Mine's A Pint issue 38

CAMPAIGN for REAL ALE

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THE CAMRA MAGAZINE FOR READING AND MID BERKSHIRE ISSUE THIRTY EIGHT • SUMMER 2016 • FREE - PLEASE TAKE A COPY

IN THIS ISSUEPub & Brewery News Small BeerThe Revitalisation ProjectJoin CAMRABehind the Bar… HornsReading Beer Festival Roundup

READ ABOUT THE READING BEER AND CIDER FESTIVAL INSIDE, AND FIND OUT MORE ABOUT

THE FUTURE OF THE CAMPAIGN

ENJOY A REAL ALE THIS SUMMER

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 [email protected] 455 029381 Addison Road, Reading, RG1 8EG

Magazine published on behalf of Readingand Mid Berkshire CAMRA by:

Orchard House Media [email protected]

For advertising enquiries please contact Jane Michelson:01778 [email protected]

Reading & Mid Berkshire CAMRAwww.readingcamra.org.uk

Social Secretary: Rich Croton [email protected]

Contact for all other branch matters:Katrina [email protected] 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 September. Please feel free to submit copy or ideas by 7 August.

The opinions expressed in Mine’s a Pint arenot necessarily those of the editor or theCampaign for Real Ale. © Campaign forReal Ale 2016.

JuneSat 25: CAMRA Revitalisation Project Meeting. RISC (GlobalCafe), 35-39 London Street, Reading, RG1 4PS. 14.00 –16.00. Consultation event: your opportunity to shape thefuture of the campaign. Meeting in main conference roomupstairs. CAMRA members only, please – membership cardsmust be shown to gain admission.

JulySat 2: Pub Walk based around Great Bedwyn. Take 09.48train from Reading to Bedwyn and meet at Great BedwynWharf at 10.45. Contact Paul Rayner [email protected]. More details in the Small Beer sectionof this magazine.

Thu 7: First Thursday of the Month Social. Royal Oak, 69Westwood Glen, Tilehurst, RG31 5NW.

Tue 12: Branch meeting. Royal Oak, Ruscombe Lane,Ruscombe, Twyford, RG10 9JN. Meeting in conservatory atthe rear of the pub. CAMRA members only, please.

Sun 17: Pub Walk, Goring to Aldworth. Take 10.45 train fromReading to Goring and meet in the village car park by the toilets at 11.05. Contact Chris Hinton on [email protected]/ 0118 987 3203. More details in the Small Beer section of thismagazine.

AugustThu 4: First Thursday of the Month Social. Start at Swan,Shooters Hill, Pangbourne, RG8 7DU at 19.15. Also visitingother pubs in Pangbourne and Whitchurch.

Fri 12: Social to Great British Beer Festival, London Olympia.

Tue 16: Branch Meeting. Griffin, 10-12 Church Road,Caversham, RG4 7AD. Meeting in upstairs dining room.CAMRA members only, please.

SeptemberThu 1: First Thursday of the Month Social. Details TBC.

Thu 8: Gala Awards Night. Eldon Arms, 19 Eldon Terrace,Reading, RG1 4DX. Presentation of branch and beer festivalawards.

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 Rich Croton: [email protected]

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

Born in 1971 (the same year as me!)CAMRA is now entering middle age and thetime is right to question what it is actuallyfor. Has the battle for real ale been won?Should we refocus on saving pubs? Perhapswe should stand up for all good qualityalcoholic drinks and the people that drinkthem. Should we stay true to our roots, asthe threat to real ale is ever-present? Ormaybe there’s no longer a need for CAMRAat all.

I'm sure that everyone has a view about thefuture of the campaign and the direction itshould take. That's why CAMRA haslaunched the Revitalisation Project, a consultation exercise to find out what members want the campaign to do in future.Starting with an online and paper-basedquestionnaire, and then in a series of face toface events, all members can have their say.Locally we have a consultation event inReading on 25 June, just after this magazineis published, and you can come along on theday – details are in the diary section. Justremember to bring your membership card asyou won't get in without it!

Initial results from the questionnaire,released in May, show a split of opinionabout the future direction of the campaign.More responses are yet to be added, includ-ing those from the consultation events. Theresults will be used by the project steeringcommittee to refine forthcoming consulta-tion meetings and additional surveys to help

them put together and test proposals abouthow CAMRA should be best positioned infuture. Any proposals will be submitted tothe National Executive before being putbefore the membership for a decision atCAMRA's Annual General Meeting in April2017.

In this issue you can read the opinions ofthree local CAMRA members. Your opinionis important too. So please take some timeto think about how you want the campaignto develop, and take part in the consulta-tion.

Cheers!

Phil Gill - [email protected]

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From the Editor

ContentsBranch Diary 3

From the Editor 4

Pub & Brewery News 5-15

Small Beer 16-19

Behind the Bar 20-21

Reading Beer Festival Roundup 22-23

The Revitalisation Project 24-27

Drink Limits 28

Join CAMRA 30

Pub News

ARBORFIELD

News from this village is that Daruchini'sIndian restaurant is due to reopen as theSwan pub (which is what it was until recently).This image has been posted on a localFacebook group.

CAVERSHAMThe FOX ANDHOUNDS onGosbrook Road hasreopened after amajor refurbishment.The toilets have beenmuch improved andworks have been car-ried out to the barbackfitting to allowmore space for bot-

tled beer fridges. The pub has been redeco-rated both inside and out and there's a love-ly new area of decking in the garden. Wewish Kevin and Kerri all the best for thenew look at their award-winning pub. Eightdraught beers from around the country areusually available as well as real cider and sixnew key keg lines.

The CROWN ON THE BRIDGE, BridgeStreet, is now part of the group that ownsthe Moderation and the Queens Head inReading. Initially there won't be muchchange but we understand that longer termplans may see it become a craft beer bar. In the meantime the bar billiards table hasrelocated to the new-look Fox and Hounds.

