CAMRA Liverpool & Districts Magazine Autumn 2011 FREE www.liverpoolcamra.org.uk email [email protected] Circulation 11,000 www.liontavern.com The MerseyAle CAMRA Liverpool and Districts Branch Lion Tavern MerseyAle Editor 67 Moorfields Liverpool L2 2BP Telephone 0151 236 1734 John Armstrong The Lion Tavern (Grade II Listed) is Liverpool’s FOOD MerseyAle Contacts See the board for finest Edwardian Pub. It is an extravaganza of Comments/news/letters/photos selection of good [email protected] etched glass, carved wood and beautiful tiling. value food from our new It has a wonderful ornate wood carved bar plus menu Welcome to MerseyAle two cosy side rooms one with a fantastic MerseyAle Advertising stained glass dome. The Lion Tavern is an QUIZ NIGHT Cost - Full page £200 Half page £100 and ManxAle award winning pub serving excellent cask every Tuesday at 9.30pm Contact conditioned ales, cider and a large selection of [email protected] the finest malt whiskies. You can also enjoy a BOARD GAME Power of the Pubcos Liverpool CAMRA is doing its fine selection of tasty food from our new menu. CLUB MerseyAle You may be surprised by this bit to promote the pub by Meet every Monday at (back copies on line) MerseyAle cover. It is designed to running the two month long 6.00pm www.merseyale.com catch your attention and to highlight CAMRA Liverpool Real Ale the Power of the Pubcos which Pubs Festival from September to ACOUSTIC Liverpool and Districts CAMRA control 37% of Britain’s pubs. Many the end of October – see pages HAsuppNly a vDariedP seleUctionM of pPrize S NIGHT Main Branch Contact observers believe the Pubcos are hhhh in this MerseyAle for the Jean Pownceby list of events. This is the sixth winning Real Ales (including at least one Second Thursday of the driving the British pub to the verge of Month 8pm [email protected] extinction with their financial consecutive year the branch has locally brewed ale) plus hand pulled Cider demands for high rents and strict run a Pubs Festival. To further 8 Contact for Socials and BOB DYLAN imposition of the beer tie which result promote our pubs we have SOCIETY Coach Trips only in high prices charged to you the published a new free Real Ale Meets first Thursday of Ian MacAdam 07521 741 586 customer. The Pubco business model Pubs Map to guide you to over Over 80 Malt 100 Real Ale pubs across the City. the Month 8.30pm is not working. Yet the Government Liverpool Branch Chair have failed to act as promised to curb MEET THE BREWER Geoff Edwards Whiskies their power. See the feature on Liverpool CAMRA is also proud Third Thursday of the [email protected] The Lion Tavern has one of the largest Page 15. of its Bringing New People to selections of malt whisky on Merseyside Month 8pm Real Ale Campaign, the latest Web Sites The cover is homage to the phase of which starts in October POETRY GET Liverpool and Districts with the setting up of a TOGETHER CAMRA Branch famous 1927 silent film University Real Ale Society and Fourth Thursday of the www.liverpoolcamra.org.uk Metropolis which dramatised the Month 8pm crisis in capitalism and the clash programme of events focused on between workers and owners. Young People, plus further events V6 Adventure Isle of Man CAMRA Branch Today we see a similar clash focused on introducing women to Club www.isleofmancamra.org.uk between the Pubcos and their real ale – see page 33 Meet every Wednesday licensees and us the customers. CAMRA national site at 8.00pm So enjoy your time in the Real www.camra.org.uk So our cover is a call to arms to Ale Pubs Capital of Britain !! those concerned about the future of the British pub. Cover by Dennis Jones Beer An homage to Metropolis Save the Pub Campaign Festival Film Poster 1927 by Heinz Schulz The Sunday Mirror and the Pub 26 th September - Neudamm Landlord, comedian Al Murray, WEEKLY LOCALE have joined CAMRA in See Board for future 3rd October Real Ales “One of the Hundred promoting the Save Your Pub Best Pubs in the campaign. See page 9 John Armstrong Editor Sean and Michael would like to welcome customers country” The opinions expressed in MerseyAle are not necessarily those of the Editor, the CAMRA old and new to the Lion Tavern Daily Telegraph Liverpool Branch or CAMRA Ltd. PUB OF EXCELLENCE 2011 BEST QUALITY ALE 2006 CASK MARQUE CAMRA NATIONAL INVENTORY PUB 3 Everyman Bis t ro The Last Post nowhere in Ale events that were run between I’ll