The Cross Guns, Avoncliff
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Multi-award-winning magazine of the Bristol & District and Bath & Borders branches of CAMRA, the Campaign for Real Ale No. 114 Summer 2017 PINTS WEST The Cross Guns, Avoncliff Contents Page 38 A Round with Robin Bristol Beer Page 18 BADRAG (rare ales group) Page 20 Bath & Borders pub news Page 32 Bristol Pubs Group Page 47 CAMRA diaries & contacts Festival 2017 Page 8 CAMRA ladies he twentieth annual CAMRA Bristol Beer Festival ran from Page 41 CAMRA young(ish) members Thursday 23rd to Saturday 25th March 2017 at Brunel’s Old TS W Page 25 Castle Inn, Bradford-on-Avon IN ES TStation, Temple Meads, Bristol – and what a great event it was! Page 27 Cider Tickets for three of the five public sessions literally sold out within a P T Page 22 Cross Guns, Avoncliff few hours of going on sale and all the remaining tickets sold out well The multi-award-winning magazine of the Bristol & District Page 26 Just Ales, Wells in advance of the festival, demonstrating the high level of demand. branch of CAMRA, the Campaign for Real Ale, plus the Bath Page 4 Micropubs Behind the scenes there were a few logistical issues that made life & Borders branch Page 28 Shine on Widcombe interesting for the organisers, however challenges were overcome Brought to you entirely by unpaid volunteers Page 24 Tucker’s Grave and a great range of real ale, cider and perry was presented to Ten thousand copies of Pints West are distributed free to Page 37 Weston-super-Mare news the enthusiastic crowds. New for this year was a beer festival app (available on Android and iOS) which seemed to prove very popular hundreds of pubs in and around the cities of Bristol and Bath Brewery news: with those attending the festival. ... and beyond Page 41 Arbor Ales Also available on-line at www.bristolcamra.org.uk Page 6 Ashley Down At the Thursday afternoon trade session the results of the Bristol Page 7 Bath Ales and Beerd & District CAMRA branch Pub of the Year 2017 competition were Published by the Bristol & District Branch of CAMRA, the Campaign Page 23 Bath Brew House announced (winner Drapers Arms, runner-up the Lime Kiln) as well as for Real Ale, May 2017 © Page 17 Brewhouse & Kitchen the results of the LocAle of the Festival competition. This saw New Editor: Steve Plumridge ([email protected]) Page 40 Bristol Beer Factory Bristol Brewery Super Deluxe Stout named as the winner and Bath Ales Design & Layout by: Steve Plumridge Page 34 Butcombe Prophecy as runner-up. Next edition: end of August 2017 (probably) Page 15 Cocksure Printed by: Caric Press Limited (www.caricpress.co.uk) Page 39 Crane The range of beer available tends to vary across the festival as some Spread the word: any written article in this publication may be beers can take longer than expected to be in quite the condition that Page 17 Dawkins Ales we are happy to sell them and of course beers do sell out. The festival reproduced provided the source (‘Pints West’) and the contributor’s Page 21 Electric Bear name, where applicable, is stated. (No using logos/photos/artwork opened to the public on Thursday evening with 125 different real ales Page 10 Good Chemistry on sale. The final session on Saturday evening opened with 103 real without permission.) Page 11 GWB ales and closed with 64 still available. So once again, there was still a Subscriptions: to be put on a mailing list to receive Pints Wests (for Page 13 Incredible Brewing Company good number of beers right up to the very end. UK addresses) send ten standard (not large) 1st class stamps to the Page 15 Left Handed Giant editor Page 12 Moor Beer Thanks should be noted for all the unpaid CAMRA volunteers that put CAMRA Good Beer Guide: suggestions for future entries, and Page 39 New Bristol Brewery in the time and effort to organise and run the event. We would also like comments on existing ones, can be made to our GBG co-ordinator, Page 21 Ralph’s Ruin to record our gratitude to the 2017 event sponsors, Purity (glasses), St Martin Gray: [email protected] Page 36 RCH Austell/Bath Ales (staff T-shirts), RCH (beer festival app), Bristol Beer Factory (beer tokens), Wye Valley (games), and Castle Combe (cellar If you have any pub updates: please enter them via whatpub.com or Page 21 Twisted email details to [email protected] team T-shirts). Plus a special mention for Rab Clarke of the Eldon Page 15 Wiper & True House for supplying the bar counters. Further information on all aspects of CAMRA can be had from Ray Page 25 Zerodegrees Holmes on 0117 9605357 (home) and much, much more... Charity donations from customers in the form of cash or unused tokens Trading Standards