CAMRA Liverpool & Districts Magazine Winter 2013 FREE

CAMRA

www.liverpoolcamra.org.uk email [email protected] Circulation 11,000 The MerseyAle CAMRA Liverpool and Districts Branch MerseyAle Editor John Armstrong 67 Moorfields Liverpool L2 2BP Telephone 0151 236 1734 MerseyAle Contacts Comments/news/letters/photos The Lion Tavern (Grade II Listed) is Liverpool’s [email protected] finest Edwardian Pub. It is an extravaganza of FOOD etched glass, carved wood and beautiful tiling. See the board for MerseyAle Advertising selection of good Welcome to MerseyAle It has a wonderful ornate wood carved bar plus Cost - Full page £200 value food two cosy side rooms one with a fantastic Half page £100 and ManxAle stained glass dome. The Lion Tavern is an Contact QUIZ NIGHT [email protected] award winning pub serving excellent cask every Tuesday at 9.30pm conditioned ales, cider and a large selection of Welcome to this Special ale is the unique selling point of the MerseyAle - Read online at British Pub and we must promote the finest malt whiskies. You can also enjoy a www.merseyale.com 10th Anniversary Edition of our pubs. fine selection of tasty food from our food menu. ACOUSTIC MerseyAle. NIGHT Liverpool and Districts CAMRA It was November 2003 when the Main Branch Contact relaunched new look colour cover The Anniversaries do not stop with Second Thursday of the MerseyAle. 2014 sees the 40th Jean Pownceby MerseyAle hit the bars of Liverpool. Month 8pm Anniversary of the founding of the [email protected] It was a magazine born out of crisis, as you can discover in the special Merseyside Branch of CAMRA in HANDPUMPS the Globe, Cases Street. The 30 supply a varied selection of prize Contact for Socials and 10th Anniversary section pages 7-15. BOB DYLAN people crammed into the small back winning Real Ales (including at least one Coach Trips only The Chinese symbol for crisis also SOCIETY Ian MacAdam 07521 741 586 means opportunity. We hope you room in January 1974 were helping to create a body which has become locally brewed ale) plus hand pulled Cider Meets first Thursday of the by email agree when you read ‘To Begin at Month 8.30pm [email protected] the Beginning’ page 7, that the new the most effective consumer 8 organisation in Europe, with a MerseyAle did rise to the challenge Liverpool Branch Chair membership of over 150,000 and MEET THE BREWER and did make the most of the Over 80 Malt Geoff Edwards opportunity. ‘Cover Story’ pages growing. If you were involved with Third Thursday of the [email protected] 8-9 provides a review of the last ten Liverpool CAMRA in the 70s please Whiskies Month 8pm years of MerseyAle covers and the get in touch – see page 43. There will Web Sites importance that the covers and the be special events to celebrate the The Lion Tavern has one of the largest 40th Anniversary throughout 2014 POETRY GET Liverpool and Districts visual impact of the magazine plays selections of malt whisky on Merseyside CAMRA Branch in attracting readers. so watch out for details. TOGETHER www.liverpoolcamra.org.uk Fourth Thursday of the wwwfacebook.com MerseyAle has always made a As one of the founder members said Month 8pm at the 30th Anniversary event, /CAMRAliverpool priority of being a campaigning magazine and in this edition you “Liverpool CAMRA has always @LiverpoolCAMRA will find a call to arms for ‘Curbing been known for three things; V6 Adventure QR Codes page 55 the Power of the PubCos’ page 17, Strong Campaigning, an Excellent BAGUETTES Club Beer Festival and a Bloody Good Ham Isle of Man CAMRA Branch plus the need for the Coalition Cumberland sausage Meet every Wednesday Government to act quickly to Magazine.” Hot beef & fried onion at 8.00pm www.isleofmancamra.org.uk Beef & raw onion introduce a statutory code of Beef & tomato CAMRA national site practice with real teeth. Features on We hope you agree and that you Cheese (Please choose from decide now is the perfect time to our cheese menu) www.camra.org.uk the ‘2014 Good Beer Guide join CAMRA - page 55. OPEN SANDWICHES Liverpool Launch’ page 53 and on Homecooked ham served as an open Cover the ‘Cask Report’ page 27 reveal sandwich with mustard mayo & salad WEEKLY LOCALE by Dennis Jones how real ale and brewing is going HAND RAISED PORK PIES See Board for future Celebrating 10 years of the revamped from strength to strength. Whilst Served with mustard or brown sauce Real Ales MerseyAle Magazine. real ale is a success story, it is now SOUTHPORT POTTED SHRIMPS CAMRA DISCOUNT the British Pub that is under threat Served with salad & toast Card carrying and needs to be the focus for CAMRA members 10 pence SAMOSAS MEAT OR VEGETABLE campaigning. ‘The Changing Face Served with mango chutney & Tzaki off pint of real ale The opinions expressed in MerseyAle of the British Pub’ page 49 outlines are not necessarily those of the Editor, the challenges we face. The very the CAMRA Liverpool Branch or John sobering fact is that without the pub “One of the Hundred Best Pubs in the country” CAMRA Ltd. Armstrong there will be nowhere to drink real Editor Daily Telegraph ale. The essential message is that real

PUB OF EXCELLENCE 2012 CASK MARQUE CAMRA NATIONAL INVENTORY PUB 3 MerseyAle news

City Centre Cultural Venue range of bottled beers and ciders. The Coffee House in Woolton has Pubs They have a new web not been serving real ale recently. There are three venues at the north site www.mellomello.co.uk which The Penny Lane Wine Bar on end of the city centre serving real ale states; Penny Lane is currently selling one and offering a wide variety of music Founded in July 2007, MelloMello real ale on hand pump. The beer is and other cultural activities. Usually was started by a small arts co- regularly changing and is in good there is free entry to the bars, but operative; The Art Organisation. condition. This makes a welcome when there are special events, With a small group of volunteers addition to an area which has very usually later on at weekends, there that held a shared belief in the few real ale outlets. Nearby real ale can be entry charges. Check out the organic regeneration of an area pubs are The Richmond Tavern on websites. through arts and sub-culture, Church Road, Eight Bar on Allerton MelloMello has slowly grown from Road and The Dovedale Towers on BBEEEERR FFEESSTTIIVVAALL The stillage at the Camp & Furnace coffee house, art hub and left-field Penny Lane. on Freeland Street on the far edge of jazz venue, to a community space The Old Bank at Aigburth Vale was the Baltic Triangle has been housing four floors of dedicated serving beers from Beartown rehearsal rooms and studios, during October alongside the vegetarian kitchen, ethical and obscure bar, stage, performance and regulars from Liverpool Organic . exhibition space. Crosby Great George Street Liverpool L1 5EW Kazimier Gardens on Seel Street The Brooke House , which has been has been refurbished during Thurs 5th - Sun 8th DECEMBER 201 3 closed for some time, is to reopen in October. The special beer, Organo, November. Enterprise Inns have brewed by Liverpool Craft has been announced they are appointing a Sat Evening Session Times selling well. Again there is an entry new manager. 6:00pm - 10:30pm fee for special events. Check out the Thursday Afternoon Sunday website www.thekazimier.co.uk As predicted in the last edition, the 12:00pm - 4:30pm 12:00pm - 6:00pm modified so there is space for more Brunel on Breck Road is now casks. Real Ale from Liverpool Craft Yates’s on Queens Square has been Thursday Evening selling real ale for £1.99 recently serving cask ale. Thwaites Tickets may be available should now be available all the time. Wainwright and Sharps Doombar 6:00pm - 10:30pm on the door but advance including beers from Titanic . This unique venue in old have been available. The 14 bus Friday Afternoon ticket purchase is warehouses holds a wide variety of Dr Duncans has recently had a 200+ advised for Friday & stops nearby. 200+ 12:00pm - 4:30pm events. The bar with a wood couple of beers from smaller Saturday Night Friday Evening burning real fire is open all day. breweries. The Coffee House at Picton Clock 6:00pm - 10:30pm Entrance price includes festival Often football is shown on a big in Wavertree featured in the last glass and programme REAL ALES Sat Afternoon screen. For some special events on edition, continues to serve a couple of ales from a variety of breweries 12:00pm - 4:30pm Friday and Saturday nights there £2 Discount can be an entry fee. See website often not available elsewhere. on first full £12 voucher sheet only Elgoods Golden Newt was Tickets £8 for card carrying CAMRA members www.campandfurnace.com per session – both Thursday sessions and all available recently. & CIDERS day Sunday MelloMello at Slater Street/Parr McGinty’s on Mill Lane in Street continues to trade despite the Wavertree has stopped serving uncertainty regards the building. TTHHEE UULLTTIIMMAATTE E real ale. The one hand pump is supplied OOFFFFIICCEE by Liverpool Craft Brewery. South Liverpool Lost Pub Not far away, t he Rose on Sometimes a beer swap is available, The White Horse in Woolton Village Binns Road which has been closed CCHHRRIISSTTMMAASS is changing management in early for some time and had not sold real November. Liz & Mike Morris, ale for many years, has now PPAARRTTYY! ! Woolton's longest serving licensees, been converted to domestic are retiring after many years at the accommodation. pub. It is being taken over by the Pub News by Tony Williams and near-by Bear & Staff manager in Neil Lloyd Gateacre. A full report will be in the next Merseyale about the change at MerseyAle news the pub. MerseyAle wishes Liz & Enjoy Great Beer Fantastic Food and Live Mike all the best in their retirement More MerseyAle Pub news Music in a unique and historic setting with a beer from Box Steam being and thanks them for their dedicated on page 2 1 work at the White Horse. F Tickets sales and more details visit: www.liverpoolorganicbrewery.com available in October. There is a good 4 5 To Begin at the Beginning

Committee and Editor and restart the magazine in deliver the time for November so as to imminent advertise ticket details for the submission of our Liverpool Beer Festival. When in Branch Good Beer Leicester some years previously I Guide entries plus had restarted the Leicester Drinker commit ourselves after a gap of ten years without a to run the massive magazine, but that did not involve Liverpool Beer the pressure of a very tight launch Festival, or call it deadline. Anyway the “We Can a day. Some Do It” spirit was so strong that I homecoming made the commitment to a present! November relaunch. Liverpool CAMRA Pub of the Year The essence of the So that was the start of what so far moment was has been a ten year sentence. Some 2010 and 2011 captured by people get less than that for How It All Began Committee member and Pubs murder. The new look relaunched Officer, Pete Kincart. He MerseyAle was born out of a crisis. commented that CAMRA was Rebuilding From First A crisis which threatened the very bigger than any individual or continuation of the Liverpool group and would go on as a Principles Branch of CAMRA, together with campaign irrespective. That We established a team of myself, the magazine. rallied the mood and the decision Ian Williamson (layout), Pat In August 2003 I disembarked was taken to continue with the Williamson and later Dennis Jones from the ferry after a two week and Neil Lloyd who helped with holiday in the Isle of Man with a art work and photographs. We tight schedule to head straight on had none of the former MerseyAle to the Crows Nest in Crosby for the templates so we decided to start Liverpool Branch Committee from first principles and design a Meeting (keen or what!). Pausing new look, new content magazine for a very swift half at the Lion which would make a visual Tavern en route to Moorfields for statement about the new look the train, I heard then licensee John Branch and its campaigning. We O’Dowd call out “what do you realised this would be a work in a A Warm Welcome to the Dispensary (CAMRA Liverpool & Districts Pub think of it then?” but by then I was progress and that we would not of the Year 2010 and 2011) from Pauline, Dave and all their staff rushing out of the door for the get the full result with the first train and couldn’t stop to talk. Pete Kincart edition produced to the very tight The “What do you think of it” deadline. That did imbue a Good Beer Guide singles out “the landlord’s impeccable became obvious immediately on fewer number of people around belief that MerseyAle should attention to beer quality”. walking through the door of the the table. We then divied up the continuously evolve with a Crows Nest. There were just six key jobs between us. It was agreed commitment to quality and Committee members sat round the that the priorities were; ongoing improvement. table. At that time the Committee completing the GBG entries, Up had well over 20 members so committing to running the Crisis and Opportunity where were the rest? All was then Liverpool Beer Festival in The Chinese to made clear. Whilst I had been February 2004, and restarting what symbol BEERS away on holiday, the majority of was seen to be the public face of for crisis Availab8le at any one time kept in superb condition the Committee had resigned the Branch, MerseyAle. The also means following the departure of the then magazine was central to showing The Dispensary provides a varied and interesting selection opportunity. Well that evening in Chair, Peter Fane. The resignations our public that Liverpool CAMRA of real ales from the best Micro Brewers in the country. Crosby crisis was turned into included the then MerseyAle was still in business and You will be surprised at the choice opportunity to launch not only a Editor. committed to campaigning. new look Branch but also a new So now the seven of us around the Well there is one born every look MerseyAle. RENSHAW STREET, LIVERPOOL table were left to decide whether minute and I found myself Ten Years After we are still here (Formerly The Grapes) 0151 709 2160 or not we could carry on as a volunteering to become MerseyAle and delivering.

