Tales on Rails The fight to save the S.V.R. all started with a pint. An Ale Ring A heart warming tale of a different sort of Booze Cruise. Beards Can too much facial hair cause your pint to go flat? 1

Issue 1. Spring 2014 www.bridgnorthcamra.org.uk 2 Hi, On December 31st 2013 Janet and Welcome to the first issue of I were in the Railwayman’s Arms Ale Sabrina. My colleague and waiting to see in the New Year. I have travelled a few miles We started to talk to two strangers (thanks to an old git’s bus pass) getting (Paul and Angie). After a while advertisements to pay for this magazine. We Paul needed to leave the bar and have received a lot of comments, some while he was away Angie said he was good and very few not so good, so in the in publishing. On his return I said to end we received enough good ones to be Paul you are just the man we need to able launch this issue. give us advice about starting a Let’s hope we can now get articles magazine for our area and and letters from you our readers and members. We need to get out there and Ale Sabrina was conceived. support our locals, especially the rural ones Come the 10th January 2014 we were which need your support more than the pub both at the CAMRA social in the round the corner that is easy to get to. We Railwayman’s Arms (again). We may not be able to get them all in the Good were talking to Sam & Bob from the Beer Guide, but we can add information to White Lion, and the magazine was What Pub, which is becoming a very useful discussed again. Ale Sabrina was tool for anyone not familiar with the area born. In the following weeks Major they are going to. It may also help to tell the publicans involved that you are sending and I travelled to raise information to the CAMRA site. money via advertising to bring Ale Major and I would like to thank Ian Sabrina to adulthood. Garlick and Ian Stringer of She is now mature enough to be let branch for their help and advice on setting out in the wide world although she is up this magazine, and the publicans and still young and innocent. So now it’s brewers for their financial help in the way of advertisements. up to you our readers, show her off to So having got the wettest winter on your friends, make comments to us record out of the way, let’s hope this spring via the letters page, send us your issue of Ale Sabrina finds us having a nice advertisement and if we missed you spring and summer so we can sit in beer on our travels we apologise. If you gardens, on station platforms and drink would like to advertise in future some of the best beers in the country - and c o p i e s , p l e a s e e - m a i l that’s from a southerner! Have a good [email protected] summer and happy drinking. The publishing team: Cheers Janet & Bill Sturt, Major Willmore, Bob Hayes & Paul Appleton. Bill Sturt

3 As chair of CAMRA sub- Hello and welcome to our new branch branch I welcome you to the first edition magazine Ale Sabrina. I sincerely of the new magazine for and believe that our readers will find it an East Shropshire CAMRA. The sub- interesting accompaniment to the real branch area covers pubs in the town as ale scene in East Shropshire and, well as those in the southern part of the hopefully, beyond. It was a very sad day East Shropshire area. Our membership when our previous incarnation, Ale currently stands at 124 and continues to Around the Wrekin, folded. Each and grow. We hold monthly meetings, in every AGM since I have appealed to our various locations, on the last Tuesday of membership to seek volunteers to each month (except for December). “stand up to the plate” and consider Everyone is welcome to attend our working on a replacement. Now, almost meetings where we arrange our activi- out of the blue, a dedicated small band ties and promote the various campaigns has risen to the challenge and I take my CAMRA highlights. The sub-branch is hat off to them! active in supporting real ale throughout CAMRA Telford & East Shropshire the county and regularly organises trips Branch covers approximately half of the to pubs and breweries in the whole of 3487 square kilometres that comprises Shropshire and neighbouring counties. the geographical county of Shropshire. As I write this, plans are well advanced Our patch extends from Woore, not far for the highlight of our year, the from Nantwich, in the north down to Bridgnorth Beer Festival. Held this year Burford near Tenbury Wells in the from Thursday 4th September to south. You will know from your first Saturday 6th September at the Severn reading of this publication that we have Valley Railway, we plan to increase the an active sub-branch centred on number of beers and ciders on offer. If Bridgnorth. By the time you read this anyone is interested in helping at this there will, most probably, be a second event please do not hesitate to contact sub-branch formed by dedicated mem- me. bers living in and around Market Dray- Finally, my thanks go to the editorial ton. CAMRA actively encourages mem- committee who have worked hard to get bers to get together locally but still this first edition to print. After many remain an integral part of the ‘mother’ years of talking about publishing a branch. magazine for the area it is nice to see it Not every worthy licensed premise can come to fruition. With our quarterly make it into the national CAMRA Good publications we hope to publicise our Beer Guide so a magazine like Ale activities which hopefully will lead to an Sabrina will go a long way to write about increase in membership and boost our and publicise the best in our area. I wish campaigning and social activities. it success. Eleanor Haddon Dave Tyler CAMRA Telford & East Shropshire

