Tippler for a Great Catch?
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Summer 2014 the FREE Please Take One HOWZAT! tippler for a great catch? The magazine of the Gloucestershire Branches of the Campaign for Real Ale ©The Campaign for Real Ale 2014. Opinions expressed need not represent those of CAMRA Ltd or its officials tipplerthe The magazine of the Gloucestershire Branches of the Campaign for Real Ale ©The Campaign for Real Ale 2013. Opinions expressed need not represent those of CAMRA Ltd or its officials Experience is Everything page 24 contents: Pub News page 28 Letters to the Editor page 4 Ring any Bells? page 35 Open Letter page 6 Brewery News page 36 The Hunter’s Column page 8 A Lot of Bottle page 38 View From The Brewhouse page 12 Prize Crossword page 47 Gloucester Beer & Cider Festival page 14 Locale page 50 Local News page 16 What’s Coming Up? page 52 Scandal! page 23 CAMRA contacts page 54 summer special! CHECK OUT DETAILS AND SUPPORT ALL THE BEER FESTIVALS TAKING PLACE IN THE COUNTY have you any pub news? More details are posted regularly on the Facebook group 'Gloucestershire Pubs', an ideal forum to keep other people informed of the latest pub developments in the county. We value feedback and news from around the county, so, if you’ve got something to say, want to make a contribution, compliment or criticise, then get in touch: The Editor, The Tippler, 23 Theocs Close, Tewkesbury, Glos. GL20 5TX [email protected] 01684 439767 3 www.gloucestershirecamra.org.uk for goodness sake jeremy, can’t we LETTERS LETTERS Chris replies: Many thanks Courtney, I’ll try and just send an email like control myself, I will, however, warn you that I all those FRIGHTFULLY to the to the rarely let good taste get in the way of a cheap modern chaps? laugh. EDITOR EDITOR Here’s an interesting letter that I have just received, it makes you wonder just what does go into some of our food and drink Some of items... us old codgers why some are are still happy to use held in great regard, and For some years now, I have known that I have the services of the Royal Mail, and we actively others not. Being honest, I can’t say, and an issue with gluten and wheat. Thank goodness, encourage all forms of (preferably printable!) this is possibly also at the risk of being this gluten intolerance is now beginning to be seen communication. So get writing and get your exiled, that I am completely ‘up to speed’ as a serious conditions, rather than the rantings of news, views and comments published! themselves a chance of attracting more than on what is good, what is acceptable and middle aged women hypochondriacs. This is a great just the lager boys? step forward to the burgeoning ranks of us, now well what is considered a true bete noir. Dear Chris, Or, can I just be cynical and ask, is it all over 10% of the population. Bearing my ignorance in mind, I decided just a ruse to charge us a lot more money for What’s that got to do with CAMRA, I hear you to begin a brand new series ‘View from the Some 40 plus years ago, CAMRA was a pint, given that many of the new breed are cry, and like many others, I wondered that myself. Brewhouse’ that may help me, and others established to protect real ale from the onslaught more costly and £5 a pint is not unusual. As the condition has worsened, so my diligence in to understand exactly what are the issues checking and investigating food and drink labels of the keg beers. No one can doubt the with various beer styles. has increased. As you can imagine, nearly every success that the campaign has had, with more Answers on a postcard please! bar snack known to man appears to have gluten or breweries than ever; beer festivals galore, and Timing, as they say, is everything! wheat involved in some degree. These were fairly membership numbers at a high level. Margaret easy to avoid. Imagine my horror, however, when I However, I wonder, are we reaching a time, Chris - Editor The Tippler checked into the ingredients in beer, my favourite when the campaign to protect ‘real ale’ has to Chris replies: tipple. Nearly every pint has gluten or wheat included somewhere, many sufferers are OK with small start all over again, or are beer drinkers today Sir, more tolerant of variety? We have brewers Dear Margaret, amounts and can ‘get away with it’. As the condition and pubs emerging which specialise in keg, Rarely moved to comment, I have been watching the worsens (usually because we don’t want to accept craft keg, and craft ales, but are there more I have to admit that I remember the bad development of the Tippler