The GRIFFIN on Church Road, now ownedby Greene King, continues to offer two orthree guest ales with Bingham’s and Loddonmaking recent appearances. Brain’s TheReverend James has also been seen on tap.

PANGBOURNEA Greene King pub being offered for tenancy is the STAR on Reading Road. This is the locals’ pub in the village.

PLAYHATCHThe FLOWING SPRING on Henley Roadwas due to hold its latest real ale festival afew days before this issue was published.

READINGThe new Hungry Horse pub on BasingstokeRoad, the TROOPER POTTS, has openedand is already a popular addition to the“beer desert” of Whitley. Unusually for anew pub there are two bars – one food-ori-ented and suitable for families, the other forover 18s only and with sports TVs. The beerrange comes from Greene King with oneguest – Hook Norton and Timothy Taylor’sbeers have already featured.

A new addition opposite the station south-ern entrance is THE BISCUIT TIN bar. This is a temporary use of the land whilewider redevelopment plans for the area areworked up. There's a large open space in

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Pub & Brewery News

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front of the building which will be used as aperformance area, plus a decked patio out-side the bar and rooftop seating above.Beers come from West Berkshire Brewery(Good Old Boy on cask) and their offshootRenegade (two keg beers).

Another new bar is SMASH on Gun Street(the ground floor of Sakura). Here what’son offer is pizza, live music and … pingpong tables. Over 50 bottled craft beers andciders were promised – we don’t know howinteresting or mainstream the choices are yet.

THAMES RIVER CRUISES have installedArkells beer on their boats. Following ameeting between Tim (the owner of the boatcompany) and Nick Arkell of the Swindonfamily brewery at the recent Reading BeerFestival, a deal was struck which saw ahandpump appear on the boats serving anArkells brew (which one is not yet known).The beer is racked off at the brewery and assuch has no sediment in it which means it isserved “bright” and can withstand thesometimes choppy waters of the Thames.

Alongside four ever-changing cask ales,there's always WildWeather beer on keykeg at the CASTLETAP now that a newfont has beeninstalled. Look outfor future events inthe planning stage,including a summerball and an autumnbeer festival.

By the time you readthis the refurbishmentworks should have

been completed at the THREE TUNS on theWokingham Road. We understand that thetwo bars will be knocked through into oneand the pub was advertising “a range of caskand craft beers”. More news in the next issue.

The RED LION on Southampton Streetclosed in May. We were told at first it wasfor refurbishment, although at the time ofwriting the pub was boarded up withnotices saying “Closed till further notice” sothe future is uncertain.

Also due to close, and again we’re told it’s forrefurbishment, is the COLLEGE ARMS onWokingham Road. The tenancy is availableaccording to the agent’s website. This is alarge pub with an emphasis on sports (gamesand TV). Two beers are often available.

The LYNDHURST on Watlington Streetclosed suddenly at the end of May, following a rent dispute with EnterpriseInns. We have very little further informationso, if you know more, please get in touch!

Star Pubs, the owners of the WYNFORDARMS on Kings Road, have announcedplans to reopen and refurbish the pub. Theintention is to “change the pub's offer tobroaden its appeal, particularly through theintroduction of food”. A new entrance withdouble doors and a glass lobby, plus a newbar servery and kitchen, are part of theplans, which also include a change of nameto The Tap House. This is all subject to confirmation once a new lessee is found, butit will be good to see this ex-Courage /Truman’s pub re-open with some cask beersavailable. If you're interested, visitwww.starpubs.co.uk/pubs/wynford-arms-reading for more details.

THE TASTING HOUSE in Chain Street(between Broad Street and Gun Street) isbasically a wine bar but has recently addeda small range of bottled “craft beers”.

JD Wetherspoon are to dispose of a further33 pubs and this time some local sites areincluded on the list. Perhaps the most surprising is the MONKS RETREAT onFriar Street (Town Hall Square). This is themost central of Reading’s Wetherspoons andinvariably busy. Other planned disposals in

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Picture taken from theCastle Tap’s Twitter

the area are the Greyhound in Maidenhead(already closed) and the Diamond Tap inNewbury. A broad range of interest in thesites is expected from other pub, bar andrestaurant groups.

A planning application for conversion of theclosed RED COW on Crown Street into arestaurant was made and then withdrawn.The application was for “Restaurant on theground floor, alterations to the front, doublestorey extension to the rear, flats on the firstand second floor.” We’re waiting to seewhether a fresh application follows.

In May came the sad news that the FISHER-MAN’S COTTAGE was to close. The Wesnes family, who took on the pubtwo years ago when Fullers sold it,announced that they would no longer berunning it after the middle of the month. Ina statement on their Facebookpage they said “As you’llknow, we had no previousexperience of running a pub –fully anticipating that it wouldbe demanding and have learneda lot over the past few yearsand have made a lot of firmnew friends through our associ-ation with the pub. Having seenthis project through for two years, we feel itis time for us to move on. I’m sure many ofyou will know that we have a range of familybusinesses as well as a new member of the

family (Koa) and we wish now to give themthe full attention they deserve. We’d like tothank you all for your support and kindness.”

We'd like to thank the Wesnes family for alltheir work over the last two years – it wasn't for nothing that we awarded themour “Best Newcomer” award last year, andmany people are very sad to see the pubclosed. While the Fish was closed at the timeof writing, hopes remain high that a newlicensee can be found to reopen and run thepub. If you’d like that person to be you, youcan get more information by [email protected].

SHINFIELDThe BELL AND BOTTLE hosted a beer festival over the late May bank holidayweekend. Featured were four ciders, ten ales,Morris dancing, live music and a barbecue.

SHURLOCK ROWA visit to the SHURLOCK INN earlier thisyear found the beers available to be WestBerkshire Mr Swift and the seasonal fromRebellion. We understand there are twoother beers that regularly change.

SWALLOWFIELDThe CROWN should have new licenseesaround the time this magazine is published.We understand that this will be “free of tie”

for the beers and ciders. Thepub has two bars, a gardenand patio area with smallcar park and a bus stop(route 82) outside.

