CONTENTS ISSUE 1 2019

14 - 15 23 18 - 19 Beermats Company Meet The Brewer

7 - 9 14 - 15 20 News It’s in the can! RecIMPe What’s happening on the beer and It’s no longer just fizzy lagers and Steak and kidney suet pudding. pub front. smoothflow beers that you find in cans. 22 10 TravAle Lincoln CAMRA Members’ 16 A short trip round Cherry Willingham, News and Branch Diary What’s Brewing Nationally Reepham and Fiskerton. Members news. A round-up of CAMRA’s news from the last three months. 23 11 Old Ale Tales Cask Report 2018/19 17 A well-known landmark on Lincoln’s Real ale must do better. This beer isn’t right! lower High Street. The quality of real ale in pubs can 13 vary markedly. 25 Behind Bars Pub Quiz Meet Ange, Pete and Matt at the Red 18 - 19 Lion, Digby. Meet the Brewer 26 Beermats Brewing Company. Membership Page

lincolncamra.org.uk ImpAle 3 UUnitnit 1 CChurchillhurchill BBusinessusiness PParkark SSleafordleaford RRoadoad BBracebridgeracebridge HeathHeath --JODPMOt-/''JODPMOt-/'' BRITAIN’S LEADING CASK AND CRAFT BEER WHOLESALER PProudroud toto SSupportupport LLincolnincoln CAMRACAMRA aandnd IImpAlempAle

4 ImpAle lincolncamra.org.uk Welcome Welcome. to Issue 1, 2019

I’m writing this on New Year’s Day and looking forward to a successful 2019 for our pubs and . As we report in this issue, 2018 saw a mixed picture. Beer sales over the summer were boosted by the good weather and the World Cup. On the other hand, real ale sales fell over the period covered by the latest Cask Report. And, in Lincoln, the doors of two popular, city-centre pubs were closed throughout the Christmas period.

Also in this issue, we have an article on canned beers. Who’d have thought that would feature in a CAMRA magazine?

Cheers

Steve Renshaw

Our Twitter account @Lincoln_CAMRA has over 3,300 followers, and our Facebook page Lincoln CAMRA has 525 likes and counting. To keep the success going, we need your help. Please email [email protected] or contact us via Twitter or Facebook about your local pub’s events, be it a regular quiz, food night or a one-off event.

ImpAle ImpAle is the magazine of Lincoln CAMRA branch. CAMRA campaigns for real ale, real pubs and consumer rights. It is an independent, volunteer-led organisation Editor with more than 190,000 members nationally. ImpAle is published three times a Steve Renshaw year and is available free through pubs in Lincoln branch area and beyond. To Design join CAMRA, help preserve Britain’s brewing and pub industry, get the monthly Matt Richards newspaper “What’s Brewing” and a host of other membership benefits – visit Art Of Matelot, Matelot Marketing www.camra.org.uk Limited CAMRA is a limited company, run at national level by an elected unpaid board of Publisher directors and at regional level by volunteer regional directors, both backed by full Neil Richards MBE time professional staff. Matelot Marketing Limited 01536 358670 Consumer Rights [email protected] For complaints about issues such as short measures contact Lincolnshire Trading Standards on 01522 782341 or With kind help from Consumer Direct on 0845 404 0506. Campaign for Kev Pridgen, Wendy Renshaw, Mike Holman and Tim Roberts Disclaimer Real Ale (of Them That Can). The views contained within ImpAle 230 Hatfield Road do not necessarily represent the St Albans views of CAMRA, the editor, or the Herts Lincoln branch. Tel: 01727 867201 [email protected] lincolncamra.org.uk ImpAle 5 INTRODUCING OUR NEW RANGE

CENTERED AROUND SUSTAINABLE PRODUCTION AND OUR COMMITMENT TO REDUCING UNNECESSARY WASTE. FIND OUT MORE AT WWW.WELBECKABBEYBREWERY.CO.UK.

6 ImpAle lincolncamra.org.uk NEWS Keith and Debbie retire

Having sold the Coach and Horses at Hemingby just before Christmas, Keith and Debbie Stride are now enjoying a well-earned retirement. They bought the pub in January 1993, having run a hotel in Todmorden, Lancashire for the previous five years. Under their stewardship, the Coach and Horses has become the hub of the . In addition to hosting darts, dominoes and pool teams, plus quiz evenings, there was a golf society and regular charity Keith and Debbie sent this message, “We would like to events. thank all at the Lincoln branch of CAMRA for their support over the past 26 years. We were very proud to receive Keith, a real ale enthusiast, was in charge of the cellar awards from you and to be included in the Good Beer and the fact that the pub has appeared in every edition Guide for over 20 years. We have now handed over the of CAMRA’s Good Beer Guide from 1998 to 2019 is a reins to Damien and Caroline Nou, who intend to continue testament to his skills. Debbie produced the home- as we have done, promoting real ale and supporting cooked meals using ingredients from local suppliers and CAMRA. We will continue to support CAMRA from our has been a regular winner of “Tastes of Lincolnshire” new base in Rotherham, but hope to see you all at the awards. beer festival in Lincoln in the future.” Springhead back in business

brand, and deliver their selection of craft beers to a wider audience than ever before. Springhead will continue to produce much-loved favourites from their core range of beers, including Nottinghamshire’s best-known IPA, Roaring Meg. In addition, new cutting-edge brands will be produced to suit the discerning craft beer market. Head Brewer, Keir Teasdale, in the brewhouse (Photograph by Shawn Ryan) Key staff from the previous team have been retained, Springhead Brewery, based in Laneham, near Retford, is including Head Brewer, Keir Teasdale, the son of the back in operation following the recent sale of the business. previous owners. Keir said, “I’m incredibly happy to be The brewery, which was founded in 1990, was relaunched back brewing our favourite beers again, and to combine by new owners in December after short halt in production. the experience passed on down the family line from our parents with a new and dynamic business team, to deliver The new owners have a wealth of successful business the excellent quality our fans have grown to know and experience, and have big plans to bring the brewery love to more people than ever.” to the next level. They aim to develop their range and lincolncamra.org.uk ImpAle 7 News Almost one in four pubs closed since 2008