4 5 The brewery opened in 2006 in a renovated Malthouse, with an 8 barrel plant. During 2010 a move to larger premises, a former railway sidings shed on the same site, took place and installing a new 20 barrel plant. The premises also functions as a brewery tap and a visitor centre. To enhance the experience for visitors Rowton Brewery has been we have installed a wood burner and supplying the good people of a BOSE sound system in the bar / Shropshire with traditionally events area. Also, whilst doing this brewed real ales since 2008. we have been able to support Consistency is maintained by numerous local charities and getting the basics right every brew by using high quality Marris Otter organisations in a variety of ways. As malt, the finest hops sourced from we moved into 2014 our first major round the world and spring water event was our 3rd annual ‘Valentines from the local borehole. Ale Massacre’ which kicked off on Our range of ales includes bitters, Valentine’s Day itself and running on stouts and milds. We also brew Saturday and Sunday. This went very beers for every occasion, such as well and had a great atmosphere our strong Christmas beers and light within the old building. With beer, summer beers. Arguably our most music and food it was another famous beer is called Total Eclipse which achieved silver in the Stan- successful event. dard Bitter award in the 2013 Wales and West region SIBA awards. We supply public houses around Do You Have Some Shropshire and we can also provide Brewery News? beer for private parties. If you If you have any news please email would like any more information the editor to please visit our website www.rowtonbrewery.com [email protected]

6 Based at the rear of The White Lion We are a local brewery passionate in Bridgnorth we pride ourselves on about our craft and provenance. the fact that small is beautiful. With 20 years of brewing under our When we say small, we refer to the hat (or what we call our coke) we size of the brewery, rather than our have created a fine range of award- ambition to create flavoursome, winning beers which proudly sit interesting and eminently drinkable under the Hobsons name. Our recipe ales. of combining the very best locally sourced ingredients and traditional We haven’t won any award yet but brewing techniques is given a mod- who knows, given time and ern twist with the use of green sus- dedication we may one day find tainable technologies in all areas of ourselves in the company of some the brewery. of the other great breweries in the Things to watch out for... county. · Spring 2014 New Visitor Centre Don’t forget to pop in to The White Opening - visit website for more Lion to try our Simpson’s Original information. during Mild in May and while you · Mild in May Month - make sure are there you can try our spring special and tell us what you think. you try Hobsons Champion Mild, CAMRA Champion Beer of Britain Cheers in 2007. www.hopandstaggerbrewery.co.uk www.hobsons-brewery.co.uk

Could this be your local watering hole? We need news of what’s happening to the pubs in our area. If you have any news please email the editor (send a picture too, if you have one) to [email protected]

7 8 Hobsons Ad

9 Photograph: Michael Jackson HIGH BUT NOT DRY – A VISIT TO BREWERY February was one of the wettest months on record and due to flooding of the , there was a feeling of uncertainty as to whether our trip would actually take place. But leading up to the day of the visit the waters of the River Severn receded and the bridge re-opened to traffic. So on a cool but very sunny morning we set off to the lovely market town of Bewdley. Most of our party took advantage of the great tourist attraction that is the to make the short journey down river. We all gathered in the ‘The George’ which is the local Wetherspoon’s before making the short walk to the brewery. The brewery is at the Craft Centre on Lax Lane just a short stroll along quayside from the High Street. Upon arrival we were shown into the recently added bar room; a cosy room festooned with maps and breweriana. Through a viewing window into the brewery, the tall steel fermenters can be seen within. The main focus of the bar is of course the servery and today we were treated by one of our hosts Tim to two of the breweries core brands. Way (3.6%) a Pale straw coloured brew using First Gold, Celeia, and Fuggles hops light and refreshing with citrus after tones and (4.0%) described as having

