Mixed Fortunes for Real Ale in Cask Report 2019
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Issue 79 – Winter 2019 FREE – Please take one Magazine of North Oxfordshire Branch of CAMRA Mixed Fortunes For Real Ale In ale is currently underpriced, and Cask Report 2019 evidence of that is because craft keg is on average £1.50 per pint Each year Cask Marque – the more than a cask real ale. national beer quality accredita- Another recommendation is tion company – publishes a well- that pubs should offer the drink- researched and eagerly awaited er more info on beers they sell, report on the state of the UK perhaps with tasting notes to cask ale market, and the 2019 help punters choose their pre- report was recently released. ferred product. Called The Cask Report, it The report also criticises pubs surveys people working in the nearly half of all pubs are still which serve a greater number of trade as well as a cross-section serving cask beer too warm (at cask ales than they can realisti- of British beer drinkers to exam- around 14°) rather than the most cally sell, leading to beers going ine the latest trends and the per- popular 11–13° that drinkers off before selling. They believe formance of the overall mar- apparently state they prefer. this is giving the entire cask mar- ket, which is 48,000 pubs, 2,300 The report recommends that ket as a whole a bad reputation breweries and 420 million pints real ale should be ‘premiumised’, rather than just that particular sold in the last 12 months. which means that it should be outlet. Pub closure figures (around 14 treated as a premium prod- You can find the report online per week) have slowed compared uct which attracts a high price at https://cask-marque.co.uk/ to the alarming statistics in the – because they believe that real cask-reports/. previous 10 years, and although the average number of cask RUGBY WORLD CUP BOOST TO UK PUB TRADE brands on bars has reduced from 4.4 to 2.8 in the last two years, Every now and again, an event beer. The British Beer and Pub there is some growth in the pre- takes place which makes people Association predicted that one mium real ale market (especially break with their routines and do million extra pints would be for beers in the 4.2–7.4% range). something different – and such supped if England won – and Recent years saw real ale an event was the recent Rugby while we all know now that increase as a share of the on- World Cup, which saw lots South Africa went on to win, sales market, but that appears to of Rugby Union fans supping have slowed as craft keg is mak- drinks at unearthly hours on a ing its mark in the pub trade, Saturday or Sunday. event though there is confusion With admirable winning runs about what ‘craft ale’ really is. by England and Wales this time, Quality of cask beer is report- many pubs chose to open at ed to be of concern, as is the 8.30am for the 9am kick-offs it was still a windfall opportu- temperature that cask ales are of the semis, then again for the nity for landlords enterprising sold at. 70% of surveyed drink- final for England the following enough to recognise a good deal. ers say they have been served off weekend. This is another great example or stale beer, and 40% said they Food pubs which opened to show that UK drinkers like to would avoid going in that pub for the rugby stood to gain the share their happy experiences again because of the lack of qual- extra sales of brunch, bacon with others in that great British ity. Just as in last year’s report, sandwiches, etc., as well as tradition ... the community pub. Visit the CAMRA North Oxfordshire Branch website – http://northoxon.camra.org.uk/ Welcome To The Winter Edition I hope you enjoy the read. The next edition of Beer on Welcome to the Winter edition on pub changes and articles on Tap will be published in late of Beer on Tap. all things ale and cider related. If March. Please send any copy or As always, we welcome any you fancy putting pen to paper ideas by 25 January 2020. comments or suggestions on the over Christmas why not get in Editorial Team, Beer on Tap content and presentation of the touch. October 2019 magazine. CAMRA members, please get in touch if you want to join our merry band of Beer Fuller’s Acquires Cotswold Inns on Tap distributors (who we call acquired Cotswold Inns & Hotels Clustermasters). And Hotels Ltd for £40 million. Bob Warner, who has helped Fuller, Smith & Turner plc, The company owned seven out for many years covering the the pubs and hotels business, freehold country inns and hotels Burford cluster, is sadly