THEALEThe RED LION on ChurchStreet is the subject of yetanother planning

application for residential use. At the timeof writing it was also for sale freehold.


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The Red Cow after its closure last year

The lease of the CROWN on Church Streetis available. The pub normally has threebeers on draught and one is Good Old Boywith Taylor’s Landlord also often featur-ing. A single bar but with three drinkingareas and a pleasant garden at the rear.Bus 1 “Jetblack” stops outside and therailway station is only a short walk away.

TIDMARSHThe GREYHOUND is being advertised asfor lease. This is a thatched Fuller’s pubnot far from Pangbourne and on the wayto Theale and the M4.

TILEHURSTThe BUTCHERS ARMS on LowerArmour Road has stopped selling Good OldBoy from West Berkshire brewery. Itsreplacement is likely to be Bombardier.

The PRINCE OF WALES on School Roadhas lost its licence following disturbances atthe pub. Reading Borough Council’s licens-ing authority made the decision in May andThames Valley Police had also asked for thelicence to be revoked. The pub and its own-ers have the right of appeal.

THREE MILE CROSSThe SWAN is for sale as owners Vic andJenny are retiring. They have run the pubfor the last 33 years and built up its reputa-tion as a lovely, welcoming village inn withgreat food and beer. We wish them all thebest for the future, and hope that whoevertakes over the pub can build on all theirhard work. With the pub on the market,CAMRA and their loyal customers wouldhate to see anything happen to this fine oldestablishment which sells, amongst otherbeers, a great pint of Timothy TaylorsBoltmaker Best Bitter. The pub dates fromthe 17th century and is a Grade II listedbuilding. It has a main bar with inglenookfireplace and some interesting plaques in the

gents toilet! There is a smaller dining roomand a large car park and several outbuild-ings at the rear.

It has always been popular with both rugbyand football fans who attend the nearbyMadejski Stadium and has also been well-known as the home of the Irish Wolfhoundwho is the London Irish rugby club mascot.The pub is also used by workers from thelarge business parks situated just across themotorway. We will be watching developmentsvery closely and hope that the Swan willcontinue as a good village pub when Vicand Jenny decide to call it a day.

WOODLEYThe THATCHERS TAVERN on FairwaterDrive is the subject of a planned refurbish-ment. The owners, Star Pubs, plan a com-plete redecoration and new look, and say“The end result of the proposed works willbe a transformed pub, with contemporaryfinishes, where people will travel for specialoccasions with their loved ones”. As withthe Wynford Arms, the works are all subjectto confirmation once a new lessee is inplace. For more details visitwww.starpubs.co.uk/pubs/thatchers-tavern-reading

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Pictured are Vic and Jenny when we celebratedtheir 30 years of service back in 2013.

Due to close for refurbishment sometime inthe near future is the CHEQUERS inWoodley Precinct. Our reporter said that“my half of Bombardier Glorious Englishwas very drinkable.”

Brewery News

ANDWELLThe brewery has produced two versionsof a birthday brew for the Queen (whichwe can enjoy as well!) - it's calledSovereign and there is a bottled versionwhich comes in at a hefty 9.0% ABV.The cask version will be available at amore moderate 4.3% and is describedas rich and tawny. Andwell are alsomaking additions and improvements totheir brewery site and this should include afunction room.

ASCOT ALESThe Single Hop IPA seriescontinues and will next befeaturing Chinook. This isan American variety that has

pine, resiny aromas.

BINGHAMSChris Bingham (Director and Head Brewer)has ongoing health issues which mean he’slooking to sell Binghams Brewery. Delia andMichelle, the existing other directors arealso looking to sell. They are looking for anew owner who's able to take over theaward winning brewery and hopefully takeit to the next level. It has not been an easydecision for them to take and they are look-ing to continue brewing, operating the shopand their popular Saturday afternoon brew-ery tours as normal and then hopefully handthe baton over to the new owner to contin-ue the good work.

All the staff at Binghams are aware of thesale and will continue to be employed by thenew owner once the brewery is sold. They

ask that, if you're interested, you don't con-tact the brewery directly but instead call theagents RTA on 0161 432 8181.

The current monthly special is Callisto, anexcellent American Pale Ale brewed with

Cascade, Columbus and Summithops for a big citrus hopfinish. Callisto is one ofthe moons of Jupiter.Following that will beBerkshire Bee, assumingthat Chris’s bees havebehaved themselves andproduced enough honey.The Craft Hop series continues with Admiral, aBritish hop which provides

a citrus character with hints of orange.

BOND BREWSThe latest addition from this new brewery isMellow Velo which is a strong dark mild at4.6% and has a hint of honey and spice inthe finish.

ELUSIVE BREWINGBeers from this new brew-ery in Finchampsteadhave appeared inReading and amongst thefirst was Starship Fleet(4.2%), an English paleale. The picture is takenfrom the Nag’s Head’sTwitter.

LODDONThe brewery has launched a beer club,which you can read about in their advert inthis issue. We're also in the process ofarranging an open afternoon for CAMRAmembers - more details onreadingcamra.org.uk when available, but wecan say now that it'll be a Saturday in thesummer.

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BREWERY NEWS CONTINUED

Four Score & Ten is a new 4.2% golden beerbrewed to celebrate the Queen's 90th birth-day. The beer – a limited edition which contains a hint of honey to give it a lovely,refreshing balance – is available to trade customers and directly from the breweryshop for people holding celebrations or parties. Summer Snowflake (4.1%, golden, fruityand spicy) should also have been available.

REBELLIONRebellion have won the Society ofIndependent Brewers Award for CommunitySupport at this year’s SIBA National BeerAwards in Sheffield. The awards look tocongratulate excellence in the brewing indus-try across a variety of categories, from pump

clip, can and bottle design, to efforts takenby brewers to make their business more eco-friendly. The Community Support Award isawarded to the brewery showing outstandingcommitment to integration into and supportfor local community life.

