1802-46 LD31-6:Layout 1 18/11/09 16:04 Page 1 D ON ON L Dec Vol 31 Jan No 6 2010 Brewing at Twickenham (see page 20) 1802-46 LD31-6:Layout 1 18/11/09 16:04 Page 2 1802-46 LD31-6:Layout 1 18/11/09 16:04 Page 3 Editorial London Drinker is published by Mike Hammersley on behalf of the London Branches of CAMRA, the NDON Campaign for Real Ale Limited, and O edited by Geoff Strawbridge. L Material for publication should preferably be sent by e-mail to [email protected]. Press releases should be sent by email to Tony Hedger, [email protected] Changes to pubs or beers should be reported to Capital Pubcheck, 2 Sandtoft Road, London SE7 7LR or by e-mail to [email protected]. For publication in February 2010, please send electronic documents to the Editor no Small beer: OFT’s response to CAMRA later than Wednesday 13th January. SUBSCRIPTIONS: £3.00 for mailing of super complaint! 6 editions or £6.00 for 12 should be sent to Stan Tompkins, 52 Rabbs Mill House, he Office of Fair Trading (OFT ) in all but a few places ; most free of Chiltern View Road, Uxbridge, Thas spoken, and yet again seems tie pubs will take the tied market Middlesex, UB8 2PD (cheques payable to to have ignored the obvious. The prices as their lead , assuring them CAMRA London). OFT said they had “not found of a much healthier profit margin ADVERTISING: Peter Tonge: Tel: 020-8300 7693. evidence that supply ties are resulting than the tied publicans. As we all Printed by Cliffe Enterprise, in competition problems that are know, and the OFT has failed to Eastbourne, BN22 8TR having an adverse impact on grasp, it’s not all about the price of consumers” , following CAMRA’s a pint, but consumers also enjoy Views expressed in this publication are those of their individual authors and are super-complaint, but perhaps they the choice of products, choice of not necessarily endorsed by the Editor or should have looked! Many were venues and comfortable the Campaign for Real Ale Limited. hopeful of a constructive response ; surroundings. The tied model Advertise in the next the answer was disappointing but restricts on all counts : there are LONDON DRINKER hardly shocking. thousands of beers available in Our advertising rates are as follows: Only last January, the Business Britain but even the biggest pub Whole page £300 (colour) £240 (mono) and Enterprise Select Committee company, Punch Taverns, only Half page £180 (colour), £135 (mono) (BESC) recommended that the tie claims to offer 280 and very few of Quarter page £95 (colour), £70 (mono) should be severely limited to their tenants are offered more than Phone Peter Tonge now on ensure there is proper competition a derisory few of the ‘usual 020 8300 7693 in the market and that the OFT, suspects’ – choice of product is who may have a vested interest in restricted. Owing to the tied In this issue defending their earlier positions, model, the tenant, in most cases, is Responsible drinking 6 were not the appropriate body to now paying around twice the consider the issues. So little normal wholesale price for beer News round-up 8 wonder we find ourselves no better and the consumer is suffering the Breweries 20,28 off for their contribution. consequences. That tenant must Festival reports 22 Fortunately, the battle to reform either increase his price to the the anti -competitive consequences consumer, reducing turnover, or Peter Tonge’s Pub Profiles 25 of the beer tie is being fought on absorb the increase, hitting profits. Letters 34 many fronts. The CAMRA super - Either way the result is business Heritage pub tour 40 complaint was on behalf of its failure, hence seven pubs a day members, i.e. consumers, while the now closing – choice of venue is Branch diaries 44 BESC, at the beginning of the year, diminished. With the increasing The Forest Gate 46 mainly addressed the relationship tied product prices, tenants shave Capital Pubcheck 47 between the pub owning their costs to a bare minimum. companies and the publicans Inevitably maintenance and Membership form 49 /tenants ‘tied’ to purchase products improvements get hit so that Winter ales 58 from them. To a great degree the surroundings become a bit tired Rod Ellery RIP 59 relationship is interlinked between and shabby – uncomfortable. What publicans and consumers who are hits the tied tenant hits the Idle Moments 61 all affected by the same problem. consumer. Crossword 62 High prices for tied products The tied tenant sees around 8% drive high sale prices to consumers of turnover, the pubco almost 60%. 