6 7 A further change in emphasis led twists to link to CAMRA to a run of covers designed to campaigns. The first of these was shift the image of real ale drinkers the famous poster for the film through the use strong ‘Metropolis’ , which was used as photographs depicting young the image for the campaign people and women enjoying real against the Power of the PubCos. Festival and that the Cathedral during this period was Keith ale. This was linked to the The ‘Metropolis’ image has been was CAMRA Pub of the Month Smith who also designed the editorial policy of highlighting used consistently ever since to for four days only having gone Liverpool Historic Pubs book and theme the MerseyAle Curbing the from no real ale to over 230 beers. the first Liverpool Pubs Passport. Power of the PubCos stories. During this first phase of the Keith left the role in Feb ‘08 with This cover was followed by relaunched MerseyAle Ian Dennis Jones taking over in Williamson undertook the design Spring ‘08. MerseyAle has always prided and layout. itself on its front covers. The Shifting the Image aim has been to have Liverpool Statues A new development saw the use covers which are visually striking In 2005 the covers developed into of Liverpool events as the cover and will attract the attention of a magazine style with one theme, again linked to an image most famous railway poster of the casual reader to pick up the striking photo covering the of MerseyAle. Hence a yellow them all. This depicted the magazine and take a look inside. whole of the front page. Superlambanana and a Penguin Skegness Jolly Fisherman on the To this end great use has been It was decided to link the both appeared as covers. Again Liverpool waterfront declaring made of photographic and design covers and this was intended to link that “MerseyAle is so Bracing.” covers which catch the eye. CAMRA MerseyAle and CAMRA to a We do take care with our cover MerseyAle covers have to iconic distinctive and proud Liverpool designs so as to make MerseyAle developed through several images of identity. a distinctive magazine which phases. Liverpool. people will pick up and peruse. From this the increasing numbers of women Going Colour came the and young people who were The new look relaunched run of giving real ale a try, which was to homages to the Picasso painting MerseyAle immediately set its covers lead to the later Snowball Bringing ‘Girl with a Mandolin’ which stall out by going to a colour depicting New People to Real Ale campaign. became “ Girl with a Pint of Real cover. The initial covers were a Ale”, Cezanne’s ‘the Card Players’ combination of a photograph and Classic Images depicted the players in the back the lead in text to the main story. The next move was to covers The very first edition in based on an homage to classic images such as film posters and paintings. Dennis Jones redrew all of these covers with subtle

statues and buildings around We hope you have found the ten the city incorporating the years of MerseyAle covers to be holding of a copy of MerseyAle. bracing and that you are looking The one which generated most forward to viewing the next response was the statue in phase of their development. November 2003 had a Mathew Street of John Lennon room of Peter Kavanagh’s, the photograph of the Liverpool holding a copy of MerseyAle. Barack Obama poster, ‘Hope’, Metropolitan Cathedral with the The Statue Exceedingly Bare on which became ” Hops”, linked to a John Armstrong caption “February Pub of the Lewis’s gained a pair of CAMRA story on the crisis facing English Editor Month”. The story being the underpants and Gormley’s Iron hop production, and the most upcoming 2004 Liverpool Beer Men a CAMRA T shirt. Designer recent cover, a homage to the 8 9 First edition November 2003

better make the most of those Second Edition February 2004 4 days.” The new look first edition was well We are pleased to report that we received and it was decided to The Richmond Hotel is part of the city of Liverpool's rich were not excommunicated by the produce a second edition to tie in history and has been converted into a boutique four Catholic Church and we lived to with the Liverpool Beer Festival and bedroom living pad situated in the heart of Liverpool City produce the second edition of update readers about the new centre. It can cater for someone in Liverpool on business MerseyAle in February 2004. Liverpool CAMRA campaigns. This through to groups of up to ten people. The Richmond appeared in February 2004 with a Hotel has an open plan kitchen-living room space with The First Edition striking photo of the bar screen Sky TV and free internet access. With its own pub below November 2003. A new look Contained a range of stories, several inside the Lion Tavern linked to the it's perfect for an overnight stay. With plenty of things magazine appeared in the pubs of of which were to become ongoing announcement of the intention of going on in Liverpool throughout the year the Richmond Liverpool. The relaunched campaign themes in future editions. the Branch to Hotel is a place to stay or, at the very least a place to visit Examples were; using public publish a while in Liverpool. For details of availability etc, contact MerseyAle with its new colour details are bottom left on this section of the page. cover had arrived despite a crisis transport to visit the pub ‘Liverpool which threatened the continuation responsibly with ‘MerseyRale on Historic of both the magazine and the the Northern Line to Southport’ , a Pubs’ guide Liverpool Branch of CAMRA – see focus on Liverpool’s historic pub book. The ‘To Begin at the Beginning’ page 7 heritage, the role that Liverpool’s edition also There had been a gap in production pub culture and heritage played in introduced a of MerseyAle with the last edition the city winning 2008 European topic which having been in August 2003 in its Capital of Culture, ‘Anyone for was to then black and white format. Cider’ taking you on a visit to become one The new relaunched magazine Herefordshire cider producers, ‘A of our major made a statement of intent with Tale of Two Beers’ focusing on the campaigns, its colour cover, quality paper newly launched Old Empire, a Trail namely ‘Curbing the Power of the 6 rotating and extensive use of photographs around the Northern Quarter pubs, PubCos’ . Another feature which and a range of features which have Good Pub Food and the need for has become a hallmark campaign Guest Ales plus over the years become hallmarks of pubs to up their act, changes at the was ‘Something for the Women – MerseyAle. Baltic Fleet, spotlight on The Ferry Witches, Fruit, some Vegetables, Real Bass The cover also introduced the pub at Fiddlers Ferry, a retrospective Gilly and Madonna’ written by 32 WILLIAMSON STREET L1 1EB degree of irreverence that has been on the Inaugural Meeting at the Christine Kincart, who observed; [email protected] another hallmark of MerseyAle. Globe Cases Street in January 1974 “Lots of women definitely realise that which set up the Merseyside there is something exciting about Tel: 0151 709 2614 Mob: 07837653593 The cover declared “Pub of the Month February 2004” above a CAMRA Branch, and ten years choosing different beers when they go colour photograph of the Liverpool before ‘craft American beer’ became to a real ale pub. Many are just as Catholic Cathedral. The story was fashionable – the first of an ongoing interested as men in real ale.” about the forthcoming 2014 series, ‘Beer Hunting on the United Chris also provided a guide to Liverpool States West Coast’ . There was a decent beer at Liverpool’s theatres. Beer short item on Isle of Man pubs, a Festival precursor of the link that was to MerseyRale continued up the Wirral There are 3 in the develop into ManxAle. On line to West Kirby and also went on 6 Rotating Ca sk Beers hand pumps Cathedral the inside back cover there was a the buses with ArrivAle, a bus trail serving a Crypt and colour picture quiz of pub to Warrington and Frodsham. There the Award architectural features with a were pub trails around Liverpool’s variety of University and Business Quarters Local and of Pub of prize draw for correct answers the Month that named the correct pubs. and a guide to pubs in St Helens Regional due to: town centre. The threat to our Large selection CAMRA membership was reported historic pubs reported on change Ales “the as 70,000. Today it is over 150,000. of World Beers significant of use applications to offices/residential for the then We are one of the least increase in The print run of that first 32 closed National Inventory Grade 2 expensive pubs in the range of real ales, ciders and page edition was 3,000. Only Warm and Friendly Atmosphere Liverpool. So come fruit wine from the previous listed Belvedere, along with the the cover and back page were success in saving the Poste House Free Juke Box inside and enjoy a good month’s total of zero to an colour, the rest black and pint in a friendly local Cumberland Street from demolition. Opening Times 11.00am - 11.00pm Mon outstanding 230 plus. It is highly white. Now in 2013 MerseyAle atmosphere - Fri 11.00am - 12.00pm Sat unlikely to be able to sustain this is 56 pages all full colour with a improvement, as we have been told The lesson to be learned is that 1-3 Sir Thomas Street L1 larger page size and a print run the price of retaining a good pub THE LORD WARDEN LONDON ROAD there won’t be any on sale before of 11,000. the 18th or after the 21st, so we had is eternal vigilance.

10 11 MerseyAle and Campaigning

that capacity “tipsy” Liver Bird as the designed by Steve Foo Passport as a logo. The era of grew in size responsible drinking to include all pointed to a need to real ale pubs move to a more sober in the City image. MerseyAle Centre and designer Dennis Jones the suburbs, redrew the Liver Bird The top priority for with now in a new style which MerseyAle has always over 125 pubs presented a more been to be a campaigning included. forceful Liver Bird Accordingly the name changed to with “attitude” appropriate to a magazine . Pub Map as it had become a year campaigning organisation. The The new relaunched MerseyAle round map to real ale rather than logo appears on the cover of added the aims of being a being linked to the September MerseyAle and on some magazine with a visual and writing Passport scheme. Branch literature. style to attract the interest of It is anticipated there will be a casual readers who were not redesigned and expanded 2014 MerseyAle - CAMRA members, including Pubs Map which will again be CAMRA’s Only International visitors to the city. You can sponsored by Caledonian Brewery. peruse back copies on Magazine www.liverpoolcamra.org.uk Liverpool Historic Pubs The Island Connection MerseyAle has been an integral MerseyAle became CAMRA’s only part of Liverpool CAMRA Guide international magazine when in campaigning and has played a This campaign publication was 2007 arrangements were made with leading role in the following announced in the second edition of the IOM CAMRA Branch and the campaigns; the new MerseyAle February 2004. The book was edited by Pete Liverpool Kincart, the Branch Historic Pubs officer, and designed by MerseyAle Real Ale designer Keith Smith. Pete Pubs negotiated a grant from the Festival Countryside Commission This began with Heritage just six pubs Fund which involved and the event publicised enabled the Isle of Man Steam Packet Company in MerseyAle. It has grown full colour to deliver and distribute copies on year by year to be a parallel book to be Island on a regular basis. We are attraction to the sell out Liverpool sold at a indebted to the Steam Packet and Beer Festival. It was also an very good their then manager Geoff Corkish, expression of Liverpool CAMRA’s value now a Member of the House of campaign commitment to saving subsidised Keys, for their help with this initial and promoting the British pub. price. The arrangement. Today MerseyAle has Liverpool Pubs Passport book was a major plank in th e a ManxAle section and is delivered Branch campaign to save and to every Island real ale pub – over Alongside the Pubs Festival promote Liverpool’s pub heritage. 80 pubs. Pictured above, Liverpool MerseyAle developed the free The book won a Highly CAMRA Branch Chair Geoff Liverpool Pubs Passport designed Commended award from National Edwards (left) and MerseyAle to encourage people to visit the real CAMRA for Best Pub Guide of Editor John Armstrong join Captain ale pubs listed, have a pint of real the Year. Cane Tahar on the bridge of Seacat ale and get the passport stamped Isle of Man to take the first copies for eventual entry into a prize Taking the Bird over to the Island. The event was draw. Caledonian Brewery was the For many years Mersey Drinker covered by the Liverpool Echo and sponsor of the Pubs Passport from and Liverpool CAMRA had used a by the Isle of Man media. the early days and has continued in F 12 13 The “A Bloody Good Magazine”

