSunday 10 May, when hopefully the weatherwill be good and the days will be long, theidea is to get the 10.22 train from Reading(10.43 from Twyford) and meet in Henleystation car park at 11.00. Walk to theFlower Pot at Aston (3 miles) along theThames Path, stop for a drink, the back viathe Little Angel at Remenham (2.5 miles).

Once back in Henley there are plenty ofoptions for more pubs and food, with areturn on the 18.07 train or later if every-one's having too much fun!

The walk should be fairly gentle. As this issomething we haven't done for a long time,please let Chris know in advance if you planto attend so we can look out for you. ChrisHinton: ck.hinton@virgin.net / 0118 9873203.

Small BeerA roundup of news and information...

Mine’s a Pint12

The 2015 accredited pubs are:Caversham: Baron Cadogan; Fox and HoundsGrazeley Green: Old BellHurst: CastleKnowl Hill: New InnPangbourne: ElephantReading: Alehouse; Allied Arms; Bel and the Dragon; Butler; Fisherman’s Cottage; Grumpy Goat; Jolly Anglers; Nags Head; University (Park House); ZerodegreesRuscombe: Royal OakSonning: Great HouseStreatley: Swan HotelSwallowfield: CrownTheale: CrownThree Mile Cross: SwanTilehurst: Butchers ArmsTwyford: Golden CrossWaltham St Lawrence: BellWargrave: GreyhoundWarren Row: Snooty Fox

A healthy total of 27 pubs have beenaccredited as LocAle outlets in the areafor 2015, up from last year’s 22. Thismeans that “Real ale brewed within 30miles of Kings Meadow is ordinarily onsale at all times”. Outlets wanting promotional information should get itsoon. We will be refining and adding tothe list as they year goes on. So if youknow of somewhere that meets the criterion above and isn’t on the list, or eventhe other way round, please let us know.

ALE TRAILThere’s still time to join in this year’s AleTrail. Following the same format as previousyears, this is an opportunity to visit a greatselection of pubs across the area, enjoy somereal ale or cider, and collect a set of stickers.When your booklet’s full, send it in toreceive an exclusive T shirt or beer vouchersfor the Reading Beer and Cider Festival.

This year there are 21 pubs on the trail, tomark the 21st beer festival. Trail bookletsare available from the Nags Head inReading, the Fox and Hounds in Cavershamor the Royal Oak in Tilehurst for a nominal£1 deposit (you can get it back from themembership stand at the festival if you reallywant) – but hurry, the trail ends on 7 April.

STUDENT BREWERSMembers of RURAS, the Reading UniversityReal Ale Society, are taking a more hands-onapproach than many student drinking soci-eties and have just brewed their second beer.

As before, it’s a collaboration with PeteCook of Sherfield Village Brewery. “BitterLuck Next Time” is a 3.9% session beer,designed to be a traditional bitter - the tasteis described as a malty start with an astrin-gent hop finish. The launch was at ParkHouse bar on the University campus (whichis open to the public) and it's also been seenbeing enjoyed in several local pubs.

ASSETS OF COMMUNITY VALUEThe government has announced that anypub listed as an Asset of Community Value(ACV) will have its permitted developmentrights removed. Whereas normally a pub isallowed to change to a shop, restaurant orvarious other uses, or indeed be demolishedcompletely, without needing planning permission, this step will remove these rightsfrom any pub that the community have hadlisted as an ACV. Change of use or demolition could still happen but it wouldfirst need planning permission, meaning thelocal community will have a say where theycurrently do not.

While CAMRA continues to believe thatpermitted development rights should beremoved from all pubs, this is a very welcome step. The government has said itintends to introduce the legislation beforethe election, and we need to keep up thepressure to ensure that happens.

Nationally over 600 pubs have been listedas ACVs and will benefit from this protec-tion. Locally the pubs listed, all in Reading,are Eldon Arms, Foresters Arms, Retreatand and Three Tuns, and now the newestlisting just before publication, the JollyAnglers! If you want to list your local it’srelatively simple, so talk to us (contactdetails on page 3) or visitwww.camra.org.uk/list-your-local-assets-of-community-value for lots ofhelp and guidance.

