ISSUE 57 July - September 2009 the Oxford Drinker Oxford Local Pubs Trail Oxford CAMRA’s Local Bicycle, Chester Arms, perseverance to hit the Pubs Week started well Fir Tree and then our target, which he did, on Saturday 23 May with final stop, the Beer poor eyesight a launch visiting to a Festival at the White withstanding. number of pubs on the Hart, in Old Headington. Trail. It started from the At the branch social at Isis Farmhouse at Iffley the end of the week at Lock, previously the Isis the Turf Tavern, on Tavern. We then moved Saturday 23, we on to the Prince of Wales celebrated John’s in Iffley Village. birthday, having reached the ripe old age of 70. There was a great turn-out over the evening to mark the It was the first held by event. Dan and Carol and we were impressed by the range of beers and From there the crocodile ciders, and the great moved on to the Rusty food, in particular the chilli burgers! At the pub games evening at the Mason’s Arms on Thursday 21, Matt Bullock seemed to have the best luck hitting The Local Pubs Trail is the dolly in Aunt Sally but the highlight was continued page 3 definitely John Mackie’s inside this issue: car survey trips the free newsletter of the Great British Beer Festival Oxford City Branch of CAMRA festival and branch diaries www.oxfordcamra.org.uk Abingdon survey crawl: Part 2 issue 57 page 2 the Oxford Drinker july 2009 now well underway with Outside the ring road: Those taking part need trail cards and stickers Ampleforth Arms, to visit 8 of the pubs now actually in each of Risinghurst inside the ring road and the 25 pubs featured: Old Anchor Inn, 8 of the pubs outside the Abingdon ring road to enter. Inside the ring road: Spread Eagle, Abingdon Anchor, Walton Manor White Horse, Abingdon 1st prize is 2 free passes to Chequers, High St Cricketers Arms, all sessions at the Oxford Chester Arms, Iffley Littleworth CAMRA beer festivals, with Fir Tree, Iffley Six Bells, Kidlington 2 beer glasses and t-shirts, Isis Tavern, Iffley Lock Angel Inn, Witney plus £25 in tokens to spend. Jack Russell, Marston Griffin Inn, Witney 2nd prize is Sunday lunch Kite Inn, Osney/Botley Black Horse, Standlake for 2 at the Chester Arms, Plough Inn, Wolvercote Clanfield Tavern, Chester Street. Prince of Wales, Iffley Clanfield Royal Oak, Woodstock Sadders, New Yatt Other prizes including Rd Talbot Inn, Eynsham copies of the Good Beer Rusty Bicycle, Iffley Woodman, North Leigh Guide and a special prize White Hart, Headington for anyone managing to visit all 25 pubs! Oxford Brewers Group LocAle This Group is for brewers • tasting events The Cricketer’s Arms, in Oxfordshire who meet to • bulk purchases Littleworth, was the first discuss how to brew better • visits to suppliers or pub in the Oxford beers and ciders. The professional brewers CAMRA branch area to group is informal and is be accredited with open to anyone - amateur 15 July: Social Meeting, LocAle status. or professional - who The Kings Arms values quality and variety. 1 August: Cotswold Joining the group is easy. Brewing Company Tour Just turn up to a meeting or sign up for the email list. More details on the There's no fee or website: qualification required. The www.oxfordbrewers.com group has no committee and is self organising so members make whatever Stuart and Angie are contribution suits them. strong supporters of local breweries and real ale, Their activities include: with a Tuesday Real Ale • monthly mid-week club every week - a night meetings to talk about all things • quarterly Saturday beer! meetings the Oxford Drinker page 3 issue 57 Abingdon crawl 2 Neil Hoggarth On a sunny Saturday the event, and the fact seasonal beers this afternoon in May a that it was FA Cup Final year) and Greene King number of us got day probably didn't Abbot Ale. I sampled the together to undertake help!). Mayhem (which was the second of our three quite pleasant, without planned Abingdon pub The Broad Face, being anything to get crawls. A write-up of Bridge Street excited about) and the crawl number one was We started at the Broad Abbot (which was rather published in issue 56, Face, which has recently average). Even those of the remainder of the had a change of us that had ventured pubs will be covered in management. It seems from Oxford had to say an article that should to have recently had a that we thought that appear in the next issue. nice interior redecoration beer was pretty pricey, This is the