At the 30th Anniversary • And “a bloody good MerseyAle Wins CAMRA of the Inaugural magazine which I am National Awards Belvedere Meeting of Liverpool pleased to see is Traditional 2 room community pub CAMRA Branch in continuing in capable 2004 Highly Commended Grade II Listed situated in the heart of January 2004, one of the new hands” Liverpool’s Georgian Quarter. Winner Most Improved CAMRA founding members the of CAMRA pub of culture 2011 He was referring to the late Tony Molyneux Magazine relaunch of MerseyAle (Wilson) told to Cask Ales from Local and in 2003. Unfortunately 2006 Winner Best CAMRA assembled group that Tony is not still with us Regional Brewers Liverpool CAMRA had Magazine Award to enjoy this, the tenth One minut e from Philharmonic Hall always been renowned anniversary, of what we 2007 Liverpool Historic Ideal for pre-show drinks for three things hope is still his “bloody • Strong Campaigning Pubs Guide Highly good magazine”. The Only Liverpool Pub with • An excellent Beer Commended Best CAMRA Lined Glasses for Cask and Festival Pub Guides European Lagers Large Selection of Gins available at the Football Free Zone What They Say About MerseyAle Quite honestly, this particular publication (MerseyAle) never No Fruit Machines ceases to impress and would not look out of place amongst the It is literally packed with quality comment, news and features, magazines for sale in places like W.H. Smith. Real Fires and MerseyAle is certainly the CAMRA branch magazine to beat Real Conversation as far as I am concerned. Mike Blackstone Beer North West website Food Available

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14 15 Curbing th e Power of the PubCos RRoossccooee HHeeaadd PubCos – the Worst Example of for the continual asset-stripping of Irresponsible Capitalism pubs and the destruction of other small businesses. CAMRA Liverpool & Districts PUB of the YEAR 2012 He said: “It’s the tale of one of the We need action now - not just to worst examples of reckless, assist thousands of publicans and irresponsible capitalism this country save pubs but to provide a boost to has ever seen – a get-rich quick local economies and to the UK scheme for a greedy few that has economy.” marred lives and closed thousands of pubs and that has caused losses of Vince Cable Acknowledges billions for the UK economy, pension funds and the Treasury.” Problems Secretary of State for Business, Failure of the Beer Orders Innovation and Skills, Vince Cable, He added: “The Beer Orders failed acknowledged the problems faced PubCo Scam - in one spectacular way, which the by tenants were real and demanded Campaign for Real Ale and others attention, “Worst Example of spotted: they should have prevented even if it was any company, not just breweries, not yet clear www.roscoehead.co.uk Irresponsible from owning and supply-tying what exactly more than 2,000 pubs. That was the was causing Capitalism” tragedy and disaster of the Beer the problems - “It’s the tale of one of the worst Orders.” the beer tie or other factors examples of reckless, irresponsible PubCos Cash In on Failure of capitalism this country has ever affecting the the Beer Orders industry. seen - a get-rich quick scheme for a He claimed this “loophole” was greedy few that has marred lives spotted and exploited by many in Above article and closed thousands of pubs and the city with “little if no connection by Tim Hampson appeared in What’s that has caused losses of billions to the sector and very little empathy Brewing November 2013 for the UK economy, pension funds with it”. He added: “They piled in to and the Treasury.” make money, with little interest in Need for Action Now to CONSTANTLY the pubs, the people who ran them, Greg Mulholland MP and Chair of Introduce a Statutory Code of CHANGING the communities that used them or Practice with Teeth Save the Pub Group the wider economic impact.” The key issue is whether the The Roscoe Head is a true English Greg launched a Support the ‘Fair Deal for Your Coalition Government will act now public house with lots of character. GUEST BEERS blistering attack 6 Local’ Campaign and introduce a Code of Practice for on the pub One of the few pubs in Liverpool PubCos which has real teeth to insist Try our delicious home-cooked food company system He said there was clear support for and indeed Great Britain to have on the market rents, and a free of tie during a speech in reform in the house and said MP served Mon- to Fri 11.30am - 2.30 pm beer. You can read a full transcript survived the onslaught of the super the House of support for the Fair Deal for your of Greg’s speech here: pub chains and remains unspoilt. Commons. Local campaign would mean any QUIZ NIGHT tinyurl.com/oerh8xa The Roscoe Head is a very special vote in the house on the issue would Tuesday Commencing 9.30pm - max 4 players to a team The Liberal Democrat member for be won. He concluded: watering hostelry. “In 1969, a Monopolies Fair Deal for Your Local FREE BUFFET Leeds North West and chairman of Campaign Report ‘Setting the the All Party Parliamentary Save the Commission report recommended PLAY YOUR CARDS RIGHT FOR CASH PRIZES Record Straight’ Counters a The Roscoe Head is a town local Pub Group spoke for almost 30 the market rent only option. It was “Cynical Campaign of with customers from all walks of Tuesday night after quiz minutes during the evening session. needed then and it is certainly life, the backroom debates are MUSIC QUIZ needed now. I believe that my right Misinformation” always entertaining whether it be Every Thurs Commencing 9.30pm Taking full advantage of honourable friend (Vince Cable) parliamentary privilege, Greg did can and will be the person who has A MYTH-BUSTING report has been politics or football on the agenda CRIBBAGE NIGHT not pull any punches in his produced to counter a “cynical the courage finally to do it. ” the banter is always good. Every Wednesday Evening description of the behaviour or campaign of misinformation” about actions of some pub companies – Stark Choice pubco reform. which he described as Winner of many awards and one of only SEVEN pubs to feature in every edition “The choice for him and the Co-ordinator of the Fair Deal for government is stark, although they Your Local campaign and chairman of the Good Beer Guide. Over 40 years of Good Beer Guide entries! “The great British could ignore the campaign, not of the All Party Parliamentary Save 24 Roscoe Street L1 2SX Tel: 0151 709 4365 PubCo scam”. introduce a market rent only option, the Pub Group Greg Mulholland let things continue and be blamed said there has been a cynical 16 17 F campaign of misinformation to try Already, more than 3,000 CAMRA “These circumstances represent a to stop the government from members have contacted their MP material uncertainty that casts introducing pubco reform. and asked them to back the call for significant doubt on the ability of reform. a significant part or substantially He said: “The hysterical claims all of the Group to continue as a being made about what will happen “But, the battle is not won,” says if tenants had the simple option to CAMRA’s head of policy and public going concern,” the company pay a market rent are just affairs Jonathan Mail. said. scaremongering and are simply not However, the Punch board said it backed up by evidence.” “CAMRA members need to ensure the government sees through its believes “a consensual restructuring plans for reform and isn’t swayed can be launched in the fourth by disinformation from the quarter of 2013”, despite the discussions taking longer than campaign against pubco reform,” expected. said Jonathan. The deadlock increases the chances of the pubs group defaulting on its Punch debt repayments and going into administration. Faces If this happens, shareholders, Setting the Record Straight – Final KO including hundreds of staff who own shares through the employee Debunking the Myths about share plan, would see their holdings Punch Taverns, Britain’s second Pubco Reform can be found on become worthless, and it could lead largest pub group, has admitted it its website. to a break-up of the company. could be unable to continue trading The website also gives information as a going concern unless an Punch has been in talks for months about which MPs are calling for agreement can be reached with to restructure its crippling £2.4 PubCo reform and are supporting its lenders. billion debt, built up during a the Fair Deal campaign. Punch, which owns 4,100 pubs run lengthy spending spree. The debt is by semi-independent landlords Almost 200 MPs have pledged their tied up in two divisions, Punch A across the country, made the support and you can find out what and Punch B, which between them disclosure as it announced a sharp your local representative has done own one in ten of Britain’s pubs. fall in profits. as part of the campaign. Both divisions would already be in The group revealed it had net debt default were it not for the parent of £2.3bn at August 17 and needs to CAMRA Calls for Action company paying about £2 million ease the terms of two big loans held With the government expected to each month to keep them from against the pub assets of the respond to its consultation on breaking their loan covenants. reform by the end of the year, company to avoid a default. The CAMRA is calling for members to most recent attempt by Punch to cut Under the company’s proposals, contact their MP and ask them to its debt was rejected by lenders some lenders would write down show their support. in June. their debt and others would have to accept later payment by several The campaign is calling The group said that failure to reach years to buy time to turn the for a powerful new code an agreement on the debt pile could company around. and watchdog to ensure result in a default on the two loans, even-handed dealing by allowing lenders to request early A group of bondholders rejected the big pub companies, repayment of all outstanding plans and said the company had to including fair rents, beer borrowings. come up with something better if prices and a free-of-tie beer option. they were to reach agreement.

What They Say About MerseyAle What They Say About MerseyAle Time, then, to celebrate one of our favourite local publications, Part campaigning call to arms, part elegy for pubs on the brink MerseyAle’s excellent periodical aimed at CAMRA members, real (or lost), the magazine can’t be accused of giving short ale lovers, and those with more than a passing passion for our measures. Every issue is topped full of news, interviews, great (and all too often, endangered) ale houses. featured pubs, comment and opinion. Seven Streets magazine and website www.sevenstreets.com Seven Streets magazine and website www.sevenstreets.com

18 19 CAMRA says: “List your Local” MerseyAle news contd

Why? How’s it going? main meals to light bites and CAMRA has revealed that Speaking to London’s The Cross Keys, Earle wraps. Customers at the Lion can 18 pubs closed every Evening Standard, Street, Liverpool City attest to the quality of Sean’s week in the first half of Communities cooking. The menu will develop the year to last March, minister Brandon Centre Reopens as Real further in the light of customer increasing to 26 a week Lewis says Ale outlet comment. during the remaining six Good news is that this business months. We need to stop these closures “CAMRA's campaign district pub on Earle Street off Old particularly when these pubs are vital lifeline to to list your local is On the beer front, initially there Hall Street and opposite the site of will be three real ales taken from the local community. People will lose their jobs doing a fabulous job the former Liverpool Stadium, has Photo Sue Adair and, in the case of licensees who live on premises, raising awareness of the Punch Taverns list, but this may their home as well. our new Community grow as trade builds up, with more with a George Wright brewery beer Right to Bid and I am guest ales a possibility. Currently always on. There are plans for a How? delighted that 100 there is no CAMRA discount, fifth pump to be added soon. This Under the Localism Act 2011, people in England loved locals have now unlike the Lion which continues to pub goes from strength to strength can nominate a pub to be listed as an Asset of been listed as assets offer 10p off a pint of real ale to and has a very enthusiastic Community Value (ACV). Listing your local as an of community value" card showing CAMRA members. landlord who is keen to promote ACV provides a community with the power to earn There is a large upstairs function real ale and cider. time, when faced with a much-loved pub going up Has it worked? room which is available for hire for sale, to explore options for saving it. Moreover, The Grade II-listed Ivy House was the first pub to and some regular bookings have Free Real Cider Tasting by the any property developer who is keen for a stress- be registered as an ACV. Residents formed a already been taken. Branch 8pm The Cricketers St free takeover is more likely to back off when faced campaign group and used the Localism Act to Sky Sports will be available in the Helens Friday 29th November by a petition. lobby Southwark council to help save the pub pub and, unusually for the business after it was bought by a developer who planned to reopened under the management quarter, it will be open Saturdays, Bier Palace on Westfield Street has What then? turn it into a block of flats. It reopened in August of Sean and Mike of the Lion particularly to show sport events. ceased selling real ale for the 1 Look on your local council’s website for their 2013 as a real ale outlet and music venue. Read Tavern. They have taken this immediate future due to restricted The opening hours are: section on ‘Assets of Community Value’ or ‘Right to the article in the London Evening Standard Punch Taverns pub on a three opening hours. Monday to Saturday 11 to 11 Bid’. Download the nomination form. (If your local http://www.standard.co.uk/news/london/ drinkers- month ‘tenant at will’ contract Sundays Closed authority does not have a nomination form at-the-ivy- house-use-law- to-save-their -pub- which allows for extension if the Food Monday to Saturday 12 to 2 available to download, you can use CAMRA’s 8540278.html deal proves viable. They will be and 5 to 7 template nomination form at www.camra.org.uk) continuing to run the Lion as What are we doing here? normal. 2 Nominate the pub as an Unincorporated Group. While the Caledonia was saved by a locals’ petition The Cross Keys was refurbished by St Helens CAMRA News You need 21 local people on the electoral register and other campaigning activities, registering any Punch a few years ago with St Helens CAMRA has a to nominate an asset. Don’t do this in connection of our pubs under threat would allow a stay of contemporary comfortable seating redesigned website www.sthelens with CAMRA as CAMRA is an incorporated body. execution particularly those where PubCos deem and furnishings. A rear courtyard camra.org.uk which is well worth them to be surplus to requirements. Your area and a rooftop terrace were viewing for information on Branch 3 Include as much information as you can think of Committee has discussed this at length and we installed. The pub was popular for events. to support your case for why your local should be have identified a number of community pubs lunchtime food especially with the Next Branch meeting will be 8pm listed as an asset to the community. If you need where such a threat exists. business sector workers. Sean will Wednesday 10th December at the help, go to CAMRA's Community Value Guide. Holt Rainhill - a Punch pub back up What can I do to help? be bringing his considerable skills Market Tavern, St Helens Town as a chef to build a new food Centre for lease. The current licencees 4 Get together your 21 people from the We look to our 1,000+ Branch members to help us reputation for the Cross Keys. He showed little interest in real ale so community in favour of listing the pub as an asset to move the listing process forward. If you think The Cricketers has created a new menu which on Peter Street is hopefully any new management of community value. CAMRA's 21 Nominee form that your local pub is on the PubCos hit list, let us now selling up to four real ales will give it another go. can help. Each name must be registered to vote in know. Better still raise interest among the locals features home cooked food from your local authority and from a different address and aim at listing it. As you can see, it’s not difficult. It could make 5 Submit the completed form to your local all the difference! What They Say About MerseyAle What They Say About MerseyAle council. Yes, the state of the great British boozer is perilous indeed, but And the fact that the issue contains a dig at Cains, while carrying with healthy coverage, and intelligent insight, the pub is Any questions on nominating ACVs please call the Geoff Edwards an ad for them says all we need to know about its editorial fighting back. Government-funded Locality advice line on 0845 Branch Chair policy. We approve. And it’s publications like MerseyAle that are leading the charge. 345 4564 or email CAMRA's Campaigns Team on [email protected] [email protected] Seven Streets magazine and website www.sevenstreets.com Seven Streets magazine and website www.sevenstreets.com