CHAMPION WINTER BEER OF BRITAINElland 1872 Porter hasbeen named ChampionWinter Beer of Britain forthe second time in threeyears. The delicious darkbeer was crowned champi-on by a panel of judges at the National

SMALL BEER

Mine’s a Pint13

Students and staff enjoying the new brew

CONTINUED OVERLEAF

Mine’s a Pint14

2 Broad Street Reading, RG1 2BH

01189 508119the-alehouse-reading.co.ukenquiries@thealehousereading.co.uk

A Community pub in theheart of Reading

Follow us on twitter @AlehouseReading

3 West Berkshire Ales5 Guest Ales

Real Cider, Perry and Mead

Local CAMRA Pub of theYear 2014 Runner Up

Local CAMRA Cider Pub of the Year 2013 & 2014

Pub quiz first Monday of the month

e e

Winter Ales Festival in Derby. At 6.5%, it’sdescribed in CAMRA’s Good Beer Guide as a“creamy, full-flavoured porter with richliquorice flavours and a hint of chocolate fromthe roasted malt. A soft but satisfying after-taste of bittersweet roast and malt.”

Mike Hiscock, Elland Brewery Manager, hadthis to say on the win:

“It’s absolutely fabulous to win the ChampionWinter Beer of Britain. Though we certainlyweren't expecting this, it is amazing to get thehat trick and win this award for the thirdtime. We know it is independently judged sofor it to keep coming out on top is testamentto the depth of flavour and complexity that weget into the beer. This really is fantastic news.”

The Champion Winter Beer of Britain compe-tition judges the best of the best in terms ofclassic winter warmers – from thick, rich, darkporters and stouts, to sweet and strong BarleyWines. A lucky panel of beer writers, membersof the licensed trade and CAMRA membersjudged the competition. Elland 1872 Porter

SMALL BEER CONTINUED

will now go forward to compete in the over-all Champion Beer of Britain competition atthe Great British Beer Festival this August.

Love readingMine’s a Pint?Does your local sometimes run out?Do you want your own copy, guaranteedevery time? Then simply send us a supplyof A5 sized envelopes with your name andaddress and a first class stamp on.However many envelopes you send, that'sthe number of issues you'll receive.

Send your SAEs to CAMRA, 81 AddisonRoad, Reading, RG1 8EG and let us knowwhich issue you want to start with, andwe’ll put them in the post just after we getthem from the printers.

There are also a few back issues availableso if you want any of those, it’s best to e-mail editor@readingcamra.org.uk first toask about availability.

Call: 01628 826622 / 2781 Email: info@birdinhand.co.uk Visit: www.birdinhand.co.uk

The Bird in Hand, Bath Road,Knowl Hill, Twyford,

Berks RG10 9UP

A charming 14th Century Country Inn betweenMaidenhead and Reading. The Inn serves a host

of regularly changing Real Ales.

The beautifully refurbished Restaurant overlooksthe garden and the Inglenook fire provides a

warm and cosy setting.

The Inn has 22 en-suite bedrooms - standard,superior and suites. One room is adapted forthe disabled. Free wifi available throughout.

Join us for ourQuiz Nights

Free Entry. Winning team geta free round of drinks.

No charge just a bit of fun! 8pm start

8th & 29th March, 19th April,10th and 31st May

Mine’s a Pint18

Award-winning, family Cider makers since 2006

sales@tuttsclumpcider.co.ukwww.tuttsclumpcider.co.uk

Tel: 0118 974 4649or 07836 296996

The Reading Beer and Cider Festival isreturning to King’s Meadow from Thursday30th April to Sunday 3rd May. It’s the 21stfestival and almost certainly the last one tobe held at King's Meadow, so come alongand savour it while you can.

Once again we will have a range of over550 real ales and 150 real ciders and perriesfrom across the UK, including a good selec-tion of locally produced products. Animpressive selection of Foreign Beers fromacross Europe and Great British Wine willalso be available.

