AWARD-WINNING No. 102 Summer 2014 www.camrabristol.org.uk NTS WE Multi-award-winningI magazine of the Bristol & District Branch of CAMRA, theS Campaign for Real Ale P (incorporating the Bath & Borders Branch) T The unusual beer engine in the Crown at Kelston PINTS WEST PINTS WEST The multi-award-winning magazine of the Bristol & District Branch of CAMRA, the Campaign for Real Ale, plus the Bath & Borders Branch Bristol Beer Festival he seventeenth annual CAMRA Bristol Beer Festival took place Brought to you entirely by unpaid volunteers over five public sessions from Thursday 13th to Saturday 15th March at Brunel’s Old Station, Temple Meads, Bristol. Tickets Ten thousand copies of Pints West are T sold out for all of them with the exception of Thursday evening, distributed free to hundreds of pubs in and although admittedly we did only manage to have 130 different beers on around the cities of Bristol and Bath ... and sale during that session. beyond. Also available to read on-line at: To be serious, a change in ticket buying patterns was observed with a significant shift to online sales for people that aren’t local CAMRA www.bristolcamra.org.uk members, so this will doubtless be considered when decisions are made as how best to sell tickets for the 2015 festival. Published by the Bristol & District Branch of CAMRA, Overall the 2014 event was indeed another success with much real the Campaign for Real Ale, beginning of June 2014 © ale, cider and perry tasted by happy customers. It’s worth repeating that Next edition: end of August 2014 (probably). the festival simply could not happen without the hard work of many Spread the word: any article in this publication may be reproduced unpaid CAMRA volunteers, so let’s all raise a glass to them. Speaking of raising a glass, Rocket Science Titan was the first cask provided the source (Pints West), including the contributor’s name of beer to sell out at the festival, however we fortunately had another where applicable, is stated. (No using logos or artwork without prior in reserve. The Bristol Beer Factory won the coveted LocAle of the permission.) festival award (decided by a blind tasting) with their ever popular Subscriptions: to be put on a mailing list (for UK addresses) send ten Southville Hop IPA and the runner-up position was seized by relative standard 1st class stamps to the editor. newcomers the New Bristol Brewery with their mighty Super Deluxe CAMRA Good Beer Guide: suggestions for future entries, and Stout. Our congratulations go to them both as well as our thanks to our comments on existing ones, can be made to our GBG co-ordinator, main sponsors for their help with the 2014 Bristol Beer Festival, Towles Brewery and St Austell Brewery. Martin Gray: [email protected]. Richard Brooks For any pub updates: please enter them through whatpub.com or email details to [email protected]. Further information on all aspects of CAMRA can be had from Ray Holmes on 0117 9605357 (home). Trading Standards Officers: contact for problems such as consistent short measures, no price lists... Bristol: 0117 9223444 / S. Glos: 01454 624000 Glos: 01452 426201 / N. Somerset: 01934 888802 B.A.N.E.S: 01225 396755 or visit www.tradingstandards.gov.uk Design & Layout: Steve Plumridge. Printed by Caric Press Limited (www.caricpress.co.uk). LETTERS: please email correspondence to the editor at: [email protected] or post it to: Pints West Editor, Steve Plumridge, Garden Flat, 6 Royal York Villas, Clifton, Bristol BS8 4JR. ADVETISE: to find out about advertising in Pints West, please email: [email protected] Views expressed in Pints West are those of the individual authors and not necessarily supported by CAMRA. Inclusion of an advertisement does not imply endorsement by CAMRA. Thanks to this issue’s contributors Dave Graham Keith Shapland Pete Taberner Denis Rahilly Martin Farrimond Richard Brooks Denise Swain Martin Gray Robin E Wild Duncan Shine Maureen Armstrong Roy Sanders Eddie Taberner Michael Bertagne Steve Comer Freya McLuckie Mike Jackson Steve Hunt Graham Watson Mike Lawrence Steve Plumridge Henry Davies Nigel Morris Talisha Mills Ian Beckey Norman Spalding Tim Belsten James Honey Paul Ainsworth Vince Murray Jan Deverell Pete Bridle Page 2 PINTS WEST More breweries opening in local area! he winter edition of Pints West (the special bumper 100th edition) featured profiles of the 15 breweries within the Bristol & District Tbranch area, along with the 12 in the area covered by the Bath & Borders branch. The point was made that the number of breweries has increased significantly in recent times. Well it gets even better! Your local CAMRA branch has heard of yet more breweries that are either