Issue 99 February - March 2017 FREEFREEFREE please take one the Oxford Drinker The free newsletter of the Oxford and White Horse Branches of CAMRA www.oxford.camra.org.uk www.whitehorsecamra.org.uk Wantage Beer Festival Friday 17 March and Saturday 18 March 2017 February - March 2017 99 2 the Oxford Drinker 99 February - March 2017 Contents Welcome Festival Diary 5 Going to the pub is good 20 A guide to the upcoming for you beer festivals The OOxfordxford Drinker is the newsletter Wantage Tour Gardener’s World of the Oxford and White Horse 6 A guide to the pubs of 21 Paul Silcock gives a branches of CAMRA, the Campaign Wantage for Real Ale. publican’s view 5000 copies are distributed free of Brewery News charge to pubs across the two 10 New breweries and new Pete’s Pubs branches’ area, including Oxford, beers 22 Pete takes a trip round Abingdon, Witney, Faringdon, the pubs of Cowley Eynsham, Kidlington, Bampton, Wheatley and Wantage and most of the villages in between. PDF downloads of past issues are available at the Oxford CAMRA webiste, wwww.oxford.camra.org.ukww.oxford.camra.org.uk. Editorial team: Editor: Dave Richardson [email protected]@oxford.camra.org.uk Advertising: Tony Goulding [email protected]@oxford.camra.org.uk Community Spirit Tony: 07588 181313 25 Graham Shelton on Layout/Design: Matt Bullock community owned pubs Valuable contributions have been Memory Lane received for this issue from Richard 12 City centre pubs past and White Horse Queralt, Paul Silcock, Dick Bosley, present 27 Matt Bullock, Ian Winfield, Dennis News from the White Brown, Tony Goulding, Pete Flynn, Horse Branch and Graham Shelton. Brewery Focus 15 This issue we feature The photographs on the front cover Hook Norton Brewery and on pages 12 and 13 are all courtesy of the Oxford Mail and Oxford Times; those on pages 15-17 Branch Diary are courtesy of Hook Norton Brewery. 17 What’s On, including date Please send contributions to the for Oxford’s AGM editor at the above email address. Pub news can be sent to Pub News [email protected]@oxford.camra.org.uk 18 Including a new owner for the Castle Tavern The views expressed in this publication are those of the individual contributors and not necessarily Tony’s Travels those of Oxford or White Horse 30 Branches of CAMRA, or of CAMRA Tony meets some of the Limited. city’s female licensees Printed by MRD Digital Print POTY Winners www.mrddigitalprint.com 31 Who won the branch’s © Copyright Oxford CAMRA 2017 Pub of the Year awards? the Oxford Drinker 3 February - March 2017 99 4 the Oxford Drinker 99 February - March 2017 Welcome ….. what exactly makes a good landlord? RUNNING A PUB can be a very The role of the landlord is low alcohol consumption stressful business with very little crucial in making people feel guidelines. We showed her this time to yourself, so as one pub welcome, and that is central to research and pointed out that near Oxford looks for a new a traditional pub’s role in the the UK’s suggested limit (14 tenant and one long-established heart of a community. A new units a week for both men and husband-and-wife management study by Oxford University women) is dismissed by many team call it a day, I started makes interesting reading, as doctors and lower than in most wondering what it takes to fill research done in conjunction other European countries. She that role. The pub recruiting is with CAMRA makes clear that listened politely but gave no the Abingdon Arms in Beckley – the pub can play a vital role in ground, saying the rest of see advertisement in this issue combating loneliness. Europe would catch up one day. – while the couple who have We argued instead for the moved on are Richard and Professor Robin Dunbar of the introduction of a minimum Katherine Gibson at the Angel university’s Experimental alcohol price that would stop and Greyhound in St Clement’s, Psychology department, said: people knocking back cheap Oxford. “This study showed that supermarket booze even before frequenting a local pub can going out, and this might at last The most successful landlords directly affect people’s social be possible when we exit the not only know how to keep and network size and how engaged EU. serve great beer and food, but they are with their local are also fine managers of community, which in turn can Make no mistake, the anti- people. They need to know how affect how satisfied they feel in alcohol lobby is another threat to delegate and how to balance life. to our pubs – but once again, what should be a fun the landlord’s role is crucial. atmosphere with a