According to a report by the Office for National Statistics, more than 11,000 pubs have closed in the UK in the last decade, a fall of almost a quarter (23%). The report, entitled “Economies of Ale”, contains analysis which shows that it is small pubs that are disappearing, as the big chains consolidate their businesses around bigger bars. The number of independently-owned larger pubs (those with 25 or more employees) is steadily rising. 6% more jobs in pubs and bars than there were in 2008. The largest increases have been in pubs with 10 or more However, the figures do not tell the full story of the health employees. of the UK pub trade. Although many establishments have closed, the total turnover of pubs and bars has remained The report includes data on the percentage change in the flat since 2008, once inflation is taken into account. The number of pubs by local authority between 2001 and 2018. remaining pubs appear to have soaked up the custom In our area, Lincoln and North Kesteven saw decreases from those that have closed. This is backed up by of 20% and 21% respectively, while West Lindsey has employment figures. While the number of jobs in pubs suffered a massive 35% fall. decreased during the economic downturn, there are now Not just winter warmers

the Champion Winter Beer of Britain competition will be judged. This will be will be the last chance to catch the Two major winter beer festivals are taking place over the festival in Norwich, as the national event moves location same weekend in February. But organisers are keen to every three years. point out that it will not be just traditional winter warmers on offer. Nearer to home, the Derby CAMRA Winter Ale Festival takes place at the historic Roundhouse from 20th to CAMRA’s Great British Beer Festival Winter runs from 19th 23rd February. There will be a range of over 400 cask to 23rd February at St Andrew’s and Blackfriars’ stunning, ales, together with ciders, perries, bottled world beers medieval friary halls in Norwich. On offer will be beers of and meads. New attractions this year include a craft every style and shade, served in cask, KeyKeg and bottle, keg bar and a gin bar hosted by Blue Monkey Brewery. plus world beers and real ciders. As always at the event, Entertainment will include live music and competitions.

IN BRIEF REAL ALE IN BOTTLE AND CAN qualify, a beer must contain enough viable yeast cells to CAMRA is seeking to support those brewers who produce allow it to undergo a secondary fermentation in the bottle real ale in a bottle or can by relaunching the accreditation or can. Once accreditation has been granted, the brewer system that allows brewers to use a CAMRA logo on their can apply the logo to any packaging of beers that are labelling to indicate the Campaign’s approval. In order to produced in the same way as the one tested.

8 ImpAle lincolncamra.org.uk News

Welbeck Abbey Go Green for 2019

Welbeck Abbey Brewery, based on the Welbeck Estate near Worksop, has developed a new range of special beers centred around sustainable production. Entitled “Foraged & Found”, each ale within the range will be The brewery will enter the New Year with a coffee porter brewed with a food by-product from food producers, made with coffee grounds for the nearby Harley Cafe, eateries, and community groups local to the brewery. suitably named “Wake Up and Smell the Coffee”. This will be followed by a stilton porter entitled “Out of the Blue”, A key part of their new campaign “Go Green for 2019”, made with the whey from the award-winning Stichelton the range showcases the brewery’s efforts to have a Dairy. Other beers, to be released on a monthly basis, positive impact on environment and local community, will include a rhubarb saison called “May the Forced be and highlights their commitment to reducing unnecessary With You”, a brewed with orange rind called “Take waste. A variety of typical beer styles from across the it Squeezy”, and a pale ale dubbed “No Pain No Gain”, world will be brewed, chosen to enhance and highlight brewed with nettles that the team will forage locally. the key flavour notes of the foods utilised.

IN BRIEF Best bottled beer in ANOTHER AWARD FOR LINCOLNSHIRE BREWING COMPANY Britain Lincolnshire Brewing Company won the Food and Farming Excellence Award at the 2018 Lincolnshire Fuller’s 1845 (6.3% ABV) has been crowned the Champion Media Business Awards. The presentation was BottledB Beer of Britain made at a ceremony in the Epic Centre at the ini CAMRA’s prestigious Lincolnshire Showground. Owners Carl and Claire annuala competition which Brown are planning to expand the Langworth recognisesr the best bottle- brewery to a 10-barrel capacity in 2019. conditionedc real ale in the country.c The strong ale ... AND ONE FOR FERRY ALES wasw described by judges Ferry Ales Brewery of Fiskerton was named asa rich and fruity, matured Producer of the Year at the Lincolnshire Life tot perfection and easy Magazine Taste of Excellence Food & Drink drinking.d Runners-up were Awards 2018. The magazine received over 15,000 TiIilbDhBTemptation Imperial by Durham Brewery which took silver and nominations for almost 2,000 businesses. The Big Job by St Austell which won bronze. Producer of the Year award covers all types of food-producing businesses and recognises a local Fuller’s Head Brewer, Georgina Young, said, “This beer was the producer whose passion for Lincolnshire produce brainchild of our former head brewer, the great Reg Drury, to is at the heart of their business. celebrate 150 years of brewing at Fuller’s so I’m delighted that it is still as popular as ever 23 years later. It was also the beer that WELL-KNOWN LINCOLN PUBS CLOSED caused amber malt to be reintroduced to British brewing - a malt OVER CHRISTMAS that is now widely used in a large number of beers.” Two well-known Lincoln pubs were closed over the Christmas period. The Tap & Spile, a popular The final judging and announcement took place at the BBC Good live music venue on Hungate, closed at the end of Food Show at the Birmingham NEC. Visitors to the event had the November. Owners, the Ei Group, are looking to opportunity to taste a selection of the finalists at a number of recruit a new publican. Another sudden closure tutored beer tasting events run by Roger Protz, Adrian Tierney- involved Widow Cullen’s Well on Steep Hill. The Jones and Annabel Smith, as part of the Great British Beer managers left the Sam Smith’s Brewery pub on 13th Experience. December. lincolncamra.org.uk ImpAle 9 Members’ News Lincoln CAMRA Members’ News

Keep your personal details up to date If you move house, or change your phone number or e-mail address, please let CAMRA headquarters know. The HQ membership database is our only means of staying in contact with you. You can update your personal details via the CAMRA national website or by calling membership enquiries on 01727 798440.

