Free PLeASe TAKe ONe THe MAGAZINe OF WeST BerKSHIre CAMrA AUTUMN 2018 Outstanding Community Pub awards Over 100 nominations were received for the 2018 West Berkshire Community Pub of the Year award. To recognise their important role in different environments, the award is shared between the Cottage Inn , Upper Bucklebury, the Old London Apprentice and the Cow & Cask , Newbury. Saturday This is the fifth time that the Cottage Inn has 8th September 2018 been recognised and reflects huge support from NORTHCROFT FIELDS customers for Gary Bush and his team. 12 noon ONWARDS One nomination stated ‘Gary has made the #n outside very family friendly – on the big field, • LIVE MUSIC raf18 perfect for kids to run around in, there is a new • DELICIOUS FOOD Y climbing frame and other play equipment, and • OVER 100 BEERS & CIDERS BU OU R a fenced area with goats, chickens and rabbits • A GREAT LOCAL DAY OUT Y ETS TICK E which the children love’. Burns Night, bonfire LIN ON k token tra drin night, Tour de Berkshire charity cycle ride and FREE ex online h every wit rchased classic car rallies at the ‘genuinely cherished icket pu t C’s t to T & community asset’ featured in many Subjec The Cottage Inn - Gary Bush nominations. www.newburyrealale.co.uk /NewburyRealAleFestival /NewburyAleFest /NewburyAleFest Previous winners, The Tally Ho , Hungerford community pub’. The What’s On blackboard at the front of the pub displays the wide range of Newtown and the Three Horseshoes , Brimpton Visit the West Berkshire CAMRA stand at were the other country pubs with strong cases. events including live music, Bingo night Newbury Real Ale Festival for special From Newbury, the Lamb and the Plough (Thursdays) and Karaoke night (Sundays). membership offers - details on page 4. on the Green were well supported but it was the Many charities are supported including Guide extensive list of facilities, meetings and events Dogs for the Blind. There are four darts teams, also show commitment to the community. that earned the award for the Old London two pool teams and two football teams are Andy Pinkard, CAMRA’s Branch Chairman Apprentice . sponsored. said ‘Traditionally, the pub has always been at Ken and Caroline Amor are proud of what With its award, the Cow & Cask showed that the heart of a community. The three pubs they have achieved in their three and a half years small is beautiful for the micropub’s inclusive recognised here are outstanding examples of and say ‘it really does feel like a proper and welcoming environment, hosted by landlord Ian Batho, allowing conversations and how a pub can become a catalyst for wider support networks to develop. Without community interaction and support.’ room for a pool table or darts to be played safely, the crib team has thrived, Berkshire Awards winning several awards in the Thatcham Crib League and sharing Broken Dream, a breakfast stout, brewed by Siren their skills with beginners. Craft Brew, based at Hogwood Industrial Estate, Conveniently situated near the station, Finchampstead, football and rugby supporters often call was awarded 2018 in to discuss their team’s performance Supreme and celebrate or drown their sorrows. Champion Beer of The charity events and monthly quiz Britain at the Great British Beer Festival (GBBF). ON OTHER PAGES See page 9 for Swift Halves - Pub and brewery news 2,3 more Champion Gig Guide 4 Beer awards. Beer & Cider Festivals 5 The Nag’s Head, Ullage milestones 2008-2018 6 Reading is Pub Profile - Angel, Woolhampton 7 The Campaign for R eal Ale W est Berkshire November/December 2008 CAMRA’s Central Cholsey to Woolhampton hike 8 Good Beer Books Southern region CAMRA has r ecently customs, traditions and range of bottled beers. published ‘A Beer a Day’ anniversaries that fall on These are also illustrated written by our local beer each day of the year . on his website Pub of the Year. Home Brewing / Champion beers 9 exper t, Jeff Evans and ‘Good Ever y day has a page www .beersnale.co.uk Beer Guide 2009’, the headed with the date, Jeff Evans will be signing 36th edition. event and matching beer copies of his book at the The ‘GBG’ features the best together with its West Berkshire CAMRA The Hungerford 4,500 pubs in Britain under national flag and Christmas social on T uesday Local pub quizzes / CAMRA membership 10 countr y and county headings in website. Jeff’ s writing 16 December from 8pm. the middle par t of the guide. pr ovides fascinating The venue is the Angel, There is a description of each information on each Hungerford and non- pub together with a wealth of event and tasting members are also most Club is Runner Up Karen Bowen, Branch Boak & Bailey + Curmudgeon columns 11 useful details, including the full notes for the matching beer , which welcome to attend. address and telephone number , is often illustrated. Please check our website for further details opening hours and beers ser ved. For example, 14 December www .westberkscamra.org.uk Press Officer, enjoyed There are also symbols to identify commemorates a seasonal event, Christmas gift packs, which include regional Club of facilities at the pub including beer Bankside Fr ost Fair and the membership and either of these good beer books, Diary Dates, CAMRA Contacts & Festivals 12 gardens, real fir es, real draught matching beer is Fuller’ s Jack are available at the CAMRA online shop fr om Broken Dream at GBBF the Year. 1 Ullage September - November 2018 Swift Halves Instead of a Bavarian style event, there will be a ‘Not OktoberWest’ beer festival with live music and street food at the brewery’s taproom on Saturday 22 September from noon. Additional beers will be from breweries such as Arbor, Burnt Mill, Wild Beer, Wild Card and Põhjala (Estonia). NB Tickets are expected to sell out in advance. g ■ Congratulations to the Catherine Wheel , n i l r i Newbury, for reaching the final national stage in G y n the Turnaround category of ei publican o T – partnerships annual awards. The Enterprise Inns o t o (ei) pub is free to source bottles and cans h P independently and has Fridge Takeovers planned ■ Timothy Taylor’s Boltmaker, 2014 Supreme for Oxford’s Tap Social Movement and Champion Beer of Britain, was the 500th distinct Finchampstead’s Siren Craft Brew. beer to be served at Newbury’s micropub, the Warwick and Pauline Heskins will mark their Cow & Cask , on 18 July. Sensibly, Ian Batho had first wedding anniversary with a special beer at ordered two casks as the first one was soon the pub’s autumn beer and cider festival drained! Charity donations, made for Boltmaker (27-30 September). t-shirts and fridge magnets / bottle openers ■ West Berkshire Brewery has expanded again! generously supplied by the Keighley based brewery, 18 new items (8 x 120 hl + 4 x 240 hl Fermenting raised over £70 for Myeloma UK. Purple Cow Vessels, 4 x 240 hl Bright Beer Tanks, a buffer & Cask polo shirts can be purchased at the pub. tank and a new brewery whirlpool) have been delivered from Parma, Italy (1 hl / hectolitre = 100 litres). These will allow the brewery to increase its own production and the volume of contract brewing and packaging. The opening times for the Describing his staff as ‘beer fanatics’, Warwick brewery’s Taproom & will let them attend Newbury Real Ale Festival on Kitchen at the Old Saturday 8 September with some members Dairy, Yattendon, have been extended to include running the pub’s pie stall and gin bar at the Wednesday evening – see advertisement on back festival. The Catherine Wheel may close that page. Shaun, the new Head Chef, is adding pies, afternoon and reopen later for a ticket only party. salads, bar snacks and sandwiches to the existing A week long ale festival at the pub, from menu of pizzas and burgers. Saturday 1 September, will precede this. The seasonal A pre-Christmas beer festival and a second bus ■ Kevin Brady packaged the Special Edition beer, 3.6% ABV Session trip from the pub to a brewery are also proposed. from the CAMRA volunteers brewday at Pale Ale is brewed Indigenous Brewery , Chaddleworth, on 19 May, with Vic Secret, ■ The White Hart Inn , Hamstead Marshall, for a launch at the Cow & Cask on 19 June. Galaxy, Chinook and closed in 2015. In August, Christie & Co’s website The 4.4% ABV Best Bitter appeared darker than Summit hops with showed the pub’s leasehold as Under Offer and planned! Drinkers liked the cask version and additions of the campaign to save the pub’s website shows Kevin may brew it again. The volunteers, who elderflower for a ‘Here to help and support a new future’. deliver Ullage to pubs, received a bottle each. floral aroma. www.savethewhitehart.org NEWBURY’S FIRST MICRO PUB Cow & Cask is available for 1 Inches Yard private hire, and Market Street Real Ales given enough notice Newbury e J ohn O ’ Ga un t I nn, H un ger ford we will try very hard RG14 5DP Dog & Family Friendly to have “Your Proud To Be P ar t O f e A war d Favourite Micro Winning INN for mal P ub Co & B rew er y Brewery Ale” on the stillage. • Beautiful newly r efurbished pub Although we • Hunger for d’s nest selection of r eal ales & cider are a “Micro Opening Hours • Ov er 50 bottled beers ar ound the world Pub” we can Mon Closed Tue 5-9 • B oasts its v er y o wn micr o br ew er y on site Squeeze, Jimmie, Wed 5-9 Squash or Thu 12-2, 5-9 • S er ving locally sour ced, lo vingly pr epar ed Shoehorn Fri 12-2, 5-10 and superbly cooked food ev er y day 20-25 persons in Sat All Day 12-10 Sun Closed and make them John O’ G aunt, comfortable.