10 sweetness and hints of citrus flavours with a dry finish. With glasses charged we were lead into the brewhouse by head brewer Dave. The brewery was once a school and the main area bears testament to this; a large room with tall windows. The afternoon sunshine blazed through illuminating the timber clad six barrel brewing equipment within. Dave held a captive audience as we were given a detailed account of their brewing process which uses English malts and hops, mostly locally grown, but some sourced from much further afield. Bewdley Brewery are very proud that no sugars or adjuncts are used in the process which produces six core cask conditioned beers with a winter seasonal special. This is supplemented by a generous range of bottled beers which can be purchased online or by visiting their well stocked brewery shop. Back to the bar for a beer refill and then a group photo in the brewhouse. This concluded a very enjoyable visit to this small but thriving brewery which was established in 2008 and now supplies many outlets in Worcestershire and the neighbouring counties. We headed off back into the afternoon sunshine for a tour of the fine pubs that this delightful riverside town has to offer having thoroughly enjoyed a visit to the only brewery in the town for nearly 100 years.

11 A History of Beer yeast provided the successful Clive Gwilt identification The first product humans made from grain of a single-cell and water before learning to make bread and strain of the was beer. The art of brewing is as old as bottom civilization. Between 10,000 and 15,000 fermenting years ago, some humans discontinued their lager yeast. nomadic hunting and gathering and settled German brew- down to farm. ers had started Grain was the first domesticated crop that to make beer by started that farming process. It is said that lagering (storing) in 1402. the Sumerians discovered the fermentation Brewing was not possible in the warm process by chance. No one knows today months because wild yeasts prevalent in the exactly how this occurred, but it could be warmer weather of summertime would sour that a piece of bread or grain became wet the beer. Brewers discovered that brewing and a short time later, it began to ferment in the cold months and storing the beer in and an inebriating pulp resulted. The early caves in the nearby Alps impacted stability brews would have been concoctions of to the beer and enhanced it with a cleaner crushed or malted grain steeped and heated taste, although they did not know why. slowly in water, and then baked and During World War II, with corresponding submerged again. food shortages and therefore increased Chemical tests of ancient pottery jars reveal substitution of adjuncts for malt - a lighter that beer was produced about 7,000 years beer resulted. With a large part of the male ago in what is today Iran, and is one of the population off fighting the war, the work first known biological engineering tasks to force in America was made up largely of utilize the process of fermentation. In Meso- women; thus marketing to this population potamia, the oldest evidence of beer is be- solidified the hold of a lighter-styled beer. lieved to be a 6,000-year-old Sumerian tab- Following the war, the large national let depicting people drinking a beverage breweries catered to the tastes of this through reed straws from a communal bowl. expanded beer market. More than 133 In Rome, wine became ambrosia from the billion litres (35 billion gallons) are sold per god Bacchus. Beer was only brewed in the year-producing total global revenues of outer areas of the Roman Empire where $294.5 billion (£147.7 billion) in 2006. wine was difficult to obtain. The first record which has come to light so For the Romans beer was considered a far about Bridgnorth is October 1203 when barbarian. Beer brewing played an impor- John the Vintner of Brug (a very old name tant role in daily lives. Beer was clearly so of Bridgnorth) had sold wine against the desired that it led nomadic groups into assizes and Roger Rotarius had both village life. Beer was considered a valuable committed the offence and were fined 6s8d (potable) foodstuff and workers were often each. In 1205 King John ordered the paid with jugs of beer. keepers of wine at Bristol to send six tuns of The next great development occurred in the wine to Bridgnorth. In 1225 beer could be mid-nineteenth century, through work done purchased in Bridgnorth and cost one penny by Louis Pasteur, the first to propose an per gallon. explanation of how yeast worked. NEXT EDITION: OLD BRIDGNORTH Shortly thereafter, samples of Bavarian BREWERIES