BRANCH DIARY FEBRUARY SUN 3RD Committee Meeting - West End Tap, Lincoln, 8pm. TUE 5TH Branch Meeting (Good Beer Guide Selection) - Magna WhatPub Updates Carta, Lincoln 8pm. WhatPub, CAMRA’s online pub guide, features over 96% SUN 17TH of Britain’s real ale pubs. Entries include opening times, Beer Festival Meeting - Joiners Arms, descriptions, facilities and details of the real ale and cider Lincoln, 8pm. on offer. Of course, any guide of this type is only as good as the data, which must be up-to-date and accurate. A THU 28TH small team, led by our Pubs Officer, Penny Kempton, has Social and Meet-the-Brewer - Ritz, 7pm. started on a mission to check and update as necessary the WhatPub-listed establishments in the Lincoln Branch MARCH area. With over 200 pubs to visit, this is a mammoth task. However, all our members can help. If you are in a local SUN 10TH pub, please check the entry on whatpub.com. If any of Committee Meeting - Cross Keys, Stow, 8pm. the details have changed, let us know using the link at the THU 14TH bottom of the web page. And don’t forget that you can Branch Meeting - Cardinal’s Hat, Lincoln, 8pm. also enter your beer scores via WhatPub. SUN 17TH Good Beer Guide selection Beer Festival Meeting - Joiners Arms, Lincoln, 8pm. The selection of pubs in our Branch area for the 2020 THU 28TH Good Beer Guide will take place at our Branch meeting Meet the Brewer and Social - Ritz Lincoln, th in the Magna Carta, Lincoln, on Tuesday 5 February. Lincoln, 7pm. Arguably, this is our most important meeting of the year, so we need as many members as possible to attend. SUN 31ST Committee Meeting - Coach & Horses, Hemingby, 8pm. Lincoln Beer Festival going ahead Planning is under way for the 2019 Lincoln Beer Festival. The dates for your diary are 23rd to 25th May. Remember Check out the Branch website for up-to-date details of that the success of the event depends on having enough meetings and socials. members volunteering to help. Look out for the volunteer form - you can sign up for a little or a lot, and you won’t be asked to do anything you are not comfortable with.

10 ImpAle lincolncamra.org.uk Cask Report 2018/2019 REAL ALE MUST DO BETTER according to Cask Report

The Cask Report has been produced annually since 2007 • Loyal cask drinkers tend to be at the upper end of age and summarises the cask ale market from the previous demographics. year. The report is commissioned by the Cask Matters • In the minds of many consumers, there is an overlap Group, an informal partnership of brewing industry and between cask and “craft” beer but craft potentially consumer organisations who care about the future of our repositions cask as old fashioned and out of touch. national drink. • There is a gap between the customer’s perception of Rather than using one writer for Cask Report 2018/19, quality and that of the licensee. Many customers do editor Matt Eley recruited a team to provide different voices not return pints they are unhappy with. and insights into the issues around cask. The number • Pubs are struggling to maintain recommended cask of sources used and the new research commissioned serving temperatures. There is also an appetite for make this the broadest research project undertaken in cask served at lower temperatures. the 12-year history of the Cask Report. More than 3,000 consumers and 900 licensees were surveyed, and • Half of committed cask drinkers believe it is the same focus groups were held across the country. Statistical price as mainstream lager, indicating cask could be information was provided by Cask Marque, CGA and the undervalued on the bar. British Beer and Pub Association. The team also referred • Many pubs have too many handpumps for the amount to other comprehensive studies of the sector. of cask they can sell.

The key findings of the report are as follows: In the “Final Thoughts” section of the report, Paul Nunny, • Figures to July 2018 show that sales of cask beer were co-founder of Cask Marque, highlights some of the causes down by 6.8% in volume. This decline was faster than of the current decline of cask beer. These include the that for overall on-trade beer sales. fact that pubs are closing and consumers are visiting pubs • Cask is still hugely valuable to the on-trade. One in less frequently. In addition, cask is not attracting younger seven pints of beer sold is cask and at £1.6bn it is drinkers. He goes on to suggest how the trade can attract double the size of gin in the on-trade (£0.77bn). people back into pubs and, when they are there, how they • can be encouraged to drink cask beer. He concludes by Golden ale sales are in growth. calling on brewers and retailers to take action, both to • The top ten cask brands are generally outperforming support the pub but also to make cask relevant to the next the market. generation of drinkers. • More people are including cask in their repertoires – Writing in CAMRA’s “What’s Brewing” newspaper, Matt Eley but they drink it less frequently. said, “There is no question cask is facing a challenging • Those aged under 30 are least likely to have tried time. If the industry does not take serious steps to address cask. these issues then we could see sales plummet to an even more chilling level.” • Many people avoid cask due to perceptions about flavour or believing it to be an old-fashioned drink. lincolncamra.org.uk ImpAle 11 12 ImpAle lincolncamra.org.uk BehindBehind BarsBars BEHIND BARS ImpAle travels to the edge of the Lincoln CAMRA Branch area

Beside the war memorial in the small village of Digby, fourteen miles south-east of Lincoln, stands the Red Lion. Eight years ago, it was the property of Punch Taverns and in a very sorry state. Enter Ange Robinson and Pete Crompton, who bought it, closed it for six months and renovated it, upstairs and down, with a vengeance!