20 21 The Campaign for Real Ale highlight over 35,800 Real Ale pubs across the UK on whatpub.com

whatpub.com is dedicated to helping the public find the best pubs to suit their needs across Britain. Following an extensive two year project undertaken by thousands of CAMRA volunteers, whatpub.com features 47,000 pubs, around 36,000 of which serve real ale – making the site the most definitive online guide to real ale in the UK.

whatpub.com offers over thirty different search fields ranging from dog friendly pubs to those that offer newspapers or live music, making the results customizable to each person’s individual preferences. It has been designed to automatically optimise for use X on laptops, tablets and mobile devices, Another key feature is that of Liverpool CAMRA Better the 35,800 real ale pubs featured, around 22,000 have details of the real Toilets Campaign ales being served – taking the guess work out of a visit for real ale The Liverpool CAMRA Better lovers. Toilets Campaign continues to press for improvements to the A full entry offers a description and pictures of the pub, the address, facilities and cleanliness of pub opening hours, who owns it, lists the regular real ales they stock, toilets – see MerseyAle Spring states whether the pub offers guest beers, highlights the pubs main 2013 page 35. features e.g. availability of food, gives a map of where the pub can be Comments are coming in from located, sat nav reference, OS reference and highlights the local readers about pub toilets both transport available good and not so good. Please email your pub whapub.com also allows CAMRA members to score the quality of the nominations and comments to real ales served in the pub which helps CAMRA select entries for a [email protected] number of local and national publications.

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22 23 BBrreewweerr yynneewwss

the plan and that, “Things like the supermarket and the hotel are in Held at the SIBA North West Beer phase one and two. They are the Festival at Hawkshead Brewery in key drivers (of the project).” Staveley, Cumbria, the contest He explained he had decided not to judged more than 40 entries for the Handing Over the rush into having Cains beers standard bitters class (less than 4% Wapping Brewery brewed on contract at another abv strength) from some of the brewery, preferring to wait for the region’s top breweries. The beer Baton was launched only in January this At Wapping Brewery Stan Shaw is year and combines American preparing to hand over his brewer’s Columbus and Summit hops for baton to his new protégée Angus ‘pungent aromas of grapefruit and Morrison when Stan retires in orange with fruity hop flavours and April 2014. Stan has been training good bitterness’. It will now be Angus in brewing techniques and judged at the SIBA National Beer Angus has already done some test Competition in Sheffield next brews. Angus is a CAMRA member March. and has a strong interest in all aspects of food and drink, Celebrating the win, managing especially beer and malt whisky. micro brewery to be set up, director Steve Briscoe said; For several years he has been although he did not rule out a maitre’d at Delifonseca Stanley contract deal entirely. “We are especially delighted to Street, where he greatly improved No doubt the delegates at the win with a beer that is less than the bottled beer range. International Business Festival are a year old. The standard bitters MerseyAle will do a feature on this looking forward to the Brothers’ landmark change at Liverpool’s presentation of their business class is the most fiercely fought only brew pub brewery in the next model and track record over the last with beers from many top award edition. three years at Cains. winning brewers such as Cumbria’s own Coniston and Cains Lodge Planning Peerless Brewery Hawkshead. In fact Peerless Application for £50 million Birkenhead Win Gold at Pale was inspired by Brewery Village SIBA for Peerless Gold Hawkshead’s Windermere Pale, In September Cains lodged the Peerless Pale (3.8%abv) from a brew which we much admire, anticipated planning application Peerless Brewing Company was with Liverpool City Council for the hailed as the Champion Standard so we are particularly pleased to proposed £50 million Brewery Bitter for the region with a gold win in Cumbria.” Village scheme. The application award at the SIBA (Society of can be viewed on line at Independent Brewers) North West liverpool.gov.uk Region Beer Competition – a In the Liverpool Post 15th August, Sudarghara Dusanj Cains Managing Director said; Brightside Brewery from Radcliffe “we’re planning to have the in Bury won the top award. The (proposed micro) brewery up and brewery’s Amarillo American Style brewing beer in time for next year’s Single Hop IPA was judged Overall International Festival of Business Championship Beer and took Gold (happening June and July 2014). in the Strong Bitters category. The That’s the goal.” beer is described as a full flavoured The micro is intended to be sited in and hoppy amber beer, with notes an existing warehouse on the Cains of citrus and fresh spice. It came site, an area which under the top of the 15 categories and beat off planning application is zoned for leading beer industry contest. The competition from almost 200 other housing development in phase triumph comes just in time to beers which were entered into the three of the plan. Sudarghara celebrate the fourth birthday of the competition. explained this was the final phase of fast growing Pool Street brewery.

24 25 CASK REPORT 2014 Samples Work Cask continues to grow its share of all beer with a 16% share of all Campaigns to get people to on-trade beer. sample cask beer for the first time seem to be working as the • A major appeal of cask to both report finds one in five real ale Wonderful early 19th Century drinkers and publicans is its drinkers tried it for the first time variety. The optimal cask range is Public House with in the last four years – proving a mix of style, colour, ABV, cask is attracting new drinkers. familiarity and provenance, and Handpumps should be rotated on an on-going 6 Cask Report Summary Serving a varying range basis. But consumers want guest Cask Report 2014 • In 2012 cask ale outperformed ales to stay on the bar for longer of Real Ales Plus a Real Cider the total beer market by 6.8%. shows real ale is on than licensees currently keep REGULAR ALE THWAITES Cask declined marginally by 1.1%, them, and want a core of familiar the up and is the versus a total beer market decline brands as well as new and “HUNDRED BEST of 7.9%, and the long-term trend different beers. Saviour of the remains one of steady PUBS in the COUNTRY” improvement. Cask grew in value 0151 709 4171 British Pub by 3%. 12-11.30 midnight Fri & Sat 2010 2011 Daily Telegraph Real Ale, called cask ale in the report, continues to grow in • Cask ale continues to grow in Have a drink in John Lennon’s Old Watering Hole importance for pubs, according awareness and interest – more to a new report The Cask Report pubs are stocking more cask ales by award winning beer writer on the bar. 57% of pubs now Pete Brown. In 2012, real ale stock cask - up from 53% in 2009 - outperformed the total beer stocking an average 3.8 different market by 6.8 per cent brands. Pete Brown

And consumer awareness and • The growth in range is helped • Larger regional breweries are interest in cask beer is continuing by the 184 new breweries that increasingly launching their own to grow as more pubs stock it (up have opened in the last year. ‘craft’ or ‘micro’ operations and from 53 per cent in 2009 to 57 per new craft breweries are opening cent last year), with most stocking • Cask ale plays a major part in nationwide at the rate of three a on average four brands, says the keeping pubs open. Cask ale week. report which is funded by a pubs see better results across the consortium of brewers, pub whole beer range, and cask • 33% of cask ale pubs - around operators and CAMRA. drinkers are far more likely to 10,000 pubs in total - have run a visit the pub, far less likely to say beer festival in the last year - a Moreover, cask ale is they are doing so less often. major source of trial for new playing a major part in drinkers. • Cask ale has outgrown its keeping pubs open. traditional base and is now a • Increasingly, Indeed, pubs are increasingly drink for men and women of all cask ale reliant on cask, rather than keg, ages. Most cask ale publicans publicans sales as its share of the total believe cask is bringing more cannot draught ale market increased to women and younger drinkers imagine a 55 per cent. into their pubs. One in five cask future for ale drinkers tried it for the first pubs without And cask ale should no longer be time in the last four years - cask. It’s an regarded as solely a drink for proving cask is attracting new essential part men, as it is now for both sexes drinkers. of any quality of all ages says Brown, with real pub’s product ale fans far more likely to visit the • Cask’s ale’s share of total mix. pub than other drinkers. draught ale has increased to 55%.

26 26 2727 sales, whereas pubs Wetherspoons they receive all of and restaurants pay 20 those things and they are eligible Liverpool CAMRA Award for the per cent. for free shares and bonuses. Liverpool Wetherspoon Pubs This tax break for “In a trade like pubs it would supermarkets enables probably push up the price of a Liverpool and District CAMRA Branch them to subsidise the pint if there was regulation... A awarded Wetherspoon’s its award for ‘best price of their alcoholic third of the price of a pint is in facilities and pub experience’ for 2013. drink sales – which wages now compared with 5% in a they have done to great supermarket. Most people will get Nathan McGovern (left), pub manager at effect. the hours they want in reality.” The Childwall Fiveways Hotel, in Wavertree, is pictured collecting the certificate on behalf of the From the time of the Greene King is another major pub Liverpool outlets. doubling of VAT to 15 per cent operator which makes extensive The photo of the presentation appeared prominently Nathan said: “I had the pleasure of collecting the in Wetherspoon News JD Wetherspoon (over 30 years ago), pubs have lost use of zero hours contracts. award, for all Wetherspoon pubs in the Liverpool about half of their beer sales to See MerseyAle Summer 2013. area. It is based on all aspects of a pub visit, from the supermarkets. In the last 10 years, quality of real ale and friendliness of the staff to the Wetherspoon Liverpool City Centre Unfair VAT 10,000 pubs have closed down – The chief executive of pubs cleanliness of the toilets. It is the first time that Pubs Drop 20 pence CAMRA Discount about 15 per cent of the total. group JD Wetherspoon, John Wetherspoon has been recognised by the CAMRA The Liverpool City Centre Wetherspoon pubs have Campaign No one has argued that the Hutson, has landed a near 30% committee members, so well done to all.” dropped the 20 pence per pint discount for card supermarkets’ VAT advantage is hike in his pay and bonus Geoff Edwards (right), Branch Chair of Liverpool and showing CAMRA members. The one exception is the fair. This absence of counter District CAMRA, said: “We are currently running a Richard Blackler which at the beginning of November package to £1.1 million was still offering the discount. argument indicates to me, at least, campaign to improve pub facilities, especially toilets which, in many of our more traditional pubs, are All the pubs continue to accept the 50p CAMRA that we’ve won the ‘intellectual’ He saw his total pay and shares vouchers. sadly in need of some tender loving care”. debate. It seems to be agreed that swell through a £95,000 cash Some may say dropping the 20p CAMRA discount is a the situation is unfair, but it’s bonus, as well as £109,000 worth of “Wetherspoon, on the other hand, always appears to curious way to mark the award to the Liverpool going to require a lot of effort by shares under a long-term give equal emphasis to what others might see as Wetherspoon pubs by Liverpool CAMRA of the Award the government and others to get incentive scheme and a £358,000 peripherals, ie things other than beer quality, for for Best Pub Experience. Perhaps the Wetherspoon example competitively priced food and other hot and their mind around the problems share windfall in deferred Area Manager for Liverpool would like to comment cold beverages.” in MerseyAle. and to find a solution.” payments from a 2005 plan.