Tim Coombes of Rebellion received theaward and said: “We owe a huge thanks toall our dedicated staff, who are very charityand community focused and the thousandsof Rebellion customers who regularly donatewhilst onsite at Rebellion. Without their helpand good will, none of this would have beenachievable”.

Monthly specials coming up are:June: Armada – 4.2% - copper and refreshing

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Serving London Pride permanentlywith weekly changing guest ales

Bar Food Served Monday - Friday noon until 2pm

Hog Roast SpecialistsRing for details

Regular Jazz Nights30th June, 21st July

11th August & 18th SeptemberMarquee available for events

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

Tel: 0118 9884130

A UNIQUE, TRADITIONAL BAR

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July: Evolution – 4.2% – tawny and fruityAugust: Agincourt – 4.2% - amber and hoppy

SHERFIELD VILLAGE Currently available is IPA2016 – a mix ofNew Zealand and English hops and weigh-ing in at 5%. TBA (3.9%) is the brewery’sbest selling session bitter with a well-roundedflavour and a good bitter finish. Then there’sButcher's Brew at 4.9% which is an unfinedand vegan-friendly brown ale which is alsobottled for Stefan’s Butchers in Wokingham.

SIREN CRAFTLook out for Calypso (4%) which is aBerliner Weisse style of beer which changesrecipe every brew by using different hops.

WEST BERKSHIREWest Berkshire has signed off on a new £3mbrewery, following an extension of its £1.5mcrowdfunding drive. The plan is to increase

capacity ten-fold at the new brewery, whichwill be situated in a former dairy just a fewhundred metres from the current site inYattendon. Heads of terms have been agreedwith the landlords, Yattendon Estates and,subject to planning permission, buildingworks will begin soon.

A new range of keg and 330ml bottled craftbeers has been launched under the brandname of Renegade. The brewhouse team ofWill, Griff and Steve have been experiment-ing with more flavours and styles to create arange of bold, contemporary craft brews,distinctly different from (and not to be confused with) the West Berkshire Brewerycask ale range.

Head brewer Will Twomey said:“Renegade takes all of our expertise andknowledge and channels our creativenessinto developing a range of full-flavoured,good-drinking brews. Inspired by modern


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American beer culture and other world beerstyles, we have produced a solid core rangeof beers now available in keg, bottle andsoon-to-be, can. We are prototyping newbeers every week and will be releasing spe-cials and one-offs throughout the comingmonths. It's a real outlet for the creativeminds that make up the brewing team."

The initial range included a Craft Lager(4.5% ABV) brewed with British hops andlagered for 6 weeks, a West Coast Pale Ale,(5.1%) inspired by the highly flavouredcraft brews of the US west coast and anIndia Session Ale loaded with new worldhops for flavour but at a sessionable 4.2%.There are also planned to be limited editionspecial releases, starting with NouvelleSaison – a light twist on a classic Saisonwith added root ginger, lemon zest andlocally sourced honey.

The brewery’s first “urban” pub is due toopen in London. Shillibeer’s in Islington isintended to be a showcase for the company’straditional cask ales, alongside the newRenegade range. Brewery Chairman DavidBruce said: “Our pub will be full of atmos-phere and showcase a stunning range ofbeers and ciders from all over the world,including those we make ourselves. It willreally put our brewery on the map.”

West Berkshire Brewery was the OfficialBeer of the 2016 BMW PGA GolfChampionship at Wentworth. For the sec-ond year running, flagship bitter Good OldBoy (4%) was widely available throughoutthe event, and was joined this year byRenegade Craft Lager.

WILD WEATHERThe brewery’s music-themed beers continuewith Robbers being a recent addition. This a4.2% black IPA using Nelson and Simcoehops. Then there's Keyboard Warrior – anEnglish style brown ale (unfiltered andunpasteurised) with Simcoe hops to give afruity finish.

WINDSOR ANDETON / UPRISINGWindsor and Eton haveteamed up with WindsorRacecourse to produce1866 ThoroughbredBitter – a 4% chestnutbitter to celebrate 150

years of racing at the course. The Queen’sbirthday brew is called 90 Glorious Years.This pale ale is brewed with barley grownon the Queen’s estate and is available at 4%on cask and 4.5% in 330ml bottles. Also

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the brewery's first attempt at the saisonstyle should now be available. Pepper Treeis a 4% brew, a golden yellow colour withthe classic Belgian banana and yeastyaroma. The flavour is sharp and slightlysour with distinct lemon notes and a pep-pery finish.

News from the Uprising Brewery offshoot isthat, at the Indie Beer Can Festival inLondon in May, Uprising Treason won Bestin Show for the brewery along with Best Aleand best “New to Can” beer. The event isrun by Can Makers, in partnership with theSociety of Independent Brewers (SIBA).

Treason was described by the judges as having a flavour that provides a punchbowlof fruits set against a sweet caramel andcrusty bread structure, with a taste that finishes with a juicy lingering bitterness.They praised the beer’s balance of flavoursand felt it would appeal to both ale andlager drinkers. They said its “gorgeous aro-matics translated perfectly onto the palate.”Kieran Johnson, production manager atUprising, said: “Going to the ceremony,

I knew there were other beers competing thatI loved and enjoyed so I wouldn’t havethought in a month of Sundays that we wouldwin. It’s been a real, but brilliant shock. I'mpersonally very influenced by the US market.It has spent the last ten years showing theworld market that the can is the way forwardand I’m so glad that the UK is now followingsuit. I truly believe that the can is the best for-mat to preserve the integrity of the beer andmake any beer look awesome.”

XTThe brewery has been expanding brewingcapacity with the introduction of severalnew vessels: some built of modern stainlesssteel and some in very traditional oak. Theyhave purchased several large oak casks forthe development of specialist barrel-agedbeers, which have been crafted by AlistairSimms – the only master cooper left inEngland. Joining the oak casks are severalshiny new stainless steel tanks installed toexpand capacity and enable more specialityAnimal beers to be brewed. XT-IPA, a 4.2%American hopped beer, will be available in330ml cans from June.