In previous times, the inn was the stopping point for coaches travelling between Boston and Lincoln. The building is over 400 years old and its interior was gloomy. Angie and Pete felt the space needed to be opened out to make it more sociable, airy and practical. The beams and some historic features are still visible but it is now a much lighter, brighter and welcoming space. “There are no strangers here, only friends you have yet to meet” is one of many thought-provoking or amusing mottoes which can be found throughout the pub.

Ange runs the kitchen, serving home-cooked food, with Sunday roasts being especially popular. Her son Matt is in charge of the cellar and the bar. There are six handpumps and, being a free house, Matt likes to source a familiar beer or two from national suppliers such as Greene King Abbott Ale. He also buys many from local breweries Pete, Matt and Ange behind the bar at the Red Lion including Horncastle Ales, Ferry Ales and Pheasantry (1940s, 1970s, Mods and Rockers, Steampunk etc) and Brewery. It is a testament to his hard work and skill that charity fundraising parties in the car park. There is a the pub has Cask Marque accreditation. games room with pool and darts teams, the latter using an old Lincoln board which has doubles but no trebles. Pete and Ange are accumulating awards for their pub and its food. In 2017, they won the Lincolnshire Life Tastes The Sunday evening quiz nights involve quirky additions. of Excellence Pub of the Year, and also a Gold citation Spot prizes might be awarded to teams which, for example, for Dining Pub of the Year. In addition, they were Highly identify crisp flavours by tasting, solve an anagram or say Commended in the Select Lincolnshire Award for Food, what has mysteriously disappeared from the wall of the Drink and Hospitality in 2017, and in 2018 they were the pub. winners. Small wonder that their Christmas Day lunch is booked up by August. For most publicans, this would all be more than enough to keep them busy. However, not only is there a separate Pete, Ange and Matt feel that a warm welcome and good function room behind the Red Lion which is regularly atmosphere are essential, and they credit their staff for used for small group events, but Ange and Pete also run playing a key role in this. Although Ange had experience outside bars and cater for events for up to 300 people, in in hospitality having previously run the Royal Oak in marquees, barns or other suitable venues. Scopwick for eleven years, Pete was formerly a graphic designer and exhibition builder.

They like to keep up with what their customers enjoy, but also keep re-inventing what they do and ring the changes to keep things fresh. Their enthusiasm is evident as they list what goes on in the pub. There are themed nights lincolncamra.org.uk ImpAle 13 It’s In The Can! IT’S IN CAN!THE

Go into any supermarket and you will see slabs of canned forces overseas in the Second World War, as cans saved a beers piled high and sold cheap. The 440ml cans of the great deal of space and weight compared to glass bottles. familiar brands from the global megabrewers, include Unfortunately, the wax lining melted in warm climes giving “Australian” lager (brewed in Manchester) and “Belgian” the beer an unpleasant taste and leading to Felinfoel’s beer (brewed in ). But take a look on the specialty nickname “Feeling Foul”. beer shelves and, alongside the traditional bottled ales, you’ll find eye-catching, 330ml cans from craft breweries. American craft brewers championed the use of cans, and a number of their beers are now regulars on UK shelves. And many UK brewers are now enthusiastically following the trend.

A BRIEF HISTORY OF CANNED BEER The Gottfried Krueger Brewing Company of Newark, New Jersey, USA was the first brewery to sell beer in cans. The initial shipment went on sale in Richmond, Virginia in 1933, shortly after the end of Prohibition. The heavy- gauge tin cans were made by the American Can Company (Photograph courtesy of Felinfoel Brewery.) (CanCo) and were opened using a “church key” piercer. The development was a significant achievement as the In 1958, the Hawaii Brewing Corporation introduced the cans had to cope with considerable internal pressure first all-aluminium can for its Primo beer. The ring-pull without leaking. Another problem was that beer is acidic can was patented in the US in 1963, eliminating the need and reacts with tin producing a metallic tang. Finally, the for a separate opening tool. It was widely adopted but cost of the can had to compare favourably with that of there were problems, as the millions of discarded pulls returnable glass bottles which were commonly in use. caused environmental issues. Pets and wildlife died Having started experimenting in 1909, CanCo eventually from ingesting ring-pulls, as did a number of people who produced a robust beer can which had an inner lining. dropped them into a can of beer and then accidentally choked on them. The pulls cut the feet of children walking Customer reaction to the first cans was very positive and on beaches and littered roadsides. The solution came in soon other breweries, first in the US and then around the 1975 with the invention of the non-removeable tab. The world started canning their beers. The Felinfoel Brewery design has remained relatively unchanged since. of was the first UK company to produce canned beer. Using locally manufactured tinplate, the half-pint CANS VERSUS BOTTLES cans were the shape of a Brasso tin and were sealed with a crown cork. The inside of the cans was coated The three things that can spoil packaged beer are with wax to prevent the beer reacting with the metal. oxygen, heat and light. As long as they are sealed and Felinfoel Brewery was a major supplier to British armed stored correctly, cans and bottles are equally effective

14 ImpAle lincolncamra.org.uk It’s In The Can! as containers. Certain compounds in hops react when London, Bristol and Leeds, with a fourth is due to be sited exposed to strong light producing a “skunky” odour. As in Newcastle in January. cans are impermeable to light, their shelf-life may be longer than bottles. Their machines, which are made in the USA, are capable of filling up to 3,000 330ml cans per hour or 2,400 440ml Now that cans are effectively lined, the beer should not cans per hour. The machine itself is only 2.5 metres long, have a metallic tang. However, if you drink straight from one metre wide and 1.5 metres tall, and has four filling the can, it might taste of metal because your lips are in heads. It arrives on a long-wheelbase van and the two or contact with the outside of the can. three-man crew will fill up to 15,000 cans per day.

The issue of whether cans are more environmentally- THE CANNING PROCESS friendly than bottles is complex. Certainly, the transportation of cans is cheaper and has a smaller carbon footprint, as cans are lighter and stack better than bottles. In addition, cans are more likely to be recycled, meaning that an aluminium can has more recycled content than any other drinks container. On the other hand, the environmental impact of the extraction of bauxite and the energy needed to produce aluminium from this ore is significant.