12 13 It Started with a (Simp)kiss! British Railways had closed the railway By: Paul Appleton line from Shrewsbury to Stouport via Ironbridge and Bridgnorth in 1963, with The Severn Valley Railway (SVR) is not just a stub from Bewdley to only one of the most popular tourist remaining for passenger use and the attractions in the , it is a occasional coal train originating from the national treasure. Carrying over 200,000 colliery at Alveley. Enthusiasts wanted to visitors every year, it is one of the busiest save part of the line and run trains using private railways in Britain, has the largest steam locomotives that were currently number of private supporters and turns being retired and scrapped under BR’s over more revenue each year than any of modernisation plan that would see the end its peers. of steam on the national network in August 1968. Readers may have heard of other preserved steam railways, such as the Bluebell in But time was very much of the essence, Sussex or the North Yorkshire Moors already the demolition men had moved in Railway, made famous by its Sunday at Bridgnorth, with the track north of the evening appearances in Heartbeat where station ripped up and a start being made on Goathland station becomes ‘Aidensfield’. knocking down the buildings. Remarkably, But make no mistake, the SVR is the whilst all this was going on around it, the biggest and the best, and it is right here on little pub on the station platform gamely our doorstep! remained open for business! Just like its North Yorkshire counterpart, At the eleventh hour, the enthusiasts the SVR has had its share of stardom, managed to get the demolition work halted featuring in many films and TV series, whilst they negotiated with BR a price to including Oh Dr Beeching!, where Arley secure the site at Bridgnorth. In the end, station became the ‘Hatley’ home of £25,000 was agreed for the section of comedy duo Paul Shane and Sue Pollard, railway from Bridgnorth to Alveley amongst others. But these railways sidings, about six miles down the line, a haven’t always been stars of our TV tremendous amount of money at the time. screens or enjoyed the patronage of hundreds of thousands of visitors. With 25% of the agreed sum having to be Absolutely not! raised to secure the railway, the small army of enthusiasts set about clearing up Indeed in the Severn Valley’s case, that the derelict station site and organising its any of this could happen at all owes its first open days to raise much needed funds. beginnings to a small group of like-minded Until the first locomotives and rolling individuals who met over a pint of stock arrived in 1967, these open days Simpkiss’ Best at the now-demolished included miniature railways, traction Cooper’s Arms in Kidderminster, one day engines and anything else that would help in 1965. attract the public along. 14 Public interest was phenomenal with Brewery mirror over the open fire place is thousands of people turning out to support a particular gem, whilst railway enthusiasts the scheme and so began the incredible can enjoy old railway posters, locomotive revival of the railway that now runs for number and name plates, and a fine display 16.5 miles from Bridgnorth in Shropshire of old enamel station totems. to Kidderminster in Worcestershire, has an award-winning visitor centre at Highley With trains pulling up just yards away, and a fleet of preserved steam locomotives disgorging its hoards of happy travellers, it and carriages that is the envy of the is easy for one’s mind to be taken back to preservation world. the halcyon days of holiday trains in the 1950s and ‘60s – at least if you are old The Railway’s Arms, that aforementioned enough to remember them! If not, then this ‘little pub’ on Bridgnorth station platform, is one of very few places where you can is now a thriving centre of real ale find out just what it must have been like. excellence, open all year round, with ten hand pumps dispensing a wide range of Beer Festivals have been a regular feature beers and ciders, including regulars such as at Bridgnorth station over the years, Bathams Bitter, Hobsons Best and Town organised by the local CAMRA branch. This year’s festival will be held on Crier and a range of guest beers that th th usually include local micros such as Thursday 4 to Saturday 6 September. Bewdley and Ironbridge breweries along Watch this space for full details. with those from much further afield. Any At the other end of the line, the SVR has drinking session in the Railwayman’s established the King & Castle at its su- Arms is like a mini beer festival, especially perbly recreated Great Western Railway- at busy times when beers can change with style terminus at Kidderminster. Again, a each subsequent visit to the bar! wide range of ales are on offer in an authentic railway bar setting. Rather surprisingly, none of what you see around you is original. Even the building itself is a copy of the original station at Ross-on- Wye and was built on the old Kidderminster goods yard site, brick by brick. The GWR monogram carpet was specially woven and the furnishings have all been carefully sourced or made from new. If you didn’t know better, it could be the 1930s. The bars at Bridgnorth and The décor is unique. It could be described Kidderminster station are just two of the as very 1960s, almost is if time stood still several watering holes along the beautiful since the enthusiasts moved in. Certainly Severn Valley, but more about those next an authentic railway atmosphere pervades time! and customers can enjoy an exquisite display of local and national brewery and railway memorabilia. The Cheshire

15 Have Your Say!

Something on your mind? Do you have some news to share? Need to let of steam?

Why not write to the Editor and get it off your chest?

