Issue 2 Summer 2012 BOLTON BEER BREAKS CAMPAIGNING FOR REAL ALE, PUBS AND DRINKERS' RIGHTS

“A fine beer may be judged with only one sip, but it is best to be properly sure” - Old Czech proverb

In this issue Dial-a– drink  A view from the boundary— Stopes Tavern In some pubs around the coun- were given a  News of the 2012 Great try you can occasionally spot a two digit Northern Beer Festival remnant left over from when code, for pub society moved at a more instance if  Pub Survey: A tour around leisurely pace. I am of course you fancied a the real ale outlets of Pre- referring to the apparatus shandy, 75 ston City Centre known as the 'bell push', a de- would be  One members beer sampling vice used to summon a waitress dialled and if journey around Bavaria in the more select rooms of a your pre-  The 2013 Good Beer Guide public house. The system was ferred tipple goes digital simple and probably worked was a Baby- without too much fuss for sev- cham then eral generations but in 1963 a dialling 17 pub in Bromley Cross decided would ensure that something more sophisti- you got it. cated could be employed. The The informa- Flag Hotel had no doubt been Landlord John Dobson serving drinks to his wife and tion was re- approached by the proprietor of daughter Joan who have just used the Genie to order layed back to a local firm called Millington & tus had its faults and from my a control box behind the bar Boardman of Darwen who was experience of working with elec- and a printout was produced in keen to showcase the latest in tromechanical telephone systems the form of a ticket showing a long line of innovative plastic there was probably a high main- table number, list of items and Articles for inclusion products. The pub, as far as we tenance factor, it probably made price for each. When the order know, was the only one in the a bit of noise as well. If you have anything that was completed the machine country to adopt the 'Genie' you wish to include in fu- automatically totalled the price. If anyone knows of other curious drink ordering system, quite for ture editions then please If anyone required something drink dispensing equipment or if submit to the editor - how long it remained is not not on the menu then double any other occurrences of the clear but it seems obvious that ‘O’ was dialled, this would then [email protected] it wasn't a great seller! Genie have come to light we'd call the waiter and the item love to know about them. Follow us on Twitter - At every table in the lounge a could be ordered ‘manually’. @BoltonCAMRA special selector unit fitted with Thanks for this article must go to The manufacturers obviously a telephone dial would be the Pub History Society and Joan Or see our website - saw the Genie as the future of placed. All of the items on the www.boltoncamra.org.uk drink dispensing but it just did- Smith. drinks menu such as beers, n't catch on for whatever rea- www.pubhistorysociety.co.uk spirits, cigarettes and cigars son. I suspect that the appara- The very unusual “directory” from the Flag Inn (below) Page 2 Bolton Beer Breaks

View from the Boundary A series focusing on the pubs at the fur- Preston Pub Survey thest reaches of the Bolton Branch area No.1: Stopes Tavern, Little Lever The Old Vic provided the opening to an local Hart Brewery's ever popular Dishy enjoyable trip to our neighbours in Preston. Debbie. Sitting across from the main entrance to Almost next door is the Old Black Bull. A the railway station, the pub provides 7 real bewildering array ales with 3 from Moorhouses, including the of real ales on wonderful Pride of Pendle. On our visit offer here almost there were also ales from Burscough Brew- matched by the ery and Cuerden Brewery, brewed in Heb- number of TV den Bridge, whose Pale met with a less screens and we than enthusiastic reception. swiftly moved on A 15 minute walk down the hill and to what was un- through Miller Park to the banks of the doubtedly the River Ribble we were soon sat in the bright most beautiful You couldn't ask for a pub more on the lounge of the Continental. The Saltaire pub on the visit, boundary of Bolton. Take the 524 through Little Lever and alight just before you reach Raspberry – not too fruity - was enjoyed by the Black Horse. the Welcome to Bury sign, the Stopes Tav- a few and the Pictish Brewers Gold and The Grade II ern is well worth a visit. Elland Midsummer Night's Porter were listed multi-roomed pub with tiled floor and both superb. The Marble Continental Bitter semi-circular ceramic bar counter is on the A traditional multi-roomed pub with a cen- proved to be a little thin though. Interest- CAMRA Heritage Pub list http:// tral bar, customers can enjoy different at- mospheres depending on their mood. ingly