The Wheatsheaf, Stoney Street (See Page 51) Vol 31 No 1 Feb Mar 2009

1802-41 LD31-1:Layout 1 21/1/09 11:19 Page 1 D ON ON L Feb Vol 31 Mar No 1 2009 The Wheatsheaf, Stoney Street (see page 51) 1802-41 LD31-1:Layout 1 21/1/09 11:19 Page 2 1802-41 LD31-1:Layout 1 21/1/09 11:19 Page 3 London Drinker 30th anniversary 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 April 2009, please send electronic documents to the Editor When we were young no later than Wednesday 11th March. SUBSCRIPTIONS: £3.00 for mailing t the time I edited the very sector , why not try a little exercise. of 6 editions or £6.00 for 12 should be Afirst edition of this magazine If I give you Brakspear, King and sent to Stan Tompkins, 52 Rabbs Mill thirty years ago, CAMRA was run Barnes, and Hartleys for starters, House, Chiltern View Road, Uxbridge, almost entirely by its volunteers. make a list of the independent Middlesex, UB8 2PD (cheques payable to CAMRA London). There was only a handful of paid breweries that have shut since ADVERTISING: Peter Tonge: staff at headquarters. 1979. Tel: 020-8300 7693. Development of policy and cam - You should have no difficulty in Printed by Cliffe Enterprise, paigns was led by a National getting to 50. True, plenty of Eastbourne, BN22 8TR Executive whose membership microbreweries have sprung up Views expressed in this publication are included several highly able and (mainly because of a favourable tax those of their individual authors and are clued up individuals, and support - regime), and many produce excel - not necessarily endorsed by the Editor or the Campaign for Real Ale Limited. ed by a handful of volunteer com - lent beers; but how many micros mittees with (generally) well would it take to produce the bar - Advertise in the next defined remits. And it worked! In rellage which once came out of LONDON DRINKER Our advertising rates are as follows: the few years between CAMRA’s Wandsworth? As for pubs, even Whole page £300 (colour) birth and 1979, the availability of before the present recession they £240 (mono) real ale had grown quite remark - were being hammered by the greed Half page £180 (colour), £135 (mono) ably: several brewers (such as of many pubcos, the growth of city Quarter page £95 (colour), £70 (mono) Phone Peter Tonge now on Fuller ’s) who had gone down the centre kiddy bars and the availabil - 020 8300 7693 keg or top pressure road were ity of cheap alcohol from super - returning to the fold, and hand - markets. In this issue pumps were reappearing all over I would be the first to admit Sustainable communities 6 the place, including in areas such as that the disastrous trends of recent Scotland and the North East which years could not have been prevent - News round-up 8 had been arid deserts for good beer. ed by CAMRA but there were Festivals 18 How things have changed! things which could have been done The Grapes, Limehouse 24 CAMRA is now a flourishing that might have limited the dam - Book reviews 26 organisation with close to 100 ,000 age. The most obvious one would Letters 28 members and around 30 full time have been to fight hard for a ban on The Bull at Horton Kirby 32 staff , and is financially far more mass-media advertising of alcohol. LocAle 34 secure. But wait a minute. What is Real ale has been reamed, steamed Branch diaries 36 the current state of the market for and dry cleaned by advertising that Capital Pubcheck 39 cask ale? Well, it now accounts for has promoted a handful of junk little more than 5% of beer sales lagers to overwhelming market Membership form 41 (by volume), far less than it was dominance. Such advertising dis - Beer festival crawl 48 when CAMRA started life. What torts competition and also helps The Wimbledon Brewery 49 has happened to breweries? Well promote irresponsible drinking and Meantime 50 the hated Big Six have been swal - yet CAMRA has not only been The Wheatsheaf 51 lowed up by multinational chemi - silent on the matter but has even Obituary 53 cal engineering companies who on occasion denied that it believes Idle Moments 56 make the likes of Watneys and in such a ban – despite the fact that Crossword 58 Courage seem like champions of a desire for one had been part of its cask ale. As for the independent stated policy since the 1980s. 3 1802-41 LD31-1:Layout 1 21/1/09 11:19 Page 4 London Drinker 30th anniversary