You know you’ll feel better for it. email - [email protected]

16 WEAVERS

17 Middleport, whence it was a short-ish walk uphill to Burslem and the Bull’s Head, the Titanic Brewery Tap. Sunday morning saw us through Harecastle and into the Bluebell at Kidsgrove. This excellent free house specialises on beers from microbreweries and a warm welcome is guaranteed. I sam- pled Arbour Light from Whim Ales. A Drinking Man’s Holiday. or Why Canals were Built to Connect From Kidsgrove there are 30 locks down to between Good Pubs Middlewich - all spaced at inconvenient By: Alan Thwaites intervals. Not for nothing is this called Heartbreak Hill, especially since the Every year a group of lads & lasses from the Romping Donkey at Hassel Green has Railwayman’s Arms gather for a fortnight’s romped its last. This meant that we had to boating on one of the canals of the British settle for a Marston’s pub/restaurant at the Isles. Naturally, a hard day’s effort working Broughton Arms, the locks is rewarded by the odd half-pint Rode Heath. (or two) in one of the excellent canal-side However, as a boozers. In order to whet one’s appetite for ‘genuine’ Mar such a holiday, here is a record of the trip ston’s house, (i.e. we made last October, when we cruised the one that has ‘Four Counties Ring’, parts of the Birming always sold ham Canal Navigations the Caldon Canal. products from Future editions of Ale Sabrina may feature the Marston’s tales of other trips in years gone by. brewery) the Pedigree and 2013’s cruise started and finished at the Burton Bitter Etruria (Stoke-on-Trent) base of Black were in good Prince Narrowboats. Two 70’ boats were condition, albeit hired with around seven or eight on each rather expensive. boat. Personnel kept joining and leaving the crew so the total number present at any time Monday lunch was spent shopping and sup- was never static! Rendezvous was made at ping in Middlewich where there is a reason- the Holy Inadequate, recently resurrected able range of hostelries. I slaked my thirst at from the remains of the Railway Inn at the White Bear with a reasonable range of Etruria. This pub has much in common with local microbeers before moving on to the Great Western in Wolverhampton in that Church Minshull for the night, where a it is a well-patronised hostelry selling an convivial evening was spent at the Badger excellent range of beers, yet is situated in a drinking Cheshire LocAles. It was Quiz very run-down area with very little Night, and we entered two teams who con- immediate local trade apparent. The tested last position between them. It was welcome was such that we made an great to support a local village pub which immediate decision to spend our last had only recently re-opened after a long evening here as well. period closed, followed by an expensive It was not possible to guarantee a passage refurbishment. through the Harecastle Tunnel before it shut On Tuesday we moved on to Nantwich, for the night, so the evening mooring was at visiting the Black Lion, a purveyor of

18 Weetwood Ales and a splendid location for and the Bell. Again, this Holden’s pub will a sunny lunchtime pint. The evening was be familiar to most Bridgnorth drinkers, spent in the Bridge at Audlem, drinking owned as it is by Pete Williamson. products from the Marston’s stable. The Burton Bitter was most toothsome. The next pub visited was the Navigation at . This was once a Simpkiss pub Wednesday lunchtime saw us walking the (of blessed memory) but suffered from the mile from the cut into Market Drayton disastrous sale in the early 1980s to where we made a bee-line to the Stag, the Greenall Whitley (who they? – Ed). Joules Brewery Tap. In the afternoon we However, it has bounced back of late and progressed as far as High Offley, where now sells a good variety of ales from near stands a real gem of a pub – the Anchor. It and far. This then set us up for an evening has remained unspoilt by any refurbishment in Stourbridge supping Batham’s at the in living memory, so do not expect any posh Royal Exchange, with some also managing nosh, Pimms, or indeed anything except a to fit in a pint at Craddocks’ Duke William. bag of scratchings washed down with a pint of Wadworth’s 6X. This is also one of the With the canal passing close to the Delph, increasingly rare pubs where incipient readers who are still with me will not be inebriation is automatically quelled by the surprised to learn where we spent lunchtime all important walk across the garden to the on Saturday. You have not guessed? Well gents (or ladies). Visit while you can as there is a certain brewery tap called the (like the rest of us) Olive, the landlady is ‘Vine’, but more commonly known as the only mortal. Bull & Bladder located just up the road from the bottom of Delph locks. The Having dawdled a bit to ensure that an eve- evening however was a disappointment: We ning was spent at the Anchor we needed to moored close to Sandwell & railway get our skates on so an early (06.00) start station in Oldbury and had planned to visit was made to ensure that we made it to the the Wheatsheaf. However, this once Swan at Compton for lunch. This excellent splendid boozer has fallen on hard times and Banks’s pub should need no introduction to cannot be recommended. Some braved the citizens of Bridgnorth, located as it is on the pouring rain and visited the crowded main road out of Wolverhampton. Wetherspoons, but I stayed in and gave my While Banks’s bitter is not everyone’s liver (and wallet) a rest...... cup of tea, it is very well kept in this traditional multi-roomed pub. A short To be continued afternoon run took us to Awbridge, whence it was a short walk down the lane to Trysull