Finally, small brewers like cans as they enhance their brand, making it stand out more than bottles. Linked The cans are all labelled and delivered to the brewery to branding, in the social media age, many drinkers are before the canning day. It is paramount that only good constantly looking for something new. Small-batch quality beer is canned so, while the machine is being set canning enables brewers to meet these demands. up, the levels of dissolved oxygen and carbonation are checked using specialist equipment. After the beer has CANNING FOR MICROBREWERIES been given the green light, the machine is attached to the Large brewers have mechanised production lines for conditioning tank. bottles and/or cans. However, many microbreweries bottle their beers by hand, a laborious task. As a small The cans are filled and are then sprayed with water to brewery becomes more established, one of the decisions make sure there is no residual beer on the outside which to be taken is whether to invest in a bottling machine or could encourage mould to grow. Throughout the process, send beer to a larger brewery to be bottled. further tests for dissolved oxygen and carbonation are carried out and the seams of the cans are checked. Canning by hand is not an option and the cost of installing Finally, the cans are packed in boxes ready for shipping. a canning line is significant. So how is it that so many microbreweries are producing canned beers? The A thorough clean of the interior surfaces of pipes, vessels, answer is that a number of mobile canning companies and tanks of the canning machine is carried out before have sprung up in the last few years. and after operation. REAL ALE IN A CAN In 2016, CAMRA awarded its first ever accreditation for real ale to a canned beer. Tests carried out on the “micro- canned” beer from Moor Beer Company in Bristol at the Great British Beer Festival showed that the beer qualified as real ale under CAMRA’s definition. The quality control laboratory at Olympia reported that the beer in Moor Beer cans still contained live yeast and that any carbonation was created by natural secondary fermentation.

Two Lincolnshire breweries producing canned beers are According to Tim Roberts of Them That Can, “The majority Brewster’s in Grantham and Docks Beers in Grimsby. of beer that is canned is carbonated. Essentially most Both use a company called Them That Can, which brewers feel that it gives more stability. However, we was established in 2014 and now works with over 100 have around 6% of our customer base that can-condition breweries. After starting out with one second-hand and they have no issues.” canning line, the company now has three lines, based in lincolncamra.org.uk ImpAle 15 WHAT’SBREWING NATIONALLY

ImpAle rounds up CAMRA’s news from the last three months

November from Power to Change, a programme set up to save • A former Blockbuster video store which was turned pubs from closure. The programme builds on the work into a micropub has been named CAMRA’s National of the £3.6 million More than a Pub initiative, under Cider Pub of the Year 2018. The Firkin Shed, which which 96 pubs have opened since it was launched in opened in Bournemouth in 2015, stocks a selection of March 2016. real ciders and perries, cask ales, mead and rum. • Beer sales in the third quarter of 2018 were up 4.4% • Well-run community pubs could have a key role in on the same period in 2017, according to data from the addressing the issue of declining English high streets. British Beer & Pub Association. Pubs enjoyed their A new study by the Local Government Information first third-quarter growth in more than 15 years, with Unit and the Portman Group reveals that nine out of sales increasing by 0.9%. ten councils say the night-time economy will play an important role in preventing the decline of high-street If you’re not a CAMRA member, you won’t be getting all retail. the latest real ale, pub and brewing news delivered to • Brewdog and Cloudwater Breweries have announced your door every month. Join at www.camra.org.uk and plans to bring back the production of cask beer. get What’s Brewing and Beer delivered free, plus a host Cloudwater said it was going to supply a small number of other membership benefits. of customers who treat cask-conditioned beers with the expertise and quality-focus they deserve.

December • In his Budget, chancellor Philip Hammond announced that taxes on beer and cider would be frozen. In addition, business rates for 90% of small businesses, including pubs, will be cut by a third. However, pub- specific rate relief has been scrapped. • The four finalists in CAMRA’s National Pub of the Year competition have been announced. They are the Chequers in Little Gransden, Cambridgeshire, the Cricketers Arms in St Helens, the Volunteer Arms in Musselburgh and the Wonston Arms in Wonston, Hampshire. • Rochester and Stroud MP, Kelly Tolhurst, is the new minister responsible for overseeing the Pubs Code. CAMRA is calling on her to conduct an urgent review of the Code so that the market-rent-only option becomes a genuine choice for pubco tenants.

January • The Ei Group (formerly Enterprise Inns) has confirmed plans to sell about 400 pubs worth £350 million. Ei is one of the UK’s largest pubcos with more than 4,500 pubs. CAMRA is urging Ei to sell the pubs as going concerns rather than to property developers. • Community groups will receive an extra £2.2 million

