August September Vol 27 2005 No.4 Enjoy the Great British Beer Festival. See page 16. London Drinker is published by Mike Hammersley on behalf of the London Editorial Branches of CAMRA, the Campaign for Real Ale Limited, and edited by REAL ALE IS DIFFERENT Geoff Strawbridge. ast November a spokesman for Coors, one of the faceless global Material for publication should Lconglomerates that have replaced the ‘Big Six’ national brewers of the preferably be sent by e-mail to 1970s, was quoted in the CAMRA magazine, ‘What’s Brewing’ after the [email protected]. company’s decision to stop brewing real ale. “Cask drinkers are very Press releases and letters by post should be sent to regional in their preferences and establishing a new national brand was just Tony Hedger, 7 The Square, Peabody too difficult”, said Paul Hegarty. “In fact we would question whether there Estate, Fulham Palace Road, London can be a truly national cask brand at all. With cask beer, traditional W6 9PX marketing and advertising just don’t work” Changes to pubs or beers should be reported to Capital Pubcheck, Hegarty put the big brewers’ retreat from real ale down to a marketing 2 Sandtoft Road, London SE7 7LR failure, but it did not seem to occur to him that real ale could instead be or by e-mail to marketed successfully on its flavours, the quality of its ingredients and [email protected]. competitive pricing. And you don’t need to spend a lot if you cut out the For publication in October 2005, please bullshit of ‘premium branding’ that makes the quality of a product send electronic documents to the Editor inversely proportional to the amount of money spent advertising it. no later than Wednesday 14th September. It is not surprising that this uncomprehending ‘marketing failure’ has led to SUBSCRIPTIONS: £3.00 for mailing the closure of more and more pubs. Take out the real ale because people of 6 editions should be sent to Stan don’t want to find the same ‘brands’ in every pub they visit and we’re left Tompkins, 52 Rabbs Mill House, with fizz. But we can buy branded fizz a lot cheaper in bottles or cans in Chiltern View Road, Uxbridge, Middlesex, UB8 2PD (cheques payable supermarkets than we can on draught in pubs, so why go to the pub at all? to CAMRA London). So real ale is the answer if pubs as such are to survive. But not the same real ADVERTISING: Peter Tonge: ale (typically Courage Best) in every other pub we visit, please. Turning Tel: 020-8300 7693. Ridley’s pubs into yet more Greene King pubs may not do them any Printed by Cliffe Enterprise, favours. What we want is a choice. I am delighted to find pubs like the Lewes, East Sussex. Oakdale Arms that serve a range of different ales. It is always exciting to find a beer at my local from a brewery I’ve never heard of. (Don’t call me a ticker: I don’t write them down!) But I tend to steer clear of ‘national In This Issue brands’ – funny, that. News round-up 4 Visit the Great British Beer Festival at Olympia (Tuesday 2 to Saturday 6 Fuller’s CAMRA Club 14 August) and choose from some 450 draught beers. Join CAMRA and help to persuade the pub companies that selling a good range of regional and London for free 19 local real ales will be good for them, and good for us. Letters 22 Geoff Strawbridge Cask Marque 25 TRAVELS ON THE WEBSITE Branch Diary 26 You can now share the drinking experiences of Clive Taylor's ski Capital Pubcheck 28 holiday in Sauze d'Oulx (the Benidorm of the Italian Alps) on the Travel Pages at www.londondrinker.org.uk Membership form 33 A trip to Young’s 40 Advertise in the next LONDON DRINKER Isleworth to Kew Bridge 42 Our advertising rates are as follows: Whole page £260 (colour) £220 (mono), Half page £150 (colour) £110 (mono), Quarter page £80 (colour) £55 (mono), Idle Moments 44 Phone Peter Tonge now on 020 8300 7693 Crossword 46 Views expressed in this publication are those of their individual authors and are not necessarily endorsed by the Editor or the Campaign for Real Ale Limited. 