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ASSETS OF COMMUNITY VALUE

Ten pubs in our branch area are currentlyregistered as Assets of Community Value,and benefit from enhanced planning protec-tion as a result. It's amazing the differentattitudes that our local councils havetowards ACVs. All those registered in ourbranch have been with Reading BoroughCouncil. In contrast, Wokingham BoroughCouncil has refused every nomination of apub within its area. Wokingham's hostilitytowards pubs is frustrating and puzzling,and does their communities a disservice.

The full list of branch ACVs is:Caversham: Grosvenor, Red CowReading: Castle Tap, Eldon Arms, ForestersArms, Jolly Anglers, Nags Head, Retreat,Three TunsTilehurst: Butchers Arms

PUB OF THE YEARAnnounced this spring, the winner ofReading & Mid Berkshire CAMRA's Pub ofthe Year contest for 2016 is the Fox andHounds in Caversham. The Nags Head inReading is the runner-up, and also won theCider Pub of the Year title (the Alehousebeing the runner-up there). Well done to allthe winners and finalists.

As this issue of Mine’s a Pint was being prepared, judging was under way for thecounty stage of Pub of the Year, with theFox going up against the winning pubs fromother Berkshire CAMRA branches:• Fox and Hounds, Caversham• King Charles Tavern, Newbury• Queen’s Head, Wokingham• White Horse, Hedgerley

Many thanks to the other local CAMRAbranches who agreed to extend the judgingperiod for the contest – otherwise the Foxwould have been closed for refurbishment atthe crucial time.

PUB WALKS

There are a couple of pub walks in July ifyou fancy combining a visit to the country-side, getting some exercise and enjoying afew real ales.

Saturday 2 July: Great BedwynA 5.5 mile circular walk featuring threepubs, a windmill and a Victorian pumpingstation. Take the 09.48 train from Readingto Bedwyn, and meet at Great BedwynWharf at 10.45. Optional stopoff in

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Small BeerA roundup of news and information.

The Grosvenor, one of our Assets ofCommunity Value

Wilton Windmill. Photo © Paul Rayner –read more about the Bedwyn walk on hisFueled By Beer blog

Newbury on the way back. For moredetails: [email protected]

Sunday 17 July: Goring and Aldworth10 miles in total, starting in Goring and taking the Ridgeway (note: uphill) toAldworth to visit the Bell. Returning by adifferent route and taking in Goring andStreatley pubs before making your wayhome. Take the 10.45 train from Reading toGoring, and meet in the village car park bythe toilets (not as dodgy as it sounds!) at11.05. More details from [email protected] / 0118 987 3203

PUBS CODE DELAYEDThe introduction of the Government’s PubsCode has been delayed. This is due to drafting errors that resulted in the originalversion being withdrawn. The Code was dueto come into effect on 26 May but is nowexpected to come into effect around amonth later. Exact timescales remain unclearas the Pubs Code needs to be approved byboth Houses of Parliament.

The Pubs Code is now being redrafted toensure that tenants choosing to become freeof tie are not disadvantaged as a result. TheCode will include the Market Rent Only(free of tie) option that CAMRA has longcampaigned for. At regular intervals tenantstied to the large pub companies will be ableto opt out of their tied contracts and opt fora rent only contract that will allow them topurchase beer from any supplier they chooseat competitive prices. Once the new PubsCode is in place and the Pubs Adjudicatorhas published the necessary advice and guid-ance CAMRA will make available a detailedbriefing on the Pubs Code and where toaccess further information.

GREAT BRITISH BEER FESTIVALGet your tickets now for the Great BritishBeer Festival. CAMRA's flagship festivaloffers visitors over 900 real ales, ciders, per-ries and international beers as well as fan-

tastic entertainment, food, seating areas, andtraditional pub games to enjoy all under oneroof in the heart of London. Open from 9-13 August at London Olympia, it's an easyjourney from Reading and a great day out.

Families can enjoy a special area upstairs inthe Grand Hall with activities to keep thechildren busy throughout the festival so theydon’t feel left out. There’s Lego, boardgames, pushchairs and bicycles all availablefor use during the day. Refreshments will also

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LOCALE UPDATEAs promised in the last issue, the outlets inour branch area that qualify for LocAlestatus for 2015 are:Caversham: Baron Cadogan, Fox andHounds, Working Men's ClubHurst: CastlePangbourne: ElephantReading: Alehouse, Allied Arms, Bel and theDragon, Castle Tap, Great Expectations,Grumpy Goat, Monks Retreat, Nags Head,ZerodegreesRuscombe: Royal OakShinfield: Bell and BottleShurlock Row: Shurlock InnSonning: Great HouseStreatley: Swan HotelSwallowfield: CrownTheale: CrownThree Mile Cross: SwanWaltham St Lawrence: BellUpper Basildon: Red Lion

We’d like to publish a list of qualifyingLocAle breweries here as well but there are57 of them and that would take up rather alot of space! The full list is available on theLocAle page of our website: www.reading-camra.org.uk/viewnode.php?id=10998

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Call: 01628 826622 / 2781 Email: [email protected] 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.

Quiz Nights3rd and 24th July,

14th August, 4th and 25th September

Free entry. Winning team get around of drinks.

A charming country pub. The friendly & relaxed atmosphere welcomes locals, families, walkers, dogs & cyclists alike

• Cosy seating area with wood burner

• Ideal for walks & to hack to, very near the Knowl Hill bridle path

• Home-made food served Mon - Fri 12-3pm & 6 - 9pm, Sat - Sun 12-9pm

• Sunday Roast from 12 noon to 3pm

• Beer garden overlooking fields

01628 822 010Knowl Hill Common, Berkshire, RG10 9YE

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SMALL BEER - CONTINUED

be available to purchase in the family area tohelp make the day run smoothly. And that’snot the best bit, as all children under the ageof 18 have free entry into the festival. Visit gbbf.org.uk to book your tickets.