16 ImpAle lincolncamra.org.uk This Beer Isn’t Right! THIS BEER ISN’T RIGHT!

In “The Cask Report 2018/2019”, there is a whole section STALE about the importance of the quality of cask ale. Research If a cask of real ale remains on sale after more than a few is quoted indicating that only 34% of customers complain days, it may develop a stale smell and taste similar to about a bad pint. This compares with 40% who say they damp cardboard. This results from a reaction of the beer would simply leave the pub and not come back. with oxygen. Real ale is an unusual product in that, when it leaves the SOUR brewery, it is not ready for consumption. When it is put A bacterial infection in beer produces a lemon or yoghurt- into casks, it contains enough live yeast and fermentable like tang or, even worse, a vinegary smell and taste. Beers sugar to ensure that a secondary fermentation can take that are deliberately sour are common in Belgium and are place. When a cask is delivered to the pub, it is up to the growing in popularity with trendy craft brewers over here. publican to work with the beer until it reaches its optimum The pump clip should identify a deliberately sour beer. condition. The shelf life of real ale, once on dispense, is limited to a few days. SO, IF THERE ARE ALL THESE POTENTIAL PROBLEMS WITH REAL ALE, WHY SHOULD Given that the quality of real ale in pubs can vary markedly, WE BOTHER WITH IT? regular drinkers will inevitably have been served a pint Many drinkers assert that real ale is draught beer at its that does not taste right. So what are the common real best and that the subtle differences between cask- ale problems that drinkers should look out for and be conditioned and keg beer can be profound. The filtration prepared to bring to the attention of the bar staff? and pasteurisation that mass-produced beers undergo TEMPERATURE remove much of the taste and aroma associated with real Real ale should be served at cellar temperature, which ale. In addition, the higher levels of carbonation in keg is somewhat cooler than room temperature but not beers can produce a harsh mouth-feel compared with the as cold as keg beers. If real ale is too warm it loses its gentle carbonation produced by secondary fermentation. natural conditioning (the liveliness of the beer due to the There is no doubt that keg beers produced by the new dissolved carbon dioxide). On the other hand, if the beer generation of “craft” brewers are a world away from those is too cold it will kill off the subtle flavour. of the 1970s and the smoothflow beers that still exist today. The distinction between these beers and real ale is HAZY becoming blurred, so when it comes to making a decision This used to be a straightforward issue because drinkers at the bar, “you pays your money and takes your choice”. have come to expect a crystal-clear pint. If the beer Finally, real ale is still hugely valuable to the pub trade. was murky, it usually meant that the sediment had been Despite the drop in sales highlighted in the Cask Report, disturbed, so it should be returned to the bar. These one in seven pints of beer sold is cask-conditioned and, days, however, some brewers are producing beers that at £1.6bn, it is double the size of gin in the on-trade are meant to be cloudy. Good staff should point this out (£0.77bn). Paul Nunny, co-founder of Cask Marque, has at the bar. this advice for publicans, “ Remember the cask ale drinker FLAT visits the pub more often, spends more money and The fizz in real ale is produced by the secondary actively recommends pubs to their crowd. You need to fermentation that takes place in the cask. If a cask ale is attract these drinkers by holding events that match their flat, it may indicate a fermentation problem at the brewery demand”. or poor cellar management in the pub. lincolncamra.org.uk ImpAle 17 Meet The Brewer MEET THE BREWER

The Winkburn Estate covers a large area of rolling looks tiny at one end of the building, but they have acted countryside a few miles north-east of Southwell in on the advice and created a capacious cold store. Nottinghamshire. The estate was given by Edward VI to William Burnell and his wife Constance in 1548 as compensation for their surrender of land in Surrey to Edward’s father, Henry VIII. Their descendants remained at Winkburn until the early twentieth century. Following a number of subsequent changes of ownership, it was bought by Sir Philip Barber in the early 1950s, after the nationalisation of the Barber family coal mine in 1947. Today the estate remains in the ownership of Sir Philip’s great grandson.

Farming is the dominant estate activity with three tenanted farms, all of which have been farmed by the same families for several generations. There is a wide selection of houses and cottages to rent located within Winkburn village and throughout the wider estate, plus a number of commercial properties. And, in one large unit adjacent to the Grade 1 listed Winkburn Hall, you will find Beermats Andy and Gregg usually brew on Mondays and Tuesdays Brewing Company. and then jump in their van on Wednesdays and Thursdays to make the deliveries. Friday is supposed to be a half- Beermats was founded by Andy Kendrick, Gregg day but that doesn’t always work out. Crichton, who is in McDermott and Crichton Brauer, and they started brewing charge of the business side, also runs a language school in October 2017. Andy and Gregg learned their craft at in Russia with his wife. The team is completed by Jackie a local brewery and made the decision to set up their Mayne and Jenna Kendrick who deal with the sales. business while enjoying a pint and playing a game with beer mats with their friend Crichton. The pub game with beer mats not only inspired the name of the brewery but also led to the decision to give each Initially, they looked for a site in Newark but, following advice of their beers a name containing the word “mat”. This that they would need plenty of space for a cold store, they sounds like the sort of thing that seems a good idea when opted for Winkburn. Having visited microbreweries which you’ve had a few pints but not so good the next day. have been crammed into small buildings, it was surprising However, the boys went with it, and their first beers were to see exactly how much space they have. Their 10-barrel Soulmate, Pragmatic, Diplomat and Teammates. And, so brewing kit, which came from Cryptic Ales in Stockport, far, they have managed to stick with the theme - seasonal

18 ImpAle lincolncamra.org.uk Meet The Brewer

brews have included Charismatic, Format and Animate. comfortable seating, and open to the public at weekends. Although, we do think that they stretched a point with It should be a great place to meet up with mates! their Christmas specials, Midnight Mats and Frosty the Snowmat. Drinkers clearly enjoy the idea and regularly BEERMATS CORE RANGE submit suggestions for new names.

Andy and Gregg have made a conscious decision to stick PRAGMATIC with traditional beer styles for the time being. Having said that, Format and Charismatic are vegan-friendly, as (3.8%) the finings used for them are not derived from fish. All their beers have been well received, with good sales and feedback. Amber in colour, this light refreshing session ale is produced with choice hops. A delicate blend of quality Casks are delivered to pubs within a 30-mile radius malts with a classic bitter finish. and Beermats beers are also taken by chains such as Wetherspoons, Stonegate and Greene King. The brewery has been awarded the Food Safety and Quality TEAMMATES Certificate by the Society of Independent Brewers (SIBA) (3.9%) which means that their beers can be supplied via SIBA’s Beerflex scheme. Beermats beers are also spread across the country by Lincoln drinks wholesaler, Small Beer. Lincoln pubs where you might come across Beermats A pale ale with a citrus aroma leading to a fresh hoppy beers include the Jolly Brewer, the William Foster and the finish. Mailbox.