dedication to “Our social networks provide us Pub staff are trained to spot quality and service – no mean with the single most important people who have had too much feat when you consider that buffer against mental and and the pub is a much safer many customers couldn’t care physical illness. While pubs drinking environment than your less as long as they get served traditionally have a role as a lounge or bedroom. quickly. place for community socialising, alcohol’s role appears to be in I’d be pleased to hear from But then there’s that hidden triggering the endorphin system, anyone who would like to “something” that makes which promotes social bonding. nominate a particular landlord someone special. As Katherine Like other complex bonding for their role in the community, Gibson put it to me just before systems such as dancing, and we’ll include them in a leaving, “This is our house, but singing and storytelling, it has future issue. Let’s send the it’s a public house that we open often been adopted by large Nanny State packing and give to hundreds of people every social communities as a ritual good landlords the recognition day. It’s like a drop-in centre.” associated with bonding.” they deserve. We wish the Gibsons well as they change career, while we I recently joined branch DAVE RICHARDSON recognise that running a secretary Steve Lawrence to [email protected] successful pub isn’t a great meet our local MP, Nicola lifestyle when you have three Blackwood, who is the minister school-age children. responsible for the UK’s very the Oxford Drinker 5 February - March 2017 99 The wonders of Wantage Dave Richardson WITH THE WANTAGE Beer Festival offerings were totally unknown coming up on 17-18 March, this to me, both being Christmas tours the pubs of an was a good time to revisit the ales still available in the first Oxfordshire market town to see what its pubs have week of January. Slater’s of town to offer. Many CAMRA Stafford provided a ruby ale members know that there are called Blitzen (4%), while two outstanding real ale pubs Bosun’s (based near Wakefield here so they tend to disregard rather than anywhere near the the rest, but I wanted to sample sea) provided Ingle Belle (also a few more while paying 4%), a blonde beer with homage to the Shoulder of appropriate girly pump clip. I Mutton and Royal Oak. opted for the Blitzen which was in good condition, but The festival will be held at the forgettable. Pity I don’t have a Beacon community centre weakness for blondes… (formerly the Civic Hall) in the centre of town, close to Market King Alfred’s Head – known as Place where a cluster of pubs Alfie’s – displayed a CAMRA are located. Also in the Market LocAle certificate dating from Place is a statue of Alfred the 2014, but there were no local Great (849-899), the Anglo- beers on. Despite this the Saxon King of Wessex said to choice was good, and with a have been born here and who varied food offer this would successfully led his army make an appropriate lunchtime against Danish Viking invaders. stop. The Danes were ultimately successful, however – as there We then headed towards the aren’t many pubs where you renowned Shoulder of Mutton, can’t find Carslberg! only five minutes’ walk from Market Place, but stopped off With this royal connection it first at what looked like a very made sense to start at King historic pub across the road Alfred’s Head, a Punch Taverns from the Shoulder – the King’s pub at the west end of Market Arms. This is a former Morland, Place. The town’s nightlife is Greene King and now Hawthorn very much concentrated in this Leisure house, but no real ale area but this pub casts its net was available and when there widely, with a few shoppers is, it’s usually Greene King IPA taking a rest in the afternoon which I find very insipid. The including a couple of ladies with landlord of this mainly young their buggies. The roaring log people’s and sports pub was ABOVE FROM TOP: The King Alfred’s fire was a definite attraction. apologetic, but rightly pointed Head; the beer menu in the out that with the Shoulder of Shoulder of Mutton Four real ales are served here Mutton just across the road, he OPPOSITE: Guy Ripley (right) with with Sharp’s Doom Bar and St was unlikely to sell much real barman Oliver Curley with an Austell Tribute being the ale. Point taken! impressive line of handpumps at regulars. The other two beers the Shoulder of Mutton are rotated and today’s The Shoulder is a Wantage 6 the Oxford Drinker 99 February - March 2017 institution and Good Beer Guide “lunch in a glass”.