BACK IN THE SIXTIESWith the Revitalisation Project currentlylooking at CAMRA’s future, we’ve uncovered a fascinating snippet of whatwent on in the sixties – long beforeCAMRA was even thought of. The Winter1961-62 issue of Whitbread's house magazine reported on an exciting new product from Ruddles called Lagalime –presumably bottled lager and lime – thatmust have been the craft beer of its day.Thankfully, and despite the positive angle in the story, it never took off. Also featuredis a bowls match at Sir Kenneth Ruddle’shome, with some brewery employees whomust have felt very out of place.

MAIDENHEAD BEER AND CIDER FESTIVAL28-30 July sees our friends at Slough,Windsor and Maidenhead CAMRAorganise the latest Maidenhead BeerFestival. Last year’s move to a new indoorvenue at Desborough College proved successful – particularly the day that itpoured with rain! – and this year’s eventis at the same place, easily accessible fromthe station. Over 100 real ales and 20ciders are planned, along with a greatselection of food and live music.

See www.maidenheadbeerfest.org.uk for more details.

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Behind the BarThe view from behind the bar, in the landlords' own words. This time Adam andSandra tell us about the Horns at CraziesHill, a tiny village near Wargrave.

July 18th 2015: the day Sandra and Ireopened the Horns at Crazies Hill after 5months of closure. And what a relaunch itwas, with the bar being full for the wholenight and a great welcome from the CraziesHill and Cockpole Green residents.

Up to this date we’d had a hectic 4 weekscleaning, painting and general maintenanceof the pub with the sole purpose of supplyinggood quality beer and food with a warm wel-come. Having contended with 6 foot weeds,an insufficient gas supply and the remnantsleft behind by the last landlords, the doorsare finally open and more importantly thebeer is flowing.

Nine months on and we’re going strong.Being a Brakspear’s pub we serve theBrakspear’s Bitter all year round but alsoserve Marston’s, Wychwood, Thwaites,Banks, Ringwood and a few others to helpvary our selection of real ales. As for the pub

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itself we’ve made quite a few changes, pro-vided a relaxed seating area at the front ofthe pub, converted the old patio to newly litpergola with bistro furniture and with theaddition of our very own vegetable plots(we are in the countryside after all).

We’ve seen our first Christmas out – alwaysan exciting time of year and, being our first,slightly daunting. Overall the feedback waspositive and the pub is definitely in a betterstanding for it. We're already looking towardsnext Christmas with the inclusion of some DJparty nights. Moving forward we see a lot ofchanges happening. The new patio area ishaving a purpose built BBQ to enjoy in thosesummer nights, the rebuilding of the boulesalley and a refurb of the children’s play areaare all at hand. I guess one of the most impor-tant things we did is incorporate a loyalty sys-tem. Being able to gather your customer’s dataand having the ability to market directly tothem (i.e. birthdays, anniversary, etc.) willbring them back through your doors, nobrainer = repeat business!

With our first full summer just round thecorner we are all excited. The garden islooking great and we are planning some funevents! The summer BBQ parties will havethe addition of large garden games, jugs ofPimms and all being well some sunshine.Hope you all have a great summer……

Adam & Sandra PurdyThe Horns at Crazies Hill,

Reading, RG10 8LY0118 940 6041

www.hornsatcrazieshill.co.uk

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Local LandlordsDo you have a story to tell and want to promote your pub? Get in touch – the detailsare on page 3 – and you could feature in acoming issue of Mine’s a Pint.

This year the Reading Beer and CiderFestival moved to a new site at ChristchurchMeadows, on the north bank of theThames. It was a long year of planning try-ing to find a venue that would work andseveral other sites were considered, plansworked up and then rejected for a host ofreasons. As a new venue, none of us reallyknew how Christchurch Meadows wouldwork but, in the end, the festival seemed tobe a great success and we received a lot ofpositive feedback about the new site andlayout.

One thing the new site did allow was for usto have one incredibly long tent, rather thana dog-leg arrangement or two smaller tentsas had been the case before. So, althoughthe festival was no larger than before, itlooked like it and created a great spectaclefor anybody approaching across the Thameson the new Christchurch Bridge.

Taking into account site setup, the festivalitself and then takedown, there were volun-teers working on site for more than four

weeks. Everybody who works at the festivalis a volunteer and many take their annualholiday to help at this and other beer festi-vals.

The attendance at the event was 13,850,which was 6.4% higher than last year.Importantly the festival created very

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Reading BeerFestival Roundup

favourable publicity for real ale and cider aswell as CAMRA as an organisation, withlive broadcasts on BBC Radio Berkshire on fiveseparate days and more than ten broadcasts intotal, as well as live broadcasts on BBClocal television and favourable articles inboth the printed and electronic media. All ofthis generated a great buzz around the event.

Local Beer of the Festival is always a tightlyfought contest and this year the IndigenousBrewery from Chaddleworth near Newburywas the winner. Their beer AMMO Bellewas an American Pale Ale at 5.6% and verypopular with both the judges and the visiting public.

We’re now working through our lessonsfrom the festival – what went well and whatneeds to be done better. Planning hasalready started for the 2017 event and Ihope to see you all again at ChristchurchMeadows next year!

Phil Gill

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READING BEER FESTIVAL ROUNDUP

2 Broad Street Reading, RG1 2BH

01189 [email protected]

A Community pub in theheart of ReadingFollow us on twitter @AlehouseReading

3 West Berkshire Ales6 Guest Ales

German & Belgian BeersReal Cider, Perry and Mead

Local CAMRA Pub of theYear 2014 Runner Up

Local CAMRA Cider Pub of the Year 2013 & 2014

e e

“Craft beers” from GreeneKing as Laurence mentions.

Well, the title puts it into anut-shell, doesn’t it?

As it says in the bookletissued by CAMRA’s bigwigsat Headquarters (who havedecided that this review isnecessary), the key issues arewho should CAMRA repre-sent and what is CAMRAfor. Having joined CAMRAin 1973 and been one of thefounding Committee mem-

bers of this Branch, servingon the Committee for nearly30 years, I have been askedwhat I think about it.

