D ON ON L June Vol 32 July No 3 2010 London celebrates Cask Ale Week (see page 10) The Bree Louise 69 Cobourg St. NW1 2HH CAMRA North London Pub of the Year 2009 --10 Up to 19 ales and 10 ciders permanently available. www.thebreelouise.com CAMRA members -- 50p off a pint Editorial London Drinker is published by Mike Hammersley on behalf of the NDO London Branches of CAMRA, the O N Campaign for Real Ale Limited, and L edited by Geoff Strawbridge. Material for publication should preferably be sent by e-mail to [email protected]. Press releases should be sent by email via [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 August 2010, please send electronic documents to the Editor no Community pubs later than Wednesday 7th July. SUBSCRIPTIONS: £4.00 for mailing of here I live in East Devon it is damage in the community? By the 6 editions or £8.00 for 12 should be sent Wnot uncommon to have to way, cider has no food value apart to Stan Tompkins, 52 Rabbs Mill House, pay £3+ for a pint of ordinary from the calories that come from Chiltern View Road, Uxbridge, Middlesex, UB8 2PD (cheques payable to bitter. So drinking in these the alcohol. As it is sulphited (very CAMRA London). establishments becomes the bad for the liver), as is wine, even ADVERTISING: John Galpin preserve of the rich and much of the vitamin C from the apples is Tel: 020 3287 2966. the community is disenfranchised destroyed. Printed by Cliffe Enterprise, and easily seduced into the maw of The health lobby Eastbourne, BN22 8TR the supermarket or cheapskate recommendation is a minimum Views expressed in this publication are high street pub putting on heavily unit price for alcohol. This has those of their individual authors and are subsidised Industrial Pale Ale as a many merits but would only go not necessarily endorsed by the Editor or the Campaign for Real Ale Limited. headline attraction. some way to repairing the Whilst lip service is given to the community pub problem. If there Advertise in the next value of the community pub by was a standardisation of duty rates LONDON DRINKER Our advertising rates are as follows: nearly all concerned parties, only across the board, i.e. that of beer Whole page £300 (colour) sporadic help ever seems to occur. going down, which could be £240 (mono) One of the biggest reasons is the afforded as much extra revenue is Half page £180 (colour), £135 (mono) Quarter page £95 (colour), £70 (mono) extortionate duty rate on beer. regained in the form of VAT from Phone John Galpin now on Remember this is a prime cost that the supermarkets, then more beer 020 3287 2966, Mobile 07508 036835 the brewer has to pay and that VAT would be sold in pubs and further goes on the final price paid. It is income would go to the Treasury. In this issue not paid by Tim Martin as he Also the highly distortive and would have us believe! The beer, expensive (cost to Treasury around CAMRA politics 6 pub and related industries have £35 million) Progressive (nothing failed to act in concert to get their of the sort) Beer Duty relief, which News round-up 8 message across despite many is increasingly being eaten up to efforts from many parties. shore up pub companies, could be Pub awards 26 Compared to the wine and modified to help small breweries Great British spirits lobby, the brewing industry more directly. Beer Festival 34 has abjectly failed. The cider lobby More local jobs would be has also had a recent success in created etc. and a virtuous circle Letters 37 getting a modest increase at the last established in the community budget overturned, the headline rather than the depressingly dire Branch diaries 40 moan being a large percentage rise. state of affair we have at the Capital Pubcheck 42 In actual fact this was less than the moment. By the way, with beer duty rise because beer is so increasing duty rates the Membership form 45 much more highly taxed. A strong Exchequer has had falling returns beer of 7.4% attracts a rate of £212 but the Treasury obdurately sticks Book review 52 as opposed to that of cider at £54 to its predicted model of expected Idle Moments 53 per barrel. income, like the monkey with its Is it any wonder then that fist in the jar. Crossword 54 strong cider which