FREE No.147 December - February 2008 Merry Christmas to all our readers! GO OVER TO THE WHITE LION, NORWICH ‘DARK SIDE’ - AN - RE-OPENS INTRODUCTION TO WINTER ALES PUBCOS FEEL THE DRAUGHT Newsletter of the Norwich and Norfolk Branch of the Campaign for Real Ale NORFOLK NIPS | Chairman’s Letter Norwich & Norfolk Branch Chris and Glynis invite you to the Chairman: Des O’Brien Welcome Tel: 01603 270588 Email: [email protected] Secretary: Graham Freeman Tel: 07800 690048 From next issue, we'll be Email: [email protected] Tr af ford Arms 'Norfolk Nips with Cask Force' – Social Secretary: Tim MacDonald a single magazine bringing Tel. 01603 865505 together news and views from Email: [email protected] both the county’s CAMRA Branch website: branches, West Norfolk and www.norwichcamra.org.uk Norwich & Norfolk. We will be expanding Nips, and we hope Branch mailing list web page: groups.yahoo.com/group improving it too. /CAMRA_Norwich A rough idea of where the Published every 3 months by the Norwich & Norfolk branches are, if you're not branch of the aware of it; Norwich & Norfolk Campaign for Real Ale orwich Beer Festival is covers Norwich, obviously, © N&N CAMRA 2008 over for another year; the together with South Norfolk, Norfolk Nips is produced and stillage, taps, and cellar distributed by members of the the east coast including branch in their own time Nequipment all put away in Yarmouth, and the north coast the store, huge amounts of round to Cromer, Sheringham Edited by: beer drunk, converts to real ale Andrea Kirkby and Weybourne to as far as Email: [email protected] made and new CAMRA Holkham. N&N includes members signed up. Most Fakenham and East Dereham, Views expressed in Norfolk importantly it provided many with the dividing line drawn Nips are not necessarily those of the editor or of CAMRA thousands of people with the just to the west of these market chance to drink beer and have towns. West Norfolk covers Advertising: fun – and without any trouble. King's Lynn, all of “Fenland” For advertising enquiries please contact Chris Shilling on: Norfolk including Downham Tel: 01778 421 550 The good humoured atmos - Market, Swaffham, Watton, and Mobile: 07736 635 916 phere that prevailed in St Thetford and the western part Email: [email protected] Andrew's and Blackfriars Halls of the coast from Brancaster to provides a real answer to Rates: 16th Valentine the Burnhams, Hunstanton, Colour Rates per insertion (exclusive government puritans who through to the Wash. of VAT) are: want to stop us all drinking, or Quarter page tax our pints to perdition, on 1 insertion £70 Half page It's exciting to be putting the 2 insertions £60 1 insertion £130 Beer Festival the grounds that 'alcohol leads two publications together – it's 4 insertions £55 2 insertions £115 Theme: Planet Earth to crime'. And we're obviously going to take a lot of work, a 4 insertions £100 doing something right as lot of coordination, and a lot of Full Page people are willing to queue all 1 insertion £230 9th-15th February contributions from CAMRA 2 insertions £210 the way up St George's Street, members and other real ale 4 insertions £190 Raising money for Benjamin Foundation way past the Playhouse, for the and cider/perry drinkers. So chance to come and enjoy our Cover Rates keep those pub post-its and Inside Front / Inside Back CAMRA Beer Festival. articles coming – and if you're 1 insertion £260, 2 insertions £235 a landlord with some inter - 4 insertions £215 61 Grove Road, Norwich 01603 628466 And now an announcement. esting events coming up, let us Outside Back Cover This will be the last Norfolk 1 insertion £300, 2 insertions £265 know so that we can feature 3 insertions £235 www.traffordarms.co.uk email: [email protected] Nips in its present format. them here. WINTER 2008 | 3 Steady Pints | NORFOLK NIPS NORFOLK NIPS | Pubs Database Batemans, which has a Beer Festival. They can be regulars certainly have a heart. number of pubs in our branch spent on the brewery’s beer at Landlord Terry Rayner, who Pub News area, recently announced that its Alburgh shop or at its stall took over the pub last year, has in future it will link its rent on farmers' markets. agreed with the Holt & As reported in last NIPS The Dept to convert the Shoe - Brewery And increases to inflation. Usually, Community First Response White Lion , Oak Street makers public house in rent increases are linked to the Overall beer sales in the UK Team - a local back-up for the Norwich was opened by Earlham (which has been Trade News volume of trade - but that were down 8. 