THE NEW Guzzler Newsletter of the Glasgow & West of Scotland branch of camra Vol. 4, No. 31 · September 2012 · Free Halt! say regulars Outrage as pubco plans editorial A Punch in the face to heritage pub to ‘gentrify’ Halt Bar hether we like it or would destroy the unique ocals are up in arms The pub is “not viable in its Wnot, radical change is character of the Halt Bar. after plans emerged current form,” Punch wrote to coming to more and more The pubs we see success- Lfor a radical overhaul of campaigners. of the city’s most traditional fully bucking the trend of Woodlands bar The Halt. Layout plans clearly show pubs. The old Mackintosh’s declining trade are those like Regulars fear the proposal the removal of the existing Bar is now Jackson’s; the the Free Trade in Newcastle by owner Punch Taverns will island bar and its replacement Carnarvon is boarded up; the and the Southampton Arms destroy the pub’s character. by an open-plan eating area. Victoria Bar, Bridgegate has in London, which retain the Campaigners have set up This would ruin the Halt, re-opened as a bistro. existing character of their a “Save the Halt Bar” Face- turning it into yet another ano- All operators of licensed building and concentrate on book group to save their dyne bar, say campaigners. premises are trying to survive selling the finest beer and pub: www.facebook.com/ Local MSP Sandra White in tough times, but it’s clear food they can get. groups/483408108339825/ (SNP) is attempting to facilitate that no-one, especially not Punch themselves have Punch intends to spend dialogue between campaign- the big pubcos, has a magic only recently entered into a up to a quarter of a million ers and the pubco, and there formula for sure-fire success. free-of-tie lease of just this pounds refurbishing the bar to is a petition being circulated CAMRA’s Heritage Pubs type with Thornbridge brew- relaunch it as a “mid-market” around the West End which group says of the Halt that the ery on a pub in Sheffield. venue with a “strong food of- over 300 people have already large Edwardian U-shaped Thousands of pubs would fering”. signed. bar, old half-panelled walls love to have what the Halt and separate snug are of has going for it – an original significant interest. If Punch early 20th century interior, rip these fixtures out, they are an iconic place in the city’s gone forever; you can’t change music history and dedicated CAMRA calls on your mind in a couple of regulars who like it just the years’ time. CAMRA is not op- way it is. drinkers to help posed to pub refurbishments Punch must work with the in principle but we believe the Save the Halt campaigners, particular refitting currently not against them, to secure scrap duty escalator being proposed by Punch the pub’s future. ven though more and a high profile Parliamentary more of us are watching debate and put pressure on the branch diary Ethe pennies, and many pubs Government ahead of Budget 7–14 September Tuesday 9 October are struggling to survive, this 2013. Glasgow Beer Week Branch Meeting year’s Budget continued the The petition has already See glasgowbeerweek.com for details 7.30pm, Curlers Rest, 256–260 , Glasgow policy of the “duty escalator”. reached 85,000 signatures, so Saturday 8 September This means alcohol the chances of reaching Branch Meeting 11–13 October duty rises faster than the magic 100,000 are 2pm, Fyne Ales Brewery Tap, Ayrshire Beer Festival inflation (inflation + good. Cairndow. There is a bus laid on, Troon Concert Hall leaving from the Bon Accord at 12.00. 2%) every year, mak- But to get the next The cost will be around £15 each. Saturday 27 October ing beer more and 15,000 we still need Contact Stan Thompson if you’re Airdrie and Coatbridge Social more expensive. as many people as interested. 