can be Is there any chance that this purchased at £1 a litre in your change can happen? A complete supermarket causes so much review of the duty system and the 3 Editorial effects of certain alcoholic minimum pricing scheme even to come together to fight for the consumptive practices is though, of course, there would be community as a whole and required. With a change of more margin in the supermarket support our national, wholesome government there is a window of price which could compensate drink, ordinary beer and, with it, opportunity as the Liberals have for lost volumes, saying rather the valued public house. indicated this could be on the pathetically that they couldn’t CAMRA does have a strong agenda. One of the biggest negotiate any price increase with influence. Can we help to get enemies is the spirits lobby. them. Whaaa, poor little Diageo! everyone together? Perhaps a Diageo has had an inordinate Precious volumes seem to be the debate can be started in What’s number of lobbyists and had an only thing that counts with these Brew ing now that we have been influence on the Brown rump mega industries. In my opinion assured there is editorial freedom government even though they putting Drinkaware notices all and that it will no longer appear kicked him in the teeth with the over the place means diddly to be the Wetherspoon Johnny Walker episode – on tax squat. Are we going to be serious Trumpeter! and on jobs, in Scotland no less. about drink problems or not? LD They are adamantly against the It is time for interested parties John Gilbert Advertise in the next LONDON DRINKER Our advertising rates are as follows: Whole page £300 (colour), £240 (mono); Half page £180 (colour), £135 (mono); Quarter page £95 (colour), £70 (mono). Phone John Galpin now on 020 3287 2966, Mobile 07508 036835 Email: [email protected] THE FINAL COPY DATE FOR ADVERTISING IN OUR NEXT ISSUE (AUGUST/SEPTEMBER) IS THE FIRST OF JULY WE CAMBERWELL D C A ARE 28 Ivanhoe Road, London SE5 8DH GREEN A M D O D L R HERE B IL R H E VE E RO M N G DENMARK R A E M W L O F A HILL STN E Tel: 020 7733 4797 Mobile: 07956 502152 O H R L R L N K T G A H R R D V I I L O V L < G E D ( A B R A www.hoopersbar.co.uk Email: [email protected] > O 2 U O R 3 1 S V 1 5 E P 4 E O ) D S H U D 0 L R B A L N , A IL < O A 1 H R N V E E I 7 V RIS N 6 E O AVONDALE E R D D , G N D A 1 E D Friday 4th June 8.30-11pm - Pete Jagger L 8 O O L A 5 R G E O , B Y 4 K E R 8 L 4 E H R N C E > T D Contemporary ragtime folk blues N Y P R D E N L N A R H L HOOPERS O I L U G L BAR Q O SAINSBURY 28 Ivanhoe Road G R ALE London O VE V Hoopers will be showing all the FIFA World Cup games as SE5 8DH 020 7733 4797 EAST DULWICH STN www.hoopersbar.co.uk well as the England Rugby Internationals v Australia on June 12th and 19th (11am), for which we will be offering Follow us on Facebook a breakfast. 12th-27 June World Cup, Real Ale and Cider Festival Bed & Breakfast now Saturday 12th and Friday 18th June Live Music Email us for details available in modern comfortable surroundings Saturday 19th June - The Shakermakers East Dulwich’s finest R ’n B band return! Good Free admission to all events. Beer See our website for Sunday 4th July - 8-11pm - Comedy Night Guid transport info. Celebrating the American Day of Independence e 2010 4 Campaigning A taste of CAMRA politics n response to the challenge of Steve Lerpiniere’s image, quality, availability and variety of real Iletter on page 37 and for readers’ general interest ale. and amusement, here are some of the resolutions u Promoting pub-going and the status of the pub carried at CAMRA’s annual members’ conference in communities, celebrating pub heritage and held in April in Douglas, Isle of Man, despite the culture and protecting pubs from unnecessary volcanic inconvenience to would-have-been air closure. travellers. u Campaigning to protect the rights of beer and Motion 5 (Amended) pub consumers to get a fair deal and be free to This Conference agrees that with growing enjoy alcohol responsibly membership and status, CAMRA needs an u Ensuring that we have the structure and objective, ‘fit for purpose review’ of its role within organisation to enable us to be flexible and a changing UK beer world.