3 1802-46 LD31-6:Layout 1 18/11/09 16:04 Page 4 Editorial Consider that, when you hold permitted entry, took place in an many years. For too long other your next pint : at say £3.00 you isolated loft room in the Houses bodies have claimed to ‘represent will have contributed 24 pence to of Parliament, where the pubcos, the industry’ where in fact they your hard working, tired and through their pet trade buddies, were nothing more than remote probably frustrated publican. If presented their new framework departments of the giant pub you have ten pints you will have code of practice to demonstrate owning companies who care little paid your publican £2.80 for your their intention to be ‘transparent for the industry, consumers or evening ’s service and his pubco or and clear’ to the All Party tenants. MPs are increasingly brewer landlord £18! Parliamentary Beer Group. aware of how acute and far The government is due to Given the practically secret reaching the problems of pub respond to the BESC very soon, I conditions of the presentation, closures are and have pledged suspect in the early part of the their efforts to convince MPs of their support. The call is for New Year, and CAMRA, it seems, their new found transparency referral to the Competition are not prepared to have their would seem to have fallen at the Commission for a full and proper concerns so readily kicked into first hurdle. If they had struggled investigation. the long grass by the OFT. over the first hurdle they really Do not be left complaining in Lobbying pressure must be took a dive on the second . Greg the line at the supermarket with maintained and accelerated and Mulholland MP invited them to your cheap tins of beer under CAMRA has risen to the call, an open debate, in front of MPs, your arm wondering why your having recently announced they with the newly formed local pub closed. Now is the time are to launch a challenge to the Independent Pub Confederation to join in the fight. Join Office of Fair Trading (OFT) (IPC) ; they refused. CAMRA, get on the investigation that gave the pubco CAMRA are founder website: www.camra.org.uk and model a farcical, clean bill of members of the IPC which claims pledge your support too. health. to represent over 100,000 Early in November a little consumers and over 25,000 publicised meeting , to which no operators : a united voice, LD press or tenant bodies were something much needed for Simon Clarke 4 1802-46 LD31-6:Layout 1 18/11/09 16:04 Page 5 1802-46 LD31-6:Layout 1 18/11/09 16:04 Page 6 Campaigning Responsible drinking - a seasonal message t the time of compiling this limited hours, rather than at the big supermarkets, continue to A issue, CAMRA was home or at large, unsupervised, at sell spirits so cheaply as to celebrating its first London Pubs any time; and to drink weaker fundamentally undermine any Week with a passport scheme alcohol slowly rather than national alcohol harm reduction encouraging people to visit 36 stronger alcohol fast . Explicitly, strategy . pubs over two weekends and the CAMRA ‘ supports a national From this perspective, intervening five days to sample alcohol reduction strategy which CAMRA has consistently locally brewed beers. You might works to tackle the harm associated opposed the Chancellor’s beer get thirsty travelling between with alcohol misuse ’ and ‘ notes duty ‘escalator’ that has the Barnet and Carshalton, Leyton with concern the expensive mass- obvious effect of making and Ruislip, but so long as you media advertising campaigns responsible drinking increasingly bought just half a pint in each targeted at 18-25 year-old more expensive than pub, or even only a third, you’d drinkers ’ – the very point irresponsible drinking. Session get your passport stamped. addressed in a recent report from beer in London pubs ought to be Even so, there were people the British Medical Association. proportionately much cheaper suggesting that CAMRA should As part of any alcohol harm than it is now. not be encouraging people to reduction strategy, CAMRA We need to keep drink so much in so short a would argue that alcoholic drinks campaigning, in order to continue period. Come again ! Does should be priced according to to be able to afford to drink anyone seriously suggest that a their strength, so that the higher responsibly. And we need to campaign for real ale should not prices of stronger drinks might drink responsibly, in order to be getting people into pubs to act as a partial deterrent to over- campaign successfully. Look at it drink the stuff? And as far as I am consumption. However, for the either way, the local pub is the concerned, drinking beer in pubs last 12 years national fiscal answer. is what responsible drinking is policies have been determined by The London Drinker team mostly about.