ISSUE 122 SPRING 2005 FREE FREE FREE HUNTINGDONSHIRE BRANCH NEWSLETTER CAMPAIGN FOR FULL PINTS Getting what you pay for is a basic con- the Trading Standards Institute and LACOTS sumer right. When ordering a pint of beer believe that this proposal will result in the pro- posed 5% "tolerance" being added to the existing you should receive exactly that – a full deficiency threshold normally applied by enforce- pint. The reality is very different, and be- ment agencies before considering prosecution cause of loopholes in the law over 8 out of action, and which will result in licensees being able 10 pints are short measure. Despite re- to serve "pints" of substantially less than 95% peated promises, the Government has liquid; further notes that short measure costs con- sumers over £400 million annually, HM Treasury failed to act on short beer measures. over £54 million annually in lost excise revenues, Under pressure from the pubs industry, and brewers £133 million in lost beer sales; this the Government is now proposing to de- House therefore calls on the Government to bring fine a pint as “not less than 95% liquid”. forward legislation to protect consumers from short beer measures by defining a pint of beer as 100% CAMRA believes that this proposal will liquid." lead to the worsening of the current situa- tion as it gives a green light for pubs to short change consumers. CAMRA is supporting a new parliamen- tary early day motion expressing concern at the 95% pint proposals. Posters and leaflets have been produced and a ‘full pints’ postcard is available for people to send to their MP, urging them to sign the motion, EDM 331. There is also an on-line lobbying system on CAMRA’s website at www.camra.org.uk. Opening Times readers are urged to write or email your MP calling on them to sup- port the campaign for an honest pint law and to sign EDM 331. EDM stands for Early Day Motion. These can be signed by backbench MPs to show their support for a campaign. Frontbench MPs do not usually sign EDMs. EDM 331 reads: "That this House expresses concern at current proposals to define a pint of beer as "not less than 95% liquid"; notes that the Campaign for Real Ale, CAMRA, the Campaign for Real Ale, is a consumer organisation founded in 1971 EVENTS AND SOCIALS February 2005 Sat 21st Heritage Pubs Trip by rail to Fri 18th Belgium beer tasting at (Eaton Telford to visit Mild passport pubs. Socon) (8.00 pm). The cost of the beer Tues 10th Open Committee Meeting, will be in the region of £5. Samuel Pepys, Huntingdon (8.30 pm) Fri 25th National Pubs Week tour of St Wed 25th Visit to the Cambridge Beer Ives pubs starting at Aviator at 7.30 pm; Festival, Jesus Green (7:30pm). County Floods Tavern at 8.15 pm; Nelson’s bus services are available from Head at 9.00 pm; finishing at the Oliver Huntingdon, St Ives and St Neots. Cromwell at 9.45 pm. June 2005 March 2005 Tues 7th Open Committee Meeting, Tues 1st Open Committee Meeting, Three Woolpack, St Neots (8.30 pm) Horseshoes, Abbots Ripton (8.30 pm). Sat 25th Trip to Wissey Valley Brewery, Sat 12th Heritage Pubs Trip by rail to Stoke Ferry, Norfolk. A tour of the Hereford including Spinning Dog Brewery brewery, a mini beer festival and food has visit. been arranged for CAMRA members and Sat 19th Trip to Adnams Brewery, their guests. The events start at 12-Noon. Southwold. A tour of the brewery has For further information, or to book a place been arranged for CAMRA members and on the beer tasting and Adnams tour, their guests, starting at 9.30 a.m. please contact Pete Godfrey, Social Entertainment for Friday and Saturday Secretary, on 01480 212849 or e-mail: night will be arranged for those staying [email protected]. locally to Southwold. April 2005 BRANCH CONTACTS th Tues 12 Annual General Meeting, Chairman & Newsletter Editor: Andy River Mill Tavern, Eaton Socon (8.30 Shaw, (01480) 355893, chair- pm). [email protected] th Fri 29 Visit to the Beer Festival at the Secretary, Press & Publicity Officer: Green Man, Colne. (8.00pm). The will th nd Paul Moorhouse, (01480) 496247 (h), festival run from Friday 29 to Monday 2 [email protected] and plans to offer ~20 real ales. Treasurer: Sonia Clarke, (01480) May 2005 355893 (h), [email protected] Sat 7th Rail and walking trips along the Membership Secretary: Margaret Wherry Lines, East of Norwich, Eames, (01480) 385333 (h) sampling real ales along the route. More information from: http:// Social Secretary: Pete Godfrey, (01480) www.wherrylines.org.uk/. We plan to 212849 (h), [email protected] catch the 