A pub quiz will run on Thursday with a rangeof great prizes to be won. On Friday andSaturday sessions a full line-up of local livemusic and entertainment will be provided.Festival games and the Tombola stall will beopen throughout the duration of the festival,and food will be available at all times.

Sunday is family day with a more relaxedenvironment suitable for families withyounger children, and entertainment for chil-dren is provided through the “half pints”club. Although we have a more family focuson Sunday, anyone of course is welcome toattend.

OPENING HOURSThursday: 4.30pm to 11pmFriday: 11am to 11pmSaturday: 11am to 4.30pm and 6pm to 11pmSunday: 12pm to 8pm or until stock run out

Please note that under 18s are not allowedinto the festival without an accompanyingadult and must vacate the site by 8pm. Thisis a requirement of our licence.

TICKET PACKAGESTwo types of ticket can be purchased for thefestival.

Tickets bought on the door include: entry, souvenirfestival glass and programme while stocks last.

Advance ticket packages also include: guar-anteed priority entry and two pints worth ofvouchers for real ale, cider, or for part-pay-ment towards higher priced wines and for-eign beers. To purchase advance tickets andfor more information including prices,please visit www.readingbeerfestival.org.ukwhere full ticketing details and other festivalinformation can be found.

VOLUNTEERINGA festival this size needs hundreds of volun-teers before, during and after the event tomake it work. If you're a CAMRA memberand are interested in helping us out this yearplease take a look at the festival website formore information, or alternatively e-mail:staffing@readingbeerfestival.org.uk

FOR MORE INFORMATIONWebsite – www.readingbeerfestival.org.ukFacebook – readingbeerfestTwitter - @readingbeerfest

Phil Gill

Mine’s a Pint19

21st Reading Beer and Cider Festival

Mine’s a Pint20

The Royal Oak at Knowl Hill, Bershire is a smallHomely family village pub. The locals say “It’s thehub of our village”, ideal for walkers, cyclists andis situated by The Knowl Hill Bridel Path, so it is

also great to hack out to for lunch.

Call 01628 822 010for more information

info@theroyaloak-knowlhill.co.uk

3 Real AlesOpening Times: 11am to 11pm Mon to Sat,

12pm to 10.30pm Sunday

Food Served: All day Saturday and Sunday

KNOWL HILL COMMON RG10 9YE

Friday 22nd May to 25th May Bank Holiday Monday

30 cask alesEntertainment and BBQ

Bell andBottle37 School Green , Shinfield, Reading RG2 9EE Tel 0118 988 3563

Hosting 4 real ales

Food served daily

Pensioner meal deals Thursday’s 12-2.30pm

Enclosed beer garden • Free func-tion room • Traditional pub games

• Live music once a month.

Come along and join us at ourfriendly local village pub!

eBeer Festival

THE ELDON ARMS

Ales are once again flowing at the EldonArms. The official opening was on the 5thFebruary, exactly two months after the traditional back street pub quietly openedits doors to the local community.

Having been refurbished by the owners,Wadworth Brewery, in November the tradi-tional two bar set up has now gone – beingreplaced by one single bar. However the oldlounge bar area has been preserved withnew carpets, comfy chairs and a new woodburner going in. At the other end the oldpublic bar area has the dart board and TV.

The Eldon Arms is one of the new “Ale andCider Houses” from Wadworth and theemphasis is definitely on the real ales withfour house and two guest ales on new brasshandpumps along with a selection of bottledales available. Alongside the six real alesthere we have three ciders plus a Germanpilsener and draught lagers.

Quiz nights are back again on the firstWednesday of the month and live music is

happening every 2nd Saturday, with the oddJazz session on a Sunday afternoon.

We hail from South Africa and so haveintroduced a selection of traditional SouthAfrican meals to the menu. Already we’vehad two “braais” (barbeques) in the smallbeer garden, cooking up the traditionalSouth African favourite, Boerewors sausage.The Sunday “braais” are set to become aregular feature in summer.

This is a real family affair with my wifeCarolyn looking after the admin while mydaughter Lauren and I look after the bar, cellar and kitchen. So it’s all go at the newlook family-run Eldon Arms, with the pubonce again ready to welcome the community.