this seemed to be the only pub also www.heritagepubs.org.uk. It sits incongru- There is a small TV screen in one room, offering a real ously in the heart of a soulless shopping elsewhere a quiet lounge area, a beer gar- cider, in this case precinct. The beers on offer are all from den, a dart board and a pool table. Two Trees Perry. the Robinsons stable and include Old Tom, one of the World's Finest Beers rarely seen The service is welcoming and despite the We had to wait a on hand pump. At 8.5%, a half was all that restrictions on choice imposed by the while for the rain was required to savour the rich flavours of PubCo owners Enterprise Inns, the licen- to ease off as this old ale, although it was slightly too sees at the Stopes serve some of the best there was long Bank Top Flat Cap in Bolton and at a very chilled to bring out its best. walk to the stu- reasonable £2.40 a pint. It is one of many local pubs signed up the CAMRA LocAle dent part of town The final stop was the Market Tavern. Only scheme aimed at promoting outlets which to find the dis- three ales but all were excellent, an exam- showcase locally brewed beers. creet entrance to ple to many other pubs that quality is more the Bitter Suite. important than quantity. The York Brewery So, one night instead of sitting on your sofa The lounge style bar was empty but that Legacy had a quality equal to that recently drinking a can of mass produced beer gave us chance get some local knowledge found from the same beer in the Masons plucked from from a supermarket slab, why not try out you taste buds and take a trip from the bar staff on other pubs in the Arms at Egerton and this ale seems to be out to try a quality beer made locally and area. The range of 6 beers included Sala- becoming a favourite amongst some mem- perfectly dispensed just a short ride away. mander Pipsqueak Porter – very drinkable bers. The Outstanding Blonde was also but lacking the body of the Elland Porter – very nice and it is a shame we don't see 2013 Good Beer Guide goes digital and offerings from Rat Brewery, Acorn, more beers from this Bury-based brewery Pictish, Foxfield and Thwaites. in pubs around Bolton. This year to coincide with the publication of the 2013 edition of the GBG a new version Taking a tip from Everyone agreed that of the highly successful Good Beer Guide the staff at the all the pubs had of- Mobile app will be launched for Apple and Bitter Suite we fered a cracking range Android™ compatible devices. This new evo- next called at the lution of the app will go live on 13th Septem- of beers all in great ber incorporating a basic version which will Dog and Partridge condition. There were be free to download and allow limited ‘near on Friargate. A plenty of styles on of- me’ searches and restrict available function- proper pub, we fer, from pale ales ality. Once the basic version is installed a were told, with the through golden ales, 12 month subscription can be purchased in oldest landlord in blondes, fruit flavoured app for just £4.99 and will allow access to Preston who often beers, bitters, milds enhanced searches by pub name, postcode decides to close and porters to old ales. and street address and will provide a greater the pub in the number of pubs for the user to browse full All that seemed to be middle of the af- listings of when looking for a pint. Detailed missing was a good ternoon if the What was on offer at The Dog & Partridge information on all UK real-ale breweries and stout. It made us won- whim takes him. The bar staff on our visit their key beers will also be made available. der a similarly diverse range would be were young and the pub stayed open. We Subscribers will also be able to record the found on a walk around Bolton town cen- pubs they have visited and input their own downed some reassuringly good pints of tre. review notes using their unique subscribers Taylor's Landlord, Tetley Dark Mild and the account. Issue 2 Summer 2012 Page 3 A Beer Break in Bavaria A Beer Break in Bavaria ploring the area by bike; either take your discheschenbach, where a Zoigl- und own, as we did, or hire one when you get Backöfenfest was in full swing at Wolf- As a result of Peter being given a copy of there. ramstub’n. There was a large temporary John Conen’s "Bamberg and Franconia: A outdoor drinking area which effectively guide to beers, breweries and pubs" for Falkenberg Brauhaus is to be found in blocked off two streets, with various food his birthday, we decided to make that the centre of the village, just below the stalls set up both inside (a huge array of part of Germany the destination for our imposing restored castle. It is powered by wonderful cakes ) and outside. There was main holiday this year. However, further a Siemens