Officers: contact for problems such as consistent were up this year totalling £1,663.48 which was shared evenly between short measures, no price lists... the National Autistic Society and PROPS (a local charity providing Bristol: 0117 9223444 / S. Glos: 01454 624000 opportunities and support for those with special needs). Glos: 01452 426201 / N. Somerset: 01934 888802 B.A.N.E.S: 01225 396755 BRISTOL You can check out a range of pictures from the event and watch ‘Bristol or visit www.tradingstandards.gov.uk Beer Festival 2017: The Movie’ by going to www.camrabristol.org.uk/ festival.html. LETTERS: please email correspondence to the editor at Richard Brooks [email protected] or post it to Pints West Editor, Steve Plumridge, Garden Flat, 6 Royal York Villas, Clifton, Bristol BS8 4JR ADVERTISE: to find out about advertising in Pints West, please email [email protected] Pints West is the best CONTACTS: for further contact details and diaries see inside back page ints West has been named overall winner of CAMRA’s national Around a dozen local members magazine of the year award at the AGM and Members’ Weekend travelled to Bournemouth for Views expressed in Pints West are those of the individual in Bournemouth in April 2017. Accepting his eighth award, Pints the weekend, enjoying real ale in authors and not necessarily supported by CAMRA P West editor Steve Plumridge said: “Once again, this award reflects the several micropubs in the area as Inclusion of an advertisement does not imply endorsement by CAMRA contributions by very many CAMRA members in the Bristol & District well as some classic, traditional and Bath & Borders branch areas, and the support of our advertisers.” public houses and, of course, Thanks to this issue’s contributors: the extensive members’ beer Bianca Ambrose Mac Macarthur Roy Sanders In presenting the award, Jackie Parker, CAMRA’s national executive festival in the AGM venue. The sun Bob Gibson Martin Ansell Stephen Edmonds director responsible for overseeing the competition, highlighted the shone too. Next year’s AGM and Chris Rogers Martin Gray Steve Hunt magazine’s excellent mix of local and national campaigning articles, Members’ Weekend takes place at Dave Graham Marty Cummins Steve Plumridge clear and attractive layout and quality of images as winning features. the University of Warwick – easy Denis Rahilly Michael Bertagne Tim Belsten “one of the cheapest places in the city to enjoy Duncan Shine Mike Jackson Tim Nickolls to get to from Bristol, so if you’re a beer, particularly when the pub always has Pints West has been overall winner of the award six times since 2001, a member, why not join us (and Graham Watson Nick Jarman Tim Webb a choice of four high quality real ales on draught.” Henry Davies Nigel Morris Tom Chapman and also won most improved magazine and ‘highly commended’ possibly witness another Pints Ian Beckey Pete Bridle Tony Durbin BRISTOL POST, PUB OF THE WEEK, JAN 2015 during that time. Like other branch magazines, it is written, designed West win)? Keith Morey Phil Cummings Vince Murray and distributed (10,000 copies) entirely by CAMRA volunteers. Laurie Gibney Phill the Pint Will George OPENING TIMES: MON-SAT FROM 12PM. SUN FROM 2PM. Advertising revenue just about covers print costs, so our huge thanks Congratulations to Steve for his Laurie Jackson Richard Brooks FOOD served 12-3pm mon-fri - SUN pies from 2pm to all those who support CAMRA in this way. And there’s mutual editorial skill in creating a well- Lesly Huxley Robin E Wild passage street, Bristol BS2 0JF benefit; a new brewery advertiser recently noted that “the ads have balanced, readable and informative magazine for CAMRA members generated enquiries from pubs we haven’t had contact with before so and anyone interested in good real ale and pubs. bridgeinnbristol.co.uk they have had the desired effect”. Lesly Huxley 2 PINTS WEST PINTS WEST 3 The Bristol micropub revolution consolidates and gathers steam t’s just five years since the idea of micropubs came to popular Bach from Wye Valley having become a regular and local favourite, national attention when Martyn Hillier was featured in the Sunday plus a good range of ciders. ITimes running the Butcher’s Arms in Herne, Kent. This micropub actually opened in 2005, and Hillier is often quoted talking about Mark attributes his success to the locals of Redland and Cotham. changes to the licensing act of 2003 that made it a lot easier to get “Yes, and the fact he is a damn good landlord,” chips in Guy Cowper, change of use on a premises and set up independent hostelries and put a regular here. “Well,” says Mark, “I have to say that local CAMRA his dream into practice.