Russell MacKenzie

Mine’s a Pint21

Behind the BarRussell Mackenzie, the new landlord of the Eldon Arms in Eldon Terrace, tells usabout the pub and his plans.

Russell with daughter Lauren

If you’re a local landlord with bigplans for your pub and want to

tell us all about them, get intouch and you could feature in a

future issue of Mine’s a Pint.

Mine’s a Pint22

A View of Modern Board Through The Bottom of a

Boardgamers! We’re everywhere these days,but until recently “everywhere” was proba-bly somewhere hidden away safe from public gaze: church halls, dining rooms andabove Eclectic Games being the localgamers' natural habitats. Over the last couple of years, however, there’s been amovement to bring games back into theirtraditional home: the pub. Personally, I’llgame anywhere I can get a decent beer butReading's leading gaming pubs at themoment include The Nags, Oakford andAbbot Cook. There has even been a successfulpublic event at the Siren Craft brewery.

So what are these new-fangled games allabout, huh? Well, if your last game experi-ence was with a blue, battered, pie-free copyof Trivial Pursuit found lurking atop TheNags’ piano, or you’ve dodged the dice since

you spotted Grandad cheating at Monopoly,then you may be in for a surprise.

Modern designs have really taken the boredout of games. They are full of beautiful artwork, tactile wooden pieces and engagingthemes. While you can still fight global waror make your Nan bankrupt, my currentfavourites enable me to rob trains (ColtExpress), race camels (Camel Up), createfirework displays (Hanabi) or even brewbeer (Brew Crafters). The list really is…well, not endless, obviously, but very, verylong indeed.

Their sheer diversity means there’s a gamefor every occasion. Stimulate the grey matteror stimulate social interaction, work withyour friends to defeat a common enemy orjust pretend they’re your friends and stab

Mine’s a Pint23

them in the back. Whether you have 10minutes, 10 hours, 2 people or 20 there’ll bea great game which suits.

So where does the beer come in?

Gaming in pubs is as natural as drinkingand talking b@llox to your friends. It can allbe traced back to the Romans who likednothing better than a game of chequers, alea(dice games) or duodecim scripta (abackgammon-like game) while quaffing anamphora or two of ambrosia after a hardday's oppressing. You’ll find it on the listsomewhere between aqueducts and publicbathing.

Pub games’ popularity rose and rose. Thefirst statute regarding taverns, issued in1495, chose to ignore those (un)fortunateside-effects of heavy drinking in favour ofrestricting “the indoor games which weredistracting Tudor pubmen from archery”.Rightly so; as every darts player knows youcan’t aim an arrow without a few beers.

Jump forward to the 1970s and games are astaple of most pubs; crib, darts and poolleagues abound then, just as many pubs dis-appeared from the landscape, games largelydisappeared too.

Since then both the brewing and gamesindustries have been happily transformed,both largely through innovative and creativeenthusiasts doing it for love as much as forprofit. The UK now boasts over 8,000 beerswhile over 2,500 new games were publishedlast year. These coinciding golden agesmakes this the ideal time for games to be restored to their traditional place at the pubtable.

So join me in a glass to the holy trinity ofgood beer, good company and good gamesand come along to one of the regularReading Boardgames Socials, pub-basedevents or join in International TableTop Day(Saturday 11th April) when they’ll be gaming over at least 4 different public venues in Reading. And to those closetgamers reading: get out there and play! Be bold, be seen and be that person: the onewith the fun games; the one who everyonewants to buy a pint for.

Daryl Unwin

games a Glass... or Two

Contact Details:Email: TheBoardgamesSocial@gmail.com

Twitter: @RDGBoardgamers

Facebook:www.facebook.com/groups/Boardgamessocial

Newsletter: http://eepurl.com/6XJqr

International TableTop Day:

http://tabletopday.com/

So what would you want to do on a damp,cold, windy weekend at the end of January?Well this year a group of us set out to sample some of the best wild weather youcan find – at the Wild Weather Ales brewery.