2pm start at the Robert Hamilton. CAMRA is calling possible. So please Saturday 15 September 9–10 November all beer drinkers and sign the petition and South Side Crawl 21st Alloa Octoberfest pub goers to sign an then spread the word. 2pm, see internet for starting point Alloa Town Hall online e-petition today With around £1 on Saturday 22 September Wednesday 14 November by visiting www. every pint going to Cove & Kilcreggan Beer Festival Branch Meeting Cove Burgh Hall. The Branch will be 7.30pm, Counting House, George camra.org.uk/ the Treasury in beer having a social. Square, Glasgow saveyourpint. duty and VAT, it’s We need time to save your pint Check glasgowcamra.org.uk for up-to-date information 100,000 signa- and call time on the ■ Join our Facebook page facebook.com/GlasgowCAMRA, or tures to trigger beer duty escalator! follow @GlasgowCAMRA and @GlasgowGuzzler on Twitter Advertisement brewery news any new brewery, but was even more so given the fact Fyne time that at the time, only one of overs of pale ’n’ hoppy their beers had ever been seen Hot Rolls, Sandwiches, Coffees, Healthy Soup, beers got a treat over the on sale in a Glasgow pub! Ljubilee weekend as Fyne Ales Homebaked Cakes & friendly service ■ welcomed them to their third There must be something 120 George Street, G1 1RF (2 mins ) annual festival at the brewery. in the lager! We hear that Ger- man-inspired Glasgow brewery Open Mon – Fri, 7am – 3pm In addition to the regular Fyne range, several specials WEST have lost their Scots- Lunchtime Buffets for 5–100 made to order were on offer such as black and born head brewer – he’s found with free delivery in Glasgow blonde Davaar, red and blonde love with a German lass and Lismore, session-strength Rune decamped to the Fatherland. Tel: 0141 553 1100 and strong Superior IPA. It’s all change with a new brew- Jarl, a 3.8% bitter ale with ing team, as second brewer Email: [email protected] Citra hops is now Fyne’s most Felix is also going back to beer popular beer, with head brewer school to gain a stringent Ger- Wil Wood under strict instruc- man brewing qualification. Crawling down the tweet tions to make sure it doesn’t And a new 4% draught lager run out! This will be easier in called simply WEST has been The branch’s Young Members group ing by the minute, the cohort launched to complement the relaunched itself recently with a well- the future once the planned attended pub crawl along Byres Road. expanding to a legion, a strong new 40-barrel brewery is popular 4.9% St Mungo. contingent of young members Tim Davies reports: constructed, quadrupling the ■ Loch Lomond brewery with mobiles stuck to their oday, the technology of company’s capacity. launched less than a year ago palms! Next stop the Chip. the 21st Century caught The old brewery shop has (we reported) and is steadily T A landmark in , up with simple, age-old tradi- been replaced by a swish new gaining accounts with the latest a fine restaurant with a bar tions of drinking beer and the tap where visitors can enjoy special being the house beer for squeezed in. mix was a great success. the beers on draught as well as the new Wetherspoon outlet in This was the first Twitter led #byresroadcrawl now at @ubiquitouschip on the roof being able to buy bottles to take Helensburgh, the Henry Bell. crawl I had followed—in the terrace. Cosy and warm de- away. good old days you could spend spite the rain. Haggis pies The third pair of IPA Project There was more celebration an evening trying to catch the up next! beers, Sanda, is due to be in August when the brew- cohort up but now you can be I didn’t even know there launched at the Three Judges in ery’s Kessog ale was voted tracked every inch of the way. was a roof terrace but this mid-September. top beer at the Helensburgh All good crawls have a start- was the ideal location as more Another new beer is the Round Table beer festival. ing point and we selected a foot soldiers had appeared. I strong stout Zombier, brewed News? Let us know: downhill course from the Oran forged ahead to Tennent’s, the with homebrewers Chris Lewis [email protected] Mor which was busy and pro- prime example of a perpen- and Jake Griffin to their own vided a grand start to the day, dicular drinking establishment, recipe. so let Twitter take over: heaving inside, a dozen ales If you’re out on the available. Local Trading #byresroadcrawl today you can Currently in Tennents bar Krackers from Standards Offices spot me by my green jumper. over 20 people in the crawl! If you have a complaint I’ve a @CAMRA_Official badge Curiously the next Tweet Kelburn too, need a few pints first about quality or service was the last: ■ Kelburn launched a new tho. in a pub, always try to Crowd beginning to grow! 6 The #byresroadcrawl is 4.5% beer, Jaguar, at the Pot sort your complaint of us here