engine which dates from the a token system in operation for the food, research led to the discovery of an inter- 1920s. The wort is cooled overnight in a which included whole grilled mackerel esting sounding beer tradi- large, shallow and roast pork with potato salad. Enter- tion, Zoigl, in the neighbour- stainless steel tainment was provided by a trio of musi- ing region of Oberpfalz, so vessel reminiscent cians playing traditional Bavarian tunes that's where we headed of the ‘koelschip’ on tenor horn, wooden spoons and but- first. the Belgians use in ton accordion. The spoons player was the production of Zoigl resplendent in lederhosen and embroi- spontaneously dered braces. The Zoigl was amber in The tradition of brewing fermented beer. At colour, hazy, malty, moderately sweet and Zoigl beer dates back to this stage the wort quite low in carbonation. We found out mediaeval times. The wort goes to the Zoigl afterwards that the Zoigl was not from is produced in a communal producers and also the communal brewhouse, but is now brewery, then taken to pri- to private individu- brewed on site in a small brew plant vate brewery cellars for als. Falkenberg which has recently been installed. fermenting and lagering. has three bars The bars selling Zoigl usu- which operate the Our second visit to Windischeschenbach ally open for a few days periodic opening a few days later involved a cycle ride Zoigl star at Bahler, Neuhaus each month, mainly over a system, plus the Gasthof along the beautiful Waldnaabtal. We vis- weekend. You can tell which bars are Zum Roten Ochsen where the Zoigl is ited Beim Gloser, a bar with a very tradi- open at any particular time by the sign, available more regularly. It was the turn tional feel, consisting of three woodpan- usually in the form of a six pointed star, of Wolfadl to be open over the weekend elled rooms. The small outdoor seating hanging outside. In the past, there were of our visit. The bar is in a converted barn area was occu- communal brewhouses all over which is decorated with an eclectic mix of pied that day Oberpfalz, but nowadays only five remain musical instruments, old kitchen imple- by some post- active. Some Zoigl producers belong to ments and perfume bottles. The owner is men on their the ‘Echter Zoigl vom Kommunbrauer’ not a member of the ‘Echter Zoigl vom dinner break, association, though it seems this is not a Kommunbrauer’ association, which may and several compulsory requirement to produce real account for the fact that he charged only more overall- Zoigl. There's more information about €1.50 for a ½ litre of Zoigl, the cheapest clad workers Zoigl on the Internet (see below for useful that we found (elsewhere, the price var- soon arrived. websites). ied from €1.70 to €1.90). The beer, like The Zoigl was most of the examples we sampled, was more of a cop- For the first part of our holiday, we based amber in colour, hazy and low in carbona- per colour. It ourselves in one of the Zoigl towns, Fal- tion. The taste was malty and sweet with was quite kenberg, as it is conveniently located a hint of caramel and a soft mouth feel. highly carbon- between Mitterteich to the north and ated, hazy and A glass of Oppl Zoigl Windischeschenbach/Neuhaus to the The Gasthof Zum Roten Ochsen is worth had a malty, caramel flavour and was south. On this occasion we didn't visit the a visit just to see the old yellow and blue very lightly hopped. fifth town, Eslarn, which lies 50 km fur- tiled stove which dates from 1724. The ther to the south-east, building is said to Those who prefer their beer on the hoppy very close to the bor- date from 1166 and side should head for the Gasthof Weisser der with the Czech it has been a Gasthof Schwan, one of the places where you can Republic. Public trans- since 1492. We en- get Zoigl all year round. Still amber in port links between joyed their version of colour and hazy, but with a strong bitter Falkenberg and the Zoigl, which was a flavour, the beer was very different from other towns are lim- dark amber colour, the others we tasted, and probably our ited, especially at the hazy, probably the least favourite. weekend, but the area lowest carbonation Up a steep hill (we pushed our tandem!) has a very compre- we had, very soft with from Windischeschenbach is Neuhaus. hensive network of a hint of vanilla in the The Zoigl at the two bars we visited here cycle routes (including taste. was paler, more gold in colour, almost the Zoiglradweg which The Kommunbrauhaus in Falkenberg On the way to Falken- clear and was fairly hoppy – to us it was a goes between Mitterterich and Eslarn). berg we’d stopped briefly at Win- less interesting, more mainstream beer. So, we would definitely recommend ex- A Beer Break in Bavaria (cont.)