11.37 train from Norwich to Pubs Officer: Roy Endersby, (01480) Great Yarmouth. To get to Norwich, either 473364, [email protected] take the 08.21 St Neots (08.51 Campaigning Officer: Kathy Hadfield- Huntingdon) train and change at Moorhouse, (01480) 496247, cam- Peterborough, or take the 10.02 [email protected] Cambridge train and change at Ely. Note that times may be subject to change with Young Members Coordinator: Gwen new timetable. Godfrey, (01480) 212849 (h), [email protected] 2 Updates to Branch Diary - www.huntscamra.org.uk/diary OPENING TIMES 122 SPRING 2005 3 A LOOK BACK IN TIME 25 YEARS AGO Former Trumans pub the George in Ram- Spring 1980 saw CAMRA’s St Neots sey reopened as a free house after its branch welcoming Charles Wells’s new closure in 1976, finding favour with local real ale Bombardier to local pubs after CAMRA members by introducing cask having seen the beer launched in London McEwens 70/-. the previous summer. By March 1980 the Local CAMRA members were dismayed beer, named after famous boxer Bombar- at a number of St Neots pubs that had dier Billy Wells was available in 12 pubs in dropped real ale, and St Neots CAMRA the branch area. was urging its members to ask for real ale The success of Bombardier led to the in the pubs concerned. The Kings Head, a demise of their stronger cask beer Wells Paines house, had received two hand- Fargo, launched in 1976 on the back of pumps but pressurised beer had since the surging demand for real ale. In April been installed and the pumps were out of 1980 it was announced that Fargo would action. There was a similar story at the be supplied only as a processed bottled Angel, where pressurised beer had been beer. outselling real ale, although real draught Bombardier was expected to be installed. CAMRA’s disappointment at this, and the The Greenacres, a former Ruddles pub, demise of another local cask beer, Can- then a Whitbread house, had served tab, from the Tolly Cobbold brewery in Wethered’s cask bitter but this, too, had Ipswich, was tempered by the success of been discontinued. The Wrestlers on New Tolly’s new Original Bitter real ale. This Street had tried Ind Cope Burton Ale but it was on sale at the Manchester Arms, St was withdrawn after poor sales. The Ives by March 1980 and was expected at Robin Hood in St Ives and the Crown at the Racehorse, Catworth and the Black Earith had also withdrawn the real thing. Bull, St Ives by that Easter. CAMRA chairman Joe Goodwin led a St Neots CAMRA held its Annual General delegation to Tadcaster brewers Samuel Meeting at the Cannon in St Neots (now Smiths to urge them to ‘put the necessary the Hyde Park) in March 1980. Other cash and energy’ into their Stamford spring branch meetings were held at the Brewery Museum, or to ‘give it up and let Royal Oak, St Neots and the Market Inn, someone like CAMRA take over’. Sams Huntingdon. There was an April social at had decided to open the brewery for lim- the Barley Mow in Hartford and a darts ited periods, which they had opened two match at the Hardwick Arms, Gamlingay. years earlier in the premises of the former Local pubs owned by national brewers Melbourns brewery in the Lincolnshire Watneys had recently been re-badged as town. Manns houses, reviving the name of a Allied Breweries recreated another old brewing legend long since closed down by brewery name with the launch of the Halls the Watney group. Real ale had been re- Brewery name for their estate of pubs in introduced to some of these pubs – the Oxford area formerly known as Ind Manns IPA and Watneys Stag Bitter were Coope (West). A Burton-brewed Halls brewed by Watneys in Norwich. The Black cask beer was launched for sale in the Bull at Brampton was serving Manns IPA pubs. East Anglia thus became the only in April 1980 using a handpump, preferred region to keep the Ind Coope identity for by CAMRA to the air pressure dispense all Allied brewery pubs, following earlier used in some Manns pubs, including the re-creations of Benskins, Friary Mew and Bell, Huntingdon for Manns IPA. Taylor Walker branded estates and beers. 4 Visit CAMRA’s national website at www.camra.org.uk A LOOK BACK IN TIME A boost for Elgoods cask mild was pro- ‘commitment to defend the dignity and vided by the Salisbury Arms in Cam- authenticity of Britain’s historic pubs’. bridge, then part of a small estate of pubs Meanwhile the Magic Pub Company was owned and run by CAMRA. The sales of a under fire for re-naming the Twelve Bells barrel a week were believed to represent in Trowbridge the ‘Pickled Newt’.