say- announced recently that it has ing goodbye to his Beer on Tap and eight freehold staff cot- delivery duties. A big thank you Local Trading tages in the Cotswolds, togeth- from all involved in the North er with two leasehold bars in Oxon Branch for your sup- Standards Birmingham’s city centre, but in port delivering to pubs around Occasionally, drinkers receiv- our Branch this only affects the Burford. ing poor standards of service or Lamb Inn and the Bay Tree (both If anyone is reading this in poor quality products may wish in Sheep Street, Burford) and it is Burford, Fulbrook, Swinbrook or to raise the matter with Trading envisaged that all employees will Asthall and wants a simple way Standards. You now need to do transfer with the acquisition. to get involved without huge this through Citizens Advice, an An eighth hotel, the Broadway commitment then perhaps con- organisation which provides free, Hotel in Broadway village, does sider helping out delivering a confidential and impartial advice not form part of the acquisition few magazines quarterly – it’s on consumer issues. To con- and is being retained by the cur- a great way to get involved and tact Citizens Advice Consumer rent owners. spread the word! Clustermasters Service call 03454 04 05 06 or The acquisition was expected are our way to liaise between visit www.citizensadvice.org.uk to be completed by the end of local pubs and our Branch. and click on Consumer. October. We still need members to sub- mit beer festival reports, updates CAMRA North Oxon Branch Contact List Branch Diary BRANCH WEBSITE https://northoxon.camra.org.uk/ All meetings start 8pm, other events CHAIRMAN Lynne Baldwin start as shown. Socials contact: Lynn [email protected] Baldwin (07790) 118341. VICE-CHAIRMAN DECEMBER Position vacant Saturday 7th: North Oxon BEER ON TAP EDITORIAL/ Oliver Sladen Christmas Social – starting at the ADVERTISING [email protected]/ Bailiff’s Tap at noon BRANCH CONTACT JANUARY 2020 Martin Batts Tel: 07854 116408 [email protected]/ Tuesday 7th: North Oxon Branch Meeting. The White Horse, SOCIAL SECRETARY Stu Robbins Tel: 07871 277235 Banbury (POTY shortlisting [email protected]/ meeting) TREASURER Simon Whitehead FEBRUARY [email protected]/ Saturday 15th: Pub of the Year minibus tour (to visit all six MEMBERSHIP Paul Forrest shortlisted pubs for POTY 2020) SECRETARY [email protected]/ PUBS PROTECTION Brian Wray For latest list of events in the OFFICER Branch Diary, please check the [email protected]/ Branch website WEBMASTER Matt Everard Join our Facebook page for further [email protected]/ updates on socials and branch meetings Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/groups/northoxcamra/ Twitter: @northoxoncamra 2 Beer on Tap – Winter 2019 Magazine of CAMRA North Oxfordshire 3 Branch News Cock Horse, Banbury Chris at the bar of the Fox Hotel, Chipping After 11 months of closure, Norton this pub is due to re-open on 8 November as ‘The Chatsworth’. turkey plus all This follows an extensive refur- the trimmings bishment and new extension, for your table – reportedly costing around three- contact the pub quarters of a million pounds. for prices and The project was taken on by availability. the team who ran the Wine On the fur- Vaults and the manager here nishings front will be the former manager of the stable bar All types of beer the Three Conies in Thorpe and restaurant on sale, not just Mandeville who previously event at 8.30pm. Still an excel- area at the back of the pub has winter ales worked at The Old Reindeer in lent pint of Old Hooky was con- turned into something of a floral central Banbury. sumed instead! For a selection of event (see picture). Take a look Easington Arms, Banbury quality Hooky ales head for The next time you are in Chippy. Fox or the nearby Red Lion in This large, comfortable Ember Chippy. Whistlers, Inns establishment on the A361 Chipping Norton heading out of Banbury towards The Chequers, Chipping Norton This restaurant and café bar on Bloxham has a new bar manag- Middle Row in central Chippy er in the form of Dan who has Darren, landlord at this Fuller’s- recently had new owners taking festival recently taken over the helm. owned pub in the centre of over following the sale of the CAMRA members should Chippy, reports that the new business by previous long term Fri 24th–Sun 26th January 2020 head down on Mondays and comedy nights on the first owners Jane & Richard Main. Thursdays for pints of ale at Thursday every other month Although not noted for its FRI from Noon, SAT noon-midnight, SUN noon-10.30pm £2.89 a pint.