Let me answer the secondquestion first: what is thepurpose of CAMRA? That’seasy. I joined CAMRA tokeep alive and promote theonce universal British tradi-tion of drinking Cask-Conditioned Beers. For mostpeople, this can only bedone in a Pub which impliesthat the British tradition ofthe Public House must alsobe kept alive. The term RealAle broadens this slightly asit includes bottled condi-tioned beers but this is verymuch of an “also ran”. The fact is that widely avail-able Real Ale cannot existwithout the Pub in which tosell it and, very importantly,look after it properly.

Therefore by implication itmust be CAMRA’s second-ary purpose to protect whatremains of the seriously

eroded national Pub stock.Now, when it comes toanswering the first question,as far as I am concerned, itpractically answers itself.CAMRA exists to look afterthe interests of Real Aledrinkers. However, whilstCider and Perry drinkershave no other body to lookafter their interests, I amhappy to take them underCAMRA’s wing. And that isit, full stop.

When it comes to the inter-ests of drinkers of anythingelse, I see any move in thisdirection as being the edgeof the slippery slope. I didnot join CAMRA to supportartificially carbonated ornitrogen blanketed filteredbeers. Of course, by doingour best to stop pub closureswe may well be lookingafter the interests of otherpub users, e.g. drinkers offancy cocktails, but this ispurely a side effect and inci-dental. (You never know,we might even convert them

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The Revitalisation ProjectShaping the future – a review of CAMRA’s purpose, focus and strategy

Since its formation in 1971, CAMRA has grown to be one of the largest and most success-ful consumer organisations in Europe. But is it still relevant? What should it be campaigningfor – or against? What is its future?

Every CAMRA member will have an opinion about the right direction for the future of thecampaign, and right now the Revitalisation Project is in full swing, designed to find outthose opinions. If you want to find out more about the project then visit its website at revitalisation.camra.org.uk. We asked three local CAMRA members for their views...

LAURENCE HANSFORD

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to Real Ale!)As for so called “craftbeer”, the term has beenimported from Americawhere it is used to describeanything produced by oneof the new breed of fashion-able micro-breweries (i.e.not spat out by Anheuser-Busch). This side of thepond it is meaningless andseems to be used to givecachet to trendy and expen-sive beers which in bulkform are designed to be longlasting and labour saving.In other words, posh kegand a con to make life easy.

We should have nothing todo with it. As far as I amconcerned if someone wantsto start up a Craft BeerAppreciation Society, goodluck.

Anyway, all brewers worththeir salt are craftsmen andin my book any beer theybrew can be called “craft”and I note that Greene Kingare using the term on bottlescontaining filtered, carbon-ated and pasteurised lageremanating from their teeny-weeny breweries in Bury StEdmonds and Belhaven.

So as the old saying goes “Ifit ain’t broke, don’t fix it”.“The Campaign for RealAle" says it all, is succinctand unequivocal. It is easyto explain and easy for themedia (or anybody else) tounderstand. I believe weshould stay true to ourroots.

After all, it would appearthat we must be doingsomething right as the membership now stands atan all-time high of over175,000.

RICH CROTON

Perhaps it’s appropriate,when considering theRevitalisation Project, toremember that CAMRAformed as the ‘Campaignfor the Revitalisation ofAle’. Back then a handful ofbreweries dominated theindustry and were turningthe available beers intobland, homogenised, poorquality drinks. For thoseearly campaigners, spottingpoor quality beers was easyas they were almost exclu-sively being mass producedfor keg dispense; defining‘Real Ale’ was little morethan an Orwellian mantra of:‘all cask good, all keg bad’.

The campaign fought byCAMRA’s early members iswon; as a result, there hasbeen a huge upturn in thenumber of breweries, andwe get to enjoy their highquality beers in a wide range

of styles. So where shouldwe go from here? I seeCAMRA’s future as needingto follow a threefold course.Firstly working to save pubs,secondly to campaign againstlegislation that is detrimentalto the industry and finally torecognise and promote goodquality drinks.

In terms of saving pubs, thisis already tied in withCAMRA’s key campaigns;we just need to build on thefoundations we’ve alreadylaid. Going forward, weshould be looking to savepubs; both from closure atthe hands of property devel-opers and from falling intodisuse through customerapathy. To this end weshould be pushing harder toget ACV status for any pubsunder threat of closure. Wealso need to promote the useof quieter pubs, to try and

restore their place as community hubs; this couldbe done through using themfor CAMRA activities, promoting any events theyhost, anything to get morepeople in through the door.Another way of working toprotect pubs is throughcampaigning against adverselegislation, which leads ontothe second essential forCAMRA’s future.

In recent years CAMRA hashad several noteworthy successes; from scrappingthe beer duty escalator andgetting a reduction in duty,to limiting the power ofPubcos. We need to continuethis work and take it fur-ther. As an example, ourfuture campaigns could askfor legislation to make thecost of drinking in pubs

THE REVITALISATION PROJECT

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I have been fortunateenough to have viewed therise in popularity of real alefrom a number of perspec-tives. Over the last fewyears, I have worked in localpubs (including Reading'sown Castle Tap and TheAlehouse), sat on the com-mittee of the ReadingUniversity Real Ale Society,worked with a friend ofmine to order all 600+ beersfor CAMRA’s Reading BeerFestival, and I now work as

a full time brewer atBinghams Brewery.

Let’s face it – real ale is nolonger on the cusp of extinc-tion, it is thriving. More and more, consumers arerecognising the differencebetween quality productsand mass-marketed brands,and seem to be looking formore variety in what theychoose to drink. CAMRAcan be very proud of itselffor what it has achieved, but

I am definitely glad that ithas taken a step back todecide what its functionought to be from now on.

On the grand scheme ofthings I am a relative new-comer to CAMRA, but I canacknowledge that what it

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comparable with buyingbeer from supermarkets; thiswould not only increase pubusage but could dramaticallyreduce alcohol-related anti-social behaviour – a stan-dard excuse of the anti-drinking lobbyists.