now on the #byres- done. Thanks to everyone Still in June. It’s been proving roadcrawl who came out. Epic day. Get out with the pub first. joined up to CAMRA! Special very popular with punters. The Actually we were 8 by the If that doesn’t help, you thanks to bars with food :) brewery already won recogni- time we left but who was can contact your local This wasn’t really the end of tion back in spring when the counting. A complete change Trading Standards offices: the crawl but we all know it’s branch voted its Cart Noir of scene from the ecclesiasti- best not to Tweet if you are un- porter Beer of the Year 2011. cal to the traditional (from the East Dunbartonshire der the influence. A breakaway ■ exterior) Curlers Rest. New brewery from the 0141 578 8813 The #byresroadcrawl is group pulled into the Aragon, Borders, Tempest, nearly trading.standards now in @Curlers_Rest with whilst the pathfinder headed caused an upset at the Beer of @eastdunbarton.gov.uk its most influential member, for Bruadar, the newest offering the Year vote, coming second West Dunbartonshire @patrickharvie #glasgowbeer pub on Byres Road, I had a fine behind Kelburn. This would 01389 738552 Patrick is our local Green pint of Durham Magus which trading.standards be an impressive showing by @west-dunbarton.gov.uk MSP and a staunch supporter set me up for my last port of of the campaign and its aims. call, the Three Judges, which Advertisement Glasgow Curlers Rest not content with 0141 287 6681 as always had beers I had not [email protected] providing a fine range of ale sampled before. then delivered some snacks I had had my fill, Twitter North Lanarkshire which if you are a follower you 01236 638678 (Coatbridge) had gone off tweet but this had 01236 638905 will already know about. been a fine crawl, 7 unique (Cumbernauld) VIP service at the @Curl- 01698 274220 (Motherwell) ers_Rest hope the @ubiqui- pubs, many more unique beers, touschip is ready for us! no sun, plenty of rain and all South Lanarkshire #byresroadcrawlhttp://twit- digitally followed with modern 08457 406080 pic.com/9x2uzd technology. Looking forward to Business.Enquiries @southlanarkshire.gov.uk Reinforcements were arriv- the next cyber-crawl. Like real ale? Join CAMRA at www.camra.org.uk opinion pubs news Here’s to your health by Stephen McGowan ften I wonder how many alongside the likes of the police, ■ Belgian speciality beer drinkers are truly aware and now appear at licensing bar Brel in Ashton Lane Awards to top pubs ofO the on-going struggle over boards and submit objections is revising its beer list and The State Bar was voted the nation’s relationship with across Scotland. They famously has introduced a hand- the branch’s Glasgow Pub alcohol. Will readers of the tried to do so in Glasgow last pump for the first time. of the Year at a meeting in August. Top pub in Argyll Guzzler appreciate that laws year, and failed spectacularly, ■ The Henry Bell, the latest is Tigh an Truish, Clachan surrounding the sale of alcohol for example in objecting to a addition to the Wetherspoons Seil. In Dunbartonshire the are more draconian than the supermarket’s licence varia- chain is now open in James Commodore Hotel, Hel- temperance legislation of the tion which actually sought to Street, Helensburgh. The pub ensburgh was winner and early 20th century? reduce the amount of alcohol on has a Rennie Mackintosh Lanarkshire’s finest this I would expect you to at least display. But they are learning! In inspired interior, an exposed year was thought to be the be familiar with minimum pric- recently a Sainsbury’s roof structure and a garden. Clydesdale, Lanark. More ing, especially since Nicola Stur- application was refused after geon finally announced that the an objection from the NHS that ■ 1901 has reopened as a details next issue. minimum price would be 50p. It there were too many licences in tapas bar! Our reporter says is unlikely that the humble pint the area. that on opening night the Elephant & Bugle in will be affected. A typical pint One of the main difficul- food and the beer were good. Maryhill, seen displaying is about 2 or 3 units, meaning ties is in using general alcohol ■ Rustlers, Station a For Lease sign. the minimum price would be health-harm statistics as a way Road, Tarbet is on the ■ The Carnarvon, St £1.50 per pint. If you know a of preventing licences. It is very ground floor of the Clan George’s Cross, has closed boozer selling at that price, I’d difficult for a licensing board to MacFarlane Heritage and is boarded up. like to know about it. Perhaps simply say that “alcohol is bad”, Centre and is reported to some of the stronger ales may be therefore a new restaurant or have good quality food and ■ In Motherwell, the affected, but again I think this hotel should not be permitted to two Fyne handpumps. Dalziel Arms has been unlikely – a pint of 9% strength open. There is in fact case-law ■ for sale for some time. ale is about five units, meaning it on this point. In a case from The Liquid Ship in Great will cost you at least £2.50 under the Western Isles the Sheriff ■ Western Road has changed Milngavie’s Cross minimum pricing. But although held that for a licensing board hands and is now called Roxy Keys is closed, appar- your favourite pint (at the mo- to be able to properly deal with 171. No update on beer. ently for refurbishment. ment, for me this is Fyne Ales’ health-harm statistics those stats ■ The Pourhouse ■ At Cross Jarl) may be unaffected, be wary would have to be tied to the (formely Gazelle) in Bruadar has closed – it is not just minimum pricing specific premises and the spe- which is driving the alcohol cific application. In other words, Finnieston has opened after just nine months. with three handpumps. agenda. The health lobby have general bleating about the state ■ The Victoria, had tremendous success in lob- of the nation’s relationship with ■ The Dowanhill in Bridgegate, has been refur- bying Holyrood and a lot of the alcohol will just not cut it. But Partick closed briefly, but bished, and is now a bistro. recent licensing laws have come that has been ignored in some is reported to be open about because of measures they hearings, including the case of again. Also in danger is the ■ In Luss, the Loch have advanced. Sainsbury’s in Edinburgh. Lomond Arms has opened Underpinning the licensing But the NHS is here to stay after a three-year refur- law in Scotland are five objec- in Scottish licensing, and we The new bishment selling ale from tives. One of these is “protecting must all get used to it. There Glasgow Belhaven and Loch Lomond. and improving public health”. are further efforts being made ■ The wording has always been elsewhere to have us drink less Guzzler At Kelvinbridge, Inn controversial. It is rather odd and less. The “recommended Deep was due to open in that the licensed seller of alcohol units” are about to be revised. early September as we went should have a legal duty to pro- Do we think they will go up or to press. Run by scions of tect and improve public health down? Some might argue that the Williams Bros family, it through the sale of alcohol all this is a paternalistic, nanny will offer cask beer, foreign which is, after all, a dangerous state approach to dealing with beers and house beer from drug when consumed irrespon- alcohol health harms, but those the Williams keg range. sibly. arguments are falling on deaf When this objective was first ears. I said at the beginning that Thanks to Tim Davies, Phillip The Glasgow Guzzler is published by announced it made headlines, the law is now more restrictive the Glasgow and West of Scotland Emond, Nick Simmonds and with the Evening Times headlin- than under old temperance branch of the Campaign for Real Ale Russ Sweeny for pub gen. ing “The Death of the Pie and laws and that is certainly so; but (Camra). © Camra 2012. Items may be quoted or reprinted as long Pint!” and rumbles about pubs those old laws were swept away as credit is given. Opinions expressed being forced to sell salads (real in the end because the temper- by contributors do not necessarily represent the views of Camra or of Willie Ross salads, not “Glasgow salads”). ance league splintered – but also the branch. Glasgow and West of Scot- The reality has been that most because the public were fed up Advertising Kenny Gillies, land CAMRA would like to licensing boards simply don’t with being treated as infants. [email protected] raise a glass in memory of know what to do with the public Plus ça change, plus c’est la même Editor Robbie Pickering, health objective, far less the chose. I’m off to find a Jarl. [email protected] long-time branch member licensed trade. But now things ■ Stephen McGowan, of Lindsays, is a Branch contact Joe Pakenham, Willie Ross who died sud- have cranked up as the NHS leading licensing solicitor and author [email protected] denly in May. He will be of “Licensing and Gambling Law in www.glasgowcamra.org.uk missed. have been given a statutory role Scotland”. stephenmcgowan@lindsays. in the Scottish licensing process, co.uk – @LicensingLaws Advertisement