A small proportions of Beermats’ output is bottled, and SOULMATE these are available in Oldrids and Downtown stores, (4.2%) Pennells garden centres and farm shops. The brewery also has a portable bar that Andy, Gregg and Crichton take to local markets and food festivals. The bar is available to hire for parties, functions and weddings. A golden ale, full of fruity flavours with a light, floral aroma and a citrus aftertaste.

DIPLOMAT (4.6%)

A smooth, black, malty brew. Well-rounded and balanced with roasted barley and spicy chocolate notes.

ULTIMATE (4.9%)

Deep red in colour, this bold, full-bodied ale has smooth, Crichton, Gregg, Jackie and Andy behind their portable bar malty flavours, subtly infused with spices and a sweet honey finish. An exciting development coming in the near future is the creation of a brewery tap. The reception area at the front of the building doubles as a brewery shop and storage area for the portable bar. A licence has been obtained and the plan is to install beer lines, handpumps and lincolncamra.org.uk ImpAle 19 STEAK AND RecIMPe KIDNEY SUET PUDDING

Mike Holman, co-owner and brewer at Ferry Ales Brewery, and Danny Gill, owner and master pie-maker at Browns Pie Shop & Restaurant decided that a classic steak and kidney pudding made with FAB Just Jane Bitter would be perfect for this time of year. If you don’t want to make the puddings yourself, you can try one at Browns on Steep Hill.

FILLING INGREDIENTS: 7. Check that the beef is soft and tender - it should fall apart 2½ lbs of diced beef and, if not, bring to a simmer for a further 30 mins and check 1lb ox or pigs’ kidneys again. 50g tomato puree 8. Once the beef is ready, add the kidneys and quartered 50g beef bouillon buttoned mushrooms, stir well. 250g button mushrooms quartered 9. Season the mix with salt and pepper to taste. Seasoned flour for coating beef 10. The consistency of the mix should be nice and thick. If you 4 bottles of Just Jane Bitter are worried that it is too runny then you can always add A couple of sprigs of thyme cornflower or arrowroot to thicken. 250g diced onions 11. Set to one side and allow to chill. 2 cloves of garlic - sliced 100ml of red wine vinegar PASTRY METHOD: 1. Place all dry ingredients into a bowl and mix well. PASTRY INGREDIENTS: 2. Make a little well in the middle of the bowl and add all the 500g self-raising flour liquid. 3g salt 3. Mix by hand until a dough is formed and it does not stick to 250g suet the sides of the bowl. 185ml of milk 4. Wrap the pastry in cling film and allow to rest. 185 ml of water 3g chopped thyme leaves ASSEMBLING THE PUDDINGS: FILLING METHOD: 1. Line a large bowl or 6 to 8 individual dishes with cling film greasing them on the inside. 1. Lightly coat the beef in the seasoned flour and shake off well. 2. Roll out the pastry to the thickness of a pound coin. 2. In a hot pan, caramelise off the beef starting with a little oil 3. Place pastry in the dish making sure it covers the whole of then finishing with butter. In a different pan, caramelise off the inside. Cut a lid out of the pastry to fit the top. the kidneys. Set these to one side. 4. Take the chilled meat mix and fill the pastry lined dish ¾ full. 3. In another saucepan, caramelise the onions and garlic with Place the lid over the top and crimp the edges together. a little oil and butter. Add the tomato puree and cook for Trim off the excess with a pair of scissors. a further two to three minutes. Add the red wine vinegar 5. Wrap the puddings loosely with cling film, gathering the and cook until the mixture is reduced and very little liquid remains in the pan. excess and tying with string. Steam for 1½ hours. 4. Add the beef bouillon and Just Jane beer and stir well. 5. Add the beef and bring to the boil. Add sprigs of thyme and turn down to simmer slowly for one hour. Photograph by Jemima Sullivan for CityX 6. Turn off the heat and allow to stew for a further 30-45 minutes, stirring occasionally.

20 ImpAle lincolncamra.org.uk Fuggles farmer foils attack of the killer wilt In our eyes, farmer Tom Spilsbury is a hero worthy of immortalising as a statue. Over the past few decades, the killer wilt virus has decimated acres of English Fuggles hops – an ingredient crucial to the Taylor’s taste. Thankfully, Tom agreed to plant two new yards of Fuggles, specifically for us, in soil elevated above local rivers. This protects our hops from any wilt attacks spreading from land upstream. So we can keep brewing with the Fuggles that give Landlord its inimitable flavour. Here’s to Tom Spilsbury, hops hero, beer legend.

All for that taste of Taylor’s

lincolncamra.org.uk ImpAle 21 TravALE TravALE The villages of Cherry Willingham, Reepham and Fiskerton form a neat triangle a few miles to the east of Lincoln. In addition to being served by the Number 3 Stagecoach bus from Lincoln, they are easily accessed from the Water Rail Way cycle path. The order of the four pubs follows the bus route.

WISHING WELL, Cherry Willingham CHERRY TREE, Cherry Willingham Built in the 1980s as AnA archetypal 1960s part of a parade of eestate pub which shops, the Wishing bbacks on to the Well underwent a villagev sports ground. major refurbishment ThereT are two large in 2017. The large bar rooms,r the main bar area has darts and withw pool, darts and pool, plus sports TV. sportss TV, and the There is a separate dining/functiond room. dining area. The house beer,b Well’s W ll’ Ale, Al is i brewed b d by b A carvery is available Caledonian. Theakston’s Best Bitter is also a regular. The on Wednesday and Sunday lunchtimes and cream teas third handpump usually has a beer from nearby Ferry Ales are served on Saturday afternoons. Bombardier Pale Ale and Sharp’s Doom Bar are regulars and there may be a FOX & HOUNDS, Reepham guest on. HavingH stood empty forf some months, thet Fox & Hounds wasw bought by a locall businessman and,a following major works,w it re-opened ini May 2017. The separates rooms have beenb knocked into one and the once gloomy interior is now light and airy. The decoration, fittings and furnishings are all of a very AWARD WINNING BEERS high standard. Sharp’s Doom Bar is a regular, together CRAFT BREWED with one from Timothy Taylor’s. Again, a beer from Ferry IN THE HEART OF Ales is usually present. LINCOLNSHIRE CARPENTERS, Fiskerton This village free house has a bar with pool table at the front of the building, and a small lounge and large dining area to the rear. There is a large, well-established beer garden. Dogs are made very welcome in the bar. Batemans XB is the +HFNLQJWRQ:LQGPLOO+DOH5RDG+HFNLQJWRQ/LQFROQVKLUH regular beer, together with four guests from local and 7HOZZZ6DLO%UHZHU\FRXN regional breweries.