first in light, pastel shades. In at £3.10 a pint. comprehensive survey of recent years the pub had Abingdon that the quite a strong emphasis The Nags Head, The branch has undertaken on the restaurant side of Bridge since 2005 (appearing in its business. Although Our itinerary underwent Oxford Drinker issues the pub is still selling some disruption before 34, 35 and 36 under the food, I got the we'd even left the Broad editorship of Matt impression that it was no Face. The advanced Bullock). longer quite such a guard who had gone to dominant factor. the Nags Head on the There was a very good However, it isn't very bridge came back to turnout from the clear what the pub's report that there was Abingdon members, but focus is now, since it currently no real ale on - as with our first crawl in isn't a particularly beery the last pint having been February the attendance place or a community pulled just before they from the rest of the local either (to be fair we reached the bar! I'm branch was were making an rather sure this was a disappointing (though to early start, so neither temporary hitch, with be fair there had been a drinkers nor diners were unfortunate timing, as certain amount of to- out in force - possibly it we have heard good and-fro about the date of would liven up later!). The beers on offer were: Morland Original, Greene King Morris Mayhem (under the "Westgate Brewery" badge that they seem to be using for all their page 4 decemberjuly 20092007 things about the beer in as "a feeble washing-up King (Morland Speckled the Nags recently (with water of a beer"). In Hen and Hardy & up to four reasonably 2009 there was still only Hansons Olde Trip) on priced cask ales one ale available, but offer, and one guest ale normally available). We now it was Morland (Brains Reverend decided to press on to Original, and we found it James). Most of us had the next pub on our to be in pretty average the Rev. James, and organiser's list, and not condition. again found it okay but review the Nags as part unremarkable (I tasted of this crawl. The branch the beer before blasting is visiting the Nags for a my palate with chilli, CAMRA meeting in July, honest!). Someone who so hopefully we'll be able sampled the Olde Trip to include our commented that it was impressions of the pub in past its best. the third Abingdon write- up in the next issue. The College Oak, Peachcroft Road The Fitzharris Arms, Another estate pub, this Thornhill Walk one is adjacent to a row The Fitz is a large estate of shops. Inside there pub, dating from the were a lot of screens, 1950s, inherited by showing the Cup Final Greene King from the old and other sporting The Ox, Oxford Road Morrells brewery, by way events. The pub was When we visited in 2005 of the short-lived very busy - when we Matt commented that "Morrells of Oxford" pub surveyed in 2005 Matt the Ox was relatively company. My impression commented that the pub rare in retaining the was that the large single- was a thriving local traditional two-room room interior was a bit which served the layout (lounge and bar). gloomy, though this community of Peachcroft Recently refurbished, might just be an effect of well, and it is good to the pub is now one coming indoors from a see that this seems to large room. There are bright sunny day. As with have continued. We sat also a couple of tables many of the pubs we out on the flag-stoned at the front overlooking visited during the patio at the front of the the Oxford Road, and a afternoon we elected to pub. They have an car park and a small sit in the sunshine, in a extensive and very beer garden round the spacious outside area reasonably priced menu, back. At one point we covered in wooden so several of us took the got chatting to the decking. In 2005 the only opportunity to refuel on a landlord, Des. He and cask-conditioned beer on rather nice plate of chilli Ali have been running sale was Greene King nachos. There were two the pub for 10 years IPA (described by Matt real ales from Greene now. They had to page 5 issue 57 finance the refurb earlier Company. It has been been opened out into a this year themselves, extensively changed single large space. It with no help from the since. The pub had two retains something of a pub company. When we beers on sale: Greene old fashioned feel, with visited mid-afternoon King IPA and Morland wood beams and half- there was a small group Original (a third hand- timbering on display.