3 News Round-up u Jennings – the end? brewery. He called on Greene King to reconsider their decision to close the brewery and sell it as a ollowing completion of the acquisition of going concern to someone who can use it to brew Jennings Brothers PLC by Wolverhampton & F beer. Dudley Breweries PLC CAMRA is seeking more detailed assurances on the future of the Jennings When appointed in April this year, Ridley’s brewery, beer brands and pub estate. John Holland, Managing Director, Bob Wales, said: “the Board and CAMRA’s Director of Breweries Campaigning said, I look forward to the Ridley’s business growing and “W&DB has secured 82.46% of Jennings, but it is developing. Ridley’s is a good business with some clear that a substantial minority of small shareholders excellent and dedicated people at the Hartford End are unhappy with the takeover and supported Brewery site”. CAMRA now asks what has CAMRA’s campaign to keep Jennings independent.” changed? Ridley’s Chairman, Nicholas Ridley, CAMRA had planned to contact all of Jenning’s provided no answer to that question when private shareholders but were told that this could announcing the sale: “After many years of running constitute giving financial advice under the terms of the company as a local independent business, and the Financial Services Act and so would be illegal. following long deliberation by the board, we now believe that Ridleys needs to become part of a larger The addition of Jennings’s 128 pubs takes W&D’s group. We view Greene King as the best owner to pub holding to 2,275, back in front of Greene King develop our business for the future”. What future is as the largest of the regional brewers. Mike Benner, that exactly? CAMRA’s chief executive added, “We have several concerns which need to be addressed. What are u Licensing deadline looms W&DB’s future acquisition plans? Experience shows ll involved, the trade, local authorities and the us that takeovers often lead to brewery closures and AGovernment (Dept for Culture, Media & Sport) loss of beer brands, which in turn reduces consumer are seriously worried that many publicans don’t choice and competition. If W&DB acquires more seem to have understood that everyone needs to brewing capacity, a downturn in market conditions apply for a new licence. If they apply by 6 August would force them to reduce capacity which could lead then they can keep their existing licence under what to the closure of Jennings brewery.” are called ‘grandfather rights’. If they do not, then And the next one, please their existing licences will expire in November and u they will have to go through the full application reported last issue that Roger Protz had warned procedure for a new license. The Morning ICAMRA members at their annual conference that Advertiser for 23 June reports that in the City of we could expect more deals like Wolverhampton & Westminster, with 3,600 licensed premises, only 433 Dudley’s take-over of Jennings and sadly he was applications have been received. There is some right. As we went to press it was announced that T dispute as to how easy the forms are to complete. I D Ridley & Sons Ltd had accepted a bid from have heard it described as a 28-page monster whilst Greene King worth £45.6 million. The 163 year old one Government minister described it as just a box- family firm’s 73 pubs will be integrated into the GK ticking exercise. Of the 28,000 applications that have estate and the brewery at Hartford End near been received across the country, it is reported that Chelmsford, in production since 1842, will close by half have been returned due to errors. It is believed the autumn. The brewing of “a number” of Ridley’s that the situation may be distorted because a number brands will be transferred to Bury St Edmunds. of pub chains will be making bulk applications. What however will become of Tolly Original, One of the applications that Westminster City acquired when Ridleys themselves took over Tolly Council will not be receiving is from Norman Balon Cobbold three years ago and indeed GK’s own XX of the Coach & Horses in Greek Street, Soho. Mr Mild which Ridleys have been brewing under Balon, who has the reputation of being London’s contract? rudest landlord, has decided to call it a day at the age The deal has come as a surprise. Ridleys’ obviously of 78 because he cannot cope with the new licensing willing acceptance of it meant that there was no regulations. His leaving the Punch Taverns-operated opposition to alert CAMRA to what was happening pub, well known for its association with the late and it is, I suppose, a back-handed compliment of Jeffery Bernard, will very much be the end of an era. sorts to CAMRA that it was thought necessary to do the deal in this way. For old campaigners, there will u Smoking ban be doubtless be echoes of Simpkiss. CAMRA have he Government has now issued its consultation criticised the deal because of its implications for Tpaper on banning smoking in what it defines as consumer choice in Essex and East Anglia.