22 ImpAle lincolncamra.org.uk Old Ale Tales

May 1957 October 1958 Old Ale Tales Spot the Difference

The Golden Cross is a well-known landmark on Lincoln’s lower High Street. And, in our collection of old photos, there are a number of the pub, the first from 1957 and the most recent from 1994. These give clues to the history of the pub and the associated breweries.

The 1957 image shows the Golden Cross adjacent to Blyton Cottage. The pub was built around 1860 but the cottage was significantly older. The pub and cottage were demolished by owners, Warwicks & Richardsons of Newark, to make way for the building we see today.

Warwicks were acquired by John Smith’s in 1962 and ceased brewing in 1966. John Smith’s was taken over by Courage in 1970. Interestingly, a photograph of the Golden Cross taken in 1984 shows “John Smiths” above June 1994 the central upper window, while an undated shot shows Today, the Golden Cross is privately owned and is looking “Courage” in that position. In 1986, Courage was sold a little worse for wear. to the Australian company, Elders IXL, which became Foster’s Group in 1990. The Courage pub estate was hived off after the 1991 Beer Orders and became part of Inntrepreneur Estates, which was jointly owned by Foster’s and Grand Metropolitan.

The 1994 photographs show the pub name above the door on John Smith’s signage, with the brewery’s familiar magnet logo. There is also a Foster’s sign on the wall. However, with all the changes that the pub industry went through around that time, this would not necessarily give an indication of the pub’s ownership.

lincolncamra.org.uk ImpAle 23 BREWERY · WEDDING AND EVENT VENUE

PheasantryPhePheaeeaeasa an PPheasantryheasantry BREWERYBRR EEWER BBREWERYR E W E R Y

Brewed in Nottinghamshire by Brewed in Nottinghamshire by The Pheasantry Brewery The Pheasantry Brewery

3.8% ABV 4% ABV Get married in a brewery #congratulations #cheers

High Brecks Farm, Lincoln Rd, East Markham NG22 0SN Tel 01777 872728 Pheasantry www.pheasantrybrewery.co.uk BREWERY

24 ImpAle lincolncamra.org.uk Pub Quiz

PUB QUIZ

Here are some pub quiz questions to exercise your brain. To have a chance of winning a brewery T-shirt, send your answers by email to [email protected] or by post to ImpAle Quiz January 2019, 4 Squires Place, Nettleham, Lincoln, LN2 2WH. The closing date is 1st April 2019. As always, the editor’s decision is final.

1. Which is the largest hop-producing country in the world?

2. In the TV series Dad’s Army, what was Captain Mainwaring’s first name?

3. Non-alcoholic beers typically contain as much alcohol as a piece of which fruit? a) pineapple b) banana c) pear d) kiwi

4. Jiles Perry Richardson Jr, who died in the same plane crash as Ritchie Valens and Buddy Holly, was better known by what name?

5. What was CAMRA’s 2018?

6. Name the author of On Her Majesty’s Secret Service, Doctor No and Thunderball, among others.

7. What is the title given to someone skilled in the disappearing craft of making barrels?

8. Which rock band, formed in London in 1969, took its name from a fictional character in David Copperfield?

9. In which decade was the beer can introduced?

10. Who wrote Patsy Cline’s hit Crazy?

11. How many kilderkins would you get in a hogshead?

12. Which of these has not been used as a flavour in a commercial beer? a) pizza b) coconut curry c) cheese and onion crisps d) lobster bisque

This quiz was provided by Tim Dunn, manager of BeerHeadZ Lincoln. BeerHeadZ has a quiz every other Monday, alternating between general knowledge and music questions.

You can find a list of regular quizzes in local pubs on the PUBlicity section of our website lincolncamra.org.uk

The winner of the prize for the pub quiz in ImpAle 3/2019 was Steve Bunn of Hull. If you would like to know the answers, please email the editor. lincolncamra.org.uk ImpAle 25 Join up, join in, join the campaign

Discover why we joined. camra.org.uk/ From members as little as £25* a year. That’s less than a pint a month!

Join us, and together we can protect the traditions of great British pubs and everything that goes with them.

Become part of the CAMRA community today – enjoy discounted entry to beer festivals and exclusive member offers. Learn about brewing and beer and join like-minded people supporting our campaigns to save pubs, clubs, your pint and more. Join the campaign today at www.camra.org.uk/joinup

*Price for paying by Direct Debit and correct at April 2017. Concessionary rates available. Please visit camra.org.uk/membership-rates Stancill have a reputation for award-winning craft ales, brewed with passion and in the pursuit of perfection. We believe our new look and range of pump clips amplify these core qualities, so look out for the release of our new website - it’s coming soon!

3.8% 4.3% 4.4% 4.3% ABV ABV ABV ABV

4.0% 3.9% 5.0% ABV ABV ABV

Beer Line 0114 275 2788 / 07809 427716 www.stancillbrewery.co.uk facebook.com/stancillbrewery twitter.com/stancillbrewery “IT’S NOT ROCK ‘N’ ROLL, BUT I LIKE IT”

One Day Like This Rock ‘n’ Roll Star Not Nineteen Forever January – February March – April May – June

Ever Fallen in Love True Faith PLUM PUDDING July – August September – Mid November