According to the current focus once again on beer, brew - speed on what the centre is statement of CAMRA’s objec - eries, pubs and nothing more. doing; it could serve as a forum in tives , we now apparently aspire Our efforts recently have become which the important issues of the to be the voice of all pubgoers too dissipated , with too many of day are debated and where ideas and the campaigning body for us distracted from the main task. are exposed , evaluated and such vital issues as securing legis - Then let’s face the industrial and refined. London Drinker has done lation to ensure that drinkers will commercial realities, investigate this on occasion even though, as a get a full pint without having to the causes and try to identify local magazine, it is not the most undergo the trauma of asking for what might be done to alleviate appropriate forum for discussion a top-up. In 1973 I joined an the situation for real ale, its brew - of national issues. organisation that simply cam - eries and pubs, rather than take In short, a return to the ethos paigned in support of good real false comfort from feelgood sto - and objectives of those early days beer, the breweries that produced ries and marketing and promo - would be no bad thing. The spirit it, and the pubs that sold it . That tional spin . And to achieve this of those days led to real, mean - was it and, whilst CAMRA had a end, wouldn’t it be a good idea ingful successes for CAMRA , hard enough task on its hands try - once again to involve more of whereas the current style risks ing to secure these objectives , this CAMRA’s volunteers in develop - leaving us as observers at the narrowness of focus was a major ing our strategy instead of some - roadside as the hearse burying contributor to the campaign’s how expecting the central staff to real ale’s coffin glides slowly by. success . do most of it for us ? Our nation - So how does CAMRA get al magazine, What’s Brewing could back to achieving that level of serve as a place where the mem - LD success? Well for a start, let us bership at large is kept up to Brian Sheridan 4 1802-41 LD31-1:Layout 1 21/1/09 11:19 Page 5 1802-41 LD31-1:Layout 1 21/1/09 11:19 Page 6 Campaigning Sustainable Communities - convincing London’s councils he Sustainable Communities www.localworks.org are urged to become involved at TAct became law only as a It is CAMRA’s strategy to use this time as it is probably our best result of a huge national coalition the Sustainable Communities Act opportunity in years to achieve: campaign of which CAMRA was to push for specific policy greater planning protection proudly a leading member. But changes to support the retention for pubs we can use the new process in and viability of pubs. a right to buy for the lessee this law only if our councils This strategy can however and/or the local community choose to use it too, and so we only work if Councils can be per - when a pub is being sold must first urge all London bor - suaded to opt into the process . an end to restrictive covenants ough councils to do that ! CAMRA members have there - greater funds for Councils to The Local Works Campaign is fore been requested to contact grant rate relief to valued now holding an open meeting on their local councillors. community pubs 10 February. Come and hear CAMRA support for the Act action to ensure fair rents for how you can use the new Act to has already achieved legal recog - lessees make government do more to nition of pubs as ‘local services ’. By working with a huge range help you protect and promote This has not always been accept - of other interest groups, who face local pubs and local ale as well as ed by all planners and policy remarkably similar issues, we local services, shops, trade and makers . Now they have no choice have a real chance of success. the environment . as it is enshrined in statute. Date and time: All those who care about pubs Jonathan Mail Tuesday 10 February, 7-9pm Venue: CAMRA MEMBERS’ WEEKEND AND AGM The Boothroyd Room, Portcullis House, Parliament, Victoria reparations are now well under way for the 2009 CAMRA Embankment, Westminster PMembers’ Weekend and AGM, which will be held at the SW1A 2LW Eastbourne Winter Garden, starting on Friday 17 April and ending Chair : mid-afternoon on Sunday 19 April.

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