Jacques Borel VAT campaigner with Tim Wetherspoon Chairman The group’s annual report Martin photo Peach Report Defends Zero Hours Contracts revealed that on top of a 2.5% rise in annual salary, executive Day of Action: VAT Tax The chairman of pubs group JD Wetherspoon, Tim Martin, has directors also received 16.5% of Parity Day defended the group’s use of their pay as a bonus after Tim Martin Chairman and founder controversial zero-hours underlying pre-tax profits leapt of JD Wetherspoon made an contracts, claiming that increased 6.3% to a record £76.9 million in impassioned case for Parity in VAT regulation would put up the price the year to July 28th 2013. between pubs and supermarkets of a pint. Another 5% of salary was paid to and restaurants in Wetherspoon Wetherspoon has around 24,000 executive directors as an extra News. He wrote; staff employed on zero hours bonus for making pub visits each contracts across its pubs. month. “A large group of family brewers, Zero Hours means that employees including Fuller’s, Shepherd are only paid for hours worked. Wetherspoon is paying out £28.6 Neame, St Austell and others, has They have been in the national million in free shares and bonuses combined with Wetherspoon, spotlight with the revelation that after record results. Of this Heineken and Pizza Hut to protest an estimated over one million around 83%, or £23.7 million, is about the preferential tax workers are on zero hours paid to pub staff, with pub treatment which supermarkets contracts. They have become a managers taking just over half and enjoy, over pubs and restaurants. political issue Labour has pledged the remainder split between the a crackdown on their use. 24,000 staff on zero-hours The recent Tax Parity Day involved Tim Martin said: “(Zero-hours contracts. thousands of pubs and contracts) have been less of an restaurants reducing their prices issue in pubs than in the political Tim Martin, who has a 26.5% for a day, to highlight this sphere. It started off with people stake in the company he disparity. on flexible contracts who were founded, saw his annual salary The key issue is that supermarkets not getting holiday pay, sick remain static at £324,000. pay no VAT in respect of food pay, maternity pay, but at

28 29 Beer Festivals MerseyAle November – American BF 25th Nov - 1st Dec the magazine that Reaches the December - Xmas Ales Parts that Others Don’t Reach! 11th - 15th Many CAMRA branches circulate a LIVERPOOL’S PREMIER FREEHOUSE theshipandmitre.com Angela Aspin proportion of their magazines IOM Branch on Tour outside their branch area in order EVER CHANGING REAL ALES + DRAUGHT CIDERS to promote the home area and its pubs, and MerseyAle is no 15 The Ship and Mitre has the largest selection of Belgian and German Draught and Bottled Beers in Liverpool exception. However for some years now, in addition to taking copies to every real ale pub on the Quality Pub Food Isle of Man (over eighty pubs), the cooked to order including Gourmet Burgers, Wraps, Scouse, ‘IOM Away Team’ has also taken Tapas style dishes food served from 12-9 daily copies ‘across’ to key festivals and It’s a pleasing aside to note that log onto www.thegalleyliverpool.co.uk follow us on facebook venues. In 2011 the ‘Away Team’ since 1988 just a solitary one of (the galley) & twitter @the_galley decided to go the extra mile to the 24 national winners had closed, further promote MerseyAle, Merseyside and the Isle of Man across the British Isles, by taking Monday Darts - Wednesday Scouse on the House (from 6pm) Thursday - Quiz Night copies to the sixteen finalists in the CAMRA National Pub of the Year Art Deco ‘Higher Room’ for hire Holds up to 55 people Catering available competition and to the twenty four National Winners of the Pub of the Ship & Mitre133 DALE STREET Tel: 0151 236 0859 Year Award since its inception.

Delivering MerseyAle to the 24 National Pub of the Year Winners namely The Rising Sun at Tipton, West Midlands (1999 winner). The In October 2012 MerseyAle copies Also featured is The Flowerpot, 1988 winner The Boars Head , in were hand delivered to all the Maidstone, with current Isle of Kinmuck, Grampian had recently twenty four National Pub of the Man CAMRA Chairman Martyn switched from hand pumps to Year winners. Pictured are the Anderson and Branch Contact bottled beer, but aside from that at Tom Cobley , in Spreyton, Devon Angela Aspin outside the pub. time of the visits, the remainder all (2006 winner) and The Old Spot Martyn is originally from Kent and Two Shops: The City Centre and West Kirby appeared to be thriving in terms of Inn (2007 winner) in Dursley, was very much on home turf at real ale provision - not bad after a the time. Over 400 products and growing quarter of a century in the case of What was clear from these visits some winners, such as The Cap (all done within ten days and 2000 OPEN SUNDAYS Large selection of ciders and Feathers (1989), located right miles!), is that the CAMRA Pub of Home delivery within 5 out in Tillingham close to the Essex The Year scheme is definitely mile radius 12-8pm Changing range of British, Belgian, German, marshes. working, with all sixteen finalists Delivering MerseyAle to the being instantly recognisable on USA and other World Beers walking through the door as being Always new arrivals. We welcome suggestions 16 National Pub of the Year of a superb standard. Finalists – We Can Walk 10% for beers to stock 2000 Miles Delivering Remotest Discount City Centre 45A Whitechapel L1 6DT In October 2011, all sixteen finalists MerseyAle Not content with the country’s top Opening hours; 10 to 6pm Monday to Saturday. Sundays 11 to 5pm Gloucestershire, as well as the 1993 in the Pub of The Year competition for CAMRA winner The Three Kings at Hanley were visited and supplied with pubs, samples of MerseyAle have and GRANGE RD WEST KIRBY (opp station) Castle (joint winner with The copies of Mersey Ale. The Front in reached some of the remotest MEMBERS Fisherman’s Tavern , Broughty Falmouth (pictured) reached the places in The British Isles. please show card 10-8pm Monday - Saturday, 12-6pm Sun Ferry, North of Dundee). final four of the competition. As well as St Michaels Mount F

30 31 unique Burgh Island sea tractor, as none connect up to the rest of the pictured. Pleasingly The Pilchard U.K. As a result the pub is only Inn stocks a choice of cask ale. accessible via a sixteen mile hike over the hills or by the weather In 2007 a visit delivering dependent fishing boat from MerseyAle was made to The Cross Mallaig, a forty five minute voyage. Inn just south of the Butt of Lewis Again a good choice of cask ale was lighthouse on the outer Hebredian available on our arrival after a island of Lewis. We believe that at spectacularly scenic boat journey, the time this was the most North accompanied with excellent Westerly cask ale pub in the U.K. lunchtime food (venison near Penzance, (sadly no cask ale recommended). on island at time of visit). MerseyAle has also been delivered to The Old Forge , recognised as the Real Ale Can Succeed in the MerseyAle has reached the famous most remote pub on mainland Remotest Places Pilchard Inn (est. 1336) on Burgh Britain. The Old Forge is on the Island, (south east of Plymouth). What is crystal clear from all these peninsula of Knoydart on visits to remote areas is that The island is accessible during high Scotland’s West coast. Although tide only via the incredible and whatever the difficulties, if there the area has several miles of road, are sufficient customers to drink it, cask can invariably be stocked and maintained. Visits also to the tidal Lindisfarne and the Irish Sea’s Piel Island, (south of Barrow, and only accessible via dangerous mud flats at low tide or by boat), have also confirmed that fizzy pasteurised keg and smooth flow need not be the order of the day, with examples aplenty of successful real ale in the remotest locations as shown above.

MerseyAle attracted favourable comments wherever we went, with the locals and licensees impressed by the magazine and at the effort made to reach the remoter parts that other magazines cannot reach!

Dave Halliwell and Angela Aspin CAMRA Members Discounts CAMRA Members can obtain discounts on real ale at a large number of pubs (not just Wetherspoons). This makes Joining CAMRA even better value. The CAMRA website www.camra.org.uk is revamping the pages on Members Discounts which will list all the pubs and other organisations offering discounts and how much they are. Whilst waiting for the website to show them, we can report the following new discounts for Members. Ship in a Bottle shops at Liverpool Whitechapel and West Kirby Grange Road Wirral offer a 10% discount for card showing CAMRA members. Over 400 different beers and ciders. Ma Egertons pub Lord Nelson Street opposite Lime Street Station and behind the Empire Theatre, gives a 10% discount on real ale for card showing CAMRA members.

32 33 It’s that time of the year again and voting for the 2014 conducted along national guidelines, as follows: Pub of the Year is now open. In a change from previous years, voting will be on-line only, via the website: Quality of Beer/Cider/Perry Marks out of 30 http://www.liverpoolcamra.org.uk/index. Atmosphere/Style/Décor Marks out of 20 php/awards/poty-2014, and as usual you must be a Service/Welcome Marks out of 20 member of the Liverpool and Districts CAMRA branch Clientele Mix Marks out of 20 to vote. The closing date for voting is 31st January Sympathy with CAMRA Aims Marks out of 20 2014; this is to give ample time for the judging process. Good Value Marks out of 20 Members are invited to vote for their favourite city centre pub AND their favourite suburban pub , but you do not have to vote for both, you may vote for a city The results of the competition will be announced at centre pub and leave the suburban box blank or vice the March Get Together. There will be one Pub of the versa. This is the means by which we select the pubs Year winner. that go forward for judging our pub of the year. Finally, I would like to make it clear that I compile the We define city centre pubs as those on the main body results and therefore do not get involved in the judging of the CAMRA Liverpool pub map, which can also be found on the website, along with a list of the suburbs process. Intimidation of any member of the Liverpool contained within our branch. and Districts CAMRA committee regarding this, or any other matter, will not be tolerated. Action will be As with last year the 3 city centre pubs and the taken against licensees or members who initiate any 2 suburban pubs that get the most votes will go forward form of intimidation (including via for judging. This process has been devised to recognise social media). the fact that there are so many good pubs in our branch Any comments or queries regarding area, and is a means of fairly reflecting this in the the competition should be raised The voting system. either at a Get Together or a Committee Meeting . Each pub will then be visited twice by a panel of judges Globe chosen by the committee. The judging process will be Sonia James-Henry Scan for POTY website The Globe is a small, very cosy traditional two roomed local Liverpool CAMRA NEW Contact details opposite Central Station and close to main shopping area. Read MerseyAle Online It is a very lively pub and is popular with both locals and campaigns You can read and download the visitors alike. Watch out for the sloping floor! chair wwwfacebook.com current edition and back copies cider Opening times 11am (10am Sat) -11pm . /CAMRAliverpool contact to 2006 Catch up on the stories Sunday 12-10.30 facilities you may have missed! Telephone 0151 707 0067 locale www.liverpoolcamra.org.uk Liverpool CAMRA CAMRA Merseyside’s membership @liverpoolcamra.org.uk inaugural meeting took publicaffairs MerseyAle place here 40 years ago in 1974 pubs [email protected] social [email protected] survey Beer Festival webmaster whatpub [email protected] youngpersons @LiverpoolCAMRA [email protected] MerseyAle 5 [email protected] Handpumps 17 CASES STREET L11HW 34 35 source’. Their Far Out Stout (7.4%), only did they supply us with a for 5 hours. We still managed ‘one a whisky cask aged stout, was also wide choice of beers and cider, for the train’ though – at another very popular. but they really had made the most GBG listed pub, the Hops, in a on a offbeat of the outdoor space with bright quiet area of the town – also well Lazing There were 25-30 beers in all, red gazebos and colourful flags, worth a visit. some served by hand pump, and chairs and tables of different others on gravity, with 10 sizes to accommodate different See their website www.offbeat SunnyAfternoon brewed by Offbeat and a range numbers. Excellent ‘hot dogs’ brewery.com for more infor- of guests sourced from featuring good bread and a range mation about the brewery and the Visit to the ‘Firsty of us, including our Chair other microbreweries including of locally sourced and very tasty beers, and the Friday evening Geoff Edwards, happily Peerless Storr, Pied Bull sausages were available and very open events and, let’s hope, there Friday’ Fest at Offbeat took up. Changeabull, Waen Blackberry substantial – just what was needed will be another weekend festival Brewery in Crewe. Michelle and her team Stout, Quantum Brewery Pacific to soak up the beer! And there next year – we’ll be there! Gem IPA, Titanic Plum Porter and was lively music too with Oli Ng Jean Pownceby It has been a good year for Hopcraft Mosaic Pale (a personal and the Remer Street band. meeting brewsters – women who favourite!) among others so a So, all in all, a most pleasant, brew real ale. At the Lion in April, variety of tastes catered for. There leisurely afternoon in hot was also some local cider from sunshine with plenty of fun and Nook’s Yard , Nantwich, Cheshire. laughter. I have to agree with you, Carol! “I never thought I could have such Happy Firsty a good time sitting outside a unit Friday people As the afternoon drifted into early on an industrial estate with trains evening we decided, regretfully, it is only a few yards from the thundering past just yards away!” was time to make a move, brewery! But it was well worth said Carol, one of our newer although the event was going on Michelle the detour. It is a split level pub women members. till late and evening punters were with a beer garden but, despite It is very much to the credit of have been running open nights at arriving. But we had been there the temptation of the latter, we Michelle and her team that, not the brewery on the first Friday of settled for the attractions of the Tara Mallinson and Elaine Youdell the month for some time (which is top inside area where the bar has from Mallinsons brewery in where the ‘Firsty Friday’ name nine hand pumps serving beers Huddersfield enthused a packed comes from) but this was their from mainly microbreweries. house of women real ale drinkers first whole weekend event and it Dark Star American Pale Ale was with their lively talk and beer took place from Friday 2nd to the favourite for most of us but and tasting (see MerseyAle Spring Sunday 4th August. Our visit was Women one of our party went for an edition) and in July there was a on the Saturday and it was a lovely Abbeydale beer and another for a women’s coach trip to Wilson summer day. . dark beer called Medieval Potter brewery near Manchester Broadsword . The Borough is a real Real Ale where a splendid afternoon was Crewe being at the centre of the conversation pub and certainly railway universe meant that it was CAMRA statistics show that the number of one warranting a longer visit, very easy to get there. There is a but we had a brewery women enjoying real ale is on the rise, with half hourly London Midland to find! women now accounting for 22% of CAMRA’s service from Liverpool Lime Street and then a 10-15 minute walk to 150,000 membership – a growth of 20,000 in the This proved very simple in view last decade alone. the brewery. The route we took of its unexpected proximity to was via a very pleasant tree-lined the pub. main road and involved a ‘detour’ Plus the amount of women trying real ale is Despite being clearly very busy, also up, from 14% to 34% in the last three Amanda Seddon Michelle took the time to make us years, showing that wider availability and specially welcome. We had first spent enjoying beers brewed by variety of beers is having a positive effect on met her when she also came to the number of women giving real ale a go in Kathryn Harrison and Amanda provide us with a Liverpool Seddon (see MerseyAle summer CAMRA Snowball Campaign beer the pub. edition). Both these events were tasting women’s night at the Lion organised specially for women by Tavern two years ago and we have The Liverpool CAMRA Snowballs Campaign the Liverpool CAMRA ‘Snowball’ been ‘fans’ of her beers ever since. aims to attract new people to real ale especially team, but the Offbeat Brewery It was great to be able to drink the event was an open invite from women and young people. For details email likes of Kooky Gold, Outlandish [email protected] Director and Brewster, Michelle into the GBG listed Borough Arms Pale and Out of Step IPA ‘at Kelsall to all, and one which a few which, we discovered on leaving