19 20 21 22 23 The Fosters Arms Ad

24 Bridgnorth and its local area are proud to have 37 Pubs which support CAMRA’s initiative to promote locally brewed real ales. The purpose is to get local brewers to increase their sales and enhance the local economy, whilst minimising the ‘beer miles’ to help reduce congestion and pollution to the environment. In Bridgnorth we are fortunate to have 20 breweries in Shropshire, and 11 more close by in the West Midlands. Not all of these are large quantity producers. In fact, in Shropshire, the Lion’s Tale, Heathton, and both Hop & Stagger and Odley Ales breweries in Bridgnorth brew primarily for their own Pubs. The largest by far is the Banks’s brewery, and, trading as Marston’s it supplies a large range of beers, but only Banks’s Mild, Banks’s Bitter, and Sunbeam brewed in Wolverhampton are counted as local ales. To find a LocAle pub all you need to do is look out for the LocAle symbol in the window of an accredited pub, or the LocAle symbol in the features section of a Pub’s entry in WhatPub. Accreditation is reviewed annually by Bridgnorth Members to ensure that there is always local ale available, and you can check this by the year in the window sticker. 2014 symbols are currently being distributed. Dave Jones

25 Photograph: Dave Haddon 16 Not Out – At Whitchurch Cricket Club Beer Festival Dave Ricketts is self-confessed beer ticker, one of those people to who go to extraordinary lengths to try new beers. But Dave does things differently. Rather than travelling many miles in pursuit of another tick in his large volume of beer lists, he makes sure that the beers that he wants to try, come to him. Dave is Membership Secretary of Shrewsbury & West Shropshire CAMRA and joint organiser of their beer festival, he is also bar manager of Whitchurch Cricket Club who hold a twice yearly beer festival. “The beers I select for the festival are always new beers or beers from new breweries”, he informed me during the Saturday lunchtime session of their Winter festival which began in late February. This beer festival attracts other beer tickers from far and wide. He recounts the Wednesday of the festival when an ‘army’ of tickers arrived with down-loaded and home printed beer lists in hand targeting certain beers that were on offer. For the regular beer festival goer it gives an opportunity to try beers from far and wide. For CAMRA members there is the added bonus of a discount of 20p per pint / 10p per half pint for showing their membership cards. A regular Good Beer Guide entry and current CAMRA Club of the Year, the club would normally have 11 beers on offer during the cricket season. But during their beer festivals this is boosted to around 26 - 28 beers. The festivals run for six days including the Sunday. “This year is our 16th festival and we have had visitors from as far away as Peterborough, London and Sheffield and I would say we will entertain 600 – 800 visitors during the course of the festival” says Dave. So in June, around the weekend of the longest day of the year, if you are looking for a beer festival with a wide selection of new beers to try, then why not head to north Shropshire and Whitchurch Cricket Club? 26 27 Hello all. What an honour to be invited to write a few words for this new magazine! Let me start by offering a warm welcome to your new magazine and its editor – Bill Sturt. We look forward to Bill leading the team in delivering the latest newsletter in the West Midlands region. Remember though, the magazine is only as good as the articles received. So, if you have a story to tell or anything beer related that you would like to share with the rest of the branch contact him at any of the meetings or send an email to [email protected] The recent budget gave us plenty to cheer about with the Chancellor delivering an unprecedented second consecutive cut in beer duty and a duty freeze for Cider. This is not only about keeping the price of a pint affordable down our local but helping the industry which has been in overall decline con- tinue on its long road to recovery. We care greatly about the future of the pub and it is clear from this Budget that the Government does too. Keeping the price of a pint affordable is vital for the long-term health of the pub sector and we would hope this latest vote of confidence will go some way to slowing the rate of closures, by encouraging more people to make use of their local this summer. Remember a pub is for life, not just Friday night! Another great milestone was reached this month. Our national mem- bership has just passed 160,000 members nationally, with over 15,000 in 24 branches across our region. This is excellent news and shows that the campaign is going from strength to strength. It’s important to remember that you are part of a large organisation with loads of activities going on. Just go to the CAMRA web site www.camra.org.uk for details of events going on all across the country. You can keep in touch with all that’s happening locally by visiting the branch web page on www.bridgnorthcamra.org.uk I look forward to meeting you out there. Gary.

