F R E E DDRDRIDRINDRINKDRINKEDRINKERRIN KER Volume 39 No. 4 August/September 2017 The Bree Louise (See page 44 – Photo by John Galpin) HE PERFECT PINT AT TH VE T E PER SER FEC ICH T T H EM W P S E B R U A P T U R R O E F C A S E S S K U M O A H RQ EE UE- FR ACCR OON EDITED J D WETHERSP 3 0 ES AW RI AR WE D-WINNING BRE WED 1 1 – S UN 2 2 o ct Editorial London Drinker is published on behalf of the point at which drinking at home, buying Greater London branches of CAMRA, the that beer from the supermarkets, looks Campaign for Real Ale, and is edited by Tony distinctly attractive. Even without the Hedger. It is printed by Cliffe Enterprise, Eastbourne, BN22 8TR. stupid, greedy and short-sighted CAMRA is a not-for-profit company limited by attitudes of most of the pubcos, this guarantee and registered in England; company trend can only lead to the closure of No. 1270286. Registered office: DDRDRIDRINDRINKDRINKEDRINKERRIN KER more much-loved alehouses and a 230 Hatfield Road, St. Albans, Hertfordshire AL1 4LW. reduction of choice for most drinkers. Your author confesses that it has led to Material for publication, including press releases, should preferably be sent by his going to his locals a lot less e-mail to [email protected]. OPINION: HOW DO YOU frequently than in in former times, The deadline for the next edition, simply because he can’t afford it any October/November is Monday LIKE YOUR PUB? 11 September more. here are so many answers to this What can CAMRA do about this All contributions to this magazine are made on a question that rather than try to voluntary basis. distressing trend? Answers on a Tanswer the question I thought that I To advertise in London Drinker, contact postcard please, to CAMRA’s office, or John Galpin on 020 3287 2966 would just muse a little on the subject. the letters page of either this magazine or mobile 07508 036835; It is now ten years since the or What’s Brewing. E-Mail: [email protected]. introduction of the smoking ban. The As for the other problem, that of Prices: whole page £325 colour or controversy which that caused has still £260 mono; half-page £195 colour or £145 permanent hearing damage, it is just not gone away. One recent newspaper mono; quarter-page £105 colour or £80 mono. possible that CAMRA members and article said that 12,000 pubs have The views expressed in this magazine are those of others in the public can do something closed in those ten years, mostly, their individual authors and are not necessarily about this. If the ‘muzak’ is simply too endorsed by the editor or CAMRA. apparently, in poorer urban areas. It loud and at least 90% of cases, it will © copyright the London Branches of the would be wrong to say that the ban be, then complain – politely – and ask Campaign for Real Ale; all rights reserved. was the only cause. Many changes in for the volume to be turned down. Subscriptions: please send either £9 for the society have had their effect, not least The usual response is that people like mailing of six editions or £17 for 12 editions to customers’ increased expectations but Stan Tompkins, 52 Rabbs Mill House, Chiltern it or want it but do they? If challenged, the role played by profiteering pubcos View Road, Uxbridge, Middx UB8 2PD. Please many bar staff will react very make cheques payable to CAMRA London Area. and developers, driven, especially in These prices apply to UK mail addresses only. To London, by absurd property prices and defensively, which itself is a give-away arrange for copies to be sent overseas, please that all is not well. It will require a long contact us. spreading ‘gentrification’ is more likely responsible. I certainly prefer my pubs and dogged campaign of persistent smoke free and I can’t see the ban nagging to achieve anything I’m afraid. CONTENTS being overturned now. I genuinely do There is also a much more serious Branch diaries 6 have a certain sympathy for smokers aspect to this, in that, as a result of CAMRA events 10 these elevated sound-levels, many bar- CAMRA beer festival reports 16 but sorry, I don’t want to take your smoke home on my clothes. We have staff are going to suffer progressive Great British Beer Festival 18 hearing-loss over the years, probably News round-up 20 moved on. Summer on the rails 22 There are still problems however. I either going deaf or suffering from Sideways and upwards 24 will now hand over to one of our tinnitus, or both, by the time they are Pub and brewery trade news 26 regular contributors, Greg Tingey who 55 or 60. There is something else we Matters of taste 30 writes, “ It is now over two years since I can do, of course. Please write to your A change of lines 31 