36 37 Making the Most of Society for Preservation of Beers in the Wood (S.P.B.W.). This is a small Now it’s Five ! Points of Difference but enthusiastic organisation with Rob is an owner with a very clear several hundred members. This year Hooded Ram - the Fifth vision of the approach he wants to it is celebrating their fiftieth year Isle of Man Brewery take, and undoubtedly from the anniversary and the history of the outset there will be a clear point of Society is featured in the November Starts Production difference in comparison to other on edition of CAMRA’s ‘What’s Island brewers. Brewing’ newspaper. Rob intends to produce a large number of differing ales of various Brewery Preview On being invited to a preview of the new brewery, it was abundantly clear that Rob is ideally suited to the approach taken. He exudes huge enthusiasm for the beers, styles and the brewing process itself, all of which will serve him well in the new venture. Especially so in enhancing the customer experience when A brand new brewery named the styles. He intends to target off sales visiting the brewery and Hooded Ram Brewing Company, as well as pubs. A point of difference encouraging them to appreciate (and started production in late October is Rob’s intention to license the purchase!), the differing beer styles. 2013. Based on the small Hills brewery for drinking and sales on Some of the logos and signage for Meadow industrial estate off the the premise. By locating in Douglas, the brewery are yet to be produced; Peel Road between central Douglas the main population centre, the aim however a classic and traditional is to encourage customers to visit the style is to be adopted which looks brewery to sample ales and purchase excellent in the early drafts. bottled supplies for home consumption. The frequently The Hooded Ram Beers changing beer styles are seen as a Initially several means of encouraging repeat visits. beers were made There are also plans to have a including; customer loyalty club for those with Sovereign Ram special interest in the beers. A small (4.1% ABV) is hand bottling plant has arrived, and described as a well- four pint flagons will be also balanced single hop available. The brewery will in some pale ale. and the famous Quarterbridge ways mirror the small artisan Rams Head Bitter (3.7%ABV) was Hotel, the owner is Robert Storey brewing approach of the new wave the first session beer packing plenty and the brewery has been his of United States brewers. of flavour for the strength. Red Ram brainchild and ambition, having Another point of difference is that (ABV 4.3%) had a hoppy finish. worked previously in a quite Rob intends to age some of his beers Little King Louis IPA at (6%ABV) separate industry. This opening in wooden casks, was the strongest ale. Numerous makes it two new Island breweries especially stouts seasoned drinkers already report in just eighteen months, with the and porters. He being taken by surprise at the Jurby based Doghouse Brewery has purchased a underlying strength of this ale! having opened in September 2012. number of wooden It is early days with the new In terms of size the Hooded Ram barrels from the brewery, but MerseyAle would like brewery is by 50% the smallest Speyside to wish Rob well, and early reports microbrewery on Island with a 2.5 Cooperage and from a significant number of barrel capacity alongside two next summer he hopes also to knowledgeable cask ale fans indicate fermenters. This compares to The purchase some new oak barrels for an impressive first series of brews. Old Laxey Brewing Company similar purposes. This news has Look out for information as to when (Bosuns Bitter) which has a five already attracted attention from you will be able to enjoy a pint at the barrel capacity. people in the U.K., not least the new brewery. 39 An Unusual Venture - is reported he had to be discharged Bushys Oyster Stout (4.2% ABV). from the force in October 1876 for The Bramble is particularly popular Nectar Supplies and being drunk whilst on duty. because of its subtle blackberry Copper Dragon Link Up to In these PC times, Bushys cheekily flavours, with just produced a politically correct beer a hint of fruit, Produce New Island Beer coming in at a responsible 3% ABV, compared to many Castle Rushen which was aptly copper coloured. similar types of For U.K. readers one of the great ale where the Nectar Supplies, an Island based facets of IOM life is an ability not to fruit content and company which brings in cask ales take matters too seriously, and one flavours simply and sells to Island free houses, has could easily see the name of this overpowers the teamed up with Skipton based anniversary ale being kyboshed by palate. Bushys Oyster Stout was some committee in the ministry in available in late October, in which more serious parts of The British fresh oysters are used late in the boil Isles, due to the nature of Mr Brew’s stage of brewing. The brew is still demise! Perhaps he should have very much alive and well, despite stuck with his own 3% beer! some historic internet reports Two more serious points are persisting, claiming ‘the beer is however raised here. Firstly the retired, no longer brewed’. brew was reportedly selling well and was certainly on good form in The Heron & Brearley News Rovers Return , Douglas. Proceeds Douglas Hotel and former of 10 pence per pint are being Clarendon - H&B Site Work Copper Dragon brewery to produce donated to charity. Progresses a new ale for the Isle of Man. The Secondly, many On Douglas quayside work new brew is Castle Rushen will be aware of continues on the former Douglas 4.1%ABV, a lively session bitter, and the beer tax duty Hotel and the Clarendon with a it is reported that the beer is to be being lowered huge Okells poster appearing made available on Island on a for brews of 2.8% alongside the scaffolding. permanent basis. The new brew is or lower in reportedly going to be brought onto strength to the island on a permanent basis, stimulate although this is yet to be confirmed. responsible This lively session beer was initially drinking. There to be found in the south of the Island are many within the industry that at The Albert in Port St. Mary with feel this is just a tad too low, as it can its lovely views across the harbour, be difficult at low strengths to and The Sidings , Castletown, a produce flavoursome ales. Whilst recent IOM Pub of the year winner. there is definitely a market for low Both are excellent pubs well worth strength beers, many feel that even a visiting. For UK readers Castle percentage difference of as little as Rushen takes its name from 0.4% more in ABV terms could Castletown’s superbly preserved considerably stimulate the low medieval fortress (c.1275), which strength market, giving brewers was the home of the Lords of Mann slightly more leeway in terms of ease and dominates the centre of what of technical production of H&B Pub Festivals was then the Capital of the Island. flavoursome ales with an economic Following a spate of recent pub shelf life. In general lower strength refurbishments on Island the Bushys New Beer is PC ales have a lower shelf life than the company is without doubt in Every Respect! stronger ales. continuing to focus on promoting its own beer range. A large number of Never far from a new and Bushys Much Sought H&B pubs stock several Okells innovatively named brew, the ideas After Seasonals Take beers at any one time, a departure just keep on coming from this from the policy two or three years unique Island brewery, Bushys the Stage ago. Whilst many feel there has been inimitable style has once again come Two of Bushys most some drop off in the number of to the fore with another new popular and eagerly regular guest ales available in the commemorative brew celebrating anticipated H&B estate, this is balanced by a the 150th anniversary of the Isle of seasonal/occasional dramatic increase in the number of Man police . PC Brew is reportedly ales have also been available recently, mini-beer festivals and promotions named after Thomas Brew, a for such guest ales on Island. There permanent constable in the late namely Bramble at 4.4% ABV, and were festivals throughout the 1800’s. Unfortunately for Mr Brew, it summer in the Heron and Brearley 40 41 F pubs on the quayside in Douglas, the sixth oldest brewer in the also during Cask Ale week in April festival, alongside well known and the Great British Beer Festival in luminaries such as Thwaites, and August. Each event had promotional Shepherd Neame . material listing the guests together with tasting notes and the pub CAMRA West Pennines locations. Furthermore they are now being advertised well in advance of Regional Pub of the the festivals. Year Award UK Marketing The Swan with Two Necks in Pendleton Lancashire was recently Okells marketing in the U.K. awarded the CAMRA West continues apace. Building its Pennines Regional Pub of the Year market in the UK has to be the key to Christine and Stephen Dilworth of the Award and now joins the sixteen medium term success in a Swan with finalists for the CAMRA National competitive market for a brewer of Angela Aspin Centre Pub of the Year with the winner to Okells pedigree. The Wetherspoons be announced in February. The Isle pub chain once again featured an of Man is included in the West Okells beer, on this occasion Okells Pennine region. The IOM Pub of the Jjarg , in its October beer festival, Year, was the Whitehouse in Peel. giving the Okells name national prominence. Okells marketing Dave Halliwell heavily promotes tradition. In the MerseyAle IOM Correspondent Wetherpoons festival it was listed as

Were YOU Involved with Liverpool CAMRA in the 70s? Liverpool CAMRA would like to re- connect with people who were involved in the early days of Merseyside Branch, in particular anyone Liverpool CAMRA 40th who was present at the inaugural Anniversary 2014 meeting in the Liverpool CAMRA Branch will be Globe in Cases celebrating the 40th Anniversary of its Street on 18th founding with a series of events through January 1974 – 2014. What began in 1974 with 30 plus including those people crammed into the back room of from Chester Branch who came across to the cosy Globe in Cases Street, has now inspire us and lead the way to the starting of grown over the 40 years to be the most the Branch. effective consumer organisation in Europe We would love to hear from you and to share with a national membership of over 150,000. your memories and any early memorabilia. If you were there on that night or in those early Look out for major coverage in the next years and are happy to get in touch, please do edition of MerseyAle and details of so by emailing Jean at: Anniversary events. [email protected]

42 43 Shared Space - The British Pub People who cherish books tend to buy the flesh and blood version in a bookshop. As Anthony Powell entitled one of his novels, “Books Do Furnish a Room.” Or to quote Cicero, “a room without books is like a body without a soul.” And so it is with pubs. Our pubs “furnish a community”. And to paraphrase Cicero, “a community without a pub is a place without a soul.” If you want the British Pub to survive then make sure you visit one soon and enjoy a pint of real ale. To help you seek out our real ale pubs look out for a free copy of Scanning the Metro free the process arranging their affairs the Liverpool CAMRA Real Ale newspaper on a train journey so as to pay extremely small into Liverpool an article amounts of tax. For the pub it is entitled Shared Space caught the supermarkets selling alcohol at the eye. loss leader prices to attract The writer was Kate Mosse, author customers into the store. of the Languedoc Trilogy which includes the best seller Labyrinth. In the 1960s and 70s CAMRA’s Her subject was independent greatest challenge was the very bookshops and their importance to survival of real ale as breweries community and cultural life and closed in the face of the “Red her theme was “bookshops are Revolution” of keg beers sweeping Pubs Map featuring 125 pubs about shared space – children the land. Now in the Twenty First in the City Centre and the don’t sit together cross legged on century the challenge is the suburbs or download it from the internet.” She added, “having survival of the British pub with www.liverpoolcamra.org.uk bookshops on high streets in the twenty six pubs closing every middle of communities is a week – see the Changing Face of John Armstrong reminder that books really matter.” the British Pub page 49. There is a striking parallel with what Kate says about bookshops and the role of the British pub. In a pub you are in “shared space”, not drinking alone at home in front of a 40 inch plasma screen TV. You are not alone searching the internet on your computer. Rather you are in a shared community space in the one venue where you can enjoy cask conditioned real ale.