CAMRA Regional Director, West Midlands.

28 29 30 31 It’s not only the train taking the strain! And this was after half a pint of shandy and a small cucumber sandwich. CAMRA members aren’t what they used to be.....

Do you have any amusing pictures of your favourite drinker. Go on! Let us all have a giggle. Send them to [email protected]

32 Disclaimer Ale Sabrina is published by Bridgnorth Sub Branch of The Campaign for Real Ale Ltd. (CAMRA) The views or opinions expressed are not necessarily those of CAMRA or the Editor.

33 34 35 Bridgnorth Meetings Bridgnorth Social Events Tues 29 April – 8.00 pm Sat 26 April – 3.00 pm Eagle & Serpent, Kinlet Mini bus to Great Western Beer Festival Tues 27 May – 8.00 pm Wolverhampton & Dine Acton Arms, Morville Out Tues 24 June – 8.00 pm Sat 3 May – 12 noon The Danery, Quatford Quiz v. Wolverhampton Branch The Old Castle, Bridgnorth

T.E.S. Meetings Fri 9 May – 7.30 pm Social Evening – beer & chat For Dates & Times Railwayman’s Arms, Bridgnorth Please email Sat 10 May – 11.30 am either Mild in May pub crawl of Dave Tyler (Chairman) Shrewsbury pubs [email protected] 436 bus from Bridgnorth or Adrian Zawjerka (Secretary) Sat 17 May – 2.00 pm [email protected] Mild in May mini bus trip to Market Drayton area

Sat 28 June – 2.00 pm Mini bus to Beer & Cider Festival

For more information and to reserve T.E.S. Social Events places please contact Dave Haddon [email protected] 07809 887159 For Information Regarding 01746 862884 Social Events During April, May & June Times and venues are subject to Please Email change at short notice. New events may Jeremy Bailey be arranged after print date Please check with Dave Haddon and [email protected] Facebook for up to date information

Bridgnorth CAMRA

36 Bridgnorth T.E.S. Chairman Chairman Eleanor Haddon Dave Tyler, [email protected] [email protected] 01952 616085 01746 862884 Secretary, Beer Festival Organiser Adrian Zawierka, Eleanor Haddon [email protected] [email protected] Treasurer 01746 862884 David Jones, Secretary [email protected] David Jones Membership Secretary [email protected] - 07474 803098 Paul Jones Membership [email protected] David Jones 01952 460456 [email protected] - 07474 803098 Social Secretary Webmaster Jeremy Bailey Niki Jones [email protected] [email protected] Survey Officer Social Secretary Adrian Zawierka Dave Haddon [email protected] [email protected] Beer Quality Scores 07909 887159 www.whatpub.com

Editorial & Advertising Information. Ale Sabrina is funded entirely by advertising revenue. We would like to thank everyone who has supported us by contributing to this issue. Should you wish to contribute to the next issue please contact Bill by email: [email protected] Prices to advertise start at £25 for a quarter page. The final copy date for the Summer edition is May 31st 2014. To advertise please email: [email protected] Printed By: Warwick Printing Company Ltd. Caswell Road, Leamington Spa, Warwickshire. CV31 1QD

37 WHY NOT ADVERTISE?

To Advertise in future editions of this magazine please email Major at [email protected]

Current Circulation is 2000 Distribution Area - Kidderminster, SVR Corridor, Bridgnorth, Ironbridge, Telford & Wolverhampton

Rates start at £25 for a full colour Ad.

38 39 40