An invitation had come from Iain Clarke &Mike Tempest to visit them in their basenear Silchester – actually just across theBerkshire border in Hampshire. This was anoffer we could not refuse. In fact twelve ofus travelled from Reading by minibus andwere joined by two other Wild Weather fanswho’d travelled direct.

The first impression, as we entered theEaster Park Industrial Estate, was – wowthis is a big industrial estate and a prettysmart one as well – not quite like those ofsome breweries we’ve visited. The minibuswended its way deeper in as we keep a look-

out for beer casks – and there they were. No missing the bright pink and black WildWeather colours.

Inside Iain rapidly served us all aStormbringer from their recently installedbar, and made us feel at home. It was quick-ly established that most of us had been to afew breweries and didn’t need to have theprocess explained or to have the differenttanks pointed out. Then Mike told us a bitabout the history and philosophy of WildWeather – and explained their name wasbecause he’s Mike Tempest. Having foundthat a Tempest Brewery already existed,Wild Weather seemed a good alternative.

Meanwhile Iain had helped us move on to aBlack Night, which has a wonderfully com-plex balance of malt and hops and is only3.9% abv. The first two and the next couple

Mine’s a Pint24

Wild Weather Weekend

of beers, all were dispensed from a key kegand Mike explained how it works. Then wemoved to the “cellar” – on the same level,but where they store the casked beers. Bynow the chatting was going full blast withIain and Mike answering the stream of ques-tions.

We finished back in the bar area with thestronger end of the range. Cumulo Citrus,their 6.0% Single Hopped Wheat IPA stoodout for me and several others. One of ournumber couldn’t resist buying a growler fullof their 8% double IPA, Blizzard. These 2litre glass growlers with a swing top closurewill keep beer fresh for 4 weeks – if you canwait that long. Growlers should be seen as aninvestment, costing £18 for the stronger beers(£13.50 refills available), while a growler oflower strength beer costs £15 (£11).

Finally, Mike was asked to repeat his explanation of their use of key kegs so thatsome of us could put it on video record.You’ll find mine athttp://youtu.be/ATeYwNJXFVM. Phil, yourMine’s a Pint editor had been checking thestatistics of the afternoon - 14 people with 6 beards drinking 10 different beers fromtheir 12 barrel plant – and one excellentway to spend a winter’s weekend.

Brian Jones

Mine’s a Pint25

WILD WEATHER WEEKEND

Submit beer quality scoresat www.whatpub.com

Use the box on the top right ofeach page. Every score helps uslearn more about a pub. Beer

scores are used to decide whichpubs go into the Good Beer

Guide. If your favourite isn’t inthere, get scoring!

Score your beers!

In the last issue we reported that real alewas available at London Irish games at theMadejski Stadium. Now football fans nolonger need to feel left out, as Reading FChave announced a partnership with WestBerkshire Brewery.

Fans can now enjoy a local ale on a matchday. The multi-award winning classic bitterGood Old Boy (4.0% ABV) is now availableoutside the East Stand and in hospitality.

Reading Co-Chairman Sir John Madejskirecently visited the brewery to meet withstaff and take a guided tour of the premises.

“We are pleased to be working with WestBerkshire Brewery on such an exciting part-nership,” he said. “I was very impressedwith the set-up, the enthusiasm of theiremployees and their plans for the future.There is undeniable synergy betweenReading FC and West Berkshire Brewery.”

David Bruce, Chairman of the brewery, said:“It was great to meet Sir John to mark theexciting occasion of the West BerkshireBrewery teaming up with Reading FootballClub. We are looking forward to a long andenjoyable relationship between our twolocal ventures.”

A spokesman for STAR (the club supporterstrust), Roger Titford, said: “We know therewas an enthusiastic response to the trialsales of Good Old Boy at the end of lastseason and STAR is very pleased to see theclub responding to the demand and settingup this partnership It’s a great reason to getto the stadium early!”

West Berkshire Beer at Reading FC

David Bruce of West Berks Brewery withSir John Madejski

There's still time to join this year’s Ale Trail. Visit 21 pubs, collect

stickers and win prizes!