The parallels between pubs and bookshops do not stop there. Both are victims of predatory pricing. For the bookshop it is the internet and supermarkets heavily discounting best sellers, and in the Photo Alexandre Duret Lutz case of companies like Amazon in

44 45 Welcome to the www.vernonarms.co.uk CAMRA National Verno nAr ms Winter Ales Festival Cheers from Jimmy and Barbara Monaghan Moves From The Vernon Arms, Dale Street, Liverpool The new festival takes the same slot in the January calendar (22nd - 25th January) and is shaping up to be Manchester to Derby Manchester's biggest and best ever beer festival. Handpumps (4 Ever-changing) National Winter Ales Festival 2014 The biggest coup for the organisers was securing the 6 Wednesday 19th - Saturday 22nd February 2014 amazing setting of Manchester Velodrome for the Regulars: Rev James & Johnnie Handsome The Roundhouse, Derby, DE24 8JE event - not the adjacent café used for the small warm (opposite rear of Derby Railway Station across the road up event in August - the actual Velodrome itself. As a I Guest Ciders I Big screen football from the Pride Park exit of station) building, it's simply stunning to stand inside that track I Belgian bottled beers I Private functions 2014 sees CAMRA’s National Winter Ales Festival move and marvel at the scale of the place - and that's without I from Manchester to Derby. The venue is historic as any beer in it. Food Mon-Thurs 12- catered (Lathom Lounge) Derby’s Roundhouse is the world’s first and oldest Set on the floor inside that steeply banked track will be 7pm, Fri- Sun 12-4pm I 10% student discount surviving railway the largest range of beers and ciders ever offered in Manchester. There will be well over 300 cask Check out Great Meal Deals off food menu roundhouse engine shed. It conditioned craft beers alongside a bar full of real ale was originally in a bottle to drink in or take away. Every beer that is The Vernon Arms offers all of the above in a friendly and safe atmosphere plus: developed in 1839 ready for sale will be available from the first session by four rival rail until it is sold. The cider and perry bar is expected to Live entertainment Friday and Saturday companies, offer at least 75 different ciders and perries . including North The 'Bière sans Frontières' bar will be importing the very best beers brewed for Germany's Oktoberfest Opening Times Mon-Thurs 11-11.30pm; Fri & Sat 11.30-2am depending on Midland Railway alongside Belgian, Dutch, Czech and American customer demand; Sun 12-11pm Tel: 0151 236 6132 (NMR) for whom George Stephenson and his son Robert were beers - far too engineers. many to mention. Located in the Midlands, Derby is excellently placed to Some of the most receive real ale from all around the country thereby cutting edge ensuring there is a good selection of different breweries in the breweries beers from all over the UK. country including The Roundhouse itself will have stillage around it Marble Beers, serving real ale, cider, perry, continental beer and Hawkshead, mead (honey wine). Liverpool There is a corridor leading to another stillaged area Organic and known as The Carriage Room which will include the Ilkley Brewery will be hosting their own bars offering a 60 Roscoe St (corner of Knight St ) L1 9DW 0151 708 6870 Champion Beer of Britan beers to be judged in the four larger range of their beers than the three main cask beer style categories. bars can accommodate plus offering the chance to Live music in the evenings will be in an additional meet their brewers. 9Handpumps marquee. In total there will be no fewer than 16 bars to visit. Overall the capacity for the venue is 2,500. Surrounding these are some 1700 seats from where Serving constantly visitors will be able to look over the festival floor and watch cyclists riding the track. The Great Britain changing cask ales New Manchester CAMRA Beer and Cycling Team have training sessions on the track twice always at least one LocAle from Cider Festival Wednesday 22nd to a day which will continue throughout the festival alongside other clubs and taster sessions. Liverpool Organic Brewery Saturday 25th January 2014 The festival kicks off at 4.30pm on Wednesday 22nd When CAMRA decided that it was time that the January and runs through until Saturday evening. Opening Times; National Winter Ales Festival's nine year tenure in The Velodrome is easily accessible via Manchester's 1p m -12.30pm Sun, Mon , Tues, Weds Manchester came to an end, there was some degree of Metrolink tram network - its own Velopark station is 1pm -1.30am Thurs, Fri, Saturday outcry both from those volunteers who had pulled the served by trams every 12 minutes - with the 216 and festival together for many years and from the drinkers other bus routes from Manchester even more LIVE JAZZ EVERY who had enjoyed the annual January festival. frequent. SUNDAY NIGHT 10pm -12 Nine months on from the final event in Manchester, CAMRA Members will be entitled to free entry all day that decision by CAMRA may well have been the best Wednesday and Thursday with discounts on entry at For further details of music and events visit: thegrapesliverpool.co.uk thing that ever happened for festival goers in the all other times. region - without it, the Manchester Beer & Cider Graham Donning Festival Organiser Festival would never have been conceived.

46 47 the media and communities. The The Changing Face Campaign issued around 7,000 PUBS IN OUR LIVES promotional packs to pubs to help of the British Pub advertise charitable campaigns. Where would we be Pub Closures Accelerate This campaign will not only benefit without the Local? New statistics show 26 pubs a week charities but also encourage more CAMRA’s new research people to support pubs. were closing pre-budget highlights the importance of The latest CGA CAMRA Pub the local pub in British lives. Tracker statistics show that 26 pubs Pubs Weekday Sales Drop CAMRA’s ‘Pubs in Our Lives’ a week are closing in the UK. The POPPING to the pub during the campaign ran throughout statistics show that the rate of pub week is becoming the exception and October. The objective of the closures rose during the last 6 not the rule. campaign was to highlight months up to March this year Britain’s pubs are increasingly how often people use pubs compared to earlier in 2012, from 18 becoming weekend haunts for to 26 per week across the UK, families and weekday business is for special events throughout meaning that the cut in beer duty weakening according to research by their lives and ask the and scrapping of the beer duty the NPD Group. question ‘Where would we be escalator in the March 2013 budget without the local?’ Between 2011 and 2012 weekday could not have come at a more The research showed that: important time. visits to pubs declined 3.7 per cent, Mike Benner, Chief Executive at while weekend visits increased 5.9 per cent in the same period. • 1 in 2 people have attended CAMRA, said a wedding reception in a pub “We believe that the scrapping of This change in visiting patterns is • 75% have celebrated a the beer duty escalator and the also reflected in sales, with a 3.9 per extra 1p off beer duty announced in cent decrease in weekday sales, and friend or family member’s this year’s budget could mark a a 6.1 per cent increase at weekends. birthday in a pub • 1 in 5 people have met their turning point for pubs. With a Also in 2012, weekend sales current partner in a pub better deal on beer tax, the accounted for 39.3 per cent of sales. Government’s plans for pub • 36% have ‘wet a baby’s company reform and the ‘List Your According to these latest figures, head’ in a pub Local’ scheme, announced during when Britons do visit the pub, it’s • 48% have celebrated a life at increasingly a family affair. Adult- CAMRA’s Community Pubs a wake The only visits have seen year-on-year Month, we are hopeful that the • 48% have had a date fortunes of Britain’s pubs are set to • 42% have attended a change.” wedding anniversary Caledonia The Community Value of Refurbished Georgian Quarter Community Pub Mike Benner, CAMRA’s Chief the British Pub Executive said, Charity and Pubs Pubs in the UK raised more than “This new research shows £106m in the last year for charity, an how many communities rely HANDPUMPS average of £2,742 per pub, on the pub to celebrate dispensing beer from local and other micro breweries according to new research important landmarks in our 5 published at the start of CAMRA’s lives from wetting the baby’s Live Music - Real Ale Pubs & Charity month in July. head to toasting someone’s A study conducted by CGA on behalf life. With more local facilities like - Great Food of CAMRA and PubAid, which No son, It’s not about the birds and highlights the charitable work of bees. I wondered if you fancied going community halls closing Live music every Wednesday, Friday and Sunday pubs, showed money raised annually out for a pint? around Britain, the British by pubs had increased by nearly five declines of 1.2 per cent on average pub is for many the only Opening Hours Sun-Thurs 12-12, Fri & Sat 12-1. per cent since 2010. since 2009, which hit 2.7 per cent facility the community can last year. use. Meals Served Mon - Fri 5-9, Sat & Sun 12-6. The research showed 85 per cent of pubs were raising money for Parties with kids of all ages have The new research does throw FUNCTION ROOM AVAILABLE FOR HIRE charity. increased. The desire to eat or spend open the question - Where time as a family is increasingly cited would we be celebrating CAMRA’s Pubs & Charity Find us on twitter @thecaledonia and Contact Laura at: as a primary motivation for visiting special occasions or meeting campaign encouraged pubs to www.facebook.co.uk/caledonialiverpool [email protected] the pub. Visits for this accounted for our future loved ones without organise events throughout July 14.2 per cent of all visits in 2012. Catharine Street Liverpool Telephone: 0151 708 0235 and promote the work they do to the local pub?”