about to open or which should hopefully be opening in the near future. A recent press report mentioned that a Stephen Hall of new business The Incredible Brewing Company had recently obtained planning permission from Bristol City Council to set up a new brewery in Brislington. The plan is for brewing to take place several times a week. No further details are known yet. However, if Stephen Hall would like to contact Bristol & District CAMRA we would be pleased to hear details of his plans which we could then bring you in the next Pints West. The coppers have already been firing up at the newChew Valley Brewery in Pensford. Owners Dom Lowe and Matt Stalker have spent the last few months planning their business approach, brand-building and learning the finer intricacies of brewing. Whilst they have, by comparison with some competitors, less in the way of commercial brewing experience, they’ve addressed this quite aggressively by way of “deep reading and study”. They’ve also undertaken some training with The Small Bar in King Street, central Bristol, is hoping to have an established and highly experienced brewer, and have been hands-on their microbrewery functioning very soon. In fact it may already be learning by trial and error (and success!). They have both also been doing so by the time you are reading this. It is understood that there will home brewing for a number of years. be no permanent beers brewed in the pub – rather, they will all be one- Dom and Matt stand by the strap-line, ‘Real Beer’. They believe off brews. they can make beer to a high level of quality. As a microbrewery, they A very recent addition to the list of breweries in the Bath & Borders tell us that they can be highly responsive to the market, and can seek to branch area is Twisted Brewery in Westbury (not to be confused with offer their wares to local discerning landlords and public alike. the Twisted Oak Brewery in Wrington), details of which are in the The plan is to brew consistently good, strong British beers with local separate article by James Honey below. Mendip water, traditional yeasts, quality malts and the finest English There is likely to be even more exciting news regarding breweries in hops by using traditional recipes and modern microbrewery equipment. our area soon so keep on reading Pints West in future to stay informed. We look forward to trying out their ales (Pagan and Druid so far) Enjoy your ale! very soon! Pete Bridle Twisted, a new brewery for Westbury he Twisted Brewing Company has opened a new brewery in the White Horse town of Westbury, on the West Wilts Trading Estate. It began T st trading on 1 May having been founded by Andrew Murray and Jon Pilling. Andrew has a long history in the commercial operation of the licensed trade and Jon has brewed with North Cotswold, Exe Valley and Grainstore breweries. The six-barrel-length plant is all modern and hi- tech but the team remain committed to using artisan techniques for the actual brewing. Whole cone hops are used for the best flavour and there is a strong commitment to quality. They intend brewing four core beers, plus occasional and seasonal brews as required. The core beers are Ale Rider Red Ale (4.2%), Gaucho IPA (3.6%), Conscript Golden Ale (4.2%) and Pirate Bitter (4.2%). The first beers have started to go on sale in a few pubs in Westbury and Warminster and they hope to expand. So, if you are in the area try seeking out these new brews. James Honey Page 3 PINTS WEST Local pubs hit by long-term closure of A431 Kelston Road s road closures go, that of the A431 between Bristol and Bath is fairly drastic. This road is the “other” main route between Bristol Aand Bath, the A4 being the more well-known one. In February this year there was a major landslip, caused by the severe wet weather, between Kelston and Bath and a decision was taken by the local council, Bath & North East Somerset, to close the road completely as it was so dangerous. All vehicles, including the Bristol to Bath bus services which used the A431, are now diverted via the A4 and there is no planned re- opening date for the A431, although initial reports indicate that it will be at least six months before it re-opens. As well as the increase in volume of traffic on the A4, leading to additional congestion in Keynsham and Saltford, the businesses based between Willsbridge and Kelston have been badly hit by the lack of passing trade. First Bus has established a free bus link (the 619) between Willsbridge and Kelston, but this only runs during daytime hours from Monday to Saturday. The businesses include four pubs in Bitton, Swineford, Upton Cheyney and Kelston, situated directly on the A431 or just off it.