under your new our favourite foods are now off limits) the reaction to even tiny amounts also increases in intensity. than just a few who really know what they are old days that created the environment for editorial management. I am now tired of the It got me to writing this letter and wondering drinking and whether it qualifies under the CAMRA to ride into our lives, like the tedious tabloid style of poor puns and your penchant for the petty where are all the enterprising brewers who would CAMRA definition as a real ale. Seventh Cavalry and rescue us from the and pointless proliferation of the seemingly superflu- look after a small, but significant minority, of real ale At risk of being exiled from CAMRA, does mediocrity of keg beer. ous style of senseless and drinkers. it matter any more? Is it more important that Nobody can deny the great changes silly alliterative content, particularly the headlines. I’d Small independent brewers, and we have plenty breweries are producing good quality beer in the beer culture of the UK thanks to its like to see a sense of balance and a little more in the county, spend a lot of time and energy into and that a new generation are prepared to try constant work to improve our lot as beer decorum restored and have one piece of advice, and producing small and interesting batches of ales, and enjoy them, even if they are assisted in drinkers. that is: get thee to a punnery. surely they could look at doing the same for us and keeping their quality and longevity. Does this Where I am unsure, and I daresay give us some gluten free beer?! Yours disgruntledly etc., change mean that pubs can still stock ales, so are many others who read this magazine, Stephanie without losing money, stay open and give is in the various categories of beer and Courtney Moore Lately [email protected] [email protected] The Editor, The Tippler, 23 Theocs Close, The Editor, The Tippler, 23 Theocs Close, Tewkesbury, Gloucestershire. GL20 5TX Tewkesbury, Gloucestershire. GL20 5TX www.gloucestershirecamra.org.uk OPEN LETTER FROM OPEN LETTER FROM CHELTENHAM SUB-BRANCH CHELTENHAM SUB-BRANCH action points within it to enable us to achieve don’t want to burn bridges with these sub - Dear fellow CAMRA members, how this might best be accomplished - whilst our stated objectives. This action plan was branches or indeed with the branch committee. of course still maintaining a strong CAMRA presented to the Regional Director and he has Instead we really want to build and extend The last several months have seen many grouping across the county. Towards the commented that he was impressed with its existing relationships. Finally, just because discussions taking place around the county end of 2013 there was a sense of frustration content and has indicated that he may even Cheltenham becomes a ‘Branch’ in its own on the subject of the desire of the Cheltenham amongst our committee and general membership use it as a future branch blueprint. right, there is no reason why Cheltenham sub-branch to become a full branch. There at this lack of progress, and we decided it members should not continue to be very active may have been some stories and rumours would be constructive to make the branch Among the action points, we hope to have members on cross-county teams and be circulating about why we want to do this. This committee and Regional Director aware our own Beer Festival up and running in the involved in helping out other branches – in fact open letter is our attempt to put the record that we were serious in our desires to move next 18 months, once a suitable venue and we will be the first to encourage this. straight and explain the reasons, rationale and forward. date can be agreed, and we have some aspirations behind this move. exciting plans to raise the profile of real ale and So, what are our hopes for the future? To this end we decided to call an Extraordinary real cider and to increase active membership The history of the branch is instructive. General Meeting (EGM) of our members to across our area. Already a new and upbeat We have a thriving and improving beer Originally, a group of keen beer drinkers establish the extent of the desire to become website is up and running, and you can see it scene in Cheltenham, with many top quality wanted to form a Cheltenham Branch, but an independent branch. After we had called at www.cheltenhamcamra.org.uk. pubs, clubs and shops helping to promote real were persuaded to expand geographically and this meeting we consulted with the Regional ales, real ciders and overall CAMRA objectives.