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www.FYNEALES.com 01499 600120 [email protected] Achadunan, Cairndow, Argyll, PA26 8BJ On the A83 at the head of Loch Fyne drinking all over the world again just before the pub. Once first tram that came. Although again, there was an extensive the route took me close to the Gent-ly does it beer menu. I know that I had pub, there were no stops close. Westmalle Tripel and Boelens By the time I arrived, Stan was Tripel Klok there – both very already part way through his hen planning a trip shot glass for the sediment). drinkable examples of the style. first beer a St Bernardus Prior Wto the Frühlingsfest This was quickly followed with Stan tried another Trappist 8 from Watou. To catch up, I in Munich, it seemed a good a Kwak (on draught), while beer, Rochefort 6, and then opted for the Chouffe Houblon idea to allow for a visit to Stan started with a bottle of noticed they had a beer brewed (described as “Dobbelen IPA Gent on the way home. Bon Secours. on the premises, the Johan- Tripel”) – a superb, intensively Drinking in Belgium, after It would have been easy to nes Blond ‘Gentsch Stadsbier’. hoppy beer that I find hard to all, is a very different experi- stay at Planck, but we de- Naturally this had to be tried avoid. This was quickly fol- ence! cided that we should at least and very good it was too. lowed by Delerium Tremens. As a result, we recently attempt to visit some other Having carefully considered Spying a fritterie, Stan found ourselves having to fill places, so we walked the 20 the rather excellent Good Beer insisted on a food halt before a Friday. Arranging a sensible, metres or so to Brouwzaele Guide to Belgium, our next we went to our final destina- early afternoon meeting time, (Ter Platen). There, obviously planned halt was Deus (Vlaan- tion, the Waterhuis (Groenten- I managed to find Planck (not still in nautical mode, I had a derenstraat). Unfortunately, markt). If you only have time too difficult – it is a barge bottle of Piraat (a mere 10.5% it appears that this particular to visit one Gent pub, I would moored on the canal at Ter – the strength of beers can also pub/restaurant has decided suggest that this is the one to Platen). First order of the day be a bit of a challenge, only to concentrate on food – the go to. Somewhat unusually, – navigating the extensive beer alleviated slightly by the 330ml available menu suggested that this pub has a magnificent menu. This is my problem measures). Next, we were both there were only a few, more range of beers on draught. By with drinking in Belgium – it tempted by one of the special commercial, beers available, now, feeling the need to reprise is almost impossible to ensure beers namely Carolus Hopsin- so we headed straight to the some of my favourites from the you will have the best beers joor. This is a beautiful, strong Trollekelder instead. day, I had some Piraat while available when there is a choice five-hopped beer, hard to resist. Braving the public transport Stan had the house beer Gan- of 200 or so in a bar. I’ll keep I braved the Gent busses to system again proved to be a davum. Both of us followed trying though... head to Trappisthuis (Bra- bit of a mistake. Rather than this (unsurprisingly) by more The first beer of the day bantdam), an establishment taking the time to find out that Chouffe Houblon. By now, it was Hopus – a blond, hoppy that had never been visited more than one bus ran from was getting a bit late. At least beer which, when served from by either of us. Stan, as usual, the South bus station to just the day had not been wasted! a bottle, comes with 2 glasses opted to walk. The bus was outside the Trollekelder (Bij (one for the beer, and a small (just) quicker, and we met up Sint-Jacobs), I jumped on the Jonathan Kemp