wrote two separate articles for London local councillors and environmental Brewery news 32 health departments, asking them to Opinion: the pubco tie 36 Drinker on subjects of concern to most Health and welfare 40 people who enjoy pubs and beer. In investigate noise levels in pubs before CAMRA’s National Breweriana Auction 40 the time since then, neither situation people go deaf. Monty’s making mischief 42 has improved, as regards the ordinary As a final note, your author is in the Pub news and campaigns 44 drinker, who simply would like to enjoy supposedly fortunate position of having Good news from out east 48 a pint. These are, of course, firstly, the three GBG pubs, two other good ones London LocAle scheme 48 exorbitant price of beer in far too many and two breweries within walking WhatPub? update 21 50 places and secondly, the ridiculous distance of his house, but only one of Book review 55 CAMRA Pub Design Awards 55 amounts of noise to which drinkers are those five is quiet most of the time and Letters 56 subjected. one sometimes has a quiet back- Andy Milne – a tribute 57 When perfectly respectable pubs in room.” Thank you Greg. Idle Moments 58 Zone 3 are charging £4.20 to £4.40 for Another contentious area is bad Crossword 62 any pint of real ale, it is approaching the language. As some of you may have 3 Editorial read, Humphrey Smith has decreed that swearing is now go to because it’s there for you. It is certainly premature to banned in all Samuel Smith’s pubs, of which there are some think that we have stemmed the tide of pub closures yet but two dozen in London. This seems wildly impractical and once we have then maybe we need to start taking a look at unfair to the landlords who are expected to enforce it but this. that said, I can see the point and indeed the management Tony Hedger of my local actively discourage it. It is all about comfort. To Editor’s note: Greg has since reported an incident at one my mind, the worse type of swearing, the continuous use of of the pubs that he mentions above where a woman the ‘f’ and ‘c’ words, tends to be done at boorish high standing alone at the bar was ignored for service. Now that volume. If I don’t know about it then it isn’t going to worry is one battle that I did think we had won. Appalling. me but when it intrudes unpleasantly into everyone else’s conversations then Mr Smith may have the right idea. Anti- social behaviour in what is essentially a social space is wrong. Advertise in the next Noisy machines are another bone of contention but another regular correspondent, Brian Sheridan, has drawn LONDON DRINKER my attention to something that he heard on the BBC World Service News. It was, he says, “ about some blokes who have Our advertising rates are as follows: designed special Virtual Reality rigs for use in pubs. You can Whole page £325 (colour), £260 (mono); don one of these rigs and play various games – mainly Half page £195 (colour), £145 (mono); shooting up alien invaders – in the comfort of your local.” Quarter page £105 (colour), £80 (mono). As long as they are quiet, fair enough, although is this what Phone John Galpin now on a pub is for? Perhaps for potential users it is. So what exactly have I (and Greg) been going on about? 020 3287 2966. Mobile 07508 036835 It is simply that different people want different things from Email: [email protected] or their pubs but it boils down to feeling comfortable and Twitter@LDads having good beer to enjoy at a reasonable (not necessarily cheap) price. The pub trade ought to be diverse but THE FINAL COPY DATE FOR ADVERTISING IN whether you go to a pub to eat, play darts, watch sport on OUR NEXT ISSUE (OCT/NOV) IS THURSDAY 14 SEPT the TV or whatever, isn’t it nice to have a pub that you just Ye Olde Mitre No. 1 Ely Court, between Ely Place and Hatton Garden, London EC1N 6SJ Tel: 020 7405 4751 Historic and Traditional Ale-House London Pride, Gales Seafarers, Oliver’s Island and 4 guest ales every day plus a traditional craft cider Join us for our annual weekend in honour of the GBBF Saturday/Sunday 12-13 August, 12-7pm Check out what’s on at: yeoldmitreholborn.co.uk BRITAIN’S BEST REAL HERITAGE PUB GUIDE 2017 MASTER CELLARMAN 2016 East London & City Pub of the Year 2006, 2008, 2010 and 2014 SPBW London Pub of the Year 2013 CAMRA GOOD BEER GUIDE 2016 4 Branch diaries elcome to our regular details of London CAMRA Biggin Hill soc: (12pm) Bulls Head, Rushmore Hill, BR6 contacts and events, where branches say what is 7NQ; (1.30) R5 bus to (2pm) Blacksmiths Arms, Cudham hWappening in their areas that might be of interest to drinkers Lane South, TN14 7QB; (3pm) walk to Old Jail, Jail La, across London.