glass tankards with a metal lid which you up the road. left open to indicate you would like a The town of Wiesau has a refill. Most of the customers appeared to Zoiglstube in a former Gast- be local people who'd come along for hof and Brauhaus. Stefflwirt something to drink and eat and to meet has been in operation since friends. It was certainly very busy and it 2005 and gets it Zoigl from was a case of joining the locals on one of Schlossbrauerei the large tables. Friedenfels, a commercial So, a brilliant start to our holiday before brewery about 8km away. we headed to the Bamberg area. I'm sure This Zoigl was the darkest we'll return to Oberpfalz at some time - we'd seen, more of a pale Inside Beim Gloser, Windischeschenbach there are plenty more Zoigl bars to visit. brown than amber, and was At Bahler, you had the choice of 25cl as hazy with a soft, malty taste. Like most Useful websites others, the temperature was ‘cask mar- well as half a litre which was the norm. www.zoigl.de que cold’. Our plan to have just a snack We sat in a quiet courtyard and ate www.zoiglbier.de information about changed when we saw that they were Brotzeit, large portions of a variety of cold Zoigl in Windischeschenbach and only selling main meals, it being dinner- meats served with bread. While we were Neuhaus there, a couple of people turned up with time on a Sunday. We had an excellent some 5l or 2.5l containers to be refilled. roast with herby bread dumplings and www.zoiglinfo.de includes a full timeta- cranberries. ble of Zoiglstube opening dates. (This The other Zoigl bar open that weekend information is also available as a printed was Schafferhof, which is in a big farm- Our favourite Zoigl bar was the first one leaflet from local tourist offices.) yard. A plaque informed us that the farm that we cycled to; Oppl in Mitterteich. has been there since Here it really www.oberpfaelzerwald.de information 1300, was owned by did feel as about the area, including a pdf of the the monks at Wald- though we Zoiglradweg route (type ‘zoiglradweg’ in sassen from 1515, were drinking the search box) has been in private in someone's ownership following front room www.wolfadl-zoigl.de ‘secularisation’ since that had been www.gasthof-roter-ochse.de 1799 and the current temporarily owners have been converted to a there since 1999. bar. The Zoigl, Most of the other places we visited have Zoigl bars are obvi- again hazy their own websites. If anyone would like ously popular venues and amber, the details of the accommodation we for wedding recep- had a higher used (a small holiday apartment in the basement of a family house) please let tions; a wedding Plaque on the wall of Neuhaus Kommunbrauerei carbonation party arrived soon and an initial me know. after we did, and we had already passed slight bitterness which soon mellowed. Alison Whitaker a reception taking place at Lingl-Zoigl just The beer was served in variously shaped

From the SIBA North Beer Competition Committee Regional brewers will vie for the GOLD title in fifteen categories: Overall Champion of the Competition, An invitation to judge in the North Region Beer Competition Standard Mild Ales 2012 to be held on 25th October 2012 at Mercure Piccadilly Standard Bitters Hotel, Manchester Portland Street, Manchester, M1 4PH Best Bitters We would be delighted if you could join us to help decide Premium Bitters which are the best beers brewed by SIBA North Region mem- Strong Bitters bers this year. Fellow judges will be made up of of SIBA brew- Premium Strong Beers ers, trade press, beer bloggers, members of the public, SIBA Porters pub members, SIBA supplier members, local and national Stouts CAMRA, local dignitaries, wholesalers and key figures from within the brewing industry. Old Ales & Strong Milds Speciality Beers The winning beers from this competition will go through to the Champion Bottled Beers SIBA National Beer Competition 2013 and feature in other Bottled Bitter (up to 4.9%) events throughout the year. Bottled Bitters (over 5%) The competition will start at 11:00. The results will be an- Bottled Gold Beers nounced and awards presented on 25th October just after Bottled Speciality Beers 17:00 (subject to change) followed by the Great Northern Bottled Porters, Milds, Old Ales & Stouts Beer Festival in partnership with CAMRA

To apply visit http://www.tfaforms.com/252916 You will receive a confirmation to confirm your judging place, which will include further information