remember; Jan Sorsby Liverpool like this. February and June. being told that being a member Where will I get food of CAMRA was like taking your like this anywhere Jan Sorsby one of the Event local out with you, you were always else? ……This is where I organisers shares her amongst friends, met my partner……Where impressions of the evening . else can you sit for hours . that how sad someone was as they had visited the Everyman for At three in the morning on Sunday discussing anything under the sun “Have you ever thought about the first time that night and realised 3rd July the plaintive notes of the over a drink and possibly later some writing up your thoughts on the what they were losing (this was everyone their invitation, the time Last Post echoed around the bar of food and not be hassled to hurry up Everyman Finale Event for good to hear as it meant that we spent planning, arranging the real the Everyman Bistro marking the and spend, spend, spend or leave. MerseyAle?” end of 41 years as a Liverpool It really is unique. How dare weren’t all on a nostalgia trip, the ales and the food with Paddy, Everyman really was that special), booking the very good C-City Legend. it close !! To be honest no I hadn’t, I’d been modern jazz band, buying the tea Royal Liverpool Philharmonic too busy helping to arrange it, but . how they had read MerseyAle lights and badges, trying to get an Orchestra trumpeter Brendan Ball But the clock ticked on and finally here goes. from cover to cover and what a brought to a conclusion a the Last Post sounded. So as they event with RAZZ, being at the good read it was. Everyman at 6.30 to arrange things tumultuous final day of both the say at the movies “That’s all for now On the night you had to think how and hoping that people would Bistro and the Theatre above. folks !!” far we’d come. It was only in people who’d first met a couple . turn up January that we’d had our first of months ago at a previous event, It was a bitter sweet day of CAMRA Everyman meeting to arrange the Bringing greeting each other as good friends. We hadn’t wanted it to be sad, we celebration and memories as it the Finale Event New People to Real Ale Events, then I’ll remember - seeing over a 160 wanted a celebration of how Real final realisation sank in that this was we’d been worried we wouldn’t be Ale and the Everyman Bistro were On Wednesday 22nd June people having a really good time, it and that there would not be a next able to find the 30 people we intertwined and I think we got one. Liverpool CAMRA organised a lots of laughter, smiles, day at the Bistro. Queues formed needed for the first womens’ tasting CAMRA Everyman Bistro Finale conversation, listening to the band. The next day Andy one of the Bistro outside snaking along Hope Street event at the Dispensary. How our Event to celebrate the 41 years of 160 people out with their mates. staff commented; from early in the day through to an invitation list had grown, we now the Bistro as a Liverpool Legend People writing in the Memory Books incredible 1.30 in the morning, as had managed to personally invite “It was a great night with a great and to mark its final closure on multitudes of people sought to enjoy 170 people and had had over 160 atmosphere. It didn’t feel like a 2nd July. a final session at the incomparable acceptances. work shift, rather an evening Bistro. The lucky ones who amongst friends.” The Finale was to succeeded in getting in found a day be a night of Jan Sorsby of live music, real food, real ale and celebration to mark real happy conversation. Memory the closure with a Books hung in each alcove and were Real Ale and Real avidly written in by people recording Food Party. This their favourite Everyman memories also brought and what the place had meant to together the wide (see page 7) what the Everyman their lives. The common refrains range of people who Bistro had meant to them, Paddy were; had participated in who wasn’t well staying longer than he’d intended, the bar staff looking “I can’t believe its closing…. the Liverpool as if they were having a good time Where will we go in future? There’s CAMRA Bringing New People to Real as well. So yes, it was worth the time spent going through the attendance lists for the previous events and sending Paddy Byrne Everyman Bistro Goodbye, goodbye, goodbye...... 4 5 F THE DISPENSARY Memories CAMRA Pub of the Year 2011 great time in a great place.