Trail booklets available from theNags Head in Reading, the Fox and

Hounds in Caversham and the Royal Oak in Tilehurst.

Hurry - trail ends on 7 April.

Join the Ale Trail!

Mine’s a Pint27

40 years ago – on 11 December 1974 to beaccurate – the East Berkshire branch ofCAMRA was formed. A West Berkshirebranch had already been formed in June ofthat year. The inaugural meeting of the EastBerkshire branch was at the Hope &Anchor in Wokingham, a traditionalBrakspear’s town pub, something it remainsto this day. The branch, which covered all ofthe central and eastern part of the county,evolved into Reading and Mid-Berkshirebranch, with the Slough, Windsor &Maidenhead branch forming in 1975, andBerkshire South East branch in 2003.

On 11 December, Reading branch membersenjoyed a pub crawl round the town tocommemorate this important date, and onSaturday 13 December, members of thethree branches celebrated the formation ofthat first branch with a presentation at theHope & Anchor, a few pints in Wokinghamfollowed by a bigger party at the Nag’sHead in Reading.

I was very pleased to make the presentationto Hattie Gutzman, the landlady at theHope & Anchor to commemorate that veryfirst meeting, and to say a few words tocontrast then and now.

In December 1974 Britain was recoveringfrom the 3 day week and the shock of theoil crisis. Bachman Turner Overdrive werestorming up the charts with “You Ain’t SeenNothin’ Yet”, and over 80% of our pubswere owned by the “Big Six” brewers –Bass, Allied Breweries, Courage, Scottish &Newcastle, Watney’s and Whitbread. Kegbeer was the mainstay of these, with suchdelights as Double Diamond, Younger’sTartan and Watney’s Red widely available.

CAMRA was a young organisation withonly a few thousand members, but wasstarting to have an impact. The 1974 GoodBeer Guide was a thin volume, with a relatively small brewery section. CAMRA’sconcern was not just in the number of pubs

Mine’s a Pint28

40 Years of CAMRA in East Berkshire

Birthday cake byMelissa Berry

selling real ale, but brewery closures, whichrestricted choice and often resulted in localbrews disappearing.

Courage still brewed real ale in Reading,although the beer could be hard to find.Wethered’s (part of the Whitbread group) inMarlow, just over the county boundary inBuckinghamshire, brewed a good selectionof real ales, and Brakspear’s and Morland’swere established independent brewers in theThames Valley, owning a number of finepubs. Drinkers would flock to beer festivalsand free houses to drink exotic rare beerslike Greene King Abbot, Marston’s Pedigreeor Wadworths 6X. The average beer had astrength of around 3.7% ABV, mild was interminal decline, and stouts and portersnon-existent apart from Guinness (althoughthis was bottle-conditioned then, and knownas the beer drinkers friend, as it was avail-able in every pub).

Contrast that with today with nearly 1,300breweries, with more opening every month!CAMRA has nearly 170,000 members.Many would say CAMRA has won the waron saving real ale, but although there istruth in that, we cannot take our eyes offthe ball. The global brewers, losing market

share on their bland, tasteless, fizzy lagers,are just waiting for a chink in our armour tofight back and foist their cheap and nastybeers on us again.

The fight now, however, has to concentrateon saving our pubs. The great British pub isunder threat, and without it where will wefind that fantastic choice of real ale, both interms of breweries and styles? CAMRA’sleaders in 1974 may well have said “YouAin’t Seen Nothin’ Yet” and they wouldhave been right. Many things that we nowtake for granted – a wider range of beers,most pubs selling real ale, more interestingbeer styles - were the result of hard workand campaigning by successive generationsof CAMRA activists. We now have realclout with politicians and public servants.Some would say we have become part of theestablishment, but I know that is not true.Anyone who has been to meetings ofRegional Directors, and the NationalExecutive will know we are still a feisty,campaigning organisation with a clear agenda on behalf of the (beer) drinkers andpub goers of this country.

Here’s to the next 40!Nick Boley

Mine’s a Pint29

EAST BERKSHIRE CAMRA HITS 40!