1 percent for the Ambulance service - to house a Cambridge brewers Milton at closed for about two years) to a penalises landlords who three months to September difibrillator in the pub. the end of September. private dwelling. Interesting news from Ever - manage to increase their pub's 2008, according to the British If someone has a heart attack, turnover. Batemans, instead, Beer and Pub Association. The access to the defibrillator could The Galley Hill on Drayton An application has been ards, which is buying up pubs will let landlords keep the extra volume of beer sold in super - save a life. It's been designed Road , Norwich has now been lodged to South Norfolk and letting them to smaller profit. markets fell only 6 percent, so for anyone to be able to use it - converted to a hair salon. Council to convert the Fox & breweries – 'Project William' has Batemans also announced the supermarkets are gaining a recorded voice tells them Hounds in Great Moulton to a three with Titanic, two with results which buck the trend market share (not surprising what to do. Scottish & Newcastle has private dwelling. Steaming Billy, and one each for the sector - turnover up 14 given their silly prices), but still Terry has also sponsored the purchased nine Adnams pubs with Ashover and White Horse. percent, and operating profits losing sales. stylish blue and yellow kit for including two in our Branch The Buck in Thorpe St The brewers agree to have one well up to £582,000. However, the football team at Kelling area - The Plasterers in Andrews closed during pump of Everards, and are the brewer foresees a chal - Price of a pint Primary School. Norwich and The Two September. Enterprise Inns, otherwise free of tie. Pubs are lenging year to come. Reported from the White Horse Brewers in Diss. which owns this grade II listed bought and refurbished in Parson’s Green, London; Finding beer on the internet building, states that it is cheaply. Everards sees micros as Adnams has launched a new Hoegaarden and Blanche de A new website, PintPicker, may The St Andrews Tavern looking for new tenants and “first generation family beer – Gunhill, a 4% ruby ale Namur at four quid, and West - help real ale fans find a beer was closed for a while at the hopes the closure will only be brewers” - there should not be available in bottles. The malle dubbel at seven - even they'll like. end of September for refurbish - temporary. a difference between the brewery has also sold a worse, Traquair House Stuart It has been designed to ment, and reopened in mid regionals and the micros. package of five Adnams pub to Ale four quid a pint and £3.75 compare the flavour profiles of October under its old name of Oak Inn , Fakenham and Though it's out of our region, it S&N (as reported in pub news) for Crouch Vale Brewer's Gold. different beers using a quanti - Rumsey Wells under the Victoria in Deopham are might be an interesting model - the Plasterers in Norwich and tative system which rates them control of brother and suster reported to have recently been for some of our mid-size brew - Prince Consort in Yarmouth, 2008 AA Pub Guide according to their hoppiness, team, Danny and Katie Searle. closed. eries to adopt - we certainly Two Brewers in Diss, and The AA Pub Guide has an inter - sweetness and so on. The Reindeer , Norwich is have enough micros in Norfolk! County Arms and Grand Old esting selection of pubs in If, for instance, you like An application has been open again with new tenants. Duke in Ipswich. Norwich - the Adam and Eve, Batemans' Salem Porter, you made to Norwich Planning A number of landlords Mad Moose Arms, and Ribs of can search for similar beers, A number of branch members will be going on the attending Norwich Beer Beef. Neither the Fat Cat nor and the site will show you a list Beer Festival Diary 10th departing Thorpe Station around 930 - email Festival told CAMRA committee the King's Head make it into of other beers in descending the social secretary for further details. members that Adnams was the book. It seems this guide order of similarity. discouraging the sale of guest has rather different criteria for Stonehenge Old Smokey 2-6 December Pig's Ear Beer & Cider 21 - 25 January: Rose Winterfest at the Rose beers in its tenanted pubs. We selection from our own Good came first, then City of Festival, Ocean, Mare Street, Hackney, London E8. Tavern, 235 Queens Road, Norwich have not been able to confirm Beer Guide (in fact the mention Cambridge Parkers Porter, this report, but if it is true, we of 'Elgoods Mild' in the AA guide Pitfield's Organic Norman Mild, 4-6 December , 7th Harwich & Dovercourt 21-24 January 2009 - National Winter Ales would be very concerned.