48 49 CAMRA’s head of marketing The programme also reviewed What They Say MerseyAle Cider News Tony Jerome award winning beer writer Pete said: Brown’s new book “Worlds Best About Cider” MerseyAle Norfolk railway station micropub named “CAMRA will launch a new look Britain’s Best for Real Cider & Perry marketing campaign to support A future edition of MerseyAle will Treat it as a guide book, and look at the programme’s findings you’ll find your next pub pubs that serve real cider and perry. crawl takes you to lost gems, and the Pete Brown book in more depth. Railway Arms has won this work that Ian, Lesley-Ann and This material will help make it more micro breweries and pub Railway Arms, festivals happening right on year's CAMRA National Cider & Callum put in to make the pub a obvious that the pubs serve the real Downham Market, products and help increase trade.” your doorstep. Perry Pub of the Year Award and welcoming local. Well done to Norfolk wins national we wish to thank our customers, them on their achievement and Seven Streets magazine What is Cider? and website CAMRA award. www.sevenstreets.com supporters and suppliers – in congratulations for a well You may be surprised by the answers. particular special mention must deserved win.” This was the theme of the Radio Four be made of Charles Roberts & Food Programme broadcast in October. the team at Pickled Pig and Paul The Railway Arms beat three other It revealed that the big cider producers Read MerseyAle Online Fisher & the Directors of The finalists to take the title. These were: such as Bulmers refuse to reveal the You can read and Small Beer Company who, The Royal Oak in Wantage, the percentage of apple juice their ciders Penrhyn Arms in Penrhynside, and download the current between them, have been very contain. Legally cider is required only the George and Dragon in Dent. edition and back copies supportive in either making or to have 35% apple juice content. In to 2006 Catch up on the contrast Real Cider is made from 100% sourcing fine ciders for us.” Cider Apples Have stories you may have Ian added, apple juice and similarly for Real Perry missed! Record Harvest 100% pear juice. “As a ‘micropub’ we are www.liverpoolcamra.org.uk naturally committed to the Britain’s cider makers and A tiny railway platform pub in concept of ‘small is beautiful’ growers are toasting a Norfolk has been named National and, although we have extended marvellous apple growing Cider & Perry Pub of the Year OUR AWARD WINNING CIDER RANGE our range this year, we remain season with the best harvest 2013 by CAMRA, the Campaign for in a decade forecast. Real Ale. focussed on selling high quality The National Cider & Perry Pub of ciders, some of which are made Experts are predicting that 2013 will the Year award is given to the pub by people we know personally bring the best cider output in the or club which best promotes and using locally grown apples - UK for 10 years. It is welcome news, encourages sales of quality real although we also like to stock as last year’s bad weather was cider and perry. Now in its ninth difficult for many cider makers as Rosie’s Triple D Rosie’s Black Rosie’s Wicked year, the award’s rigorous judging cider and perry from far and cold temperatures and record Cider Bart Wasp - Medium process whittles down nominations wide in the UK, with some Rosie’s Cider Shop breaking rainfall devastated crops Available dry, medium or Sweet Cider Sweetness Cider Open weekdays from 10am Open weekends from 9am for pubs, clubs & cider houses from regular favourites alongside a and left the 2012 harvest 30 per cent sweet Bottled and in Bottled or Draught Bottled or Draught all over the UK to regional and then frequently changing range of down. medium or dry in 6.6% abv 7.0% abv super regional finalists. Draught ‘guests’.” 6.4% abv WINNER OF Rosie’s Perfect Hailed by competition judges as ‘A New Look Cider Month “CIDER OF THE Pear Perry CAMRA has been a longtime Rosie’s Oak quirky, fun little place to be’ and ‘a Real Cider and Rosie’s Award Winning FESTIVAL” Medium Sweet supporter of real cider and perry, Ciders. Matured Dry AT THE good reason to miss your train’, The Perry Grows on Perry which is the pear equivalent of Pressed and fermented here Scrumpy - LIVERPOOL Railway Arms is located directly on Trees Campaign in Llandegla since 2005 2012 BEER Bottled or Draughtt cider, with the Cider & Perry Pub of Only available in 6.0% abv the station platform at Downham October was ‘MADE IN WALES’ FESTIVAL the Year competition being an Draught Market Railway Station, Norfolk, National Cider important way to raise the profile of and has proved a hit with weary and Perry Month pubs serving traditionally made Rosie’s Triple D Cider travellers and locals alike – and CAMRA has real cider and perry across the UK. Dafarn Dywyrch, especially those looking to sample launched a new the finest real ciders and perries the Andrea Briers, Chair of campaign to Llandegla, Wrexham, area has to offer. CAMRA’s Cider and Perry celebrate. Denbighshire LL11 3BA Rosie’s DM4 Committee, said: Cider (not Cidre) T: 01978 790222 Available lightly A delighted Ian Pinches, who “The number of pubs that have The Real Cider and Perry Grows on together with his wife Lesley M: 07812 500513 carbonated in found a market for real cider is Trees campaign emphasises E: [email protected] 500ml bottles, Situated at the North end of the Horseshoe Pass, at the Ann Pinches and their son medium or sweet. increasing each year, which has CAMRA’s commitment to the www.rosiescider.co.uk roundabout where the A542 intersects the A5104 Chester/Corwen 6.0% abv road. The A525 runs past us half a mile to the North. Callum, runs The Railway Arms, meant that the competition has drinks and makes clear they come said: from apple and pear trees and are become very tough. I am lucky Available for Pubs, (Bags in Boxes) and Shops/Delis (Bottled Cider Range) “We are overjoyed (and very made from 100 per cent juice enough to live fairly close to the You are welcome to call at the farm to taste and buy our Ciders and Perry humbled) to hear that The without artificial gassing and Railway Arms and have seen the processing. 50 51 A Successful Opening needing a few tweaks here and The opening weekend went very there the ‘Liverpool Pigeon’ looks well with a large number of to be in good health. The Pigeon Has customers trying the various beers on offer. The cask ales were very So a great start to Crosby’s first popular and the high quality of the Micro pub and we certainly look beer was evident. The bottles of forward to many return visits in the Landed Meantime Raspberry Wheat and near future. And it’s closer than the Brugse Zot sold out. moon. Opening Hours Tuesday -Thursday Not quite the words spoken by Neil collection of the Earl of Comments made about the pub 12 - 2 5 - 9. Friday 12-2 4 - 9. Armstrong when landing Apollo 11 Derby at Knowsley Hall were positive and the pleasant Saturday 12 - 9. Sunday 12 - 5 on the Moon, but appropriate for which in turn was given to atmosphere was mentioned by Although no hot food will be sold, Monday Closed the giant step taken with the the Liverpool Council. The many. opening on the 11th October of bird the ‘Liverpool Pigeon’ there will be the usual bar snacks The pub can be contacted via Crosby’s first Micro Pub, the is now in the World available. In future cheese, pork Pat was pleased with the first few days of trading and despite still www.liverpoolpigeon.co.uk ‘Liverpool Pigeon’. It is situated in Museum Liverpool and is pies and olives will be sold. Endbutt Lane, Crosby about 50 the only one remaining in metres from the junction with the world. The Liverpool Liverpool Road which is the main Pigeon was classified as bus route (52,53, X2). extinct in 2008. Good Beer Guide 2014 What is a Micro Pub you may The Licensee Pat Moore GBG 2014 Headlines ask? CAMRA member Pat says 187 new UK breweries opened in the last The concept of a Micro Pub began he is determined to 12 months champion locally produced in 2005 when Martin Hillier • 87 new UK breweries feature in CAMRA’s converted a shop and opened The beers and hopes his venture Good Beer Guide 2014 Farmer’s Arms in Kent. In the can complement the town’s already of some of the old/destroyed pubs following years a number of these thriving real ale scene. of old Crosby and in the future you • 14% growth in the number of breweries in will be able to read from a selection the UK in last 12 months “I particularly of beer themed publications and • Now 1147 breweries in the UK wanted to sell newspapers. • London breweries double in 12 months local beers The pub will be run on similar lines • West Yorkshire tops the leader board with 57 breweries initially, before to other Micro Pubs. Pat Moore, the Sonia James-Henry and • New breweries include a beer brewing looking farther proprietor, has said he hopes to GBG Licencees attract a wide variety of drinkers pizzeria in London, a converted school afield, but there’ll who like real ales and are happy Liverpool Launch at Lady of Mann outbuilding in Lancashire and a converted dairy always be a local to make conversation their The 2014 Good Beer Guide was launched with farm in Buckinghamshire. ale on,” said Pat. entertainment. The ‘Liverpool due ceremony on September 12th at an Pigeon’ will be a TV, music and And with new breweries comes even more game machine free zone. evening event in the Lady of Mann. The choice for drinkers, with the number of licensees from the listed pubs were invited to regularly brewed British beers now over 5200 Micro Pubs have sprung up with The pub has five hand pumps with receive their GBG certificates and window according to the Good Beer Guide 2014. the majority in the south of The Pub – Haven for Real Ale at least three serving beer from local stickers from Branch Chair, Geoff Edwards, and Conversation England. Although they are all small breweries and two beers with individual presentation and group The Guide’s Editor, Roger Protz had this to say individual projects they tend to The Liverpool Pigeon has been from further afield. At the opening photographs being taken. There are 76 about the breadth of choice now available to follow the original concepts set hatched from a former clothes shop Pat had two Organic beers and real ale drinkers, and has undergone a massive Merseyside Branch pubs in the new edition, down by Martin Hillier. A Micro three from George Wright . “There has been a boom in the growth of Pub tends to be single roomed, refurbishment. It is a one roomed with some changes of listed pubs. Both the All beers are served in oversized breweries over the last 12 months, resulting in a selling only cask ales, real cider and establishment decorated in the glasses or the appropriate named evening event and the GBG beer scoring were total of 1147 breweries now producing beer in some foreign bottled beers. The idea green and cream colours of the glasses for the bottled beers. Soft co-ordinated very efficiently by Committee the UK – and with more breweries comes is for people to be able to read, chat ‘Pigeon’ with a small ‘L’ shaped bar drinks will also be served. He will member Sonia James-Henry. The selection of greater choice for the drinker and more and enjoy a quiet pint and as such to the back of the room, plus a also serve two real ciders, a small pubs for the GBG is guided by beer scoring opportunities to buy locally produced brews.” the pubs will not have a TV, music modern cooled cellar behind the selection of wine and around ten by CAMRA members, so please remember to or game machines. bar. You can have a look at the beer The Good Beer Guide makes an excellent Belgian / German bottled beers. take a few minutes to score your beer out of 5 due to come on via a viewing Blackboards in the window give Christmas present £15.99 from bookshops or when you have a pint in the pub. Details of Why the Liverpool Pigeon? window. customers information about the on line from www.camra.org.uk with special the beer scoring system can be found on Between 1783 and 1823 an Seating is provided by a window cask beers available and those soon members price of £10. There is also a gift offer expedition to French Polynesia length bench seat, a corner bench to be on. www.liverpoolcamra.org.uk and was in past of combined CAMRA Membership and a copy (possibly Tahiti) discovered an seat and a number of chairs and editions of MerseyAle. There is no lager, keg beers, of the GBG. unknown bird species. In 1851 a stools set around round cast iron alcopops or spirits on offer. juvenile specimen came into the tables. You can have a look at prints 52 53 MerseyAle Credits Diary Wednesday 20th November Branch Get Together 8pm at Lady of Mann Editor Dale Street for Pub Games Evening including Table Skittles, Shut the John Armstrong Box, Darts, Dominoes, Shove Ha’penny, Bagatelle and others. Your [email protected] chance to try them out for fun. Layout Design [email protected] Dennis W Jones Photographs Liverpool CAMRA Annual General Meeting 2014 Neil Lloyd Wednesday 15th January 2014 8pm at the Crown, upstairs room, 16 www.neillloydphotography.co.uk Lime Street [email protected] To elect Branch Committee, to review 2013, and discuss priorities for handpumps Dennis Jones 2014. Come and have your say. Bring your CAMRA cards to confirm you are eligible to vote in election Dave Halliwell Serving Alan Lloyd Helen McCall Coach Trips Traditional Ales I am now taking bookings for the first four coach trips in 2014 as Contributors listed below. Ciders and Perry Dave Halliwell Jean Pownceby 4th January - Frodsham beer festival, coming home as usual via Tony Williams Appleton Thorn Village Hall frequent winner of Real Ale Club Neil Lloyd of the Year A Traditional Alan Lloyd Graham Donning 8th February - Cheshire Tour Friendly Pub with Sonia James-Henry a Great Printed by 15th March - Sheffield Printfine, Liverpool Atmosphere, 0151 242 0000 12th April - Derbyshire Tour THE BEST CHOICE Real Fire www.printfine.co.uk OF ALES IN Fares and full details will be put on the www.liverpoolcamra.org.uk ST HELENS! and an Ever JOIN CAMRA soon. The aim, as usual, will be to visit pubs selling local beers. Membership details can be Beer Festivals Changing range of You can book on my new email address: [email protected] obtained from or by phone to Ian Macadam on 07521 741 586 throughout the year Real Ale 230 Hatfield Road St Albans AL1 4LW or The other dates for 2014 are planned to be: A C AMRA REGIONAL A Runner-up for the Tel: 01727 867201 10/05/14 07/06/14 12/07/14 02/08/14 06/09/14 11/10/14 15/11/14 CAMRA Online forms at: Pub of The NATIONAL PuB OF THE www.camra.org.uk Destinations and details will be posted on www.liverpoolcamra.org.uk YeAR YEAR [email protected] Bookings for trips will open three months before the date of the trip.

Southport CAMRA Please Note: After a large number of cancellations during 2013, I have I Draught Continental Beers Ian Garner 01704 876819 decided that should anybody cancel during the week before a trip then [email protected] they will be liable for the full fare if the seat is not filled. I Tuesday - Quiz night 9-30 pm www.southportcamra.org.uk Tony Williams Trips Organiser I Wirral CAMRA Thursday - Curry and Jazz Night Dave Hutchinson 01516 440625 I I [email protected] Cask Marque Good Beer Guide 2013 www.wirralcamra.co.uk Open Mon & Tues 2-11 Wed - Sun 12-11 Isle of Man Branch Contact Angela Aspin 01624 491613 - wwwfacebook.com We are now serving Quality mobile 07624 491613 /CAMRAliverpool [email protected] Homecooked food @LiverpoolCAMRA Trading Standards Wednesday - Sunday. 0151 233 3002 Liverpool CAMRA MerseyAle

Advertising in MerseyAle Next Edition of MerseyAle If you wish to place an advertisment you should contact us by Copy deadline is 1st February 2014 Opinions expressed in MerseyAle email at; [email protected] you can send in your Distribution early March. Email Cooper St. St Helens Tel 01744 751289 are not necessarily those of the advert design and copy by attachment, or ask us about design. news and articles to Editor Liverpool Branch or CAMRA Cost is £100 per half page, £200 full page payment in advance. [email protected] 54 55