I’ve saved the promotionand recognition of goodquality drinks for last.Most of this is just businessas usual, producing theGood Beer Guide, runningBeer Festivals, Pub of theYear, beer scoring etc. Butthere is one big change I feelwe need to make and in myopinion this is the importantone. I said promotion ofdrinks rather than ale orbeer as I believe thatCAMRA’s best future lies inbecoming more inclusive.By increasing our scope wecan represent a much widersection of the community;this would give our cam-paigns greater veracity and

leverage. We already do thisto an extent for real cidersand perries; I believe thatour next step should be toacknowledge the growingCraft Beer movement. I know this suggestion willmeet with opposition so I’lladdress some of the mostfrequent arguments next.

‘There’s no such thing as“Craft Beer” – it doesn’thave a proper definition’. By the same reasoning, toanyone outside of CAMRA,our definition of Real Aledoesn’t mean anything.Nothing stops us from creating a CAMRA approveddefinition of Craft Beer.

‘The people who drink it areway too “cliquey”’.Actually, many Craft Beerdrinkers also enjoy Real Ale,especially when it’s brewedby the smaller local brew-eries; we shouldn’t be alien-ating these people through

our own ‘cliquey’ behaviour,we should be asking them tojoin us.

‘It’s in keg so I wouldn’tdrink it’. Nobody’s askingyou to drink it, just toacknowledge that there aresome good beers being madeother than real ales.

For CAMRA to survive, weneed to stop living in thepast, get over our 43 yearold definition of Real Aleand the ‘all cask good, allkeg bad’ mindset. Doing thiswill be the real challenge ifCAMRA is to continuerather than just stagnate.Considering the refusal bysome of our more diehardmembers to accept that RealAle in KeyKeg is Real Ale,even now - four years afterit was given the CAMRAseal of approval, I knowthat change will be difficult;but change we must if ourorganisation is to survive.

JAMIE DUFFIELD

THE REVITALISATION PROJECT - CONTINUED

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THE REVITALISATION PROJECT

stood for is not as relevantas it once was. With that inmind, I can pick out somestrengths and positions forimprovement that I wouldlove to see.

CAMRA’s beer festivals(such as Reading) draw asmall crowd of beer aficionados - the kinds of people who have alreadychecked the beer list and canbe seen beelining for therare brews and theirfavourites. Crucially, withthem comes a much largermajority of their friends andcolleagues – some of whomwill be trying ‘differentbeers’ for the first time.Celebrating the diversity ofBritish beer on such a grandand social scale can only

serve to bolster the localbreweries and pubs. Beerfestivals are not only a net-working opportunity for thecommercial brewing sector,but I strongly believe thatCAMRA should continue touse beer festivals as a meansof introducing and engagingthe public with their localmarket.

A further issue that I thinkCAMRA should support isthe protection of pubs. Thisis more than just encourag-ing people to visit their locals– this should be assistingthem and giving them thelegal advice they need tosecure its future. We havealready seen some localpubs fall and become con-venience stores. Let’s not let

this happen where a pub isstill viable.

So who should CAMRAsupport? Good quality beerappears in more varietiesand dispensing methodsthan ever, with key kegs seeing a surge in popularityin recent years. There arebeers that now go into keykeg that simply wouldn’t beeconomically viable for somepublicans (or brewers!) as acask. I personally believethat CAMRA should nowrepresent any and alldrinkers of beer and ciderthat is brewed in Britain. Letus continue to celebrate andsupport the diversity inbrewing we have, and shareit with the rest of the world.

Don’t let drink limitsdestroy our pubs

Many people whoare appearing toignore the perceivedrisks of consumingalcoholic beveragesabove the govern-ment’s new guide-lines of 14 units perweek are doing so

not out of wilful disregard for their ownhealth, but because they do not believe thesenew guidelines. It would be helpful if theUK’s chief medical officers could explainwhat evidence they have that is not availableto their equivalents in other EU countries.For example, the equivalent figure in Spain,not a country traditionally noted for a culture of problem drinking or alcohol-related health issues, is 34 units.

The new UK guidelines seem to ignore previous well-regarded studies whichshowed the beneficial health effects of moderate consumption of alcoholic drinkscompared with total abstinence. These studies also showed that the level of risk didnot exceed that from total abstinence until alevel somewhat higher than 14 units perweek was reached (the so-called “hockey-stick” curve). It is very easy to detect thejoyless hand of the anti-alcohol lobbybehind these guidelines. Indeed, one couldsurmise that they will only be content whenevery brewer, cider-maker, wine-maker, dis-tiller and publican has been driven out ofbusiness, and a significant plank of our cul-ture has been destroyed.

The irony of all this is not lost on those ofus who have campaigned and lobbied our

government to adopt policies to support andprotect the great British community pub,recognising the value of these wonderfulinstitutions in providing an environment formoderate consumption of alcoholic drinks,whilst interacting with friends, neighboursand peers. The recent report from CAMRA,carried out by Professor Robin Dunbar ofOxford University (see the previous issue ofMine’s a Pint), demonstrated this clearly.

While we would all recognise the effects onboth individuals and society from excessivealcohol consumption, the government’sapproach to tackling harmful drinking iswrong. It does little or nothing to get togrips with the small proportion of adultswho consume excessive and harmfulamounts of alcoholic drinks, while stigma-tising the millions of men and women whoenjoy a few pints of beer, glasses of wine, asingle malt or a gin and tonic in their localtwo or three times a week, or the occasionalglass of wine with dinner.

I refer back to the comparison with Spain;perhaps by treating their citizens likegrownups, there is a large degree of self-regulation, manifesting itself in a lower incidence of alcohol-related problems forindividuals and society. We need to be waryof those who seem hell-bent on pushing thiscountry towards prohibition, destroyingcenturies of our culture in the process,whilst carefully ignoring any evidence orstudies which do not fit with their view ofthe world.

Nick BoleyNational Director, CAMRA

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Mine's A Pint issue 38

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Transcript of Mine's A Pint issue 38